MLB 2008: AL Central
The
AL Central is going to be a lot of fun to watch. I pick the Tigers to win the
division. They have one of the fiercest lineups around. Magglio Ordonez, newly
acquired Miguel Cabrera, and Carlos Guillen all hit over 100 RBIs last year.
Gary Sheffield, Curtis Granderson, Brandon Inge, Jacque Jones, Pudge Rodriguez,
and Placido Polanco round out the lineup. Sheffie, Granderson and Inge had 70+
RBIs and Polanco is one of the best second baseman in the league, not to
mention he posts a .300+ average every year.
When Dontrelle Willis is your fifth starter, you know your pitching rotation is pretty solid. The D-Train has admittedly derailed in recent years, but still shows flashes of his old self at times and perhaps a change in scenery is what he needs. Justin Verlander has solidified himself as a legitimate ace and superstar in this league. Jeremy Bonderman is consistently a solid pitcher (although he did not have a real great year last year). Nate Robertson should also win 15 games and Kenny Rogers is still somehow a legitimate starter in this league. This is not the most stunning rotation in the league, and its not even better than rival Cleveland's. Closer Todd Jones is good for a 4.00+ ERA, but is also good for 30+ saves. Nevertheless, the offense is so good they are still going to win a ton of games. The Tigers are the Phillies of the AL. They have some legitimate pitching stars, but also some holes. Regardless, they should score enough runs to make up for any pitching faults.
Like I said, Cleveland has a better pitching rotation than Detroit. With the departure of Johan Santana to the NL, ace C.C. Sabathia is without a doubt the best pitcher in the division, and arguably the best in the AL. He won 19 games last year, with 4 shut outs, 209 Ks and an ERA of 3.21. Yikes. Fausto Carmona came out of nowhere and also won 19 games with an ERA of 3.06. That's right, better than Sabathia's. Jake Westbrook has yet to give up a run in 4 games in Spring Training. I know it's only Spring Training, but that is still quite an accomplishment. Cliff Lee and Paul Byrd are still legitimately good pitchers. I would love for the bottom of my rotation to be those two guys. They also have a closer that can cause some heartburn in Joe Borowski with a 5.07 ERA last year, but he still got 45 saves. While their offense isn't as potent as Detroit, it's nothing to sneeze at. Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner, Victor Martinez, Casey Blake, Johnny Peralta and Ryan Garko. Not a bad lineup for sure.
What was once one of the best divisions in the league is now just a two team race. With the departure of Johan Santana and Torii Hunter, the Minnesota Twins (who were the 3rd best team in the division even with those players) fall farther behind Detroit and Cleveland. They still have some serious skill in the lineup with 2006 AL MVP Justin Morneau, Joe Mauer, and Michael Cuddyer. Delmon Young is poised to improve upon his already good numbers from Tampa Bay. But the talent drops off after that.
Losing the best pitcher in baseball is obviously an enormous blow. Especially because he was it, the entire staff. Rookie sensation Francisco Liriano is coming off of Tommy John Surgery after not pitching at all last season. While pitchers often times come back stronger from Tommy John, Liriano is young (only his second full season) and hasn't pitched in over a year. He is far from a lock, but is still the best pitcher on the staff. This is also bad. Livan Hernandez, Scott Baker, and Pat Neshak are all second and third tier pitchers. They're not bad pitchers to have round out your rotation, but not a group I'd want at the top. While Carlos Silva is not an ace or even someone I'd like to have as my number 2, losing him to the Mariners will definitely have an impact on the Twins. Hernandez is just a shadow of his old self and Baker and Neshak are unproven. The one area Minnesota is without a doubt superior to the other teams in their division is at closer. Joe Nathan is one of the top closers in the league, with 37 saves and a 1.88 ERA last season. Minnesota is clearly having problems holding on to its top players, unable to compete with richer, bigger market teams. I do not know enough about their minor league depth, but they are going to have to continue to home grow their talent if they want to compete in the tough American League.
The Chicago White Sox are another once was from the AL Central, although there is a lot of talk of them being a dark horse surprise this season. Regardless, even if they do have a good year, they are not going to be any better than third and are certainly not making the playoffs. Their rotation is also shaky, albeit more proven than Minnesota. Mark Buehrle threw a no-hitter last season and was one of the most talked about pitchers at the trade deadline, but he did not really have much of a year. Even with the no-no, he notched only 10 wins with a respectable 3.63 ERA but only a 5.15 K/9. Javier Vazquez and Jose Contreras are two proven but over the hill pitchers. The three of them combined for 35 wins last year. They do have the second best closer in the division in Bobby Jenks, but he can be erratic at times.
The White Sox offense is respectable, but not outstanding. No one hit over 100 RBIs, with the aging Thome leading the pack at 96. They have a lineup that could seriously contend in the NL, but they are going to get pounded in the American League.
Then there are the Royals. They have some rising young stars, but they are still not even as strong as Chicago or Minnesota. It should be a better year than normal in KC, but that's not saying much.
When Dontrelle Willis is your fifth starter, you know your pitching rotation is pretty solid. The D-Train has admittedly derailed in recent years, but still shows flashes of his old self at times and perhaps a change in scenery is what he needs. Justin Verlander has solidified himself as a legitimate ace and superstar in this league. Jeremy Bonderman is consistently a solid pitcher (although he did not have a real great year last year). Nate Robertson should also win 15 games and Kenny Rogers is still somehow a legitimate starter in this league. This is not the most stunning rotation in the league, and its not even better than rival Cleveland's. Closer Todd Jones is good for a 4.00+ ERA, but is also good for 30+ saves. Nevertheless, the offense is so good they are still going to win a ton of games. The Tigers are the Phillies of the AL. They have some legitimate pitching stars, but also some holes. Regardless, they should score enough runs to make up for any pitching faults.
Like I said, Cleveland has a better pitching rotation than Detroit. With the departure of Johan Santana to the NL, ace C.C. Sabathia is without a doubt the best pitcher in the division, and arguably the best in the AL. He won 19 games last year, with 4 shut outs, 209 Ks and an ERA of 3.21. Yikes. Fausto Carmona came out of nowhere and also won 19 games with an ERA of 3.06. That's right, better than Sabathia's. Jake Westbrook has yet to give up a run in 4 games in Spring Training. I know it's only Spring Training, but that is still quite an accomplishment. Cliff Lee and Paul Byrd are still legitimately good pitchers. I would love for the bottom of my rotation to be those two guys. They also have a closer that can cause some heartburn in Joe Borowski with a 5.07 ERA last year, but he still got 45 saves. While their offense isn't as potent as Detroit, it's nothing to sneeze at. Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner, Victor Martinez, Casey Blake, Johnny Peralta and Ryan Garko. Not a bad lineup for sure.
What was once one of the best divisions in the league is now just a two team race. With the departure of Johan Santana and Torii Hunter, the Minnesota Twins (who were the 3rd best team in the division even with those players) fall farther behind Detroit and Cleveland. They still have some serious skill in the lineup with 2006 AL MVP Justin Morneau, Joe Mauer, and Michael Cuddyer. Delmon Young is poised to improve upon his already good numbers from Tampa Bay. But the talent drops off after that.
Losing the best pitcher in baseball is obviously an enormous blow. Especially because he was it, the entire staff. Rookie sensation Francisco Liriano is coming off of Tommy John Surgery after not pitching at all last season. While pitchers often times come back stronger from Tommy John, Liriano is young (only his second full season) and hasn't pitched in over a year. He is far from a lock, but is still the best pitcher on the staff. This is also bad. Livan Hernandez, Scott Baker, and Pat Neshak are all second and third tier pitchers. They're not bad pitchers to have round out your rotation, but not a group I'd want at the top. While Carlos Silva is not an ace or even someone I'd like to have as my number 2, losing him to the Mariners will definitely have an impact on the Twins. Hernandez is just a shadow of his old self and Baker and Neshak are unproven. The one area Minnesota is without a doubt superior to the other teams in their division is at closer. Joe Nathan is one of the top closers in the league, with 37 saves and a 1.88 ERA last season. Minnesota is clearly having problems holding on to its top players, unable to compete with richer, bigger market teams. I do not know enough about their minor league depth, but they are going to have to continue to home grow their talent if they want to compete in the tough American League.
The Chicago White Sox are another once was from the AL Central, although there is a lot of talk of them being a dark horse surprise this season. Regardless, even if they do have a good year, they are not going to be any better than third and are certainly not making the playoffs. Their rotation is also shaky, albeit more proven than Minnesota. Mark Buehrle threw a no-hitter last season and was one of the most talked about pitchers at the trade deadline, but he did not really have much of a year. Even with the no-no, he notched only 10 wins with a respectable 3.63 ERA but only a 5.15 K/9. Javier Vazquez and Jose Contreras are two proven but over the hill pitchers. The three of them combined for 35 wins last year. They do have the second best closer in the division in Bobby Jenks, but he can be erratic at times.
The White Sox offense is respectable, but not outstanding. No one hit over 100 RBIs, with the aging Thome leading the pack at 96. They have a lineup that could seriously contend in the NL, but they are going to get pounded in the American League.
Then there are the Royals. They have some rising young stars, but they are still not even as strong as Chicago or Minnesota. It should be a better year than normal in KC, but that's not saying much.
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