AL Central

My preview of the 2009 season continues with a look at the AL Central:

Last year the White Sox and Twins fought to the last day for the division title and even then that wasn't enough. The White Sox won the one game playoff to advance, and lost in the first round to the Rays. The Twins were my sleeper last year. Of course Max doubted me but I was right. Now for a look at how the division will shake up this year...

Cleveland Indians:

The Indians were somewhat of a disappointment last year. They were coming off an ALCS loss to the Red Sox, and did not even have a winning record last year. They traded C.C. Sabathia before he became a free agent last season as well. They are a young team that still has potential.

The lineup is still a good one. The key thing for them is that Travis Hafner must stay healthy. He is capable of hitting .300 with 40+ home runs and 110+ RBI's. Victor Martinez is still one of the best offensive catchers in the game. Choo is a young active outfielder. Second base will be interesting, I actually like Josh Barfield there. He can be a sparkplug for them. Mark DeRosa was a good pickup. Garko is a good first baseman. Jhonny Peralta has to step it up this year. He has lots of potential but has never had a completely good year. Of course they still have their man Grady Sizemore at centerfield. He is capable of putting together MVP type seasons for them. I like for him to be really great this season in a comeback year for the Indians.

The rotation is also very good, even without C.C. Cliff Lee is a Cy Young winner, and will back that up again this year. Fausto Carmona is healthy, and will be dominant again like he was in 2007. I like the pickup of Carl Pavano. He was under too much pressure in New York. Now that he is under the radar in Cleveland he will thrive again. As for the bullpen, it should be okay again. Betancourt is good. The main thing was signing Kerry Wood as their closer. That was a BIG move that could reap tons of rewards for the Indians.

All in all, I like the Indians this year. They will not be a losing team again.

Kansas City Royals:

The Royals are one of the jokes in professional sports. However, they are finally starting to learn how to build a team. They will struggle again this year, but they will be much improved. Next year in 2010 they could even be the surprise team that makes the playoffs. Not this year however.

The lineup is extremely young but also extremely talented. Mike Jacobs and Coco Crisp were great pickups who completely change the depth of this lineup. DeJesus and and Guillen are consistent for them. Alex Gordon is the key guy for them. He is a beast but needs to prove it in the majors. He showed a lot of promise last year and I look for him to continue his progress this year. If he can put up 30 home runs that would be great for them. Miguel Olivo is an underrated catcher, I like him a lot. The questionmarks are the middle infield. I don't know much about Aviles and Callaspo, which says everything right there. The Royals need to pick up some good middle infielders, or develop these guys if they want to continue to grow as a team.

The rotation is top heavy. Gil Meche, Greinke, and Bannister are all good, and the latter two are still young. The question is the back end of the rotation. They need Hochevar and Kyle Davies to step up. Davies has shown potential in the past, but also gives up lots of home runs (from his time on the Braves). The bullpen is also questionable but has some solid arms. Soria is a good closer and was a great pickup for them. I also like Kyle Farnsworth on their team.

This is a team that will have a losing record again, but is making strides and will be competitive in every game this year.

Detroit Tigers:

This might have been the most disappointing team in all of the Majors last year. They signed Miguel Cabrera and Edgar Renteria but lost more games in the standings and returned to losing. I look for them to have a comeback year this year, much like the Indians.

The lineup is still very good. Top to bottom it will score runs. Granderson, Ordonez, Cabrera, Guillen, Polanco, Inge....they are all good. They could use an upgrade at catcher, but thats not a major thing for them. The key for the Indians will be the pitching staff....

It wouldn't be enough to say that this staff pretty much SUCKED last year. I mean, they were terrible. What happened to Verlander, did he forget how to pitch good?? And so much for that Dontrelle Willis pickup.... Anyways, I actually see Verlander having a comeback year. I don't know about Dontrelle though, I love the guy but I think he was a two year wonder really and now everyone has him figured out. I'd love to see him be successful again this year though. The other guys in the rotation have to step up also. Bonderman is still young and can still be very solid. They also need Edwin Jackson to pitch good too. The bullpen pretty much stinks. They need Zumaya to stay healthy, and be good. They also need Lyon to be a good closer, but I don't see that happening.

The Tigers will be good again, but won't make the playoffs unless they get themselves a closer. Right now they are a 75-82 win team. Just barely out of the playoffs unless they fix that bullpen.

Minnesota Twins:

As I said earlier, the Twins were my sleeper last year. They are again under the radar but not unheard of now. I see them being really good again.

The lineup is pretty good. I like the signing of Joe Crede, he really improves that lineup by adding another good hitter. Mauer and Morneau are awesome. Gomez will continue to improve, and Cuddyer is consistent. They need their middle infield to live up to its potential. Harris and Casilla must improve. The main thing about all of these guys is they are great defenders, which is how the Twins win games.

The pitching is also good, another Twins thing. Baker is awesome, and Liriano is completely back to form. He could contend for the Cy Young award this year. The rest of the rotation is good too, with Blackburn, Slowey, and Perkins. They will win games that is for sure. The bullpen is also great. They are assured of a win when it gets to the ninth inning because of the outstanding Joe Nathan at closer. He is Mr. Automatic.

The Twins are a team on the rise and will challenge for the World Series in my opinion.

Chicago White Sox:

They surprised a lot of people last year. However, with Ozzie Guillen as the manager they can never be looked past. They will always be contenders as long as he is around.

The lineup is, as always, a powerful one. Last year they were hurt because Carlos Quentin got hurt right as he was contending for the MVP award. Fields, Konerko, Ramirez, Thome, and Pierzynksi are all good bats as well and will put up home runs along with Quentin. Thome is in his final years and wants that championship ring. Konerko is getting older and his bat is looking like it is slowing down, but he will still hit 24-30 home runs, which is solid. I love Ramirez, he always impresses me when I see him play. He is an energetic player with underrated power.

The pitching staff is okay, not great, but okay. Bobby Jenks is a top closer, so that's a sure bet for them. Buerhle needs to remain consistent and Danks must continue to pitch well and improve. Bartolo Colon and Jose Contreras are their keys. Both guys are questions, but both can win for them too. If they do well, this team will go far. If not, then the rotation is not strong enough for them to win in the playoffs.

Now, here is how I see the division playing out.....

1. Minnesota Twins
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Detroit Tigers
5. Kansas City Royals

Next up, we will switch things over to the NL Central. Check back for that soon.