Post by Commissioner Erick on Nov 28, 2021 10:13:12 GMT -5
The AL Central has two contenders, two rebuilders, and one distressed asset, making it fairly easy to handicap. Seeing some of Cleveland's young pitching phenoms face Jorge Vargas and Roderick Dalton on a regular basis will be exciting for those looking to the future.
1) Kansas City Royals
2026: 95-67, AL Central Champions. Lost to Baltimore 4-2 in ALDS
Who They Were: Kansas City continued its run of excellent play with its third straight playoff berth, and fourth in five years. Kansas City was second in runs scored, second in Zone Rating, and third in ERA, excelling in all three facets of the game. They severely underperformed their run-differential as they were expected to win 105 games. Their offense failed them in the ALDS and they fell to the Orioles in the playoffs.
Offseason Review: Several starting pitchers were thrown back in the free agent pool, with Roniel Raudes brought on to replace Chance Adams, Chad Kuhl, and Andrew Suarez. Aroldis Chapman should help the pen, and Harland Guenette gives Kansas City yet another two-way infielder they accomplish so much with. The core of the team will remain the same core that led the club to the division title last year.
On The Farm: It’s a strong farm, that has high-end talent, multiple impact prospects, players far removed, and also players knocking on the door. Frank Aguilar may be the prospect who comes up the soonest. He had a cup of coffee last year, and is knocking on the door for a rotation spot this year. He throws 100+, but is still seasoning his off-speed stuff. Jonathan Bakos was horrendous in a small stint last year, but by this time next year will be a starting major leaguer. Further away, Jorge Parra’s patience and gap power make him an intriguing Catcher prospect, though he still needs a lot of development work. Kyle Sidebottom can be a mid-rotation arm once he hones his control, which could be as soon as next year. Meanwhile, Haitian Michael Laffont has ace potential, but is 17-years-old and a lifetime away.
Best Case Scenario: Baseball adopts a fifth base to allow more Royals infielders to play.
Worst Case Scenario: Another ALDS exit
Key Questions: Your offense didn’t produce last postseason, yet you hardly made any changes. Do you feel they’ll be fine if you run it back?
You have eight infielders that are worthy of at least making the roster. What will everyone’s roles be?
2) Detroit Tigers
2026: 88-74, 2nd Place AL Central.
Who They Were: Despite Roderick Dalton’s strong season, Detroit was power starved, ranking 13th in AL homers and 10th in runs scored. Dalton and fellow rookie DeMario Pacheco were the only Tigers to hit more than 18 home runs. The club hit for a strong average and had the second best starting pitching ERA in the AL, fueling a very strong club. They just didn’t have the home run juice to take things to the next level.
Offseason Review: Detroit’s been very quiet this offseason, losing top pitcher Griffin Canning and adding nobody. The stars on the team should benefit from an extra year, but it’s largely a veteran group. The team did make the playoffs in 2024 and 2025 with mostly the same cast though.
On The Farm: The best players came up last year, thinning out the farm, though the next crop is right behind them. Phil Knightner’s glove makes him a Top 100 prospect. He may start the season in the minors, be a utility infielder, platoon with Brice Turang, or start at Shortstop. Dog Morales may be the latest impactful player named Luis Morales and should be in the rotation by the end of the year. Behind them, there isn’t too much. Some mid rotation arms occupy the mid-minors, and control artist Manoel Delvas has excelled in rookie ball and may start reaching the A-levels soon.
Best Case Scenario: Amari Maggette rebounds from a weird 14-home run season.
Worst Case Scenario: The team really misses Griffin Canning.
Key Questions: What will Phil Knightner’s role be this year?
You didn’t add any power to a team that might need some. Is that something you’ll look to address in-season?
3) Chicago White Sox
2026: 71-91, 3rd Place AL Central
Who They Were: Almost literally a two-person team. Andrew Benintendi had 9.5 WAR. Rafael Devers had 6.2. Ronald Acuna actually chipped in with a 27-homer year and 3.5 WAR. Nobody else had more than 1.6. The pitching was ghastly with a bunch of meh starters putting up a 5.54 starters ERA.
Offseason Review: Cal Raleigh and Micah Watson had some good years for the team, but will be elsewhere in 2027. Luis Contreras was foolish converted to a starter then allowed to walk in free agency. The team is hopelessly overbudget thanks to new management, so they didn’t add anyone of note.
On The Farm: There isn’t much on the farm. Luis Moreno had some potential, but blew out his arm. It’s a question if he can recover his old form. Baffi the Barbarian is close to the majors. He excelled in Triple-A last year, but may need some refinement on his control before coming up. Edgar Salinas has potential, but is only 17 years old and years away. The position player talent pool doesn’t have many potential impact bats.
Best Case Scenario: Some regression from the supporting cast takes the team to 75 wins.
Worst Case Scenario: What happens if Andrew Benintendi is merely extraordinary, and not other-worldly?
Key Questions: Your owner wants you to slash budget. Will you listen to him or try to make a push for the playoffs?
What will Rodolfo Acevedo’s role be this season?
4) Cleveland Indians
2026: 65-97, Last Place AL Central
Who They Were: Cleveland lost 90 games for the fifth straight season after winning 90 games four of the first five PBA seasons. The team continued to churn through its upper minors, struggling mightily as a result. 13 of the 22 position players who suited up had negative WAR. The team did have the best Zone Rating in baseball though, and started to see the fruits of a stellar farm system. Top prospect Luis Retana debuted at 21, had a special defensive season and held his own with the bat. The comparisons to Francisco Lindor are there. Ernesto Adames put together a nice season with an .819 OPS. He looks like a starting Left Fielder. Star pitching prospect Ernesto Ortega held his own as a 23-year-old with a 4.26 ERA and 11 wins, while 2025 hit Luis Esparza led the league in innings and strikeouts. Shotgun Woodward debuted in the pen and struck out 128 in 79 innings—he’ll move to the rotation this year.
Offseason Review: With a host of prospects in the upper minors, Cleveland didn’t do much at all. They didn’t add anyone aside from a long-term gamble on injured prospect Luis Saldarriaga, and didn’t have any notable free agents leave the club.
On The Farm: The graduations of several stars leaves Cleveland fourth in the current prospect rankings, as opposed to first. Still, it’s an exciting system with four players currently in the Top 50. Chad Simon will likely be up this year. The Indians hope to develop his changeup, which would make him an ace. Right now he’s only a fastball-sinker guy, which may limit him to relief work. Ape Montiel is right behind him as a pitcher who touches 100. Montiel has a deeper repertoire, but still needs to hone his control of that repertoire. Cleveland has three more arms in the upper minors that look like frontline starters—Code DeFilippis, whose inability to hide the ball will lead to homers, but enhances a devastating changeup; David Duson, whose fastball/slider combination should rack up strikeouts; and Sergio Ramirez, who is desperately trying to add a curve to avoid the bullpen. There’s also depth pitchers galore throughout the system. The position player talent pool isn’t as robust, something Cleveland may need to address moving forward with their rebuild.
Best Case Scenario: Top flight pitching and defense leads Cleveland to 77 wins.
Worst Case Scenario: The offense may be bad enough to lose 100 games.
Key Questions: You have far more pitching talent in your system than hitting talent. Is that something you feel needs to be rectified, or do you simply worry about talent?
Ty Van Burkelo is still your hitting coach despite your offense being poor for several years. Why is he still the guy?
5) Minnesota Twins
2026: 66-96, 4th Place AL Central
Who They Were: Mired in a rebuild after their glory years fell fast, the Twins were 12th in both runs scored and prevented. An injury to Alex Kiriloff really hurt the offense, as did Miguel Sano hitting .193 with 17 home runs as a DH, leading to a -1.8 WAR campaign. Control issues aside, Hunter Greene continues to take to the rotation, and he and Grayson Rodriguez made a serviceable one-two punch. There’s a talent deficit after the championship team aged out that Josh Peterson continues to work on.
Offseason Review: The Twins had a quiet offseason as they continue their rebuild. Veteran relievers Hansel Robles and Jared Miller left in free agency, as did outfield spare part Aristedes Aquino. Cheap players on the 40-man will take their place, as well as the occasional prospect as the Twins are still in the building part of their contention cycle.
On The Farm: Flush from the Wessel Russchen trade, Minnesota has the second ranked farm in the PBA. Most of the talent is in the deep minors, so the rebuild may take some time, but the potential to field a championship core is there. Mincho Maeda is the jewel, with a highly rated fastball and highly rated facial hair. He’s still developing his offspeed pitches and honing his command, but the movement on his two-seamer is there. A bit older for a prospect that still needs development work, the 22-year-old projects to be an ace if he gets there. Continuing the trend of pitchers in the deep minors, Jose Guerra touches 100 with movement, but only has a fastball and sinker. He’s trying to develop a changeup to become a guy who works 7 innings, and not a guy who works the seventh inning. Pat Riley has a deeper arsenal, but is 19-years-old with a lot of work ahead of him. Trixie Year is more developed than most 20-year-olds, but has not pitched above rookie ball yet. The system isn’t all pitchers. Gabe Bonilla is the best position player prospect and is knocking on the door. He can play Center, steal bases, and has gigantic power. He’ll be an All-Star candidate in Left Field, and a Silver Slugger candidate if he can stay a Center Fielder.
Best Case Scenario: If the White Sox trade Benintendi, the Twins can finish third in the division.
Worst Case Scenario: Wessel Russchen has a 10-WAR season.
Key Questions: You have a lot of veterans on expiring deals. Do you foresee anyone returning after the season?
Young Andy Fleck had a nice season last year across four levels. What do you envision for his future?
1) Kansas City Royals
2026: 95-67, AL Central Champions. Lost to Baltimore 4-2 in ALDS
Who They Were: Kansas City continued its run of excellent play with its third straight playoff berth, and fourth in five years. Kansas City was second in runs scored, second in Zone Rating, and third in ERA, excelling in all three facets of the game. They severely underperformed their run-differential as they were expected to win 105 games. Their offense failed them in the ALDS and they fell to the Orioles in the playoffs.
Offseason Review: Several starting pitchers were thrown back in the free agent pool, with Roniel Raudes brought on to replace Chance Adams, Chad Kuhl, and Andrew Suarez. Aroldis Chapman should help the pen, and Harland Guenette gives Kansas City yet another two-way infielder they accomplish so much with. The core of the team will remain the same core that led the club to the division title last year.
On The Farm: It’s a strong farm, that has high-end talent, multiple impact prospects, players far removed, and also players knocking on the door. Frank Aguilar may be the prospect who comes up the soonest. He had a cup of coffee last year, and is knocking on the door for a rotation spot this year. He throws 100+, but is still seasoning his off-speed stuff. Jonathan Bakos was horrendous in a small stint last year, but by this time next year will be a starting major leaguer. Further away, Jorge Parra’s patience and gap power make him an intriguing Catcher prospect, though he still needs a lot of development work. Kyle Sidebottom can be a mid-rotation arm once he hones his control, which could be as soon as next year. Meanwhile, Haitian Michael Laffont has ace potential, but is 17-years-old and a lifetime away.
Best Case Scenario: Baseball adopts a fifth base to allow more Royals infielders to play.
Worst Case Scenario: Another ALDS exit
Key Questions: Your offense didn’t produce last postseason, yet you hardly made any changes. Do you feel they’ll be fine if you run it back?
You have eight infielders that are worthy of at least making the roster. What will everyone’s roles be?
2) Detroit Tigers
2026: 88-74, 2nd Place AL Central.
Who They Were: Despite Roderick Dalton’s strong season, Detroit was power starved, ranking 13th in AL homers and 10th in runs scored. Dalton and fellow rookie DeMario Pacheco were the only Tigers to hit more than 18 home runs. The club hit for a strong average and had the second best starting pitching ERA in the AL, fueling a very strong club. They just didn’t have the home run juice to take things to the next level.
Offseason Review: Detroit’s been very quiet this offseason, losing top pitcher Griffin Canning and adding nobody. The stars on the team should benefit from an extra year, but it’s largely a veteran group. The team did make the playoffs in 2024 and 2025 with mostly the same cast though.
On The Farm: The best players came up last year, thinning out the farm, though the next crop is right behind them. Phil Knightner’s glove makes him a Top 100 prospect. He may start the season in the minors, be a utility infielder, platoon with Brice Turang, or start at Shortstop. Dog Morales may be the latest impactful player named Luis Morales and should be in the rotation by the end of the year. Behind them, there isn’t too much. Some mid rotation arms occupy the mid-minors, and control artist Manoel Delvas has excelled in rookie ball and may start reaching the A-levels soon.
Best Case Scenario: Amari Maggette rebounds from a weird 14-home run season.
Worst Case Scenario: The team really misses Griffin Canning.
Key Questions: What will Phil Knightner’s role be this year?
You didn’t add any power to a team that might need some. Is that something you’ll look to address in-season?
3) Chicago White Sox
2026: 71-91, 3rd Place AL Central
Who They Were: Almost literally a two-person team. Andrew Benintendi had 9.5 WAR. Rafael Devers had 6.2. Ronald Acuna actually chipped in with a 27-homer year and 3.5 WAR. Nobody else had more than 1.6. The pitching was ghastly with a bunch of meh starters putting up a 5.54 starters ERA.
Offseason Review: Cal Raleigh and Micah Watson had some good years for the team, but will be elsewhere in 2027. Luis Contreras was foolish converted to a starter then allowed to walk in free agency. The team is hopelessly overbudget thanks to new management, so they didn’t add anyone of note.
On The Farm: There isn’t much on the farm. Luis Moreno had some potential, but blew out his arm. It’s a question if he can recover his old form. Baffi the Barbarian is close to the majors. He excelled in Triple-A last year, but may need some refinement on his control before coming up. Edgar Salinas has potential, but is only 17 years old and years away. The position player talent pool doesn’t have many potential impact bats.
Best Case Scenario: Some regression from the supporting cast takes the team to 75 wins.
Worst Case Scenario: What happens if Andrew Benintendi is merely extraordinary, and not other-worldly?
Key Questions: Your owner wants you to slash budget. Will you listen to him or try to make a push for the playoffs?
What will Rodolfo Acevedo’s role be this season?
4) Cleveland Indians
2026: 65-97, Last Place AL Central
Who They Were: Cleveland lost 90 games for the fifth straight season after winning 90 games four of the first five PBA seasons. The team continued to churn through its upper minors, struggling mightily as a result. 13 of the 22 position players who suited up had negative WAR. The team did have the best Zone Rating in baseball though, and started to see the fruits of a stellar farm system. Top prospect Luis Retana debuted at 21, had a special defensive season and held his own with the bat. The comparisons to Francisco Lindor are there. Ernesto Adames put together a nice season with an .819 OPS. He looks like a starting Left Fielder. Star pitching prospect Ernesto Ortega held his own as a 23-year-old with a 4.26 ERA and 11 wins, while 2025 hit Luis Esparza led the league in innings and strikeouts. Shotgun Woodward debuted in the pen and struck out 128 in 79 innings—he’ll move to the rotation this year.
Offseason Review: With a host of prospects in the upper minors, Cleveland didn’t do much at all. They didn’t add anyone aside from a long-term gamble on injured prospect Luis Saldarriaga, and didn’t have any notable free agents leave the club.
On The Farm: The graduations of several stars leaves Cleveland fourth in the current prospect rankings, as opposed to first. Still, it’s an exciting system with four players currently in the Top 50. Chad Simon will likely be up this year. The Indians hope to develop his changeup, which would make him an ace. Right now he’s only a fastball-sinker guy, which may limit him to relief work. Ape Montiel is right behind him as a pitcher who touches 100. Montiel has a deeper repertoire, but still needs to hone his control of that repertoire. Cleveland has three more arms in the upper minors that look like frontline starters—Code DeFilippis, whose inability to hide the ball will lead to homers, but enhances a devastating changeup; David Duson, whose fastball/slider combination should rack up strikeouts; and Sergio Ramirez, who is desperately trying to add a curve to avoid the bullpen. There’s also depth pitchers galore throughout the system. The position player talent pool isn’t as robust, something Cleveland may need to address moving forward with their rebuild.
Best Case Scenario: Top flight pitching and defense leads Cleveland to 77 wins.
Worst Case Scenario: The offense may be bad enough to lose 100 games.
Key Questions: You have far more pitching talent in your system than hitting talent. Is that something you feel needs to be rectified, or do you simply worry about talent?
Ty Van Burkelo is still your hitting coach despite your offense being poor for several years. Why is he still the guy?
5) Minnesota Twins
2026: 66-96, 4th Place AL Central
Who They Were: Mired in a rebuild after their glory years fell fast, the Twins were 12th in both runs scored and prevented. An injury to Alex Kiriloff really hurt the offense, as did Miguel Sano hitting .193 with 17 home runs as a DH, leading to a -1.8 WAR campaign. Control issues aside, Hunter Greene continues to take to the rotation, and he and Grayson Rodriguez made a serviceable one-two punch. There’s a talent deficit after the championship team aged out that Josh Peterson continues to work on.
Offseason Review: The Twins had a quiet offseason as they continue their rebuild. Veteran relievers Hansel Robles and Jared Miller left in free agency, as did outfield spare part Aristedes Aquino. Cheap players on the 40-man will take their place, as well as the occasional prospect as the Twins are still in the building part of their contention cycle.
On The Farm: Flush from the Wessel Russchen trade, Minnesota has the second ranked farm in the PBA. Most of the talent is in the deep minors, so the rebuild may take some time, but the potential to field a championship core is there. Mincho Maeda is the jewel, with a highly rated fastball and highly rated facial hair. He’s still developing his offspeed pitches and honing his command, but the movement on his two-seamer is there. A bit older for a prospect that still needs development work, the 22-year-old projects to be an ace if he gets there. Continuing the trend of pitchers in the deep minors, Jose Guerra touches 100 with movement, but only has a fastball and sinker. He’s trying to develop a changeup to become a guy who works 7 innings, and not a guy who works the seventh inning. Pat Riley has a deeper arsenal, but is 19-years-old with a lot of work ahead of him. Trixie Year is more developed than most 20-year-olds, but has not pitched above rookie ball yet. The system isn’t all pitchers. Gabe Bonilla is the best position player prospect and is knocking on the door. He can play Center, steal bases, and has gigantic power. He’ll be an All-Star candidate in Left Field, and a Silver Slugger candidate if he can stay a Center Fielder.
Best Case Scenario: If the White Sox trade Benintendi, the Twins can finish third in the division.
Worst Case Scenario: Wessel Russchen has a 10-WAR season.
Key Questions: You have a lot of veterans on expiring deals. Do you foresee anyone returning after the season?
Young Andy Fleck had a nice season last year across four levels. What do you envision for his future?
