Fantasy Baseball 2019 Division Breakdown: AL Central
By Bill Pivetz
The American League Central is in a bit of a rebuild. What fantasy baseball value can you extract from this division?
The American League Central has been owned by the Cleveland Indians over the last few seasons. Some of the other teams have tried to make a dent in their dominance but none have been successful. As a result, the fantasy baseball value from this division has been limited. Things look to be turning around entering 2019.
The Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals will not be close to winning the division title let alone a Wild Card spot. The Chicago White have made a few moves in order to lure in a certain free agent. The Minnesota Twins also added a few pieces to make the offense a threat this season.
The Indians made a big three-team trade early in the offseason but have been quiet since. The team is still debating on trading one or both of their top starting pitchers. With the offense they have and the starting rotation, it makes no sense why they would want to blow it up. They can easily win the division again.
The AL Central could be a one-team race again but if the Indians trade their pitchers and don’t sign any valuable replacements, that could change. There has been an improvement in fantasy baseball assets within the division but nothing like the NL Central.
This is a division where you could find a sleeper pick with one of your late draft picks. A player like Adalberto Mondesi or Daniel Palka could provide a boost in a certain stat, especially in Roto leagues. But the biggest values are the hitters and a few of the pitchers.
In this six-part series, I will go over each team’s key departures, arrivals and their remaining needs heading into Spring Training. I will also talk about some players to watch for in 2019.
Here is the penultimate division breakdown, the American League Central
Fantasy Baseball 2019 Division Breakdown: Royals
Key Departures:
Key Additions:
The Royals are just a few years removed from their World Series win. Since then, they lost the majority of the players. Eric Hosmer went to San Diego. Mike Moustakas was traded at the deadline and is now a free agent. Lorenzo Cain got a big contract from Milwaukee. The list goes on.
The only mainstay from this team is catcher Salvador Perez. He was one of the better hitting catchers in the league with his 27 home runs, 80 RBIs and .235 average. Even with the rebuild, Perez will be a top-10 catcher.
Whit Merrifield is the other Royals hitter I want to own. He can hit for power, 12 home runs and 60 RBIs, contact, .304 average, and run, 45 steals. In a fantasy baseball season where speed is becoming harder to find and the middle infield pool is shallow, Merrifield will see his draft stock rise greatly.
The pitching staff is a streamer’s delight. Danny Duffy may be the only starter worth owning but as an SP6 or SP7. I would only use these pitchers if the matchup is amazing or a few of my other pitchers are hurt. Even then, you could probably find a better pitcher on another team.
The bullpen is led by Wily Peralta with Kevin McCarthy and Tim Hill setting him up. With the Royals offense and pitching staff not looking all that great, whoever the closer is will not get that many saves. The ratios may help you but not enough to warrant a roster spot.
The Royals need a lot of help but I don’t expect them to make any big moves before Spring Training. They need a third baseman, a true closer, at least one more starting pitcher and another reliever.
My breakout player is newly acquired Billy Hamilton. While he leaves the hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark, he will rebound and hit closer to .260 while stealing 55 bases. He still won’t hit for power but pairing his speed with Merrifield will make a dangerous combo in the No. 9 and 1 spots.
Fantasy Baseball 2019 Division Breakdown: Tigers
Key Departures:
James McCann, Victor Martinez, Jose Iglesias, Francisco Liriano
Key Additions:
Jordy Mercer, Tyson Ross, Matt Moore
The Tigers added a few small pieces, filling a few holes on their roster. The starting rotation saw improvements on the back end with Tyson Ross and Matt Moore. With Matthew Boyd, Michael Fulmer and Jordan Zimmermann taking up the other spots, this isn’t the worst rotation in the league.
The bullpen will need some help. They could benefit from signing a hard-throwing middle reliever like a Chris Devenski or Josh Hader. Someone who could eat up some innings while striking out everyone he faces.
Shane Greene is the closer with Joe Jimenez and Buck Farmer setting him up. Greene will reach 30 saves again but post a high ERA and WHIP in the process. Hopefully, you’ll have a few other relievers to offset the ratios.
The offense will struggle. Outside of Nick Castellanos and Miguel Cabrera, whose own power is declining, there isn’t anyone I want to own. The addition of Jordy Mercer fills Jose Iglesias‘ spot but won’t see an offensive boost. It’s a ho-hum offense that could have been good five years ago.
The team needs a few bullpen pieces and one more outfielder.
My breakout player is second baseman Niko Goodrum. In 492 plate appearances, he hit 16 home runs, 53 RBIs and .245. Now that he has a starting job, he’ll hit 20 home runs and .250 in a full 2019 season.
Fantasy Baseball 2019 Division Breakdown: White Sox
Key Departures:
Matt Davidson, Avisail Garcia, James Shields, Jeanmar Gomez, Hector Santiago
Key Additions:
Yonder Alonso, Jon Jay, James McCann, Ivan Nova, Manny Banuelos, Kelvin Herrera, Alex Colome
The White Sox made a few moves but are still in the running for shortstop/third baseman Manny Machado. One of three teams Machado is considering, the White Sox added his brother-in-law in Yonder Alonso and good friend, Jon Jay.
If Machado were to join this team, they could make a push for the second AL Wild Card spot. They still need pitching help to push them into division contention. Though, Machado’s bat could offset any holes in the rotation.
Until then, the current White Sox could surprise some people. Jose Abreu moves to DH and will look for another 30 HR/100 RBIs season. He ended the streak last year with a 22 HR/78 RBIs season in 128 games. Moving to DH should keep him healthier.
Tim Anderson added more power at the sacrifice to his average. Palka getting more at-bats will help everyone around him.
The White Sox added Ivan Nova to the rotation. He’ll be a big improvement over James Shields. Carlos Rodon and Reynaldo Lopez will continue to build on their good 2018 seasons. Giolito needs a good start to the season before anyone invests in him for their fantasy baseball team.
The team recently added Kelvin Herrera and will likely take over the closing role. Alex Colome and Nate Jones will back him up in the bullpen. I think he’ll bounce back after posting a 4.34 ERA in Washington. I’ll take him as my third reliever.
The White Sox need an outfielder, third baseman (Machado) and a back-end starting pitcher. Nothing ridiculous that they can’t find on the market.
My sleeper pick is Alonso. He’s been overlooked every year but has hit 20 home runs in back-to-back seasons. He may hit .255 in the process but as a backup first baseman or utility hitter, he’s a good pick.
Fantasy Baseball 2019 Division Breakdown: Twins
Key Departures:
Joe Mauer, Logan Morrison, Logan Forsythe, Robbie Grossman, Ervin Santana, Matt Belisle
Key Additions:
Jonathan Schoop, C.J. Cron, Nelson Cruz, Blake Parker
The Twins tried to compete last season by signing Lance Lynn, Jake Odorizzi and Addison Reed but it didn’t work. This season, they are trying again and look to be doing a better job.
The team will see a big improvement from the offense with the addition of CJ Cron, Jonathan Schoop and Nelson Cruz. Adding them with the likes of Eddie Rosario, Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco could see them get closer to the Indians. Plus, if Miguel Sano can turn it around, this will be a dangerous offense.
The pitching staff is good at the top but could use one more arm in the fifth spot. Michael Pineda is expected to join the rotation after missing all of last year recovering from Tommy John surgery. Jose Berrios will lead this rotation with Kyle Gibson, Odorizzi and Adalberto Mejia in the mix.
The Twins added Blake Parker, who will likely be their closer. He had a very up-and-down season with the Los Angeles Angels last year. Trevor May, Reed, Taylor Rogers and Trevor Hildengerger will support him.
They filled in most of their offensive holes with Schoop and Cron. They could afford to beef up their bench with one more bat. But I think using that roster spot for another starter or reliever will help more.
My breakout pick is Schoop. After his dominant 2017 season where he hit 32 home runs, 105 RBIs and .293, he fell back down to Earth with a 21 HR/61 RBI/.233 line in 131 games between Baltimore and Milwaukee. He’ll be a top-20 second baseman at season’s end. Don’t be afraid to draft him now that he’s in this lineup.
Fantasy Baseball 2019 Division Breakdown: Indians
Key Departures:
Edwin Encarnacion, Yan Gomes, Josh Donaldson, Michael Brantley, Lonnie Chisenhall, Melky Cabrera, Rajai Davis, Brandon Guyer, Josh Tomlin, Cody Allen, Andrew Miller
Key Additions:
Jake Bauers, Carlos Santana, Kevin Plawecki
The Indians have the best team in the division even without making an impact move. The team exchanged DHs going from Edwin Encarnacion to Carlos Santana. They added a new first baseman in young star Jake Bauers.
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Spoiler, he’s my breakout player from this team.
Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez will be the anchors of this offense. Santana and Bauers will support them and have good seasons. Tyler Naquin, Roberto Perez, Leonys Martin and Greg Allen round out the rest of the lineup.
The starting rotation is undoubtedly the best in the division. Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer, Mike Clevinger and Shane Bieber. Yet, the front office has debated on trading Kluber and/or Bauer. As I said in the opening, I don’t know why.
They don’t have many openings that need to be filled. Maybe an outfielder and one more relief pitcher. Not much at all. If only they kept Michael Brantley.
The bullpen will be led by Brad Hand and backed up by Adam Cimber and Neil Ramirez. Hand will finish with 32 saves while Cimber records 18 holds. Both will have sub-2.50 ERAs in a favorable division.
Bauers hit 11 home runs, 48 RBIs and .201 in 96 games with the Tampa Bay Rays. With better lineup protection and hitter-friendly ballparks, he’ll be a top-20 first baseman.
The American League Central saw a few of the teams add significant pieces. The momentum will move if Machado joins the White Sox or the Indians trade their two best pitchers. Until then, the Indians have the best team on both sides of the ball.
There is a lot of fantasy baseball value in this division but it mostly rests on the shoulder of three teams.
The final division breakdown is the American League East.
Next. AL West Division Fantasy Baseball Breakdown. dark
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