AL Central Update: Not Even A Contest Edition

Now...usually there's a blockade of teams trying to compete, huddled together with the same amount of wins, trying to break out and see who's going to compete and such. That's...not exactly happening this year.

Let's just analyze what we have going on in this AL Central division:

• Cleveland Indians. Without much of a shocker, they're leading the division. Yes, some of their lineup pieces aren't at 100% yet, but Francisco Lindor is having a great start, and the pitching is already in peak form, with Kluber, Carrasco, and...Mike Clevinger all doing really well.
• Detroit Tigers. They are in second...but it's a very hard second place. It's closer to fourth-worst than second-best. They're 11-14, which is an inversion of the Indians' record. Some pieces are working, and some of the much-needed callups, like JaCoby Jones and Jeimer Candelario, are really helping, but there's this general sag to the roster, and a lot of older contracts are beginning to pile up.
• Minnesota Twins. Yes, I know, they used to be first, but then...a funny thing happened. They lost eight games in a row...and four of them came at the expense of the New York Yankees. Whatever momentum they had is kind of squandered at the current moment, even if Jose Berrios is finally surging. Plus, a lot of major roster pieces, like Miguel Sano and Logan Morrison, are still hitting under the Mendoza line. Soooo yeah. Not sure exactly what's gonna come of this team. 
• Chicago White Sox. Not even remotely pretty. Every pitcher that isn't named Reynaldo Lopez is dive-bombing. The lineup is fine, but filled with a lot of inconsequential players that only sag down the accomplishments of actually good players like Yoan Moncada and Jose Abreu. I don't see them improving.
• Kansas City Royals. They're 6 and 20, which is the worst record in the AL. This team is literally Mike Moustakas, Jakob Junis, and 30 feet of crap. Not even the returns of Salvador Perez and Alex Gordon are able to salvage anything here. None of the people Yost trusted to cover big positions last year are able to do anything substantial, and the rest of the league is taking advantage of this.

So, to recap...we have three and a half bad teams...and the Indians, who are doing rather well. I don't know how stable this situation is going to remain, but...it's still not exactly pretty. 

Coming Tonight: Yes, one of my favorite surprise great teams is still in first, but I'm not sure how much time they have left. Still, here's their really awesome starting pitcher.