If they pitch, the division will be holding on to the Tigers' tail. |
Sorry East Coast baseball fans, but this is MLB’s strongest
division. The Royals are the defending World Series champions and they’ll have
trouble winning their division, let alone repeat as champs. On the flip side,
most analysts (not me) predict the Twins to finish last in the division, but
they’re good enough to win the AL East or West.
I’m going out on a limb and picking the Tigers to win the
Central, but they could finish last—that’s how good this division is. My dark
horse is Cleveland.
Predicted order of finish: Tigers, Royals, Indians, Twins, White Sox.
Welcome to the age of J. D. Martinez, MLB’s next superstar.
He joins a Victor Martinez, Ian Kinsler, newly acquired Justin Upton, and Miggy
Cabrera in a lineup that can bash with anyone, including Toronto. And I don’t
give a damn how many Mike Trout man-love charts you show me, Miggy is the best
hitter in baseball—period. If the Detroit
Tigers get decent pitching, they will hard to beat. Therein lies the
Tigers’ tale. Will Justin Verlander regain his mojo, or is he done? Can Jordan
Zimmerman pitch in the AL? What gives with the hot/cold Anibal Sanchez? Did
the Yankees fleece the cats on Shane Green and Justin Wilson? Francisco
Rodriquez is a heart attack closer. The Tigers will either roar or turn into
domestic tabbies.
The Kansas City
Royals look weaker on paper, though losing Cueto was no big deal; he didn’t
help much anyhow. Zobrist strikes me as the bigger loss. Their lineup
doesn’t dazzle; it simply bleeds you like a thousand paper cuts. The only
potential weak link 1 through 9 is untested right-fielder Paul Orlando; by now
everyone knows what Cain, Hosmer, Gordon, Morales, Perez, Moustakas, et. al.
can do. (Although things could go wrong if the Moustakas of 2014 shows up
instead of the stud from 2015.) Starting pitching could be the Achilles’ heel
if either Volquez or Ventura slip, as the remainder—Ian Kennedy, Chris Young,
and Kris Medlen—are reclamation projects. They only need to take a lead into
the sixth and KC’s magnificent bullpen, anchored by Wade Davis, will deliver
the W, but getting there may be a challenge.
Think the Boston Red Sox would have been so bad the past few
years if Terry Francona was still there instead of at the helm of the Cleveland Indians? My instincts say the
Tribe is still a few years from planting a pennant atop the teepee and financial
woes could lead to a fire sale, but this is no longer a team to be taken
lightly. They have some topnotch hitters—Jason Kipnis, Michael Brantley, Carlos
Santana, Mike Napoli, Francisco Lindor—and a few others (Chisenhall, Gomes,
Davis) who ought to be better than
their slash lines. A lot of teams would take a 1-3 staff of Corey Kluber,
Carlos Carrasco, and Danny Salazar. If they get decent performances from Josh
Timlin and Cody Anderson, the Tribe is going to ambush a lot of teams picked to
finish above them.
The Minnesota Twins
aren’t patsies anymore either! They still have Joe Mauer, a great pure hitter,
and they’ve been adding youth—Byron Buxton, Jose Berrios, Trevor Plouffe, Brian
Dozier—who thus far have been relegated to on-the-job-training. When (not if)
they figure it out, the Twins will be dangerous. No one knows what Korean
import Byung Ho Park will bring to his namesake, but if he’s 70% of what’s
advertised, it’s a good signing. Pitching is the problem, once one gets past
Phil Hughes, who found his stride in the Twin Cities. I think we can safely
call Ervin Santana a tantalizing fraud by now, and then it’s a matter of how
fast Kyle Gibson develops and whether Tommy Milone and Ricky Nolasco can contribute. The Twins could also use a closer upgrade over Glen Perkins. The
Twins mantra: Not enough to win, but good enough to compete. {Note: Since I wrote this Buxton went on the DL & the Twins have had the worst start in MLB, but I still think they will be better.}
A few folks see the Chicago
White Sox as playoff bound. Not me. The ChiSox have the wonderful Jose
Abreu, who might win the home run crown, and Chris Sale, always a Cy Young
threat. There are too many question marks after them. Todd Frazier was a
good pickup, but he won’t hit 35 homers against AL pitching and especially not
in his new home stadium. The rest is guys who are in decline (Melky Cabrera,
Jimmy Rollins, Alix Avila) or simply never were all that good (Brett Lawrie,
Austin Jackson, Adam Eaton). After Sale, it’s Quintana, Latos, and Danks, which
rhymes with tanks, and it’s goodbye on the South Side
unless all four pitch like Cy.