2014 AL Central Tickets Season Preview

In the American League Central the Detroit Tigers are widely considered the best team in the division. Many will not realize the Cleveland Indians finished 2013 just one game behind Detroit in the standings. Add in the Kansas City Royals, who will be making a major push for the playoffs this season and the AL Central could be very interesting at the top in 2014. As a whole the AL Central has the second most expensive tickets on the secondary market, led by the team that’s won the division for the past three seasons.

• Detroit Tigers Tickets - Season Avg: $124.28

The Tigers trail just the Yankees and Red Sox in average ticket price across the American League. The Tigers made some major moves for a team at the top of their division, trading first baseman Prince Fielder and starting pitcher Doug Fister. They did acquire second baseman Ian Kinsler and the trade of Fielder allows Miguel Cabrera to move to first and opens a spot for top prospect Nick Castellanos at third base. Even with the high average price for the season, seven games at Comerica Park have Detroit Tigers tickets with an average price of $40 or less.

• Chicago White Sox Tickets - Season Avg: $93.32

Rebuilding is in progress on the South Side of Chicago, finishing last in the division in 2013,  but that hasn’t decreased the amount of demand for Chicago White Sox tickets. The White Sox also don’t have the amount of cheap games the Tigers do this season with only one game with an average price below $40, the second game of the year on April 2 against the Twins.

• Cleveland Indians Tickets - Season Avg: $80.48

After a surprising finish to the regular season ending in a loss in the Wild Card game to Tampa Bay, the Indians made some big changes to their roster. Starting pitchers Ubaldo Jimenez and Scott Kazmir were lost to free agency and last year’s catcher, Carlos Santana, will switch to third base. These aren’t bad moves for Cleveland as they open up rotation spots for Danny Salazar and Zach McAllister and the catcher spot for Yan Gomes. Another successful season could bring Cleveland Indians tickets closer to the prices of the peak popularity of the 90’s.

• Kansas City Royals Tickets - Season Avg: $71.64

This season will likely see the Royals all in for a playoff spot. With James Shields in the final year of his contract after the big trade from Tampa Bay last season, Kansas City could be in a position for another big move during the season. The Royals already brought in Norichika Aoki and Omar Infante to improve the lineup at right field and second base. Kansas City Royals tickets, though, remain on the low side of the American League, but could rise if the team starts to play well.

• Minnesota Twins Tickets - Season Avg: $63.76

Minnesota has the least amount of talent on the major league roster entering the season, but has the best group of prospects in the division hoping to make an impact soon. While new veterans like Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes and the move of Joe Mauer to first will help stabilize the roster, the real boost will come from Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano. Those two might not debut until 2015, but when they do the price of Minnesota Twins tickets will see an increase on the secondary market.

The AL Central should be a tough division to win this season, but that should also mean the games between these teams will be fun to watch and well worth the price of admission.