AL Central Preview

Another day, another division. Here's our look at the AL Central:

Dave's Projected Finish:

1. Chicago: You could throw all five AL Central teams in a hat, toss out Cleveland and Kansas City, and then pick the remaining three teams in any particular order and come up with a feasible finish for the AL Central. Detroit, Chicago and Minnesota are that close. So why do I have the Sox here? Because a different team seems to take this division every year and, unlike the other two, the White Sox actually improved. While Detroit was dumping salary via the Curtis Granderson trade, the White Sox brought in hard-throwing former Cy Young winner Jake Peavy to bolster a shaky rotation. Aggressive GM Kenny Williams also swung deals in the offseason to bring in versatile hitter Mark Teahen(which both ended the Josh Fields project and opened up a spot for a new project in rookie Gordon Beckham) and added some speed in base-stealing whiz Juan Pierre. Williams even took a page out of the Rangers' playbook and took a flyer on once-dominant slugger Andruw Jones. Add those moves to the Williams' previous pilfering of Alex Rios from Toronto and the hopefully healthy return of bopper Carlos Quentin and the Sox might have the most balanced lineup in the division.

The wild card will be the temperament of always fiery manager Ozzie Guillen. Guillen's blood-thirst for controversy and attention seems to always be a constant distraction and, while that certianly didn't hurt the Sox a couple years ago when they won the World Series, the team can't continue to hope for survival while Guillen blows a gasket day in and day out. The team also has to hope that both Peavy and fellow oft-injured starter Freddy Garcia can last the whole season. Williams' trademark wheeling and dealing has left the Sox thin in terms of pitching depth and relying on Peavy and Garcia or any of their starters to not break down is a huge risk. If Peavy returns to Cy Young form, he's the best pitcher in the division and maybe even the AL(Yes, even over Zack Grienke) but at this point, much like the White Sox themselves, that's a huge if.

2. Minnesota: At the end of the day, having the best pure hitter in the American League(and perhaps the majors) can cure a lot of ills. For the Twins, the question becomes whether the breathtaking talent of reigning MVP Joe Mauer can make up for a suspect rotation. Gone are the days when the Twins could hand the ball off to Johan Santana every fifth start and watch him take over. Even Santana's old sidekick, Francisco Liriano, has been a shell of his once-dominant self. That puts the pressure on Mauer and fellow MVP winner Justin Morneau to put on a hit parade. The Twins made a couple nice under-the-radar signings in slick-fielding, switch-hitting second baseman Orlando Hudson and aging-but-still dangerous DH Jim Thome. A 3-4-5 of Mauer, Morneau and Thome as well as the presence of slugging outfielder Michael Cuddyer makes the Twins a heavy offensive threat, especially in a division that lacks a solid pitching staff.

However, the same can be said of the Twins. The Twins are relying on the 1-2 of youngsters Scott Baker(15-9, 4.37 ERA) and Kevin Slowey(10-3, 4.86 ERA) can sit down the league's toughest lineups. The Twins are also depending on resurgences from Liriano and another frequent DL visitor, Carl Pavano. If the starters can make it deep into the game without imploding, the Twins have a steady bullpen led by star closer Joe Nathan(2.10 ERA, 47 saves). That may be asking too much of an unproven staff, and with the Sox improving the lineup and the Tigers only narrowly missing out on the division crown last year, the Twins will need the new M&M Boys to be even more outer-worldly to stand a chance of repeating as Central champs.

3. Detroit: In an effort to lower payroll in a city under financial duress, the Tigers dealt away some high-priced merchandise in sending All-Star centerfielder Curtis Granderson to the Yankees and hard-throwing starter Edwin Jackson to Arizona. The blockbuster trade not only saved the Tigers a few pennies but netted the team a couple top prospects in Granderson's replacement, Austin Jackson, and once-highly touted pitching phenom Max Scherzer. The problem is that, while the team accomplished its biggest goal by saving some coin, it also diminished the overall talent of a team that was just a game away from winning the Central crown last season. The pressure is now on Jackson(considered the best prospect in the Yankees' farm system....which isn't exactly saying much) and Scherzer(as well as buzz-generation 2nd baseman Scott Sizemore, who replaces Placido Polanco) to fill in the shoes of their predecessors sooner rather than later. On the bright side, the youth movement(although Edwin Jackson and Granderson weren't exactly greybeards) will certianly be welcomed in a lineup that features aging vets like recent pickup Johnny Damon and the declining Magglio Ordonez. Still, it's asking alot of a youngster like Austin Jackson to immediately step in and pick up where a perennial 30-30 threat like Granderson left off.

As for Scherzer, he gets slipped in the middle of a once-promising rotation headlined by strikeout machine Justin Verlander(19-9, 269 K's). Filling out the rest of the staff will be last year's breakout rookie, Rick Porcello, former ace Jeremy Bonderman and reliable vet Nate Robertson. The big concern will be health. Scherzer struggled with a litany of injuries as well as control problems with the Diamondbacks and Bonderman only managed to make one start last season thanks to his own issues. Speaking of health issues, the team will once again hope that setup man and former closer-in-waiting Joel Zumaya can stay out of the infirmary and make his first legitimate contribution in two seasons. Zumaya's new role will be to back up new closer Jose Valverde, who has the stuff to be a lights out closer but occassionally suffers from wildness in his control.

With getting into the black continuing to be an everyday struggle, the Tigers are going to need immediate returns on their savvy offseason moves to avoid making the trade people in and around Detroit are expecting them to make: Dealing All-Star 1B Miguel Cabrera. If the Tigers can't give a cash-strapped fan base a reason to come out to the ballpark by putting up some W's, they next bailout coming to the Motor City will be some fortunate team pilfering Cabrera's services from the once-mighty Tigers.

4. Kansas City: Last season offered Royals fans as well as the team itself something it hadn't seen in quite some time: a glimpse of hope. While the team still tied for last in the Central and managed to lose 10 more games than the season before, the Royals did find an all-world ace in Cy Young winner Zack Grienke. Grienke(16-8, 2.16 ERA, 242 K's) turned out to be the frontline starter the team thought Gil Meche was going to be when they signed Meche to a 5-year, $55 million contract to get him out of Seattle. The Royals also hit big on young 1B/DH Billy Butler, who hit .301 with 21 HRs and 93 RBIs last season. Butler emerged as the middle of the order bopper that overhyped 3B prospect Alex Gordon was supposed to be. While the Royals seem to have missed, for now anyway, on Gordon and Meche, there's still hope the two can be solid contributers to what looks like a promising team in the future. Joining Butler and Gordon in the middle of the lineup will be former Cardinal Rick Ankiel, who has proven to carry a big bat when he's healthy(which is less often than you would like). The team also brought in speedster Scott Podsednik to set the table and still have the services of occassionally grumpy slugger Jose Guillen.

As for the rotation, the Royals are hoping to strike it rich again with castaways like former Brave Kyle Davies and former Met Brian Bannister. The team also is hoping for big things out of former first round pick Luke Hochevar. The emergence of any of those men will take a lot of pressure off Grienke to have a repeat of his brilliant 2009 season as well as take another step forward to being a player in a Central division that lacks an elite team. Another element that could help out this young rotation will be solid play from the bullpen. Setup men Kyle Farnsworth and Juan Cruz were brought in last year to lock down the 7th and 8th innings but struggled to find consistancy. The same can't be said for closer Joakim Soria, who saved 30 games with 2.21 ERA in his first full season as closer.

It would be a stretch to believe the Royals can make a Tampa Bay-esque jump from rising young ballclub to title contender in just one season, but the pieces are in place. They'll need Gordon to make good on all of the "Next George Brett" hype he recieved in the minors. They'll need Grienke to be at least close to his 2009 self and they'll need some of the other up-and-comers to have their breakout sooner rather than later. 80 wins might be unlikely, but not exactly impossible and if a team like Detroit is forced to go in the tank early, the Royals can use that oppotunity to provide a few more glimpses of hope.

5. Cleveland: Look, if you're a Cleveland sports fan, you've already watched your two former Cy Young winning aces start Game 1 of this past year's World Series for other teams, you may be witnessing LeBron's last season with the Cavs, and you have to deal with the Browns being a laughingstock again. So I'm not going to rub more salt in the wounds by elaborating on how bad your Indians will probably suck this year.

Just know this. If the Tribe is coming anywhere close to 60 wins this season, they'll need young outfielder Matt LaPorta to be every bit as good as they thought he would be when they traded C.C. Sabathia for him two years ago. They'll need Grady Sizemore to bounce back after a dreadful, injury-riddled 2009 and go back to being the 40-40 threat he was poised to become a couple years ago and they'll need some progress from a young and unproven pitching staff. Other than that, it looks like it's going to be an ugly year in Cleveland, which, thankfully, is something Ohio residents have become used to.

Gabe's Projected Finish

Dave is absolutely right about one thing...throw out Kansas City and Cleveland and then draw a team from a hat and you could have the team that is going to win the division.

1. Minnesota Twins - I really like the middle of the Twins' line-up. Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, and Michael Cuddyer are proven and productive. I also like the young talent they have around them in Denard Span and Delman Young. Closer Joe Nathan is one of the best in the major leagues at his position. To me, there are two issues concerning the Twins. One, the health of their starting pitching. If their starters can stay healthy they are going to be solid, if not then the Twins are in for a long year. Two, the team is moving to an outdoor stadium. This team is built for the indoors and had the best home field advantage in the bigs. But, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau can hit anywhere. I think their pitching will stay healthy enough to win. Also, as a bonus, the Twins have a guy on their roster named Loek Van Mil, from Oss in the Netherlands. I love that.

2. Chicago White Sox - The Sox have the best rotation in the Central, and I don't think that's arguable. Their line-up is a great mix of young, old, speed, and power. Like the Twins, I have two concerns with the White Sox. First, their relief pitching. I think there is some uncertainty over who will be the closer, Bobby Jenks or J.J. Putz. Second, their leadership. Both manager Ozzie Guillen and GM Kenny Williams are hot heads with short tempers. They could work and motivate the team, or just as easily lose the team. If things work out this team could definitely win the division, but I think they will come up just short.

3. Detroit Tigers - The Tigers have great power in the middle of their order with Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera. Justin Verlander has everything it takes to be a stud ace in their rotation and as long as Joel Zumaya stays away from the Guitar Hero in the offseason, he'll be a good closer. The problem is they lost Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson to trades in the winter. They got some nice young talent in return but it won't be enough to replace the all around production in the field, at the plate, and on the mound of Granderson and Jackson. If some of the youngsters get hot the Tigers could make a run, but I don't see it happening.

4. Kansas City Royals - Zach Greinke is awesome. Dave can attest to the crush I developed on the Cy Young winner last year, as he was leading my fantasy team to a championship. The thing is, Kansas City has nothing else. No other pitching, Gil Meche is getting old and Joakim Soria doesn't yet produce enough in relief. Now, a lot of their pitching woes could be due to the fact they can't hit. If Greinke were pitching for a contender, or even just a team with some offense, he might have won 25 games last year. Greinke is a star, but there are too many holes and questions around the rest of the team for them to contend.

5. Cleveland Indians - Cleveland has some great hitting. Shin-Soo Choo and Grady Sizemore are great players and could start almost anywhere. Here's the big problem for Cleveland...their pitching stinks. Their "ace", Fausto Carmona, went 5-12 last year with a 6.32 ERA. And sorry Cleveland, but C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee ain't walking through that door. Their rotation is going to have issues. Their bullpen is headed by cursed, oft-injured, stuck in pitching purgatory, Kerry Wood. So basically, unless they score 10 runs a game, they are going to lose...often.