Delivering Championships Since 1972

The American League Central Might be the most exciting division in baseball. This division includes two powerhouses in Cleveland and Detroit, and two teams that always are dangerous in Minnesota and Chicago (except for Chicago 72 - 90 record last year). Its home to big name name pitchers like Javier Vazquez, C.C. Sabathia, Justin Verlander, Dontrelle Willis, Joe Nathan, and more. Fireworks are seen nightly in this division as baseballs are being blasted into the stands by hitters such as Jim Thome(35 HRs), Paul Konerko (31Hrs), Miguel Cabrera (34), and others. I definately see two playoff teams coming from this division because of their powerful lineups and balanced pitching. Lets take a look…

Cleveland Indians

Last Year: 1st

Predicted: 1st

Pitching:

C.C. Sabathia is the horse of this rotation. He was tied for 2nd most wins in the majors with 19 and he was 5th in the A.L. in E.R.A. He lead his team to the playoffs earning himself the Cy Young Award on the way. He’s followed by maybe the best second starter in any rotation. Fausto Carmona also had 19 wins and he had an even lower E.R.A than Sabathia (3.06). Jake Westbrook finally looks like he’s ready to live up to all his potential. He had an outstanding spring pitching 14 innings and having 16 strike outs and an E.R.A. of 0.00. Veterans Paul Byrd and Cliff Lee give very serviceable innings year in and year out. The Indians bullpen has two live arms in Rafael Betancourt (2.80 E.R.A.) and lefty Rafael Perez (1.78 E.R.A.). It also boasts the A.L. leader in saves last year Joe Borowski.

Hitting:Leading off the Indian lineup is the amazing Grady Sizemore (5 HR in spring training leads the team). He has all the skills and shows it night in and night out on both offense and defense. Their run producers considt of arguably the best hitting catcher in the game Victor Martinez and DH Travis Hafner. Hafner hopes to rebound from a weak season last year when he hit .266 with 24 HRs. Those three hitters along with key role players like Ryan Garko, Jhonny Peralta, and Jason Michaels make an effective offense good enough to win it all.

Overview:

With Sabathia and Carmona at the top of the rotation and their three stud hitters , I see the Indians repeating last years performance. They will win the division and I think maybe win the whole thing. If Jake westbrook can continue his success that he’s having in spring training, the Indians will be too balanced up and down their rotation and lineup to not win a lot of ballgames. Sizemore and Martinez do their thing. Westbrook and Hafner show their true colors. Bullpen dominate like last year. Role players do the same as they did last year as well and pitch in with key hits and outs. Indians win the A.L.

Hafner hopes to rebound and drive in Sizemore and company until October.

Detroit Tigers

Last Year: 2nd

Predicted: 2nd

Pitching:

The Tigers have a strong rotation headed by Justin Verlander. Dontrelle Willis was a key acquisition to the rotation. He has had problems getting players out lately but a new team, league, and scene will hopefully get him back on track. Nate Robertson (30 years old) and Jeremy Bonderman (25 years old) are two arms that eat innings, have experience, and are working to improve. Nate Robertson has pitched well in spring traininghaving a 1.26 E.R.A. Thier bullpen isn’t too strong consisting of Denny Bautista and Jason Grilli to name a couple. Their closer Todd Jones has been consistent the last three years with 40, 37, and 38 saves.

Hitting:

This lineup might be the best in baseball period. They added STUD Miguel Cabrera and Edgar Renteria to an already powerful offense. MVP candidate Magglio Ordonez tries to repeat last years performance while gary Sheffield tries to pick up his game from last season where he hit a disappointing .265. The thing about this lineup is that there no weakspot! When you can say that your two worst hitters are Jaque Jones (.285 avg.) and Gary Sheffield then I think your in line to do a lot of damage. Carlos Guillen, Placido Polanco, Ivan Rodriguez, and Curtis Granderson are all ridiculous hitters surrounding the previous mentioned.

Overview:

Just because the lineup alone I say that the Tigers make the playoffs. Their pitching won’t hold up to win the division but they’ll win a tight A.L. Wildcard race. No rock in the bullpen will be a weakness in the A.L. because of all the powerful lineups. The additions of Cabrera and Renteria makes this one of the best lineups I’ve ever seen. It also makes them look like the all Marlins team with four former Marlins. Just imagine if the Marlins would have kept all their players. Lets not get into that.

Can Magglio repeat his MVP like season?

Chicago White Sox

Last Year: 4th

Predicted: 3rd

Pitching:

Javier Vazquez, Mark Buehrle, and Jose Contreras headline this rotation. Three veterans that have proven they have the stuff needed to win but have not too consistent the past couple years. Vazquez and Buehrle both posted E.R.A.’s in the mid threes and need the same from the same from the other starters if they want to compete. John Danks (22 years old) and Gavin Floyd (25 years old) must adapt quick to MLB hitting. If they do, the strong bullpen can help them win many games. Octavio Dotel, Scott Linebrink, and Mike MacDougal are all valuable pieces to have in the bullpen. They also have an established closer with 41 and 40 saves the past two seasons.

Hitting:

The White Sox are another one of those old teams. They are depending on Jim Thome (37), Jermaine Dye (34), and Paul Konerko (32) to produce their runs, all which have gone through injuries in the past and don’t get any younger. Nick Swisher was added to provide some more pop to the lineup but Carlos Quentin, Joe Crede, and Juan Uribe aren’t the necessary role players to make it to the playoffs. It’s going to take some career season from some role players if the White Sox want to compete against the Tigers and Indians.

Overview:

Can the older guys still do it? I don’t think so and I see the White Sox finishing under .500 again. Age got to this team that just won the World Series a couple years ago. They need some new blood to spark the team energy again to make another run like they did in 2005. If the bullpen can stay in tact and some moves are made, Chicago won’t be at the bottom of the division too long. Maybe moving one of the older players that still have value to a team trying to contend for the playoffs for some younger prospects is a direction they can go. Whatever they do it needs to be soon because the Indians and Tigers are two animals that are going to be lively for a while.

Will the White Sox make the moves necessary to get them back to World Series level?

Minnesota Twins

Last Year: 3rd

Predicted: 4th

Pitching:

The Twins obviously lost their start johan Santana so now where do they turn? With Francisco Liriano injured, they have turned to 33 year old Livan Hernandez. He posted an E.R.A close to five last year. Not good. The rest of the rotation isn’t any better. Boof Bonser, Nick Blackburn, and Scott Baker aren’t the most exciting names to have in your rotation. The bullpen should hold their own if the starters can get them the game with the lead. Vets Juan Rincon, Pat Neshek and Jesse Crain have all shown they can come in contribute effectively. The Twins recently finalized a contract to lock down powerful closer Joe Nathan. He will be saving games in Minnesota for a while.

Hitting:

Like always, the twins will lack in offensive production. Mauer and Morneau are the cornerstones of the team and hope to continue their success. The rest of the lineup is hurting though. They are counting on youngster Delmon Young to produce big time this year. Not much else to say here except that they need some help. they were at the bottom of the league last year in scoring and they will be again.

Overview:

I see nothing but trouble for Minnesota this year. They lost their best pitcher Johan Santana and the former face of their franchise Tori Hunter. Both of these players are game changers that have helped the Twins succeed in the past. Now the offense lies in the hands of former MVP Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer. Maybe in the future, with a better surrounding cast, these two can lead minnesota back to the playoffs. For now though, weak starting pitching and lack of run production will have them competing with the royals for last place in the division.

Justin Morneau looks to carry this weak team on his back.

Kansas City Royals

Last Year: 5th

Predicted: 5th

Pitching:

Gil Meche stars in the Royals rotation. Last year he posted a 3.67 E.R.A and hopes to do the same this year. Most people believed he was extremely overpaid when the Royals signed him to a huge deal but he has been pitching well for a bad team so he gets no love. If he had that E.R.A. on a team with an offense, he would win at least 15 games. The rest of the rotation is veterans John Bale, Brian Bannister, Brett Tomko and young arm Zach Greinke. Zach has had all the hype to do big things and continues to improve. Last year the 24 year old had an E.R.A of 3.69. Nothing to exciting in the bullpen except young closer Joakim Soria (2.48 E.R.A).

Hitting:

This is a very weak lineup. It’s best hitters are Jose Guillen and prospect Alex Gordon at 3rd base. Gordon ended last year with 15 HR’s in only 151 at bats. if he can stretch that out over a season he might be a star in the making. They also have a bunch of young infielders who will be given time to show their stuff. Alberto Callaspo, Billy Butler, and Shane Costa are bench players eager to prove themselves this year.Mark Grudzielanek, Tony Pena Jr., Mark Teahen and david DeJesus round up the lineup.

Overview:

Another year in the gutter for the Royals. I do see them winning a few more games than they did last year but they are far away from making any serious runs. They are a small market team that doesn’t spend the money necessary to win in the majors. No cash equals no wins and no wins equals no cash if that makes sense? You can’t get good players without money and you can’t create revenue without winning. So it’s just a circle for teams like the Royals until they decide to dish out some cash.

Kauffman Stadium ready for some day baseball.