AL Central Winner Odds 2024: Guardians Back on Top as Division Champs

• The Cleveland Guardians have won the AL Central division title

• The Guardians had the second hardest remaining strength of schedule after the All Star break

• Kansas City, Detroit, and Minnesota are all in contention for a playoff berth

Even after having to battle through the second hardest remaining strength of schedule, the Cleveland Guardians managed to hold on to their lead for first in the division standings and have won the AL Central division title. Not only have the Guardians secured the division title, but they have also locked up one of the two byes for the playoffs as they are six games ahead of the AL West leading Houston Astros with four games left to be played.

MLB AL Central Winner Odds

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AL Central Predictions and Favorites to Win

Kansas City Royals

While Kansas City never managed to close the gap between them and the Cleveland Guardians for first in the division standings, it was still an incredible turnaround for the Royals after last year’s disastrous results. Especially if they can secure one of the three wildcard spots for the playoffs, sitting two games ahead of the Minnesota Twins in the wildcard standings with four games remaining in the season.

Should the Royals make the playoffs, then they make for an intriguing team to back as positive regression looms large over their offense. While their offense does rank slightly below average in On Base Percentage, they excel everywhere else as they also reside in the top half of the board for Team Total Hits, RBIs, and Total Runs Scored. Factor in a pitching staff that ranks eighth overall in Team Total Pitching ERA, and the Royals are in a position to make a deep run in the playoffs.

Minnesota Twins

When the Cleveland Guardians were poised to regress while having to go through the second hardest remaining strength of the schedule, the Minnesota Twins were expected to leap over them for first in the division standings. Not only did the Twins fail to capitalize on their opportunity, they are now also expected to miss out on the playoffs as they are two games back from the Detroit Tigers in the wildcard standings for the last wildcard spot.

Their lack of pitching production has continued to be a thorn in their side as they rank well below league average in Team Total Pitching ERA while they excelled everywhere else. Fortunately for the Twins, they possess the tiebreaker over the Tigers and just need to match their record to make the playoffs. Even if they manage to secure a wildcard spot, it’s tough to back the Twins as they lack the pitching production needed to make a run in the playoffs.

Detroit Tigers

Once projected to finish under their preseason win total, the Detroit Tigers have suddenly become the hottest team in baseball and are currently in possession of one of the three wildcard spots for the playoffs. An incredible turn around after how they looked earlier in the year, yet the Detroit Tigers continue to rack up wins en-route to a potential playoff berth.

Should the Tigers make the playoffs, then their offense will need to continue to play at a high rate as the quality of opposing offenses ramp up. That may spell doom for Detroit should their bats cool off as they currently rank below league average in Team Total Hits, RBIs, Total Runs Scored, and On Base Percentage. Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal can not pitch every game, desperately needing help from their offense to stay within scoring pace.

Chicago White Sox

While the rest of the division is in contention for the playoffs, the Chicago White Sox are on pace to generate the worst record in the history of the league. Fortunately for White Sox fans, they can finally find some peace knowing the 2024 regular season is almost over with only four games left to be played.

The issue for the White Sox heading into the offseason is that they seemingly need help in every facet of the game as they end the year ranked near dead last across the board in offensive Team Total Hits, RBIs, Total Runs Scored, On Base Percentage, Defensive Efficiency, and Team Total Pitching ERA. That indicates that they may be in for a long rebuild, especially if they fail to add a sizable amount of production over the next few months.

Who Will Win the AL Central Division?

My Pick - Cleveland Guardians

Even with the second hardest remaining strength of schedule post All Star break, the Cleveland Guardians managed to ward off regression and have secured their 12th AL Central division title. That adds to their lead for the most division titles in the AL Central, sitting three ahead of the Minnesota Twins who have nine.

Not only did the Guardians manage to secure the division title this season, but they also have locked up one of the two byes for the playoffs. Better yet, they are also still in contention for the top seed in the AL as they are only a half game back from the New York Yankees in the overall standings with four games remaining in the season. With home field advantage, the Guardians will be in a great position to make a run to the World Series.

AL Central History

With the division title locked up, the Cleveland Guardians have now won the AL Central 12 separate times since joining the division in 1995. They lead the division for the most division titles since its inception while the Minnesota Twins are in second with nine division titles. With the rest of the division showing they are not too far behind them in terms of production, the AL Central may be one of the more exciting division title races in 2025.

Past AL Central Winners

How to Read AL Central Division Odds

When making any type of wager, it’s important to know how to read the listed odds. Especially for a favorite like the Cleveland Guardians as the minus sign (-) indicates that you would have needed to tie in $1,000 to win $100 at -1000 odds earlier this month. Should you have liked one of the underdogs instead like the Minnesota Twins at +4000, then a $100 wager would profit you $4,000 should they have won the AL Central.

How to Choose the Best Sportsbook for Betting on the AL Central Division

Having access to multiple sportsbooks is important in more ways than one. Each book has their own listed odds, giving you the ability to line shop. That is especially vital when wagering on a favorite like the Guardians, getting them anywhere from -1000 at BetMGM to -1200 at Caesars earlier in the month. That is a difference of $200 in a tied up wager while returning the same amount of profit. 

Each book also has their own unique new user sign up bonus, giving their users a boost to their bankroll to wager with during the MLB regular season. FanDuel Sportsbook for example is giving new users $200 in bonus bets after creating an account and making an initial wager of at least $5.

Find more insights on the best MLB betting sites available today in our detailed guide.

*Bonus Bets Expire in 7 Days. One New Customer Offer Only. Add’l terms.