EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE AL CENTRAL

The Cleveland Indians are once again set to defend their American League Central crown and look poised to win their fourth consecutive division title with one of baseball's best rotations still intact for 2019. The Minnesota Twins are positioned to challenge the Indians for AL Central supremacy after a busy offseason, but the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, and Kansas City Royals will continue to rebuild their clubs with an eye toward future success.

As we march toward Opening Day, here's all you need to know about the AL Central.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX

2018 record: 62-100 (4th in AL Central)

Payroll: $105,833,334

Record for 2019: 70-92

World Series odds: 75-1

3-year trend: 2016 (4th); 2017 (4th); 2018 (4th)

Highest projected WAR: Eloy Jimenez (3.1)

X-factor: Yoan Moncada

Prospect to watch: Eloy Jimenez (MLB.com: No. 3)

Winter report card: F

PROJECTED LINEUP

ORDER	PLAYER	POS.	PROJ. WAR
1	Jon Jay (L)	RF	0.2
2	Yoan Moncada (S)	3B	2.3
3	Jose Abreu	DH	2.2
4	Yonder Alonso (L)	1B	0.7
5	Welington Castillo	C	1.1
6	Eloy Jimenez	LF	3.1
7	Tim Anderson	SS	1.4
8	Yolmer Sanchez (S)	2B	1.2
9	Adam Engel	CF	0.1

Bench

PLAYER	POS.	PROJ. WAR
James McCann	C	0.3
Brandon Guyer	OF	0.0
Daniel Palka (L)	OF	0.5

The White Sox fell short in signing Manny Machado this offseason but did acquire one of his in-laws in Yonder Alonso and his good buddy Jon Jay. Their additions - along with the return of Welington Castillo behind the dish following a suspension over performance-enhancing drugs - should provide the South Siders with more production in a lineup that finished near the bottom of the AL in runs and OPS last season. Jose Abreu remains a force in the middle of Chicago's lineup, although he did put up career lows in most offensive categories last season. Keep an eye on Yoan Moncada, who's talented enough to be an All-Star but led the majors with 217 strikeouts in 2018.

PROJECTED ROTATION

PITCHER	THROWS	PROJ. ERA
Carlos Rodon	L	4.62
Reynaldo Lopez	R	4.98
Ivan Nova	R	5.01
Ervin Santana	R	5.45
Lucas Giolito	R	5.29

BULLPEN

PITCHER	THROWS	PROJ.ERA
Kelvin Herrera	R	4.05
Alex Colome	R	3.88
Nate Jones	R	3.74
Jace Fry	L	3.57
Ryan Burr	R	4.73
Caleb Frare	L	4.45
Dylan Covey	R	4.89
Manny Banuelos	L	4.14

Chicago added veterans who've had varying degrees of success into the team's pitching mix during the offseason. The White Sox made a trade with Pittsburgh to bring in Ivan Nova and his 78 career wins and are hoping for a return to form from Ervin Santana, a former Cy Young candidate who missed nearly all of 2018 with finger issues. Chicago also acquired Alex Colome from the Seattle Mariners to anchor the back of the club's bullpen and brought in two-time All-Star Kelvin Herrera on a free-agent deal. The pair have combined for 156 career saves.

CLEVELAND INDIANS

2018 record: 91-71 (1st in AL Central)

Payroll: $120,837,083

Record for 2019: 96-66

World Series odds: 14-1

3-year trend: 2016 (1st); 2017 (1st); 2018 (1st)

Highest projected WAR: Francisco Lindor (6.5)

X-factor: Trevor Bauer

Prospect to watch: Triston McKenzie (MLB.com: No. 41)

Winter report card: D-

Projected Lineup

ORDER	PLAYER	POS.	PROJ. WAR
1	Leonys Martin (L)	CF	1.1
2	Jason Kipnis (L)	2B	1.8
3	Jose Ramirez (S)	3B	6.1
4	Carlos Santana (S)	1B	2.0
5	Jake Bauers (L)	LF	1.3
6	Carlos Gonzalez (L)	RF	1.2
7	Hanley Ramirez	DH	0.0
8	Roberto Perez	C	1.5
9	Eric Stamets	SS	0.0

*Francisco Lindor to start season on IL

BENCH

PLAYER	POSITION
Kevin Plawecki	C
Max Moroff (S)	IF
Tyler Naquin (L)	OF

The Indians' lineup looks very different from last year after several free-agent departures and a number of trades. Edwin Encarnacion, Michael Brantley, Josh Donaldson, and Yan Gomes are out. Carlos Santana, Carlos Gonzalez, Jake Bauers, and Hanley Ramirez are in. Cleveland will also begin the campaign without superstar Francisco Lindor, who's expected to miss the first week or two of the regular season after straining his calf in early February. However, once he returns, the combination of a healthy Lindor and Jose Ramirez will continue to provide the Indians with one of MLB's deadliest one-two punches.

PROJECTED ROTATION

PITCHER	THROWS	PROJ. ERA
Corey Kluber	R	3.49
Trevor Bauer	R	3.63
Carlos Carrasco	R	3.43
Mike Clevinger	R	4.01
Shane Bieber	R	3.86

BULLPEN

PITCHER	THROWS	PROJ. ERA
Brad Hand	L	3.41
Neil Ramirez	R	4.18
Jon Edwards	R	4.02
Adam Cimber	R	4.23
Oliver Perez	L	3.86
Alex Wilson	R	4.37
Tyler Olson	L	3.85
Dan Otero	R	3.84

Cleveland's rotation should be one of baseball's best again next season, with all five starters capable of authoring All-Star campaigns. The bullpen, which lost Andrew Miller and Cody Allen to free agency after posting one of the worst combined ERAs in the AL last year, is another story. If Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, Carlos Carrasco, and Mike Clevinger can all toss nearly 200 innings and strike out more than 200 hitters each as they did in 2018, an average 'pen should be serviceable enough to get the Indians through the year. That'll be a tall order, though.

DETROIT TIGERS

2018 record: 64-98 (3rd in AL Central)                                        

Payroll: $112,850,000

Record for 2019: 67-95

World Series odds: 250-1

3-year trend: 2016 (2nd); 2017 (5th); 2018 (3rd)

Highest projected WAR: Jeimer Candelario (2.3)

X-factor: Miguel Cabrera

Prospect to watch: Casey Mize (MLB.com: No. 17)

Winter report card: C+

PROJECTED LINEUP

ORDER	PLAYER	POS.	PROJ. WAR
1	Josh Harrison	2B	1.2
2	Nicholas Castellanos	RF	1.6
3	Miguel Cabrera	1B	2.1
4	Jeimer Candelario (S)	3B	2.3
5	Christin Stewart (L)	LF	1.7
6	Niko Goodrum (S)	DH	0.4
7	Jordy Mercer	SS	0.9
8	Grayson Greiner	C	1.2
9	JaCoby Jones	CF	0.7

BENCH

PLAYER	POS.	PROJ. WAR
John Hicks	C/1B	-0.3
Ronny Rodriguez	IF/OF	0.2
Mikie Mahtook	OF	0.1

While the additions of former Pittsburgh Pirates teammates Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer bring veteran stability to a rebuilding Tigers club, having them on board won't tip the scales in Detroit's favor. A healthy Miguel Cabrera - combined with another productive year from Nicholas Castellanos and the continued improvement of Jeimer Candelario - could be a difference maker, but it's doubtful that difference is big enough to earn the Tigers anything higher than a third-place finish. Fans in Detroit should prepare for another losing season.

PROJECTED ROTATION

PITCHER	THROWS	PROJ. ERA
Matthew Boyd	L	4.78
Jordan Zimmermann	R	5.08
Tyson Ross	R	5.32
Matt Moore	L	5.29
Daniel Norris	L	4.88

*Michael Fulmer expected to be out long term

BULLPEN

PITCHER	THROWS	PROJ. ERA
Shane Greene	R	4.23
Joe Jimenez	R	3.95
Buck Farmer	R	4.44
Daniel Stumpf	L	4.30
Blaine Hardy	L	4.02
Victor Alcantara	R	4.58
Spencer Turnbull	R	4.61
Reed Garrett	R	4.82

The Tigers' bullpen doesn't feature a single pitcher projected to earn more than 0.4 WAR, but their rotation has the potential to be decent. Matthew Boyd had the best year of his career in 2018, Jordan Zimmermann is healthy and has looked solid in spring training, and Matt Moore and Tyson Ross should be able to fill innings and make for great trade bait if they do anything worthwhile in the first half of the season. Michael Fulmer, on the other hand, has been advised to undergo Tommy John surgery, which would keep the 2016 AL Rookie of the Year out long term.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS

2018 record: 58-104 (5th in AL Central)

Payroll: $106,520,833

Record for 2019: 71-91

World Series odds: 250-1

3-year trend: 2016 (3rd); 2017 (3rd); 2018 (5th)

Highest projected WAR: Adalberto Mondesi (2.9)

X-factor: Billy Hamilton

Prospect to watch: Brady Singer (MLB.com: No. 54)

Winter report card: C

PROJECTED LINEUP

ORDER	PLAYER	POS.	PROJ. WAR
1	Adalberto Mondesi (S)	SS	2.9
2	Whit Merrifield	2B	2.8
3	Alex Gordon (L)	LF	1.2
4	Jorge Soler	DH	1.1
5	Ryan O'Hearn (L)	1B	0.4
6	Hunter Dozier	3B	0.1
7	Brian Goodwin (L)	RF	0.1
8	Martin Maldonado	C	2.5
9	Billy Hamilton (S)	CF	1.5

BENCH

PLAYER	POS.	PROJ. WAR
Cam Gallagher	C	0.5
Chris Owings	IF/OF	0.5
Humberto Arteaga	IF	0.0
Terrance Gore	OF	0.0

Baseball Prospectus' PECOTA projections have the Royals winning 71 games and finishing third in the division in 2019, but one thing they should be able to do well is steal bases. The trio of Adalberto Mondesi, Whit Merrifield, and Billy Hamilton combined for 111 steals last season and should create chaos for opposing teams on the basepaths, while Chris Owings and Terrance Gore will offer additional speed from the bench. Jorge Soler (.466 SLG) and Ryan O'Hearn (.336 ISO) intrigue with their potential to hit for power in the middle of Kansas City's lineup, although both also struck out in more than 26 percent of their at-bats last season.

PROJECTED ROTATION

PITCHER	THROWS	PROJ. ERA
Brad Keller	R	4.51
Jake Junis	R	4.30
Jorge Lopez	R	4.70
Homer Bailey	R	5.09

BULLPEN

PITCHER	THROWS	PROJ. ERA
Brad Boxberger	R	4.36
Wily Peralta	R	4.22
Jake Diekman	L	3.53
Kevin McCarthy	R	4.20
Tim Hill	L	3.74
Ian Kennedy	R	4.93
Brian Flynn	L	4.28
Sam McWilliams	R	4.35

With recurring shoulder issues hampering the progress of ace Danny Duffy, the Royals enter the 2019 campaign with Brad Keller as their Opening Day starter. Duffy's potential stint on the injured list isn't expected to be lengthy, so it appears Kansas City will roll with four starters until his return. However, the Royals' rotation looks pretty average even with Duffy. The addition of Brad Boxberger provides Kansas City with veteran stability, but this bullpen looks nothing like the units the Royals became famous for during their back-to-back World Series trips in 2014 and 2015.

MINNESOTA TWINS

2018 record: 78-84 (2nd in AL Central)

Payroll: $133,481,667

Record for 2019l: 81-81

World Series odds: 50-1

3-year trend: 2016 (5th); 2017 (2nd); 2018 (2nd)

Highest projected WAR: Nelson Cruz (2.9)

X-factor: Byron Buxton

Prospect to watch: Royce Lewis (MLB.com: No. 5)

Winter report card: A-

PROJECTED LINEUP

ORDER	PLAYER	POS.	PROJ WAR
1	Jorge Polanco (S)	SS	2.6
2	C.J. Cron	1B	1.7
3	Eddie Rosario (L)	LF	2.5
4	Nelson Cruz	DH	2.9
5	Max Kepler (L)	RF	2.7
6	Jonathan Schoop	2B	2.0
7	Marwin Gonzalez (S)	3B	1.5
8	Jason Castro (L)	C	1.7
9	Byron Buxton	CF	2.2

*Miguel Sano to start season on IL

BENCH

PLAYER	POS.	PROJ. WAR
Mitch Garver	C/1B	0.3
Willians Astudillo	C/IF	0.9
Ehire Adrianza (S)	IF/OF	0.2
Tyler Austin	OF/1B	0.1

It's been a productive offseason for the Twins, who locked up Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler long term and acquired home-run power (Nelson Cruz, C.J. Cron, Jonathan Schoop) and versatility (Marwin Gonzalez) in free agency. An already-dangerous starting nine could put the Twins in prime position to unseat the Indians atop the division if Byron Buxton can build off a torrid spring and return to his 2017 form. Minnesota is also expected to have Miguel Sano return in May after he underwent a procedure to repair an Achilles injury.

PROJECTED ROTATION

PITCHER	THROWS	PROJ. ERA
Jose Berrios	R	4.28
Kyle Gibson	R	4.23
Jake Odorizzi	R	4.96
Michael Pineda	R	4.13
Martin Perez	L	4.63

BULLPEN

PITCHER	THROWS	PROJ. ERA
Blake Parker	R	4.29
Trevor May	R	3.98
Taylor Rogers	L	3.63
Addison Reed	R	4.95
Trevor Hildenberger	R	4.07
Adalberto Mejia	L	4.40
Matt Magill	R	4.66

Following solid 2018 campaigns from Jose Berrios and Kyle Gibson, the Twins follow up their strong one-two punch with a solid No. 3 in Jake Odorizzi and wild cards in Michael Pineda and Martin Perez. Pineda hasn't thrown a big-league inning since July 2017 after working his way back from Tommy John surgery, while Perez was awful (6.22 ERA, 5.72 FIP) for the Rangers last year, but showed promise in 2016. Minnesota's bullpen finished 10th among AL teams in combined ERA last season and, with the exception of adding Blake Parker, returns most of the same unit.