The AL Central division is looking brutal around one month into the 2023 MLB season, while the AL East has shown they are worthy of an extra playoff spot.
The 2023 MLB season has only been going on for a little less than a month, but that’s not going to stop those from giving their opinions regarding teams and players. Whether that’s “this team is definitely winning the World Series,” or “this player isn’t living up to expectations, time to trade them.”
When it comes to the strength of the divisions, you have to look at the differences between the AL East and the AL Central.
As of Sunday, Apr. 23, with all games completed, the AL East currently has a cumulative record of 71-39 between the Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox. All five teams have double-digit wins this season.
Then there’s the AL Central. The Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals have a cumulative record of 42-66.
AL Central woefully bad less than a month into the season
Sure the numbers are there, but how have they done recently? Let’s take a look at each AL Central team’s record in their past 10 games:
- Twins: 4-6
- Guardians: 4-6
- Tigers: 5-5
- White Sox: 2-8
- Royals: 2-8
So, how have the AL East teams done in their past 10 games:
- Rays: 7-3
- Orioles: 8-2
- Yankees: 5-5
- Blue Jays: 5-5
- Red Sox: 7-3
As of this writing, the Twins are the only team in that division with a winning record, albeit a 12-10 record.
So, when does the AL East get an extra postseason berth at the expense of the Central? We kid, of course. There are other sports where divisions do not perform particularly well, but still are guaranteed a playoff berth. Look no further than the NFL’s NFC East back in 2020, where the Washington Commanders won the division and made the playoffs with a 7-9 record.
But, the fans of the teams in the AL Central are going to be hoping that there is improvement as the season goes on. Again, there’s still a lot of season left.