MLB Tonight talks all things AL Central!

Let's go and take a look at the A L Central standings here because they have kept it close. We haven't given attention to the Central in a long time, but you see this 2.5 back for Kansas City and the twins, a lot of them with a decent fighting chance. So there's no way but looking at that board at the beginning of the season, we just had three teams in the Central and over over 500. That's ok. Listen, that's why they've hired us. We are the A L Central Intelligence team. Look, you've never looked better in your life. Suspenders. We're, we're gonna do that forever here. A L central intelligence agency. I think he is. All right boys. This is a really easy one. This is not an easy one. We're going best lineup only out of the top three. We're sorry, we're not factoring in the White Sox to this one. But you've got Minnesota, you've got Kansas City and you've got Cleveland, let's start with you lineup. Who are you going? And I can't like play the game and kind of it is right now. There's no because I started to play the game and said, ok, if they get in the playoffs, you know, we're playing right now. This may surprise you because this is very tight. We saw the race 2.5 games, separate three teams. What Kansas City is sixth in the league and run scored Minnesota seventh Cleveland's down in the 13th spot and I'm taking Cleveland right now as we go as far as the best offense and a lot of sad in Kansas City, I get it and includes me, Bobby Witt is pushing the envelope to be the MV P. One of the best overall players. This game has Cleveland's got this dude jose Ramirez that's sitting on 32 in a Honda as we right now, we don't even talk about it and juan starting to get it going on right. I think Jimenez can be better. Uh I think Fried can be better there, there's something about the way they sit right here today that I think they have more capable one through nine than the other two teams. My pick is the Royals. I just, this is the thing. Pasin was swinging the bat pretty well. We see Sal Perez doing his thing as well and Then bottom line Bobby with junior. That's it, period. I mean, the way he goes out and just changes the game with everything he does. Yes. His offense that you can even add in his base running, right. He's just one of the best players in all of baseball and s has been also put the barrel to the baseball him for power. So this is a very capable lineup. Yes, we're splitting hairs here. I really like Cleveland, but my pick is the Royals. You like the pass squatch. It's all about the pass squatch here. Ok. Now, while you're hoping that these lineups ultimately give a lot of run support. You also need those starters to go out and handle business throwing as much as they can. Zeros across the board. Let's get into the sixth, the seventh inning. So we'll start with you on rotation. Who you got? All, I'm going with the Royals right. When, when you see the fact that they top three in, er, a start, er, a, also the innings that they have thrown, right. So they are going deeper into games and I'm thinking all these starters have their, er, A s in the low threes, you know, you look at Lugo singer Waka, that's , that's your fourth, I mean, they have a solid one through four mix. Now, I'm going for the, I'm going with the Royals. That's two out of three. That's far, we'll see. That's two out of two. Don't, don't, don't, now you're giving away your other. Come on, you're right. Lugo, by the way, leads the American League in innings pitch. So you're talking about getting deep in games, um, maybe not the highest punchy to, you know, to inning rate out of this group, but they're better than everybody else in there. So I take the Royals, I think it's a slam dunk when you look at the rotations right now as they line up and that's what they're gonna need because I'm telling you the starters need to go deep because the end of the game might be given up. So I'm kind of give you an answer on what I'm thinking about. I gave it up to your point. I do want to point this out. Cole Reagan's, they get him for Aroldis Chapman. That is an amazing steal for the starter that he has become. And your reminder we talked about this earlier. Kansas City has now shown you they can have their own pitching , no problem because Brady Singer was one of four. They drafted the same year thinking these are four of our five starters. He's the only one to make it and they have had no problem pivoting and putting up these kind of numbers ever since. Now. When the starters are done, you want shut down back end of bullpen here? I know my pick. I have a feeling all three of us will have the same one on this particular vote. Just you look at the numbers, Billy. Yeah, I don't think there's anywhere to look other than Cleveland in the situation right here. Class A is class, he's the class act of the relievers maybe right now when, when they have the lead and let's face it. Cleveland likes to play close games and they also don't do anything to hurt themselves during the course of the game. They have a one run lead. This dude comes in the game, the game is over Cleveland wins. So I don't even think it's a question. I'm going with Cleveland. You know, you can add to class. So you got, you know, Gaddis, you also have smith doing also a good job. Look, if you want to compete in this game, you have to be able to shut the door down. And these guys have been doing that all year, specially because they have so many come from behind wins. You know how they hold those right there. The game so close. These guys have been out there just being fire, firemen, putting fires out so cool to watch class A to your point. You know, that you're doing really well when other teams are stopping to watch your one performance. And I've watched so many this year. Class a gets in and a clubhouse will stop and they, they just wanna see what he's able to do. Now, you take all of these ingredients, you put them together, los out of these three best odds to go to the World Series. I'm going with the Royals. All right, I'm going with the Royals because of their lineup. I chose the lineup. I, I see that the starting pitching, it's just, they're giving you quality starts, day in and day out. Right. And you want, in a postseason, you want to be able to get to a inning. Right. And now I understand that their weakness is their bullpen. But when you have two out of three, like I said, Bill, I'm feeling pretty good about it. It depends where you put your weight on. I put my weight on starting pitcher. Ok. And I normally do and I'm mad at myself because I wrestled in this one, but I went two out of three with Cleveland. It's funny when nobody said anything about Minnesota all in this situation. But I like, I like the track record of what Cleveland is shown me year over year right in the past Kansas City is coming out of a spot that I'm going. Yeah, I like them. I like this group but there's something that just tells me if somebody's gonna get through a playoff series, get through a playoff series, get through a playoff series to get to the World Series. I think it would be Cleveland. I think they got a better chance to both of your points. No one has picked Minnesota for any of these. Now again, they still have a fair chance right now. They're only 2.5 back. What do you like? What are we looking for from them? You, you see some key injuries? But what, what do you kind of see if you hold up the magic eight ball for the twins, you know, they are, they've been doing great. Right. Even though through the injuries they've held their own. Right. And which is a telltale sign of a good team, someone that they know that they stay step in and they step up, uh, you know, pretty much seizing the moment. Right. If my teammate goes down, I have to step up and cover him. They've been able to do that and that's why they find themselves so close to getting up to first place in the division. I mean, 2.5 games right now. But how long can you do it? I mean, you, you don't have Buckson, you don't have Carlos Correa that's gonna come back to hurt you somewhere along the line. Look, we're standing here at the beginning of the year and say who wins the central? I would have said the Minnesota Twins. Um But we're playing a game as of right now. The two guys you mentioned, they have to have them out there on the field for them to make a serious push. I ain't mad at their starting pitchers. I'm not mad at the way the Minnesota Twins can go out there and play a game. But those two dudes right there , if you're missing them out of your lineup, you're not gonna be , you're not gonna be there. If they get them back and you get going in the right direction , we could change my, I could change my opinion in a month. But today I got the, uh, Guardians and this is about today, today, we're getting a lot of follow ups on this one. I think every topic we've got to find you in about four weeks and , and call you again. That sums up baseball perfectly.