Here’s our analysis of 2021 AL Central Futures Bets, including Frank Ammirante’s Best Pick & Sleeper Division Champion. Odds used for 2021 AL Central Predictions for the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins are provided courtesy of PointsBet, current as of Sunday, Feb. 13.
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MLB Division Futures Bets: AL East | AL Central | AL West | NL East | NL Central | NL West
2021 AL Central Futures Bets: Best Pick & Sleepers
2021 AL Central Title Odds
- Chicago White Sox (-150)
- Minnesota Twins (+165)
- Cleveland Indians (+750)
- Detroit Tigers (+4500)
- Kansas City Royals (+5000)
The White Sox are the trendy pick to win this division. This is a lineup with a ton of upside, stacked with talented hitters like Jose Abreu, Luis Robert, Eloy Jimenez, Tim Anderson, and Yoan Moncada. We’ll likely see a bounce-back season from Moncada after he was affected by COVID-19 in 2020, which really suppressed his production. The White Sox added workhorse starter Lance Lynn to go along with ace Lucas Giolito and innings-eater Dallas Keuchel. They also signed lockdown closer Liam Hendriks to solidify the bullpen. The White Sox now have one of the more well-rounded rosters in the American League. Which team poses the greatest threat to the AL Central crown?
The Twins added one of the best defenders in baseball in shortstop Andrelton Simmons, a move that should pay major dividends for their starting pitchers. The lineup remains strong, with Josh Donaldson back to full health and top prospect Alex Kirilloff on the way. They also have a solid rotation led by Kenta Maeda and Jose Berrios.
Also:
- The Royals have an underrated roster with the potential to surprise some people.
- The Indians lost Francisco Lindor and now have one of the worst offenses in MLB, so they’ll really need to rely on their young pitching staff that features 2020 AL Cy Young winner Shane Bieber.
- The Tigers are still rebuilding and don’t pose much of a threat for the division title.
2021 AL Central Title: Smart Money Bet
Minnesota Twins (+165)
The smart money for the AL Central division winner is on the Twins, who won the division for the last two years, and you can make the case that they have improved heading into this season.
Donaldson missed most of 2020, but if he can stay healthy, this lineup is among the best in the American League. Nelson Cruz keeps chugging along with astounding production at such an advanced age.
The biggest improvement is on defense. Simmons will form a terrific duo with Donaldson on the left side of the infield, while Kiriloff will be an upgrade on Eddie Rosario in left field. This will help with run prevention and we could see improved production from this pitching staff as a whole. The Twins also added veteran closer Alex Colome to shore up their bullpen.
This is a team that will continue to rank among the best in the AL. Take advantage of this value and go with the less flashy team in Minnesota.
2021 AL Central Winner: Sleeper Bet
Kansas City Royals (+5000)
The Royals look like the third-best team in this division, so the fact that you’re getting them at such a value makes them a strong bet for a sleeper pick.
This is an underrated lineup that added Carlos Santana and Andrew Benintendi to a group that already includes Whit Merrifield, Jorge Soler, Adalberto Mondesi, Salvador Perez, and Hunter Dozier.
Soler played through injuries last year, while Dozier dealt with a difficult recovery from COVID-19, so we could see bounce-backs from those two sluggers. The Royals added lefty Mike Minor as an innings-eater to the backend of a rotation that includes unheralded but effective righty in Brad Keller as well as an intriguing young pitcher in Brady Singer.
While there are question marks surrounding this bullpen following the loss of closer Trevor Rosenthal, they still finished eighth in team bullpen ERA last season. This team is going under-the-radar right now, making them a terrific value bet as a sleeper for the AL Central.
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MLB Division Futures Bets: AL East | AL Central | AL West | NL East | NL Central | NL West
