AL Central Grades: Tarik Skubal, Minnesota Twins Start Strong

Nearly two months into the MLB season, it is time to look at the American League Central and hand out grades for the best and worst performers.

As noted previously, expectations play a big part in the grades for players and teams so a pitcher emerging as a frontline ace gets rewarded more than an ace who continues to be very good.

Here are the latest AL Central odds from DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook, and Caesars Sportsbook.

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Here are notable grades from the American League Central.

A+

Tarik Skubal

The Detroit Tigers lefty flashed some potential in the past two seasons. While he allowed 44 home runs in 181.1 innings, he also recorded 201 strikeouts. That ability to miss bats has worked in Skubal’s favor, especially now that he is not surrendering home runs.

He has given up two home runs while striking out 55 in 51.2 innings, rocking a 2.44 earned run average, 1.03 WHIP, and 2.03 Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) in nine starts. He still offers potential AL Cy Young value, priced at +4000 on DraftKings and FanDuel.

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A

Dylan Cease

A 26-year-old who had made steady progress through his first three MLB seasons, the White Sox starter has emerged as a frontline pitcher this season and leads the American League in strikeouts per nine innings (K/9) of 12.7 just like last season.

In 10 starts, Cease has a 3.69 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 2.86 FIP, all of which are helping to keep the White Sox rotation afloat. He is in the AL Cy Young mix, priced at +1500 on DraftKings and +1600 on FanDuel.

Jose Ramirez

There was talk in the offseason that the 29-year-old third baseman could be on the move because the rebuilding Guardians were not in a position to pay the perennial MVP candidate what he is worth on the open market. But Ramirez wanted to stay, took a discount to sign a long-term deal, and then he took the field and just kept hitting.

He has 51 RBI in 44 games and his slash line of .297/.391/.648 is the best of his career, one that has seen him finish in the top six of AL MVP voting four times in the past five seasons. He has the fourth shortest odds right now, priced at +1200 on both DraftKings and FanDuel.

Minnesota Twins

While the Twins were expected to be a competitive team this season, credit needs to be given for a 29-20 record, good enough to lead the AL Central by 4.5 games. Their preseason win total was 81.5, so any kind of winning record is a plus. They not only have a winning record but their run differential of +32 is a good indication that they have not lucked their way to this strong start.

A-

Michael Kopech

It has been a challenge for the fire-balling right-handed starter to stay healthy enough to show off his 100 mph fastball, but this season looks like Kopech might be on his way. In eight starts for the White Sox, he has a 1.29 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, and 2.71 FIP with 8.4 K/9.

The White Sox will likely monitor Kopech’s usage for the rest of the season and that might prevent him from making a big push for the Cy Young, but he is still priced at +3000 on both DraftKings and FanDuel.

Joe Ryan

The 25-year-old looked good in a handful of starts for the Minnesota Twins last season but has quickly ascended to become the staff ace in Minnesota. In eight starts, Ryan has a 2.28 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and 3.27 FIP with 8.7 K/9. He is very much in the hunt for American League Rookie of the Year, priced at +650 on both DraftKings and FanDuel.

Tim Anderson

While he has made as much news for a dispute with Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson and is now injured, the White Sox shortstop has continued to hit his way on base, putting up a .356 batting average (along with a .393 OBP and .503 SLG). Over the past four seasons, Anderson has hit .326 but is still a longshot for AL MVP, priced at +8000 on both DraftKings and FanDuel.

B+ 

Andrew Benintendi

Remember when Benintendi was a rising star with the Red Sox? That was a while ago and he bottomed out with Boston in 2020 before starting to bounce back for Kansas City in 2021.

This year, Benintendi only has two home runs but that comes with a slash line of .329/.398/.428, making him a quality offensive contributor. He is also just 27 years old so there should be more productive years ahead.

B

Luis Robert

The third-year White Sox center fielder has missed 13 games yet still has six home runs and six stolen bases on the season. That comes with a slash line of .285/.319/.438, but that is not nearly as productive as he was in 68 games last season. Staying healthy is the first key to Robert showing off the high-end potential that keeps him in the AL MVP discussion. He is priced at +4500 on DraftKings and +5000 on FanDuel.

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Shane Bieber

The 2020 AL Cy Young winner has not been able to get back to that level of performance. He is still very good, posting a 3.19 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 3.04 FIP, and 8.6 K/9. But his K/9 in 2020 was 14.2 so we are talking about an entirely different level of domination.

The Guardians ace continues to hang around that Cy Young mix and is priced at +2500 for the AL Cy Young on both DraftKings and FanDuel.

Bobby Witt Jr.

One of the preseason favorites for the American League Rookie of the Year, the Kansas City Royals third baseman has not lived up to the hype.

He does have six home runs and seven stolen bases, but his slash line of .236/.276/.448 is not quite enough to contend with the other top rookies thus far. Witt Jr. is priced at +650 on FanDuel and +700 on DraftKings for AL Rookie of the Year.

B-

Byron Buxton

The Twins center fielder has missed time due to injury, but he does have 11 home runs in 34 games. Trouble is that Buxton is mired in a brutal slump right now, going 6-for-59 (.102 batting average) in the past 16 games and that has dropped his season average to .203. It’s going to take a lot of home runs and Gold Glove defense to overcome that kind of batting average when it comes to winning the AL MVP.

Buxton is priced at +2500 on DraftKings and +3000 on FanDuel.

C+

Cleveland Guardians

Coming into the season, the Guardians’ win total was set at 76.5 and they are 20-24 at this point, on pace for just shy of 74 wins.

They have stars like Jose Ramirez and Shane Bieber performing at a high level but need more help if they are going to make any kind of push for a wildcard playoff spot. There is not much reason to expect that help to be coming anytime soon.

C

Chicago White Sox

While the White Sox are sitting at an even .500 record of 23-23 through 46 games, expectations were significantly higher for Chicago. They had a preseason win total set at 91.5, so hovering around .500 is clearly disappointing.

There is time to fix it and close the gap on the Twins at the top of the division, but the White Sox were supposed to be better than this. They were +1100 to win the World Series before the season started but are now up to +2000 on DraftKings, FanDuel, and Caesars.

Spencer Torkelson

The first pick in the 2020 Draft, Torkelson was supposed to be the starting first baseman for the Detroit Tigers and was one of the preseason favorites for AL Rookie of the Year. He has four home runs and a slash line of .194/.305/.326, which is not going to force his way into that competition.

Torkelson is priced at +2500 on FanDuel and +2800 on DraftKings for AL Rookie of the Year.

C-

Detroit Tigers

Expectations were relatively modest for the Tigers this season with a 77.5 preseason win total, but there was still some hope that they might take a step forward as a competitive team.

The Tigers are 18-29, on pace for another 100-loss season, and while they have some young pitching talent, the Tigers can’t hit. They rank last in MLB with 79 Weighted Runs Created+ and the team has a slash line of .224/.286/.325, so there is no easy way out of this.

Yoan Moncada

A highly touted prospect who has shown potential, the White Sox third baseman is a whole mess right now.

He missed the first month of the season due to an oblique strain. But in 15 games, he has a slash line of .133/.175/.250 which is a long way from ready to play. Maybe the grade should be incomplete, but it has been a tough start to the season.

D

Aaron Civale

Coming into this season, the 26-year-old Guardians pitcher had started 43 games in his career, delivering a 3.76 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 4.28 FIP, and 7.5 K/9. His sinkerball leads to more balls in play, but he was an effective starting pitcher.

This season, Civale has started seven games for Cleveland and has a 7.84 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 4.97 FIP, and 8.7 K/9. He is striking out more batters, but he has been getting clobbered.

Dallas Keuchel

While the White Sox have received some quality pitching performances from Lucas Giolito, Dylan Cease, and Michael Kopech, the veteran left-hander Keuchel has been getting crushed. In eight starts, Keuchel has a 7.88 ERA, 2.16 WHIP, and 6.20 FIP. Just two seasons ago, in 2020, he finished fifth in AL Cy Young voting.

Kansas City Royals

Like the Tigers, the Royals were not expected to necessarily be good, but they were supposed to be more competitive and had a preseason win total set at 74.5. With a 16-31 record, they are on pace for 55 wins and their run differential of -68 is the second worst in MLB.

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