Baseball's AL Central has parity
Tigers, Indians, Twins, White Sox are all AL Central contenders
Will it be the Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Indians, Minnesota Twins or Chicago White Sox in baseball's American League Central this season?
The American League Central may not be the best division in Major League Baseball, but it’s certainly one of great parity. Any one of four teams -- the Detroit Tigers, the Cleveland Indians, the Minnesota Twins or the Chicago White Sox -- are even-odds favorites to win the division crown.
That leaves only the lowly Kansas City Royals, who are much improved but still not among the class of the league, as the only non-contender.
Many national experts don’t seem to think the Tigers can repeat their feat of last season, when they reached the World Series before losing to St. Louis, despite the addition of Gary Sheffield, one of baseball’s most fearsome hitters. The Tigers’ lineup is basically the same as in 2006 when they won 95 games, but there are some question marks, like Ivan “Pudge” Rodriquez. whose numbers are in decline. But with Sheffield, Carlos Guillen and improved leadoff play from Curtis Granderson, who is working to cut his strikeouts in half, Detroit can be formidable at the plate.
After Jeremy Bonderman and Justin Verlander, some of their starting pitchers will have difficulty repeating last year’s success. The bullpen, however, is solid with closer Todd Jones.
The White Sox, perhaps the American League’s best hitting attack, should give South Side fans plenty to cheer about. Equally good offense and pitching and a solid bullpen make the Sox the team to beat in the Central. It's true that quality starters such as Freddy Garcia and Brandon McCarthy have moved on to other teams through trades. But general manager Ken Williams added much-needed young arms, revamping the bullpen to help the team remain a contender.
The White Sox had one of the best lineups in baseball in 2006, with the power-packed quartet of Jim Thome, Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye and Joe Crede leading the offense with more than 200 home runs for the seventh straight season. The offense only figures to get better in 2007 with a healthy and mentally-stronger Scott Podsednik back to leading off and Juan Uribe returning in the ninth slot. Darin Erstad's presence could be one of the steals of the free-agent market and also gives manager Ozzie Guillen some lineup versatility,.The starting rotation of Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland, Jose Contreras and Javier Vazquez is pretty solid but youngsters John Danks, Gavin Floyd and Charlie Haeger will have to come through for the White Sox to get back into the playoffs.
The Indians were a big disappointment in 2006, after a 93-win season in 2005. The season should be pivotal for manager Eric Wedge, who begins the final year of his contract.
Indians’ all-stars Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner, Victor Martinez and C.C. Sabathia are in the prime of their careers. With Josh Barfield at second and Andy Marte at third, there's been an upgrade from Ronnie Belliard and Aaron Boone. Jhonny Peralta is the infield's major question mark, and he has to be better than he was last year.
With Cliff Lee, Jeremy Sowers and Paul Byrd, the rotation is capable but not over-powering. Joe Borowski gives the team a solid closer.
The Minnesota Twins have baseball’s best starting pitcher in Johan Santana, along with Boof Bonser, Carlos Silva and either Ramon Ortiz, 34 years old, or Sidney Ponson. Ortiz and Ponson will have to return to their former selves if the Twins are to contend. The offense is thin and lacks power, Joe Nathan and company won’t get many chances out of the bullpen.
The Kansas City Royals spent a lot of money in the off season, including a 5-year, $55-million contract to starter Gil Meche, who has a career 4.65 ERA. Alex Gordon, 2006 Minor League MVP, appears to be the real deal. He’s expected to play third, with Mark Teahan moving to the outfield. If Mike Sweeney can stay healthy, the offense could surprise some people. Octavio Dotel should help the bullpen as the closer.
