Why Royals Will Win AL Central, Overtaking Tigers And Guardians

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Matt Levine works as a lead contributing writer for TWSN. His expertise is in covering the NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL, and college athletics. He has been with TWSN since 2025. He graduated in 2021 with a Master of Science degree in Sport Management from Louisiana State University.

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Entering the start of the 2026 MLB season, there are all sorts of questions around each team and how the year will shake out. Over in the American League, there are favorites to win, such as the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, and the Seattle Mariners.

But there could be other surprise teams to emerge, and one of those could come from the AL Central. The AL Central features some of the more underrated teams in baseball, and they did have two team reach the playoffs a year ago.

The Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians both made the postseason last year, with the Guardians taking the division crown. But it did take them overcoming a 15.5 game deficit to win the division, and that isn’t likely to occur again.

But one team that isn’t getting talked about enough in the AL Central is the Kansas City Royals, and they could steal this division. Don’t sleep on Kansas City, and if you do, you may blink to see them crowned the champions of the AL Central in 2026.

TWSN Answers:

The AL Central could have a few surprise teams emerge this year as contenders.
The Tigers and Guardians are the favorites, but we can’t sleep on the Kansas City Royals.
Kansas City could very well win the AL Central in 2026.

TWSN Quick Facts:

Team: Kansas City Royals
2025 Record: 82-80

Why Kansas City Royals Will Win AL Central in 2026

Bobby Witt Jr Factor

The Royals have a major advantage over other teams in the league simply because star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. plays for them. Witt Jr. is one of the best players in all of baseball, and he is good enough to win the MVP honor at some point in his career.

Last year with Kansas City, Witt Jr. hit .295 with 23 home runs, 88 runs batted in, and 38 stolen bases. Witt Jr. called this a “down year” for himself, and he seems determined to get back to where he was in 2024.

In 2024, Witt Jr. hit .332 with 32 home runs and 109 runs batted in, while stealing 31 bases. Witt Jr. has the skills needed to carry this group, and his continued greatness will help the Royals grab the AL Central crown.

Quality Starters

For the Royals, the starting pitching should help them win, simply due to the number of talented arms. While they may not have an ace like Tarik Skubal on the Tigers, Kansas City does have depth to use throughout the season.

The team is led by Cole Ragans, who has dealt with plenty of injuries in his career. But if Ragans can stay on the mound, it would change everything for this team in 2026.

Ragans was named the Opening Day starter for the Royals this season after only making 13 starts last season. In this time, he posted an ERA of 4.67, and the team will be banking on him to lower that number.

Behind him is Seth Lugo, Kris Bubic, and Michael Wacha, giving this team a nice mixture of veteran experience and talent on the mound. They have a collection of arms that can help this group get over the top over the course of the long year.

Breakout Players

Kansas City has a solid roster, in addition to Witt Jr. and it could help power them to the division crown. Outfielder Jac Caglianone is being viewed as a likely breakout star for this team, and if he can deliver, it would provide them with a massive boost.

In 62 games for the Royals a year ago, Caglianone hit 157 with seven home runs and 18 runs batted in. His power numbers should only continue to grow, and with more reps in the big leagues, he could remind everyone why he was a first round draft pick in 2024.

Infielder Vinnie Pasquantino put on a show in the World baseball Classic for Team Italy, giving him some major confidence heading into the year. Pasquantino anchored the Italians, putting up a .379 on-base percentage and a .591 slugging percentage, with three home runs for the tournament.

Last season, Pasquantino bit .264 with 32 home runs and 113 runs batted in. If he can continue this type of impact, the Royals offense will be one of the best in baseball.