2025 American League Predictions: Division Winners, Award Winners

2025 American League Predictions: Division Winners, Award Winners
The Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. connects for a game-winning home run against the A's in Oakland, Calif., on June 20, 2024. Jeff Chiu/AP Photo
Tab Bamford
Updated:
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With the Major League Baseball season getting under way with the league-wide Opening Day ceremonies beginning on Thursday, we’re taking the time to make some bold predictions for the coming year. Previously, we looked at how the National League might shape up in the coming months. Now, let’s turn our attention to the American League.
After making a run to the World Series last year, the Yankees are dealing with some injuries and departures that make the AL a wide-open conversation this year. Let’s get into the division races and individual awards in the junior circuit for 2025.

Standings Predictions

American League East

  1. Baltimore Orioles
  2. New York Yankees
  3. Boston Red Sox
  4. Toronto Blue Jays
  5. Tampa Bay Rays
The Yankees will be without Gerrit Cole for the entire season and Luis Gil for a while to start the year—and Juan Soto is now with the Mets—so the door is wide open for the rest of this division to make a run. Baltimore was in the mix the entire season last year and has the young horses in the lineup and depth to make it happen this year.

American League Central

  1. Kansas City Royals
  2. Cleveland Guardians
  3. Detroit Tigers
  4. Minnesota Twins
  5. Chicago White Sox
Is this the year the Royals finally climb to the top of the Central? The Guardians won’t be an easy out, and the Tigers should be even better this year, but Kansas City has made strategic moves around some really good young pitchers and hitters to make them the team to beat in this division. Meanwhile, the White Sox might be worse than their historically bad team a year ago.

American League West

  1. Houston Astros
  2. Seattle Mariners
  3. Texas Rangers
  4. Sacramento A’s
  5. Los Angeles Angels
Will the West really finish with the exact same standing as it did last year? It certainly looks like it should, even with some of the departures in Houston. Seattle had a shockingly quiet offseason, and the Rangers didn’t make many moves to improve, either. The A’s playing in Sacramento will make them a fascinating team to watch, however.
Tab Bamford
Tab Bamford
Author
Tab Bamford has been writing about sports for two decades. He has worked with the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Big Ten Conference, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and been credentialed for all-star events and postseason games in MLB, the NFL, NHL, NBA and NCAA.