The Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox will face off as the top two teams in the American League Central.
Coming into the 2026 season, the Cleveland Guardians thought they knew who their top competition in the American League Central would be.
It was expected to be the Detroit Tigers, the same team they stole the division from last September, and were eliminated by in the American League Wild Card Series.
For a variety of reasons, the Tigers haven’t been able to solidify themselves as one of the top teams in the Central, but that doesn’t mean the Guardians are running away with the division either.
There’s a new contender in the American League Central. A team that may have been off the radar for the last few years, but has proven itself to be a potential force to be reckoned with for years to come: the Chicago White Sox.
To make matters even more interesting, the injury-riddled Guardians will get their first look at this new contender as Cleveland and Chicago open a three-game series this week as the current top two teams in the division.
The White Sox have been one of the best and most unexpected stories in baseball through the first half of the season. Very few predicted that the team would be in striking distance of a playoff position this far into the year.
In fact, MLB.com’s preseason power rankings had the White Sox ranked as the No. 26 overall team coming into the season.
The team had lost a combined 223 games over the previous two seasons. However, coming into their series against the Guardians, Chicago is 39-37, 1.0 game behind Cleveland, and showing no signs of slowing down.
“The White Sox have obviously put things together and have gotten off to a better start relative to maybe what other people thought,” said Chris Antonetti last month.
“I think you heard me talk about them in spring training about some of the talented young players that they had and the progress that they were making. So, that’s really no surprise.”
Jul 12, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Cleveland Guardians designated hitter Kyle Manzardo (9) hits a home run during the sixth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn ImagesThe primary reason for the White Sox's accession is that the young core is arriving and appears to be ahead of schedule. Chase Meidroth, Colson Montgomery, and Sam Antonacci are all 24 years old or younger and have an .800 OPS or better so far this season.
Combine the youth with veterans such as Miguel Vargas and Andrew Benintendi, who are having solid seasons, and the White Sox have a legitimate lineup with very few holes, making it the team’s biggest strength.
Oh, and the free agent signing of Munetaka Murakami looks like one of the best offseason moves by any front office in baseball. However, he’s currently on the injured list and will miss the series against the Guardians.
The White Sox have a team OPS of .729, which ranks fifth-best in the American League.
Chicago’s pitching staff still has some work to do, with a 4.53 starter ERA and a 4.41 staff ERA. That said, Cleveland’s lineup has been struggling, especially without the trio of Jose Ramirez, Angel Martinez, and Chase DeLauter.
The Guardians are in for a test this week on the South Side, and if the White Sox do what they’ve done all season long, Chicago could very well be in first place in the AL Central by the time the series is over.
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