AL CENTRAL PREVIEW

5—MINNESOTA TWINS: No team lost more talent and cornerstone pieces in the offseason than the Twins. Their ace, Johan Santana, was dealt to the Mets; while gold glove CF Torii Hunter took the money and ran to Anaheim.

The pitching rotation was left in shambles by the departure of Santana and Carlos Silva. Scott Baker (9-9, 4.26 ERA) and Boof Bonser (8-12, 5.10) are the only regular starters left from 2007. Livan Hernandez (11-11, 4.93) will eat innings but hardly pick up the slack left from the Santana trade. The rotation could get a huge boost if 24-year-old Francisco Liriano can find success near what he had in 2006 (12-3, 2.16) before an injury ended his season and forced him to miss all of ’07. Liriano has video-game type stuff but he paid a price for a violent motion. The Twins are banking that he can become the next Johan Santana. Luckily, Minnesota still has a terrific bullpen anchored by Joe Nathan (37 saves, 1.88 ERA). Matt Guerrier (2.35 ERA) and Pat Neshek (2.94 ERA) will play vital roles in holding onto any leads the Twins grab early in the game.

The lineup still features talented hitters such as catcher Joe Mauer (.293 average) and 2006 MVP Justin Morneau (31 home runs, 111 RBI). The Twins took a gamble when they sent talented young pitcher Matt Garza to Tampa Bay in exchange for LF Delmon Young (.288—13—93). Young has the potential to be a special talent at the plate and ease the loss of Hunter. Other regulars such as Mike Lamb, Adam Everett, Brendan Harris and Carlos Gomez won’t produce much offensively.

Minnesota got hit hard by their small market status and it might take a few years for them to contend in the top-heavy AL Central.


4—KANSAS CITY ROYALS: For the first time in nearly 20 years, the Royals appear headed in the right direction. While they still lost 93 games last season, they provided a headache for most teams and could no longer be circled on the opposition’s schedule as “vacation.”

The pitching rotation still has problems at the back, but Gil Meche (9-13, 3.67) turned into a legit ace and should have won at least five more games than he did. Brian Bannister (12-9, 3.87) came out of nowhere to have a very solid season. After being rushed to the majors and dealing with some mental issues shortly after, Zack Grienke (7-7, 3.69) finally began to show his talent after the All-Star break in 2007.

Many of the talented young players that the organization has patiently waited for to develop started to make strides last season. 3B Alex Gordon finished with 15 HR’s and a .247 average after struggling to stay above .200 for the first half of his rookie campaign. DH Billy Butler (.292, 52 RBI in 92 games) and LF Mark Teahen showed promise as well. The lineup, sprinkled with a nice mix of veterans--Mark Grudzielanek, David DeJesus, Ross Gload and Jose Guillen—should produce far more runs than in year’s past.

Fans at Kaufman Stadium are still a long way from seeing the Royals compete for the division. There will still be plenty of games where the dancing waterfalls in the outfield are more entertaining than the team. But, things are starting to turn around and the team has quality young talent. The Royals still might only win 70 games, but moving up a spot in the toughest division in baseball is nothing to look down upon.


3—CHICAGO WHITE SOX: After winning 99 games in 2005 and 90 games in 2006, the Sox had a miserable 72-win season in 2007. General manager Ken Williams left key pieces intact, but did a substantial overhaul on the roster.

Stars in the middle of the lineup such as Jim Thome (.275—35—96), Paul Konerko (.251—31—90), Jermaine Dye (.254—28—78) and A.J. Pierzynski (.263) all had seasons well below their career averages. Williams believes that their drive to succeed will lead to substantial improvement. He also acquired high on-base percentage players such as Nick Swisher (.381 OBP, 22 HR, 78 RBI) and SS Orlando Cabrera (.301 average, .345 OBP) with the hope that more home runs will be hit with runners aboard. Cuban defector Alexei Ramirez has shined in spring training and drawn comparisons to Alfonso Soriano. Ramirez can play centerfield, shortstop or second base and be a sparkplug for the offense.

Behind ace Mark Buehrle (10-9, 3.63) and Javier Vazquez (15-8, 3.74 with 213 K’s) the rotation has major issues. John Danks and Gavin Floyd are unproven and inconsistent—at best. The key will be 36-year-old Jose Contreras. After a terrific 2005 and solid ’06, Contreras was atrocious in ’07, (10-17, 5.57). If he can’t rebound, three of every five games could be a disaster on the mound. Closer Bobby Jenks (40 saves, 2.77 ERA) has developed into one of the best closers in the game with a fastball in the high-90’s and a slurve that can be impossible to hit at times. The bullpen had problems getting the ball to Jenks in ’07, so Williams signed Scott Linebrink (3.55) and Octavio Dotel to lucrative deals. If flame-throwing Matt Thornton and former closer Mike MacDougal can bounce back, the bullpen could be outstanding.

There is no doubt the White Sox will be better then they were a year ago. The question is how much better? The Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers are two of the best teams in baseball and could each win over 100 games. A 30-game turn around might be a bit too much for the pale hose.


2—CLEVELAND INDIANS: One win away from the World Series and no significant departures have the Indians primed for another run at the pennant. Only one problem—they aren’t the best team in their own division.

CF Grady Sizemore (.277—24—78—33 stolen bases) continues to post terrific all-around numbers while Victor Martinez (.301—25—114) is the best hitting catcher in baseball. After struggling at the plate in 2007 (.266—24—100), expect a monster year from Travis Hafner. 1B Ryan Garko (.289, 21 HR’s) doesn’t have many holes in his swing, while 2B Asdrubal Cabrera and LF Franklin Gutierrez are exciting young players.

C.C. Sabathia (19-7, 3.21) is one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. In a contract year, his numbers should be even better as he will win the AL Cy Young award. Paired with Fausto Carmona (19-8, 3.06), the top-2 in Cleveland’s rotation are absolutely dominant. But, the Indians need veterans Jake Westbrook (6-9) and Cliff Lee (5-8) to find some of the success they one enjoyed earlier in their careers. Closer Joe Borowski (45 saves, 5.07 ERA) is as shaky as they come at the back of the bullpen and is a prime candidate to blow crucial games that could come back to haunt the tribe.

The Indians will win over 100 games and compete for the division until the end. They’ll fall just short, but make the playoffs as the wild card.


1—DETROIT TIGERS: The Tigers had the best offseason of any team in baseball, and the additions to their offense may make them the most dominant lineup EVER. No exaggeration, this team can score 1,200 runs in 2008. Not possible you say? Take a look:

1—CF Curtis Granderson: Hit .302 with 23 HR’s, 74 RBI and 26 stolen bases in only his second season. So talented, his numbers should only improve.
2—2B Placido Polanco: Hit .341 and drove in 67 runs, he is widely considered the best No. 2 hitter in baseball. Polanco has terrific bat control and sprays the ball to all fields.
3—DH Gary Sheffield: Belted 25 HR’s and had 75 RBI despite showing signs of age. He’s getting older, but his wrists remain lightning quick.
4—RF Magglio Ordonez: Posted MVP-caliber numbers by hitting .363 with 28 HR’s and 139 RBI. As long as he is healthy, there’s no reason he won’t come close to doing that again.
5—3B Miguel Cabrera: One of the most talented hitters in baseball, he hit .320 with 34 HR’s and 119 RBI. It’s extremely possible he wins the Triple Crown award.
6—1B Carlos Guillen: The switch hitter adds balance to the lineup and should reset the table after the bases are cleared by the heart of the order. Usually an afterthought, Guillen hit .296 with 21 HR’s and 102 RBI.
7—SS Edgar Renteria: Lost in the blockbuster deal to land Cabrera was the acquisition of Renteria. He only hit .332 and drove in 57 runs last season.
8—C Ivan Rodriguez: Oh yeah, that guy! The former AL MVP isn’t the hitter he used to be, but hitting in the 8th slot, who cares? He still hit .281 and had 63 RBI in ’07.
9—LF Jacque Jones: No player experiences hot and cold streaks like Jones. But, when your No. 9 hitter is a veteran that hit .285 with 66 RBI it’s the stamp on a loaded lineup.

With that being said, the Tigers may need every one of those 1,200 runs. After Cy Young contender Justin Verlander (18-6, 3.66) there isn’t a sure thing on the staff. Kenny Rogers is 41 years old and injuries limited him to 11 games last season. After going 9-1 with a 3.48 ERA in the first half of ’07, Jeremy Bonderman fell off the table in the second half to the tune of 2-8 with a 7.38 ERA. He has yet to put together a full season of quality pitching. Meanwhile, Dontrelle Willis (10-15, 5.17) is coming off the worst season of his career and had an awful spring. It doesn’t help that he must face tougher lineups in the AL. The bullpen is in shambles as setup men Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney are both out with arm injuries. 40-year-old Todd Jones (38 saves, 4.26 ERA) isn’t a safe bet anymore, either.

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2008 PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

NLDS: METS over DODGERS, CUBS over DIAMONDBACKS
ALDS: INDIANS over RED SOX, TIGERS over MARINERS

NLCS: METS over CUBS
ALCS: INDIANS over TIGERS

WORLD SERIES: INDIANS over METS