It is indeed early. It’s the American League Central, yes. However, it looks like the long-dormant Detroit Tigers are finally emerging from a season-long slump to re-enter the race for the pennant.
The two Central Divisions of MLB are actually some of my favorite teams to watch each year. These divisions don’t have any cash-flush monoliths like the Dodgers or Yankees. Heck, not many clothes suited for the upper middle class are seen here. The closest thing to “haves” in the flyover divisions are the Cubs and Cardinals in the NL Central.
Though the teams managed by Miguel Cabrera, Justin Verlander, David Price, Magglio Ordonez, Max Scherzer, Victor Martinez, and others never quite won World Series championships, the Tigers were once the class of the AL Central. Their last postseason appearance came in 2014. After that, they were on a downward spiral that culminated in a horrifying 47-114 loss in 2019. They didn’t even make it to the level of basic decency until the previous season, when my batted ball-based team true-talent rankings showed them to be an 80-82 team, two games above their actual record.Comerica Park, one of the ballparks most favorable to pitchers, is the site of the Tigers’ home games. Their home field has the ability to make an offensive that is below average, like as the one they have been using for a number of years, appear dreadful. Conversely, Comerica may make a subpar pitching staff appear good. They are essentially in the exact opposite situation at Coors Field as the Rockies. They have developed and acquired ordinary to above average pitchers who can be made to seem fantastic by their home park, so they can’t be fooled by the numbers into thinking they have a strong run prevention team.
