As we take a more in-depth look at how the first two months of the season have gone for the American League Central, we will pick players from each team who are a surprise so far, both good and bad. Let's take a look at the AL Central as we head into June.
Cleveland Guardians - 38-19
The Guardians have been putting it all together this season so far under new manager Stephen Vogt. They are sixth in the American League in home runs, second in stolen bases, and first in runs scored. Their pitching has also been excellent slotting in fourth in the AL with a 3.47 ERA.
David Fry has been a pleasant surprise for the Guardians this season. The 28-year-old has played four different positions and sits third on the team in home runs and fourth in RBIs despite ranking ninth in plate appearances. His 1.114 OPS is quite impressive, and he has even chipped in four stolen bases.
Emmanuel Clase has been even better than he usually is. One of the best closers in the game has a minuscule 0.32 ERA while sporting a 29/2 K/BB rate. He also leads the league with 17 saves and is on pace to possibly crack the 50-save mark.
Kansas City Royals - 35-24
The Royals have surprised everyone by sporting the fourth-best record in the AL. They made a few key acquisitions that have worked out. Pair that with Sal Perez having a great year and Bobby Witt Jr. continuing his ascendence, and you have a solid crew that doesn't seem to be going away.
Seth Lugo has been so good this season that he is the frontrunner for the AL Cy Young Award. The 34-year-old is 9-1 with a league-leading 1.72 ERA. He has only given up more than three runs in one of his 12 starts.
Brady Singer was picked 18th overall in 2018 out of the University of Florida. He has had his ups and downs, but at 27 years old, and over 100 starts in his career, Singer seems to be putting it together with a 2.63 ERA. He is striking out batters at more than one per inning and has limited walks and home runs.
Minnesota Twins - 32-25
The Twins sit in third place but are well within striking distance at this point of the season. They sit in the middle of the pack as far as runs scored and ERA. They certainly have more talent than they have shown so far this season.
Ryan Jeffers has caught 27 games this season and has been Minnesota's DH 22 times. He is giving them a reason to keep his bat in the lineup as Jeffers leads the team with 12 home runs and 36 RBIs.
Simeon Woods-Richardson was brought up to spot start in April and was sent back down immediately after the doubleheader. However, the demotion didn't last long and SWR has made his mark in the rotation while Pablo Lopez and Bailey Ober have struggled.
Detroit Tigers - 28-29
The Tigers are an up-and-coming team. They have a solid staff and a decent core of hitters. Their top three starters have been very good. However, the rest of the staff has been downright horrible. Aside from Detroit's top three, the staff has a 4.60 ERA.
Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty, and Reese Olson have to be the best top three in the league at this point. They have combined for 217 strikeouts to just 40 walks while sporting a 2.50 ERA in 191 innings. The offense hasn't helped much and losing Kerry Carpenter is a blow to them, but the aces of the Tigers have kept Detroit around .500
Matt Vierling has been thriving in his utility role, splitting time between third base and center field primarily. He has an .817 OPS and is second on the team to the injured Kerry Carpenter in RBIs with 28.
Riley Greene leads the team in home runs with 10 and runs scored with 37. He is building on last year's improvement. The former fifth pick overall has played a solid outfield defensively also and hasn't made an error since 2022.
Chicago White Sox - 15-43
Like Dennis Allen famously said, "They are who we thought they were". Most analysts agreed that Chicago was one of the worst teams in the league, and their record reflects that we were right. They are the only team in the majors with fewer than 20 wins.
Andrew Vaughn, Nicky Lopez, and Paul DeJong have combined to slash .222/.284/.339 with 12 home runs and 40 RBIs in 570 plate appearances. That kind of performance should get you released.
Erick Fedde has been a bright spot in the rotation as has Garrett Crochet. The rest of the starters have been awful, and the White Sox are last in the AL in team ERA at 4.86.
***All stats are through games on Friday, May 31.
Main Image Credit:
David Fry blasts one
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