secrets of the al central Stories - Royals Review
The Weak AL Central Isn't Weak, It's Average
A persistent meme is that the American League Central is a weak division, an easy place to win, a friendly environment to compete, etc. This point of view transcends the blogger/mainstream and stathead/traditional divides. On balance, however, the weakness of the AL Central is overstated. Our...
Kansas City Royals Playoff Chances Dropping After Three-Game Losing Streak
After splitting a four-game series with the Indians and getting swept in Texas, the Royals season is looking less and less likely to produce a surprise division winner. Although the Royals are still just 1.5 games back of first, and in possession of a respectable 12-10 record, they now appear to be...
Kansas City Royals Playoff Chances Still Look Low, Potential For Three-Team Race in Central
This early in the season, the record can look different after two days. On Sunday morning, the Royals woke up 10-4. That looks, almost dominant. That looks like a team that can make some noise. Today, they're 10-6. Still a nice record, sure, but one that looks much closer to .500. According to the...
Kansas City Royals Playoff Chances? Still Low
Despite a surprising 6-3 start, the Royals still appear to be mathematical long-shots to win the American League Central. Very long shots. The chances of winning the Wild Card are even lower. Baseball Prospectus has run a playoff odds report for a number of years now, and it is a good barometer of...
The White Sox and Tigers Dance A Magical Dance
The White Sox and Tigers have been consistently curious. In the AL Central, the Twins and Royals are the great constants. The Indians have changed, but usually at a predictable rate. The Tigers and White Sox? Who knows. Both teams have had odd rosters for half a decade now: some high-end talents,...
White Sox Sneak, Or Streak, Into First Place At The Break
The AL Central at the All-Star Break: <!-- BEGIN WIDGET --> AL Central Standings W L PCT GB STRK Chicago 49 38 .563 0 Won 8 Detroit 48 38 .558 0.5 Lost 1 Minnesota 46 42 .522 3.5 Won 1 Kansas City 39 49 .443 10.5 Lost 3 Cleveland 34 54 .386 15.5 Lost 2 (updated 7.11.2010 ...
How the AL Central Looks to Free Agents
Imagine that you are an established Major League baseball player. You are a free agent. You're an everyday player, or maybe a reliever with a decent reputation. You aren't a star and you aren't a scrub. For the purposes of our exercise, your agent tells you that every team in the AL Central wants...
Possibly Positive Counter-Point: The Royals Can Be the Twins
After writing on Sunday about the somewhat disappointing state of the Farm System under Dayton Moore, I had initially planned to write a followup post laying out my central concerns with the future of the Royals. As I worked on that, a counter-argument started forming in my mind. Namely, there's no...
Do You Remember How Much Optimism There Was Last Off-Season?
Most of us are pessimists now, but it's important to remember that it hasn't always been that way. The truth is, Dayton Moore had posted an iffy record for at least two years heading into last season. Yet, even after the winter of Farnsworth & Bloomquist, there was still a lot of residual...
Secrets of the AL Central X - Bland as We Wanna Be
Here's what the five teams of the AL Central have done since the end of May: White Sox: 36-33 Tigers: 34-34 Twins: 31-34 Indians: 29-36 Royals: 23-44 Is "boat race" the best term, or does that imply too much excitement? Quite the surge by the White Sox, who have managed to play .522 ball for...
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