MLB End-of-April Check-in: AL Central

Second Place: Detroit Tigers (16-16)

**Top Position Player:**Kevin McGonigle (1.6 fWAR) **Top Pitcher:**Tarik Skubal (1.6 fWAR) The only team in the AL Central with a positive run differential (+9), the Tigers begin the month of May in a bit of a precarious position. Rookie shortstop Kevin McGonigle (164 wRC+) leads an offense that is tied with the Angels for third in the AL in OPS+ (106) and in the Junior Circuit’s top half in runs/game (4.44), but which has seen injuries to Javier Báez, Zach McKinstry, and Parker Meadows. On the flip side, though, their defense has been absolutely terrible. Their -15 Outs Above Average is even with the Mariners for the worst in the majors, and while Defensive Runs Saved isn’t quite as low on them, their -2 DRS is tied for the AL’s third-worst. To put it bluntly, there’s a real case to be made that Gleyber Torres is their best defender. Fortunately, Detroit has one of the deepest rotations in baseball. Tarik Skubal is an early contender for his third-straight AL Cy Young, although strong starts by Yankees starters Cam Schlittler and Max Fried and by Angels starter José Soriano, combined with his 1.104 OPS the third time through the order, puts him in a bit of a hole early on. Behind him, Framber Valdez gives the team one of the league’s best 1-2 punches. Injuries to Casey Mize and Justin Verlander, however, have sapped some of the depth, and it’s debatable whether the Tigers have the bullpen arms to engage in the “pitching chaos” that they did back in 2024.

Third Place: Chicago White Sox (14-17)

**Top Position Player:**Colson Montgomery (1.2 fWAR) **Top Pitcher:**Davis Martin (1.2 fWAR) It’s rare for a 14-17 team to be one of the season’s darlings, but here we are. Just two years after losing 121 games, Chicago looks like a fun team again. Much of this has to do with the performance of first baseman Munetaka Murakami, who has exceeded all expectations in his first month in the United States. His dozen homers thus far are tied with Aaron Judge and Yordan Alvarez for the MLB lead. Between Murakami, shortstop Colson Montgomery, and third baseman Miguel Vargas, Chicago has its most dangerous middle of the order since their 2021 AL Central division winners — i.e., before everything all came crashing down. Atop the rotation, meanwhile, Davis Martin has been dominant, Sean Burke has been effective, and Erick Fedde has been capable. Thanks to the top of their lineup and rotation, Chicago has been able to put together *two* three-game winning streaks this season (including a sweep over the Blue Jays) and win 8 of their past 12 games. So why does *The Athletic* still rank Chicago as the 30th team in this week’s power rankings? Like most bad teams trying to emerge from rock bottom, the White Sox have some solid players, but lack depth. Edgar Quero (35 wRC+) and Luisangel Acuña (28 wRC+) have combined for 164 plate appearances, and Andrew Benintendi has shown that last year’s above-average performance may have been a dead cat bounce, as he now sits at a 72 wRC+. Anthony Kay and his 6.12 ERA is fourth on the team in innings pitched with 25.0. Chicago is trending in the right direction, but barring divine intervention — hello, Leo — they’re likely to find themselves back in the cellar of the division soon enough. View Link

Fourth Place: Minnesota Twins (14-18)

**Top Position Player:**Byron Buxton/Trevor Larnach/Ryan Jeffers (0.9 fWAR) **Top Pitcher:**Joe Ryan (1.1 fWAR) After their fire sale last season, the Minnesota Twins came into 2026 with absolutely no expectations, even if they themselves refuse to admit it. And so, naturally, they began the season on a tear: after shutting out the Red Sox 6-0 on April 14th, they were 11-7, sitting in first place in the AL Central. Since then, though, they’ve fallen down to Earth, losing 11 out of their last 14 games — including sweeps at the hands of the Reds and Rays — to plummet all the way down to fourth place. The calling card of this Minnesota team has been their starting rotation. Joe Ryan (3.76 ERA, 3.10 FIP) and Taj Bradley (2.85 ERA, 4.03 FIP) have allowed them to withstand the loss of Pablo López, who underwent Tommy John surgery in February and will miss the season. If Bailey Ober (3.55 ERA, 3.82 FIP) continues to bounce back from a subpar 2025, then the Twins might have just enough rotation depth to compete in what is clearly a lackluster division. That’s assuming they can patch the holes in their lineup and bullpen, of course. Offensively, Ryan Jeffers (155 wRC+), Austin Martin (163 wRC+), and Trevor Larnach (138 wRC+) have been able to make up for Byron Buxton’s comparatively slow start (106 wRC+ until yesterday’s three-hit day). But if Minnesota truly wants to compete, they need Buxton to both stay healthy and be the five-tool player that has made baseball fans frustrated by his inability to stay healthy for 12 years now, *and* they need to find some more offense at the hot corner (Royce Lewis currently has an 88 wRC+) and the cold corner (Kody Clemens, the team’s most common first baseman, has an 87 wRC+ and is more known for his defensive versatility than his bat, anyway). In the bullpen, Anthony Banda and Taylor Rogers either need to lock in and play more akin to their career norms, or else drop down in the bullpen pecking order considerably.

Last Place: Kansas City Royals (12-19)

**Top Position Player:**Bobby Witt Jr. (1.7 fWAR) **Top Pitcher:**Seth Lugo (1.2 fWAR) Just two years ago, the Kansas City Royals won 86 games, gave the eventual AL champion Yankees a run for their money in the ALDS, and looked to all the world a team on the rise. Now, though, they seem to be a team stuck in neutral, clearly scuffling but without any obvious path to improvement beyond hoping that players begin to turn their seasons around. Offensively, pretty much everyone has been struggling, from first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino and his 63 wRC+ to superstar shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., whose 117 wRC+ is far from bad, but ever further from the 169 he put up in 2024 and a step down from his 130 last season. Captain Salvador Perez is technically on pace for the 10th 20-homer season of his excellent career, but beyond the five dingers, he’s been abysmal as he appraches his 36th birthday with a 54 wRC+. Rookie catcher Carter Jensen (124 wRC+) and second-year outfielder Jac Caglianone (103 wRC+, up from a 46 in his rookie campaign) have been the two big positives so far, as the team struggles to figure itself out. Furthermore, the season-ending injury to Jonathan India opens up a massive hole at second, for while he had been struggling, his replacement Michael Massey isn’t exactly an improvement. On the mound, Seth Lugo looks much like the pitcher who was the runner-up for the AL Cy Young back in 2024, with a 2.63 ERA across his first six starts, and Michael Wacha has continued to pitch better in his 30s than he did in his 20s (3.13 ERA, 3.96 FIP). Behind them, though, question marks abound. Opening Day starter Cole Ragans is an absolute mess (5.00 ERA, 5.42 FIP), 2025 rookie standout Noah Cameron has been bad (5.40 ERA, 6.32 FIP), and the entire bullpen aside from Daniel Lynch IV (0.79 ERA in 11.1 innings) and Nick Mears (2.45 ERA in 11.0 innings) has been a veritable hit parade.