Around this time last year, no prophet had predicted effectively any more than the necessary One American League Central Team would make a postseason. In a division where at first glance all teams were .500 teams, we assume that the division winner is sneaking into the postseason dance.
Fast forward to the postseason wildcard round. three The AL Central team has reached the playoffs. The Guardians won second in the American League (92), earning a first round goodbye, with the Royals (86) and Tigers (86) earning their final two wild cards.
Detroit, Cleveland and Kansas City were three of the last four AL teams that only the Yankees lasted long, everything was said and left when it was finished. To say the appearance of the Royals, especially the Tigers, was an understatement to what was unexpected.
But that's usually how it is in all sports. With each season, a team no one expects takes a step forward. Sometimes it's a leap. Who is the best candidate to do so in 2025?
I have three possibilities ranked from the most powerful to the weakest.
Cincinnati Reds
Why They Win: Of my two National League Central Teams on this list, Red Leggings is looking at a spanky bunch in 2025. Projection of Fangraphs This year he won Cincy 78-84 and is tied with the Pirates at NL Central last, but is not far from the pace of the 79-win Cardinals, 81-win Brewers or 84-win Cubs. The Central Champion is likely not to finish past 89 wins, so it's only necessary to make it happen after 12 weeks of improvement over the 77-85 campaign a year ago. Despite finishing eight games under .500, the Reds actually finished with a +5 rand differential. In other words, it should finish around .500.
They have an MVP candidate for the third baseman Ellie Delacruz, who posted a .809 OPS, scoring 105 runs before the season, hitting 6.4 fwars, hitting 25 home runs, and posted a .809 OPS. He has 1.324 OPS this spring. Hunter Green is a genuine ace, a newcomer brady singer, and Nick Rodro and Nick Martinez's rotation is Spanky. They also have Terry Francona holding the reins, bringing the team's floor even higher.
Why they don't: Outside of de la Cruz, Cincinnati may have problems scoring. The second baseman, Matt McClain, forms the other half of a decent double-play combination with Ellie, but the departures of TJ Friedle, Austin Hayes and Jake Flery are not a killer line at all. And their estimated nearby Alexis Diaz struggled strongly this spring and was sent to the team's minor league camp to tackle his mechanism. The Cubs and the Brewer both look strong, but it's still only mid-March. There can be a lot of things happening!
Athletics
Why They Win: For teams that don't attach cities right now, A would be fun to watch at least. Playing home games at Sacramento Minor League Stadium, big boppers Brent Luker and Lawrence Butler lead the dynamic offense featuring promising center field stars of JJ Breday, Shortstop Jacob Wilson and second baseman Zach Jelloff. The 196 dinger from A was eighth in baseball last season.
In short, they're going to get a lot of runs. Do you know what I mean? That's fun!
They also went 32-32 after an All-Star break after a .378 win percentage in the first half. They also play in a completely wide open division. The Astros are in a collapsed regime, the Rangers have weaknesses, the Mariners are in forever shortage, and the angels are undoubtedly craters at some point. There is also the game's closest to the electrical Mason Miller. He throws over 100 mph.
That's fun too!
Why not: Well, everything else. The starting rotation features one of the weakest aces in AL: Luis Severino, Jeffrey Springs, JP Sears and Mitch Spence. The bullpen could also be a bit of an adventure. They will lose many of these shootouts, so if you're interested in collecting souvenirs, Sacramento might be the place for you.
There is also a debate over the move from Auckland, fanbase hatred for the team's owners, and their uncertain future. Playing at the Coliseum was definitely not interesting for anyone, but is Sutter Health Park better? Don't worry, 2028 in Las Vegas is round the corner!
Pittsburgh Pirates
Why they win: Pirates are strange A's. They started off well, 48-48 with a 48-48 All-Star break, but finished 28-38 in the second half. And unlike track and field, they can pitch with their best, but they can't hit. Cy Young finalist Paul Skenes put together one of the most dominant performances rookie hurlers have ever seen, fronting the young, dynamic top three with Mitch Keller and Jared Jones, with prospects like Braxton Ashcraft and Bubba Chandler ready to make a big contribution this year. Andrew Heaney isn't bad either.
They also have a high quality bullpen. David Bedner struggled a bit for the first time in his career, I was hoping for a bounceback. The rest of the “pen” also includes hard throws. They keep the Pirates in most games and steal a significant share of one-run game this season.
Pittsburgh has a dynamic young player at Onir Cruz. He's not broken like Ellie, but he has similar possibilities. Brian Reynolds failed to replicate the 6.0 war season of 2021, but returned to the All-Star Game with a 3.6 war season and .791 OPS last season. Ke'bryan Hayes is also a solid young third baseman.
Why they don't: The rest of the lineup is very suspicious. Joey Burt and Endy Rodriguez split the time with the catcher. Their first baseman, Spencer Horwitz, missed the start of the season with a wrist injury, and not a top half player in the AL position, and Tommy Femme plays too much like Andrew McCutchen has returned as the team's DH.
There are plenty of young, hard throws in the bullpen, but in the latter innings you miss Aroldis Chapman. That's what the Pirates hopes come to fruition as players advance from minors, but that's a clear weakness heading into the season.
Still, there is hope for all three teams that can get a playoff spot in 2025. Once you do it, anything happens.
