AL Central Predictions and Expert Picks for the Shortened 2020 MLB Season

After an incredibly hectic offseason, the 2020 MLB season is finally upon us, with Opening Day on July 23rd rapidly approaching.

The 2020 World Series race is wide open, but some early favorites stand out in the field: the Houston Astros, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees. Before they worry about the World Series, though, teams need to focus on the regular season and take care of their division.

With that in mind, here is how industry experts see the American East shaping up in 2020.

Picks to Win the American League Central

ZiPS Projections come from Dan Szymborski on FanGraphs, PECOTA projections come from Baseball Prospectus, and Clay Davenport (who co-founded Baseball Prospectus) projections come from his personal website. FanDuel Sportsbook win totals and odds to win the division are as of July 15, 2020.

ZiPS: Minnesota Twins
PECOTA: Minnesota Twins
Clay Davenport: Minnesota Twins
FanDuel Sportsbook Favorite: Minnesota Twins (-130)

Talk about unanimous. All three experts are in agreement with the betting odds, favoring the Minnesota Twins to repeat as AL Central champions in 2020.

Minnesota Twins Predictions 2020

ZiPS: 35-25
PECOTA: 35-25
Clay Davenport: 34-26
FanDuel Sportsbook Win Total: 34.5
Odds to Win the AL Central: (-130)

While all three experts agree with the odds that the Twins will win the division, they're split on the win total. Davenport has them finishing under the total of 34.5, while the other two sources have the over hitting.

Cleveland Indians Predictions 2020

ZiPS: 34-26
PECOTA: 32-28
Clay Davenport: 33-27
FanDuel Sportsbook Win Total: 33.5
Odds to Win the AL Central: (+260)

The three sources are unanimous in projecting Cleveland to finish second in the division, though that comes with three different projections on their win total, ranging from 32 to 34.

Chicago White Sox Predictions 2020

ZiPS: 31-29
PECOTA: 31-29
Clay Davenport: 30-30
FanDuel Sportsbook Win Total: 31.5
Odds to Win the AL Central: (+310)

Another unanimous pick — all three experts project the White Sox to finish No. 3 in the AL Central. They're also unanimous in projecting the White Sox to fall below their win total on FanDuel Sportsbook.

Kansas City Royals Predictions 2020

ZiPS: 26-34
PECOTA: 25-35
Clay Davenport: 25-35
FanDuel Sportsbook Win Total: 24.5
Odds to Win the AL Central: (+6500)

While the three projections for the Royals are similar, the projecting ranking are not. ZiPS has them finishing fourth in the division, but Davenport and PECOTA has them finishing last. All three project the over to hit on their win total.

Detroit Tigers Predictions 2020

ZiPS: 23-37
PECOTA: 26-34
Clay Davenport: 26-34
FanDuel Sportsbook Win Total: 21.5
Odds to Win the AL Central: (+8000)

This is another win total that all the experts think is too low. Even ZiPS, the lowest of the group, has them clearing 21.5 wins comfortably. PECOTA and Davenport are much higher on the Tigers than the betting markets, each projecting 26 wins.

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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.