This season, the American League Central is set to be one of baseball's most exciting divisions for Ohio sports betting, with no clear favorite and plenty of intrigue. The Minnesota Twins, a playoff absentee last year, have improved in a division that sent three teams to the MLB playoffs last year. And the Cleveland Guardians, two-time division champs in the past five years, remain strong but still seek postseason success.
Ahead of the 2025 MLB opener, BetOhio.com wanted to see which team in the AL Central is the biggest dark horse, historically. Using preseason odds and final win totals from SportsOddsHistory.com, we found the total O/U for each team between the 2020 to 2024 seasons and ranked teams based on how much they overperformed or fell short of their preseason MLB betting.
Rank | Team | Total O/U Results |
1 | Cleveland Guardians | +18.5 |
2 | Detroit Tigers | +10.5 |
3 | Chicago White Sox | -2.5 |
4 | Kansas City Royals | -8.5 |
5 | Minnesota Twins | -20.5 |
The race in this division can come down to the final month of the regular season, where staying healthy can be the ultimate decider. For fans, it’s must-watch baseball; for bettors, it’s a chance to find value not only in our Ohio sports betting promo codes, but also in a dark horse early in the season.
The AL Central promises drama from Opening Day to the final out. Early momentum could be the key to separating from the pack in a tight race, which can benefit any team into the postseason.
The Cleveland Guardians have been a sleeper pick for bettors across multiple fronts in recent years – whether it’s predicting them as division champs, to clinch a playoff berth, or hitting the “over” on their regular-season win totals. This season is shaping up to be no different and you can keep up with Cleveland Guardians playoff chances all season at BetOhio.com.
Over the past five seasons, the Guardians have exceeded expectations, surpassing their projected win/loss totals by a margin of 18.5 games altogether. That’s the best mark in the AL Central during that span. For context, the Guardians have only fallen further than a second-place finish in the division once, which was in 2022.
At FanDuel Ohio Sportsbook, the projected over/under win total for the Guardians is set at 82.5 with +114 odds. Cleveland shares that number with Kansas City, but with the Royals at -122 odds.
Behind the Guardians, the Detroit Tigers are also the only team to have a positive cumulative “over/under” margin from 2020-24 at +10.5. Teams that have performed below their expectations are the Chicago White Sox (-2.5), Royals (-8.5) and Twins (-20.5).
The Twins and Tigers are both set at 83.5 games with -112 and -110 odds, respectively, at FanDuel. The Chicago White Sox, who set a modern MLB record with 121 losses last season, have their number set at 54.5 wins, with -106 odds.
At BetMGM Ohio Sportsbook, Cleveland is +300 to win the AL Central and +3500 to claim the World Series. The Twins also have +3500 World Series odds and the Tigers are at +3000 to win the Fall Classic. The Royals follow closely behind with +4000 odds and Chicago (+50000) brings up the rear in all of MLB alongside the National League’s Colorado Rockies and Miami Marlins.
In a division that is truly up for grabs based on each of the team’s total wins projections, make sure to keep tabs with BetOhio.com for the latest news and betting offers to get the best value for your money. The Guardians begin their regular season March 27 in Kansas City against their division rivals, the Royals.
USA Today photo by Peter Aiken
Author
Felix Veletanga is an experienced reporter who has covered local news, politics, and sports in Northern New Jersey, and now lends his expertise to the Ohio sports betting market. He previously covered the Saint Peter’s men’s basketball team’s 2022 NCAA Cinderella run for HudPost. Felix specializes in combat fighting and soccer betting analysis with a focus on the Premier League.
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