AL Central Predictions, Expert Picks and Odds for the 2020 MLB Season

Spring Training is underway and the 2020 MLB season is rapidly approaching. There's been no shortage of drama this offseason, and baseball fans can breathe a sigh of relief now that we have games to focus on, and the on-field product is once again the center of attention.

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 anyone sets their sights on 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 League Central shaping up in 2020.

Picks to Win the American League Central

Predictions from USA Today come from their panel of six experts, 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 February 27, 2020.

USA Today: Minnesota Twins
PECOTA: Minnesota Twins
Clay Davenport: Minnesota Twins
FanDuel Sportsbook Favorite: Minnesota Twins

The experts are in agreement — the AL Central is the Minnesota Twins' division to lose. The 2019 AL Central champs are odds-on favorites to repeat, and all three sources like them to do exactly that. Twins fans will hope that 2020 postseason is more kind to them than 2019 was.

Minnesota Twins Predictions 2020

USA Today: 94-68
PECOTA: 93-69
Clay Davenport: 89-73
FanDuel Sportsbook Win Total: 91.5
Odds to Win the AL Central: (-180)

While the pick for the Twins to finish No. 1 is unanimous, our three sources are split on where they think the betting value is relative to the Twins' win total. Both PECOTA and USA Today have them clearing the over, but Davenport stands alone in having them come up shy of 90 wins in the regular season.

Cleveland Indians Predictions 2020

USA Today: 86-76
PECOTA: 86-76
Clay Davenport: 85-77
FanDuel Sportsbook Win Total: 85.5
Odds to Win the AL Central: (+330)

There's not much variation in predictions for the Cleveland Indians. With a win total at 85.5 and predictions sitting at 85 and 86 wins, there doesn't look to be much betting value on either side of this sharp line. All are in agreement that the Indians project to finish second in the division as well.

Chicago White Sox Predictions 2020

USA Today: 83-79
PECOTA: 83-79
Clay Davenport: 81-81
FanDuel Sportsbook Win Total: 83.5
Odds to Win the AL Central: (+360)

The Chicago White Sox have been a popular dark horse pick this season, but none none of these sources think this is the year they break out. All three have the under hitting on the win total, though both USA Today and PECOTA have it close, projecting a finish better than .500.

Detroit Tigers Predictions 2020

USA Today: 54-108
PECOTA: 70-92
Clay Davenport: 65-97
FanDuel Sportsbook Win Total: 56.5
Odds to Win the AL Central: (+10000)

The Detroit Tigers don't have realistic playoff aspirations in 2020, but a couple of our sources don't think this season will be as rough as some are calling for. Both Davenport and PECOTA have the Tigers crushing the over on their win total, predicting them to clear it by 8.5 and 13.5 wins, respectively. USA Today's thoughts are much more in line with the betting markets, having them down at 54 wins — their lowest projection in the division.

Kansas City Royals Predictions 2020

USA Today: 65-97
PECOTA: 67-95
Clay Davenport: 64-98
FanDuel Sportsbook Win Total: 64.5
Odds to Win the AL Central: (+10000)

The Kansas City Royals are another team not getting much variation in the predictions, spanning from 64 to 67 wins. For Davenport and PECOTA, this would have them finishing dead-last in the AL Central, while USA Today likes KC to beat out the Tigers by a significant margin.

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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.