American League Central Preview

Because somebody has to win this division!

The more things change the more they remain the same. Once again the American League Central will be a toss up and once again for the same reason--the Central has three decent teams--Twins, Tigers, and White Sox--who could win it, or could finish 10-15 games out of the running. Each has that much promise and that many question marks.

Let’s start with the division rubbish. The Cleveland Indians are in rebuilding mold and I’d not be at all surprised to see them unload their one big gun, Fausto Carmona, to someone like the Yankees for blue-chip prospects. Other than closer Rafael Perez and journeyman Chad Durbin, no one else on the staff has more than four years’ experience and none is a household name. Shin-Soo Choo is fun to watch, as is Grady Seizmore (when healthy), but the Tribe is at least two years away from being competitive.

The Kansas City Royals are a joke--the Pittsburgh Pirates of the AL. We’ve been hearing about how they’re stockpiling prospects for so long that some of those erstwhile franchise-savers have retired. Really, who cares? It’s a rotten team in a horrible city. No one on this team is a starter anywhere else (except Pittsburgh).

Until someone knocks them off, the Minnesota Twins are the team to beat. The strength is what’s been for several years--a blue-collar grind-it-out ethos and a solid lineup: Morneau, Cuddyer, Thome, Span, Kubel, Young. Then there’s the stud: Joe Mauer. The staff is full of number three guys--Baker, Blackburn, Duensing, Slowey, Pavano… One guy could lead: Francisco Liriano. He could also go on the DL by June and disappear. And so could Morneau and Mauer. This is to say that the Twins are talented, but fragile and not very deep. If healthy, they win the AL Central. If not…

The Detroit Tigers might be good enough to slip by them, if their pitching straightens out. Verlander is solid, but Scherzer, Porcello, and Penny need to be consistently good not occasionally so, and number five is anyone’s guess. (Phil Coke?) Victor Martinez was a great addition and should make Cabrera even more dangerous (if he stays sober). If Ordonez returns to form, he’ll help up-and-comers Austin Jackson and Ryan Rayburn. Watch the latter--he may be poised for a breakout. Inge and Peralta are useful pieces.

Anyone beside me sick of the Ozzie Guillen show? Any other manager and I’d pick the Chicago White Sox to win the Central. They certainly have the best pitching--Beuhrle, Danks, Gavin, Peavy, Jackson, Thornton…. Okay, the hitting thins fast after you say Konerko, Quentin, Alexei Ramirez, and maybe (BIG maybe) Rios. But the ChiSox will win close games on those arms. Will they win enough to avoid another Ozzie meltdown? Probably not. The man is a bore and ownership can’t seem to figure out that he’s a de-motivator.

Predictions:

1. Tigers (Call it a hunch)

2. Twins (Injuries save Twins fans their annual postseason disappointment)

3. White Sox

4. Indians

5. International League Champion

6. Ladies’ Softball Champion

7. Royals