How the Royals Match up in the AL Central
Is a division title within the Royals' reach?
With the expanded postseason, there are so many ways to reach the playoffs. Last year, the Royals were the second Wild Card team out of three, which led to a clash in Baltimore for the right to face the Yankees in the ALDS. We all know how that turned out, but what’s nice is that it showed that the only path to the postseason in the AL Central wasn’t as a division winner, which most people seemed to believe would be the case when the season began. A lot of that was being able to beat up on the White Sox more than any other team, but a lot of it is simply that there was more parity in the league than expected.
While that may or may not end up true in 2025, the only way you’re guaranteed to be in the playoffs is to win your division. It’s also the only way you’re guaranteed to get a home playoff game. The top Wild Card, of course, also gets home games, but you win your division, and it’s guaranteed. So that is goal number one for every team. Win the division (and get one of the top two seeds to avoid having to play that Wild Card round). Today I want to dig into how the Royals fare against the rest of the AL Central. I’ll rank the offenses, the starting pitching, the bullpens and the defenses and see how it all shakes out.
Offense
Twins
Royals
Guardians
Tigers
White Sox