The AL Central division was known as one of the worst in baseball from 2016 until 2023.
In that period, the Kansas City Royals and the Detroit Tigers weren’t contenders, and the rest of the non-Cleveland Guardians teams in the division weren’t consistent.
Last season, however, the division took a step forward, with the Guardians, Royals, and Tigers all making the playoffs and the Minnesota Twins coming close.
As we entered the 2025 campaign, it’s clear that the Central squads haven’t had a scintillating start.
Some might even say the group is reverting to old habits.
“There’s a five-way tie for first place in the AL Central … at 2-4,” Minnesota Twins insider Aaron Gleeman posted on X.
There's a five-way tie for first place in the AL Central … at 2-4. pic.twitter.com/1DLeerNJXs
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) April 2, 2025
That’s right: a five-way tie for first place of the AL Central, but also for last place if you think about it.
A 2-4 record is mediocre, yes, and it doesn’t really speak well about the division as a group.
However, it’s ridiculously early still, and you can’t draw any other conclusion from this other than the statistical oddity of seeing the five squads in the same division tied.
The New York Mets, for example, opened last year with a 0-5 record and still made it to the National League Championship Series.
With 156 games left to play for each one of these five organizations, a lot of things can happen.
We know some likely outcomes, though: for example, the Chicago White Sox probably won’t last in the race because they aren’t in the same tier as the other four.
Yet there they are, currently tied for first in their division.
That’s the magic of small samples for you.
NEXT: Guardians Get Swept As Offense Keeps Struggling
