AL Central fool's gold: Don't expect these players to keep up current pace

Some players are overperforming early in the Major League Baseball schedule and are due to regress. 

Here's our fool's gold team for the American League Central. (All statistics are through Sunday.)

Chicago White Sox | INF Lenyn Sosa

Sosa has provided value to the White Sox due to his ability to play first, second and third. That versatility has been his only value, as he has been mediocre both defensively and at the plate.

Sosa has been one of the White Sox's better hitters thus far in 2025, batting .271/.301/.357 in 73 plate appearances entering Monday with a home run and three doubles. His performance is buoyed by an unsustainable .353 batting average on balls in play. His weak contact, with a 34% hard-hit rate and batting average on balls in play (BABIP), will likely lead to regression soon.

Cleveland Guardians | LHP Logan Allen

Allen has surprisingly been the Guardians' best starting pitcher this season, posting a 2.11 ERA and a 1.313 WHIP over 21.1 innings, striking out 16 batters with 10 walks. He has held opposing batters to a .231/.315/.308 batting line in 90 plate appearances as he limited hard contact.

It is a matter of time before Allen's fortunes change. He is walking more than four batters per nine innings while striking out just 6.8 batters per nine. Allen has allowed a .274 BABIP, 40 points below his career norm. His 3.55 FIP is closer to how Allen has performed, and if the walks persist, it may even be optimistic.

Detroit Tigers | 1B Spencer Torkelson

Torkelson has resurrected his career this season, using a white-hit spring to force his way back into the Tigers' plans. He has continued his stellar play into the regular season, posting a .288/.392/.638 batting line in 97 plate appearances entering Monday, hitting seven homers and seven doubles. This is the player the Tigers expected when Torkelson was one of the top prospects in baseball ahead of the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

While Torkelson should continue to be a viable part of the Tigers' lineup, this performance is not sustainable. He has a .333 batting average on balls in play, an extremely high number for a fly ball hitter. Likewise, Torkelson has homered on 25.9% of fly balls hit. The power is real — he hit 31 homers in 2023 — but he will not continue this pace.

Kansas City Royals | LHP Kris Bubic

Bubic has been a revelation for the Royals, finally stepping in and cementing a role in the rotation. He has posted a 1.88 ERA and a 1.208 WHIP over 24 innings entering Monday, striking out 27 batters with nine walks. He has limited hard contact while ranking in the 80th percentile in whiff rate. 

While this is an impressive start, Bubic has made just four appearances. He has yet to sustain success as a starter, posting a 4.76 ERA and a 1.517 WHIP in that role. Bubic has tweaked his pitch mix, decreasing the use of his changeup while utilizing his slider more often. Those changes have made a difference thus far, but the league will catch up.

Minnesota Twins | RHP Louis Varland

Varland has been exactly what the Twins needed, while reliever Griffin Jax has imploded this season. He has thrived in his first full season as a reliever, posting a 2.45 ERA and a 1.182 WHiP over his 11 innings, striking out 15 batters with four walks.

However, regression is coming for Varland. Opponents have a .333 batting average on balls in play and a 57.7% hard-hit rate. Varland has survived by ranking in the 92nd percentile in chase rate and the 90th percentile in strikeout rate. He has been a key piece in the back of the Twins' bullpen, but Varland is due to revert to the norm.