For years, the AL Central division got a reputation for being among the worst in baseball.
It was absolutely deserved: the division rarely had any powerhouses and most of their teams were mediocre at best.
You could see it in the number of teams the Central sent to the playoffs per year.
Things, however, change in baseball and in MLB.
They rarely stay as they are for eternity or even for 10 years: there is a constant state of flux.
Now, 75 percent of the squads left in the American League postseason picture come from the much-maligned division.
“What was widely considered the worst division in Major League Baseball— the American League Central— now has three of the remaining four teams in the American League postseason. Baseball,” Guardians insider Hayden Grove posted on X.
What was widely considered the worst division in Major League Baseball— the American League Central— now has three of the remaining four teams in the American League postseason.
Baseball.
— Hayden Grove (@H_Grove) October 2, 2024
That’s right: the Cleveland Guardians, the Detroit Tigers and the Kansas City Royals are all alive in the quest for the World Series.
There is a fourth team, the New York Yankees, vying for the pennant.
The Guardians can proudly say that they won one of the strongest divisions in baseball by a healthy margin.
Now, they are matched up against arguably the hottest team in the league, the Detroit Tigers, and they will need to being their A-game to overcome that obstacle.
Guardians, Tigers and Royals fans have to feel proud of where they are right now as a franchise.
Even the Minnesota Twins, another AL Central team, came close to making the playoffs.
The group is not a cakewalk anymore.
NEXT: Guardians Now Know Their Opponent In The Division Series
