Kansas City Royals: How will AL Central fare in early 2020s?

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - SEPTEMBER 29: Brett Phillips #14 of the Kansas City Royals celebrates his game-winning sacrifice fly with teammates in the ninth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Kauffman Stadium on September 29, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals won 5-4. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - SEPTEMBER 29: Brett Phillips #14 of the Kansas City Royals celebrates his game-winning sacrifice fly with teammates in the ninth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Kauffman Stadium on September 29, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals won 5-4. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /
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Brett Phillips #14 of the Kansas City Royals slides into third for a steal past third baseman Dawel Lugo #18 of the Detroit Tigers (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
Brett Phillips #14 of the Kansas City Royals slides into third for a steal past third baseman Dawel Lugo #18 of the Detroit Tigers (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /

DETROIT TIGERS

Notable Additions:

  • C.J. Cron 1B
  • Jonathan Schoop 2B

The Detroit Tigers were the worst team in baseball in 2019, and 2020 doesn’t appear to be another successful campaign.

The Tigers still have some solid players in starting pitcher Matthew Boyd and designated hitter Miguel Cabrera. Boyd ran into some inconsistency in the second half of the 2019 season and Cabrera has struggled with injuries the past couple of years. The additions of Cron and Schoop (48 homers combined) should improve the roster somewhat, but the Tigers will be very young at most positions.

The Tigers do have some potential for the future when prospects will start to trickle onto MLB squad next two seasons. The Tigers have several outstanding pitching prospects – Casey Mize, Matt Manning, Tarik Skubal, Franklin Perez, Alex Faedo, Joey Wentz, and Beau Burrows.

The Tigers positional prospects include MLB ready/near ready Isaac Paredes 3B, Daz Cameron CF, and Jake Rogers C. Parker Meadows OF and Nick Quintana 3B are other notable positional prospects, who are at least a couple years away from a debut on the big-league club.

The Detroit Tigers will likely remain in the basement of the AL Central for next several years as prospects start to trickle onto the big-league club. The Tigers could have a competitive roster again by 2024 and beyond if their prospect talent pans out in the majors.