Making the Grade: Ranking Center Fielders in the AL Central

The AL Central is home to some talented, yet inconsistent, speedsters who man the middle of the outfield

Full of speedy center fielders, the AL Central is home to some of the most inconsistent — an unhealthy — table-setters in all of baseball. Seemingly everyone in the division faces legitimate health concerns, as only one has made it through an entire season of baseball in the last five years.

Still, none of them recorded over 500 at-bats in 2014.

Once a prolific outfielder, Michael Bourn has seen a significant decrease in production since joining the Indians as a free agent in 2013. Chicago’s 27-year-old leadoff man Adam Eaton does more harm to himself in center field than anyone in the division and Twins’ starter Jordan Schafer has been largely unproductive in his six big league seasons. Tigers’ leadoff man Anthony Gose is getting his first real crack in a regular role with Detroit this season but, while he is off to a hot start, he has done little to turn heads in his previous three seasons with Toronto.

The only player of the bunch with any real star power is two-time Wilson Defensive Player of the Year winner and last year’s ALCS MVP Lorenzo Cain.

This piece highlights the center fielders who occupy the division and ranks them, from 1-5, in reverse order from least productive to most productive.

Next: No. 5