MLB Standings: Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals Fighting for AL Central Division

By Damon Salvadore First Posted: Apr 21, 2015 04:00 PM EDT

The Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals are by far the two best teams in the American League Central division this year so far.

In fact, they're the only two teams in the division that even have a winning record.

The Tigers have won the division the last four consecutive seasons, including a World Series appearance in 2012. Currently 11-2, the Tigers once again sit atop the division. The Tigers rank No. 2 in all of baseball with a team pitching earned runs against average of 2.48. Dominican pitcher Alfredo Simon has been perfect this season with a 3-0 record and a 1.74 ERA. On top of that, Joakim Soria has been getting the job done in late innings. The 30-year-old Mexican-born closer has five saves this season, the most in the entire American League.

As far as offense, the Tigers rank near the top as well. The Tigers rank fifth in runs scored, fourth in hits and second in team batting average. The only team with a higher batting average is the Royals. Venezuelan batter Miguel Cabrera once again is looking like the single best player in the league. Cabrera has 20 hits, five doubles, two home runs and an incredible .400 batting average thus far this season. The Cuban combination of José Iglesias and Yoenis Cespedes each have over 15 hits and a .300 batting average.

The Tigers are currently in a series against the New York Yankees.

Giving the Tigers all they can handle is the Royals. Last season, we saw this team go on a miracle run when they clinched a wild card playoff berth for the first time since 1985, and rode that all the way to the World Series. Unfortunately for the Royals, they lost to the San Francisco Giants.

The Royals are looking to make the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1984 and 1985. Last season, the Royals ranked dead last in MLB with just 95 home runs. Surprisingly, the Royals are currently 17th in home runs hit this season, and they have the No. 1 ranked offense in the league as far as run production. Last year's Royals team was no fluke.

Four of the top seven hitters (as far as total hits) for the Royals are Latin American born. Those hitters include Salvador Perez, Kendrys Morales, Alcides Escobar and Omar Infante.

The Royals are also getting the job done pitching. The Dominican duo of Yordano Ventura and Edinson Vólquez have four victories and 28 combined strikeouts. As a team, the Royals rank ninth in pitching ERA, which is very impressive considering they no longer have James Shields on the roster.

Let's also not sleep on Paulo Orlando. The Brazilin rookie has been incredible in his first major league season. He is the only player in MLB history to record three triples as his first three at bats, and he even leads the Royals in slugging percentage (.654) this season. Orlando leads all of MLB in triples hit, as well.

The Chicago White Sox, Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians all have sub .500 records at the moment. That could very well change, but don't expect any of those clubs to interfere with the top spot. It looks like the Tigers and Royals will once again fight for first place.