« Cord Sports Blog
MLB preview: American League Central
Chicago White Sox
White Sox fans should be elated for this coming season. Not necessarily with the additions that have been made this offseason but more with the team that will be on the field next season as a whole. The additions of Andruw Jones, Juan Pierre, J. J. Putz, Mark Teahen, Omar Vizquel and last season's acquiring of Jake Peavy will make this team a force to be reckoned with come October. This being said there are some losses that will be noticed on the team for this coming season. The losses of Wilson Betemit, Bartolo Colon, Octavio Dotel, and Jermaine Dye will be missed for their veteran presence in the lineup. Never the less the team is vastly improved regardless of these losses. In conclusion this team should have no issue taking the AL central next season with the personnel additions that they made to an already very good team.
My prediction is a very easy 1st in the AL Central.
Cleveland Indians
For the tribe this offseason it can be said that it might be a good thing that only minor moves were made. Considering in recent memory they have sold away almost all the good young talent they had. This being said the tribe has yet again been plagued by losses. They include; Kelly Shoppach, Jose Veras, and Luis Vizcaino. Highlights in the addition department are thin but they include; Shelley Duncan, Mike Redmond, Jason Grilli, and Mark Grudzielanek. For the ease of tribe fans it will be easier to explain these additions and how they will contribute. Duncan is a former Yankee farm hand and will provide an underrated bat and glove to either first or an OF position. Redmond is a catcher who has been around a bit and will try to help fill the void after the loss of Shoppach. Grilli is a fairly quality arm that will aid the bullpen when he is called up. Finally Grudzielanek will provide an unspectacular but quality INF that will help with defensive depth. My prediction is 5th in the AL Central.
Detroit Tigers
Tigers fans like other teams in baseball this season can be scratching their heads about the moves their Tigers made or didn’t. The Tigers have suffered some serious veteran losses this offseason mainly as remaining remnants of the dream team that never materialized for a world series departed. Losses include Curtis Granderson, Aubrey Huff, Edwin Jackson, Brandon Lyon, Placido Polanco, Fernando Rodney, and Marcus Thames. Additions are better then average I would say so there is only minor need for cause for alarm. The additions of Phil Coke, Enrique Gonzalez, Max Scherzer, Robinzon Diaz, and Jose Valverde will help. Coke is good enough right now to be slotted in the bullpen. The same obviously goes for Valverde as he is the closer for next season. Diaz will provide a decent depth role at catcher. Otherwise the rest of those pickups in my mind are one to two years away from making an impact. It is obvious the Tigers are in a rebuilding mode although they will place well in a weak AL Central.
My prediction is 3rd in the AL Central.
Kansas City Royals
Yet again for Royals fans it is another shakeup season in Kansas City. There are a whole host of additions and departures that its hard to tell if they made the team any better then it was. Alternatively, it can be said that they were masters for filling all the holes that were left behind by departures. Notable departures include; Juan Abreu, Josh Anderson, John Bale, John Buck, Coco Crisp, Miguel Olivo, Mike Jacobs, And Mark Teahen. On the addition front the new faces seem to be able to fill the void of the losses in a surprisingly effective manner. They include; Brian Anderson, Rick Ankiel, Wilson Betemit, Josh Fields, Chris Getz, Jason Kendall, Scott Podsednik, and Brad Thompson. I would say that the team will be better this coming season with the addition of the veteran presence. It probably will come down to how the pitching behind Greinke does to determine their place in the division. As it has been the case in the past this has been both suspect and unreliable. Granted Hochevar did better at the end of last season. I think he is the lynch pin to making the team turn the corner in the Central. If he does well then they can beat my prediction and surpass the declining Tigers.
My prediction is 4th in the AL Central.
Minnesota Twins
Twins fans find themselves in a situation much like that of Rays fans. It has been a quiet off season in Minnesota too. Unlike the Rays they did manage to lose some more quality players but nothing detrimental to the team. Losses of note include Boof Bonser, Carlos Gomez, Mark Grudzielanek, Orlando Cabrera, and Mike Redmond. The only two major additions of this offseason included adding J.J. Hardy and the aging slugger Jim Tome. This will help with the loss of Orlando Cabrera in the case of Hardy. Tome will provide a little extra power and will help the offence where he can. With this slow offseason there should be a reasonable expectation that the team will place around where they did last year. I don’t expect them to take the division by any means but they will be in the wildcard hunt.
My prediction 2nd in the AL Central.