Chicago White Sox: AL Central preview with predictions

The Chicago White Sox play in a very contentious division right now. Their rise is one of the main reasons that it is that way but some of the teams around them want to make it tough. It has been a battle near the top for a little bit now but every team is pretty much going to have a chance to win games in 2021. It should be a fun division to keep track of as the season goes along.

The Chicago White Sox believe they can win the American League Central in 2021.

In order for the White Sox to win the division this year, the Minnesota Twins will need to be dealt with. They have been the best team in the division for a couple of years now. It is tough to beat them for the White Sox every year no matter the situation but there is a lot more pressure this year. It seems like whenever the White Sox have division title hopes, the Twins are the ones standing in their way.

With a few additions and subtractions to their group from the year before to cancel each other out, there is no doubt the Twins also have hopes of winning the division. The Cleveland Indians probably have similar hopes. Before this recent rise of the White Sox and Twins, Cleveland won the division a bunch of times in a row. It doesn’t seem like they are going to be as good as they once were but they are a pitching factory which always helps their chances.

Trading away Francisco Lindor to the New York Mets is certainly not going to help their already challenged offense. The fact that Carlos Carrasco went with him in the same deal won’t help their pitching staff at all either. They will still be a good team but not one that can make a hard push at the World Series. It seems like that ship has sailed.

The Kansas City Royals might show up and be the most improved team in 2021. It is possible for us to say that even if they finish in fourth place. It is a team that turned their roster around a lot and should make it tough on the “top teams”. The White Sox went 9-1 against them last year but having a .900 winning percentage against them might be hard right now.

The only team that has really no hope of doing much in the division this year is the Detroit Tigers. They might be the scariest threat to the White Sox in the long term because they are trying to execute a similar style rebuild but it won’t be in 2021. They will see it as another year to draft, sign, and develop good young players. The Sox might not quite go undefeated against them like they did last year but they should be able to take care of their business against them at a .700 clip or better.

2021 Standings Prediction:

1. Chicago White Sox

2. Minnesota Twins

3. Cleveland Indians

4. Kansas City Royals

5. Detroit Tigers

If you look at that and see it as a fairly obvious guess, that is fine. The only thing that might be different is the top two being flipped depending on how the year goes. As the years go on this division is going to continue to get better but the White Sox should be able to own it for a little while with that great roster they have put together.