2019 MLB Standings: American League Central

Heading into the 2019 MLB season, it's always a good idea to take a look at the 2018 MLB standings by division. The American League Central Division (AL Central) features the following teams:

• The Chicago White Sox

• The Cleveland Indians

• The Detroit Tigers

• The Kansas City Royals

• The Minnesota Twins

MLB spring training typically takes place between February and March, with the final games being played towards the end of March, or early April 2019. All the MLB spring training games are exhibition games before the regular baseball season begins. It's a great opportunity for players to practice and remain competitive before the regular baseball season begins. The baseball players who benefit most from spring training are the catchers and pitchers.

Who's Topping the American League Central Division?

While spring training is a great way to evaluate the performance of teams heading into the regular MLB season, it's also a good idea to take a look at the past performance of teams from the previous season. The 2018 American League Central Division ended with the following rankings for the five competing teams:

• The Cleveland Indians W 91 – L 71 – PCT .562

• The Minnesota Twins W 78 – L 84 – PCT .481

• The Detroit Tigers W 64 – L 98 – PCT .395

• The Chicago White Sox W 62 – L 100 – PCT .383

• The Kansas City Royals W 58 – L 104 – PCT .358

Incidentally, the Cleveland Indians were the only AL Central Division team with a positive differential between runs scored and runs against at +170. The team scored 818 runs during the season and had 648 runs scored against them. All other teams in the American League Central Division had negative differentials indicating that more runs were scored against them than these teams scored against their opponents. It's also worth pointing out that this is the only MLB Division where just one team had a positive run differential for the 2018 regular season.

What Do the Bookies Say about the American League Central Division?

The American League features three teams including the American League East, the American League Central, and the American League West. Evaluating individual teams across each of these divisions is difficult, but simple metrics can be employed to see how well teams are doing vis-a-vis wins and losses. The Cleveland Indians topped the AL Central Division with a .562 win/loss ratio. The Boston Red Sox topped the AL East Division with a .667 win/loss ratio, and the Houston Astros won AL West Division with a .636 win/loss ratio.

Opening the regular baseball season, bookies are clearly coming out in favor of the Cleveland Indians. However, divisional futures bets will not pay dividends until later on in the season in September and October. In 2018, the Cleveland Indians were in imperious form, well ahead of the competition by a margin of 13 winning games. Leading bookmakers are giving the Cleveland Indians a strong chance of winning their division and placing well in the MLB regular season. If they win their division in 2019, it'll be the fourth consecutive time that they've done it.

Odds for the American League Central Heading into the MLB 2019 Season

Looking at some of the odds, ranking online bookmaker 888sport NJ is offering the following division winner odds for the American League Central (MLB 2019) for October 29, 2019 at 9 PM (these odds are subject to change but were correct at the time of writing):

• Cleveland Indians – -305

• Minnesota Twins – +300

• Chicago White Sox – +1600

• Detroit Tigers – +4000

• Kansas City Royals – +4000

Based on the above odds, a bettor who places a $500 bet on the Cleveland Indians stands to win $665 on that selection. A $1,000 bet would yield $1330 in potential payouts. The longshots in the American League Central Division are the Detroit Tigers and the Kansas City Royals. If you were to place a $500 bet on either of these teams, your potential payout is $20,500. If you are feeling particularly bullish about the Tigers or the Royals, a $1,000 bet would pay out $41,000.

Who are the Impact Players in the American League Central Division for the MLB 2019 Season?

The American League Cy Young award winners for MLB 2019 include the following top players and their associated odds (subject to change):

• Chris Sale – +300 (Boston Red Sox)

• Corey Kluber – +375 (Cleveland Indians)

• Luis Severino – +1000 (New York Yankees)

• Gerrit Cole – +1100 (Houston Astros)

• Justin Verlander – +1100 (Houston Astros)

The American League MVP award winners for MLB 2019 include the following players and associated odds (subject to change):

• Mike Trout – +180 (Los Angeles Angels)

• Mookie Betts – +600 (Boston Red Sox)

• Alex Bregman – +1000 (Houston Astros)

• Aaron Judge – +1000 (New York Yankees)

• J. D. Martinez – +1200 (Boston Red Sox)

• Jose Ramirez – +1600 (Cleveland Indians)

The betting odds for players to hit the most home runs during MLB 2019 season include the following (subject to change):

• Giancarlo Stanton – +700 (New York Yankees)

• Aaron Judge – +1000 (New York Yankees)

• Khris Davis – +1100 (Oakland Athletics)

• Joey Gallo – +1200 (Texas Rangers)

• Bryce Harper – +1400 (Philadelphia Phillies)

• J. D. Martinez – +1600 (Cleveland Indians)

The betting odds for the most hits during MLB 2019 season include the following (subject to change):

• Jose Altuve – +750 (Houston Astros)

• Mookie Betts – +750 (Boston Red Sox)

• Charlie Blackmon – +1200 (Colorado Rockies)

• Freddie Freeman – +1200 (Atlanta Braves)

• J.D. Martinez – +1200 (Boston Red Sox)

The betting odds for the most RBIs during the MLB 2019 season include the following (subject to change):

• J.D. Martinez - +600 (Boston Red Sox)

• Nolan Arenado – +1000 (Colorado Rockies)

• Khris Davis – +1200 (Oakland Athletics)

• Giancarlo Stanton – +1400 (New York Yankees)

• Joey Gallo – +1600 (Texas Rangers)

The betting odds for the most runs during the MLB 2019 season include the following (subject to change):

• Mookie Betts - +700 (Boston Red Sox)

• Mike Trout - +700 (Los Angeles Angels)

• Aaron Judge – +1200 (New York Yankees)

• J.D. Martinez – +1200 (Boston Red Sox)

• Charlie Blackmon – +1600 (Colorado Rockies)

Odds of American League Central teams qualifying for the playoffs (subject to change):

• Cleveland Indians – yes -910 – no +550

• Minnesota Twins – yes +175 – no -225

• Chicago White Sox – yes +1200 – no -3335

• Detroit Tigers – yes +2000

• Kansas City Royals – yes +2200

Clearly, the longshots (outsiders) including the Detroit Tigers and the Kansas City Royals will have zero odds associated with not qualifying for the play-offs since there is virtual certainty that they won’t qualify. Of all the teams competing in the American League Central Division, the strongest contenders are the Cleveland Indians and the Minnesota Twins.

With spring training out of the way, the regular MLB 2019 season kicks off in earnest with fast and furious play and more than a couple of season surprises in store for bettors.