Each MLB team's best roster last 25 years: AL Central
We've reached the quarter-century mark, and to celebrate, theScore's MLB editors constructed each organization's best 26-man roster from the last 25 seasons. We continue with the AL Central.
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Most important player: Paul Konerko. The slugging first baseman recorded 408 of his 432 career homers with the White Sox after the start of the 2000 season. His 1,302 RBIs are also 439 more than Abreu for highest total on this roster.
Best pitcher: Chris Sale. The perennial Cy Young contender gets the nod over Buehrle because of a much higher peak. Sale finished no worse than sixth in voting for the award for five straight years from 2012-2016.
Most underrated: Jose Valentin. It's easy to forgot Valentin with all the sluggers Chicago employed over the last quarter-century. However, he hit 25-plus homers for five consecutive years between 2000-2004.
Best acquisition: Paul Konerko. The White Sox landed Konerko from the Reds for Mike Cameron in November 1998. The former went on to play 16 seasons for Chicago, becoming a six-time All-Star and helping the club win the 2005 World Series. He's also second in team history with 432 home runs.
Best homegrown player: Mark Buehrle. There's an argument to be made that it should be Thomas, but he was at the downturn of his prolific Hall of Fame career at this point. Buehrle gets the selection thanks to an 11-year run of logging 200-plus innings, four All-Star appearances, a championship, and a perfect game.
Toughest omission: Jim Thome. The Hall of Fame slugger went deep 134 times with a .933 OPS over three-plus years with the White Sox between 2006-2009. However, there's no room for him with Konerko at first, Thomas at DH, and Abreu on the bench.
Most important player: José Ramírez. The third baseman has the best fWAR on the roster since he became a star in 2017. He's finished as an AL MVP finalist three times and collected five Silver Sluggers over the last eight years.
Best pitcher: Corey Kluber. The two-time AL Cy Young winner recorded at least 18 wins on four different occasions, logged 200-plus innings fives times, and registered 1,461 strikeouts during a nine-year run with Cleveland.
Most underrated: Shin-Soo Choo. The outfielder had respectable power, hitting 20-plus homers twice with Cleveland. However, what many forget is how good he was at getting on base, as he amassed a .383 OBP for the club across seven seasons.
Best acquisition: Grady Sizemore. The three-time All-Star was acquired along with Lee Stevens, Cliff Lee, and Brandon Phillips for Bartolo Colon and Tim Drew in a blockbuster deal with the Expos in June 2002. Sizemore enjoyed a four-year peak between 2005-2008 that saw him accumulate 27.3 fWAR with 107 homers.
Best homegrown player: José Ramírez. The current face of the franchise is a six-time All-Star who is second to Thome for homers in team history. Ramírez also sits fourth in stolen bases, seventh in runs, sixth in doubles, seventh in RBIs, and 10th in hits.
Toughest omission: Asdrúbal Cabrera. The two-time All-Star had eight nice seasons with Cleveland, during which he collected 82 homers with a .742 OPS over 914 games. But it's tough to find a spot for him with Kipnis and Alomar on the roster.
Most important player: Miguel Cabrera. Very easy pick here, as the star first baseman won back-to-back AL MVPs in 2012-2013. Cabrera also became the only MLB player since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967 to secure the Triple Crown by leading the majors in batting average, homers, and RBIs.
Best pitcher: Justin Verlander. Another no-brainer with Verlander, who received the 2011 AL MVP and AL CY Young in the same year. The right-hander won 183 games and led the the majors in strikeouts on three different occasions en route to becoming a six-time All-Star with the Tigers.
Most underrated: Carlos Guillén. The shortstop broke out in Detroit with 20 homers, 97 RBIs, and a .921 OPS in 2004 after a deal with the Mariners. He ended up becoming a three-time All-Star and played eight years with the club.
Best acquisition: Miguel Cabrera. The Tigers pulled off the greatest trade in team history when they landed the future Hall of Famer and Dontrelle Willis from the Marlins for Andrew Miller, Dallas Trahern, Eulogio De La Cruz, Burke Badenhop, Cameron Maybin, and Mike Rabelo in December 2007.
Best homegrown player: Justin Verlander. The hurler ranks top 10 in several major pitching categories for Detroit, including second in strikeouts (2,373), fifth in games started (380), and fourth in opponent's batting average (.236).
Toughest omission: Placido Polanco. The 2007 All-Star was an effective player on both sides of the ball for the team, slashing .311/.355/.418 while collecting a pair of Gold Gloves. But Kinsler gets the start at second and Fielder is on the bench. Taking Jackson over Polanco is a toss-up, too.
Most important player: Salvador Perez. The nine-time All-Star catcher has been a franchise pillar over the last 13 years, winning five Sliver Sluggers, five Gold Gloves, and World Series MVP for his performance in the 2015 Fall Classic. His 48 homers in 2021 are also a single-season MLB record for a backstop.
Best pitcher: Zack Greinke. The Royals have had a hard time developing starting pitching outside of Greinke, who put together the best season of his 20-year career in 2009 to win the AL Cy Young.
Most underrated: Alex Gordon. The three-time All-Star played his whole 14-year career with Kansas City and is often overlooked when discussing the best outfielders in baseball despite winning eight Gold Gloves and two Platinum Gloves. He amassed 21.4 fWAR during his peak between 2011-2014.
Best acquisition: Cole Ragans. The left-hander and Roni Cabrera came over in the Aroldis Chapman trade with the Rangers in July 2023. The deal was big because the Royals got a young All-Star ace who finished fourth in 2024 AL Cy Young voting after years of struggling to find a No. 1 starter.
Best homegrown player: Bobby Witt Jr. It's been decades since the team had a player of Witt's calibre. The superstar shortstop already has the fifth-most fWAR on the roster after just three seasons thanks to his 2024 AL MVP runner-up campaign.
Toughest omission: Alcides Escobar. The 2015 All-Star and Gold Glover will always be remembered in Royals lore for his ALCS MVP performance. However, Witt is obviously the starting shortstop, and there's no room on the bench due to Hosmer, Cain, and DeJesus.
Most important player: Joe Mauer. The Hall of Fame catcher led five different Twins teams to the playoffs over 15 years with the club. His long list of accolades includes winning the 2009 AL MVP, five Silver Sluggers, three Gold Gloves, three batting titles, and six All-Star selections.
Best pitcher: Johan Santana. The left-hander dominated with the Twins from 2002-2007. He led the league in ERA, WHIP, and strikeouts in multiple seasons en route to capturing a pair of AL Cy Young awards and three All-Star nods.
Most underrated: Corey Koskie. The third baseman amassed six straight seasons with an .815 OPS or better despite not being known as a major power threat. Koskie's biggest strength was his ability to get on base, and he posted a .373 on-base percentage with Minnesota.
Best acquisition: Joe Nathan. The top closer in team history was acquired along with Boof Bonser and Francisco Liriano from the Giants in exchange for A.J. Pierzynski in November 2003. Nathan holds the club's all-time record with 260 saves and tallied at least 36 saves for six straight years between 2004-2009.
Best homegrown player: Joe Mauer. The Twins took Mauer with the No. 1 pick in the 2001 draft, and he turned into one of the greatest players in franchise history, ranking second in doubles, fourth in hits, sixth in on-base percentage, and sixth in games played.
Toughest omission: Jacque Jones. The final spot was between Jones, Buxton, and Cuddyer. The former just missed out despite three different 23-plus-homer campaigns over seven years with the club.