2020 AL simulation: The surprising Cleveland Indians
By Bill Felber
The Cleveland Indians continue to be the surprise of the American League Central, and the Boston Red Sox are rising in the standings.
At the All-Star break, the 2020 AL simulation contains several surprises, particularly the Cleveland Indians.
In both the AL East and Central divisions, the pre-season favorites have not yet taken command. The AL wild card race involves a half dozen teams.
Only in the AL West, where the Houston Astros have led all season, does the division race appear settled.
Considering teams within seven games of either a division or wild card lead to be in contention, only four teams can be viewed as eliminated at the All Star break.
Those four are the Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners, none of which were supposed to contend anyway.
The surprise is the team with the AL’s – and the majors’ — best record, the Cleveland Indians. They have rode consistently strong pitching to a position where they can make a legitimate run at the post-season.
What follows is a division-by-division summary of the simulation to date. With the return of actual baseball in less than two weeks, a final regular season simulation will follow later this week, that being followed by a simulated post-season.