AL Central Preview

We have now moved to the AL Central, a division that I feel will be up and down, with three teams battling all year.  Let's get it.

1. Minnesota Twins- KEY ACQ: 2B Orlando Hudson, SS JJ Hardy I LIKE: Francisco Lirano- Everything that I am hearing about him has been fantastic. I wouldn't be surprised if he has a huge year like he did a couple years back.  I HATE: Closer by Committee- Honestly, there isn't a guy on the Twins I hate but I do not like Gardy's idea of going with CbC because it never seems to work, trust me Ned Yost tried a couple times leading to epic fails.  PREDICTION: The Twins will win because I think they have a good nucleus of good players and they have enough starting pitching to win the average AL Central.  I do not expect the Twins to make any noise in the postseason unless they get a closer.

2. Chicago White Sox- KEY ACQ: DH Andruw Jones 3B Mark Teahan I LIKE: Gordon Beckham- Most people would know that Becks is a big time prospect and with his feet offically wet in the big leagues could lead to a big year. I HATE: Jake Peavy- I think this was a horrible trade to begin with, injury prone plus NL to AL is not a positive sign, and to add he pitched in a very friendly pitchers' park.  PREDICTION: If Peavy doesn't disappoint, the Sox have four go-to-guys that can win games and that will propel them in some ways. But I do not feel that their offense has enough to do it.

3. Detroit Tigers- KEY ACQ: OF Johnny Damon OF Austin Jackson RP Jose Valverde I LIKE: Rick Porcello- I believe he is 21, and last year I saw a ton of promise from him, I expect him to continue to grow and be in the convo for Cy Young.  I HATE: Valverde/Damon- I think this was horrible offseason for the Tigers, I think both of their big guns will do little for them... Damon was awesome at a left-handed friendly Yankee Stadium and Valverde never pitched in the American League, which scares me.  PREDICTION: They could contend for the AL Central title, but I think relying on Dontrelle Willis and Max Schrezer to carry your staff at certain points worries me. 

4. Kansas City Royals- KEY ACQ: C Jason Kendall (yikes!) OF Scot Posednik OF Rick Ankiel  SS Yuniesky Betancourt  I LIKE: Billy Butler- He seems to be coming into his own as a hitter and I like the chances of him having a great season. I HATE: Trey Hillman batting Kendall second- Are you kidding me?! I would be so disappointed if I was a Royal fan.  That is atrocious and a running joke for the first two months. PREDICTION: Zach Greinke will gain some victories for this team and they have a promising young staff that will probably earn some wins as well.  It will all depend if the Royals are able to hit the baseball. Also watch for Joakim Soria to probably be on the move.

5. Cleveland Indians- KEY ACQ: OF LeBron James... oops actually they acquired practically no one.   I LIKE: Fausto Carmona- Everything that I have read out of Spring Training says that he will have a big year for the Indians like he did 2008. I think he will be a small glimmer for the Indians this year.  I HATE: Travis Hafner- He hasn't done anything in about two years and now just seems like a DH who probably will not withstand the entire season. PREDICTION: It could be an ugly one for the Indians comparable to the early Major League team and I could see Grady Sizemore on the move come July.

-Charlie.

The Surprises of the American League

I have written apology letters to my friends on this blog before and I am not going to the have a full out apology article to my friend Sepehr who loves the Toronto Blue Jays and sit on top of the AL East. But I am going to take a look at the MLB teams that are top of the division and I am not going to touch on the NL Central with Brewers Weekly on Sunday night or Monday...

Toronto Blue Jays- The "Fighting Sepehrs" have really impressed me so far because they have put together a great pitching staff around their ace Roy Halladay. Brent Cecil has been great so far as well as Scott Richmond, and Brian Tallet. Now today, they trot out another young pitcher Robert Ray and he throws one unearned run today in a victory against the White Sox. Is this team slowly becoming Tampa Bay of last year? My answer... Probably. I wouldnt be surprised if they stay close to the top of the AL East because they have starting pitching and a bullpen despite the B.J. Ryan struggles who is done by July when they get a closer. Their offense is stacked with good young guys like Adam Lind and Travis Snider plus I still consider Vernon Wells a new-aged veteran.

Kansas City Royals- The Royals are back in business for the first time in my long lifetime although they are sort of like the Florida Marlins of the AL because they start off strong and fade during the year. Here's the difference though.. they have Zach Grienke who I believe we can say is the best pitcher in the AL so far right this season. They play in an AL Central that it might take only 85 wins to win the division. They still have guys like Luke Hochavar who was a number one pick and Brian Bannister whose another top pick who has a ton of potential. The big question will be can they last without Joakim Soria for the next couple of weeks. If they can withstand not having their closer, I really like their chances to win the AL Central.

Texas Rangers- I always thought that the Texas Rangers had the offense to be a force in the AL but I wasnt sure if their pitching was good enough to hold up leads for them. I was wrong in that aspect which surprises me because they have the likes of Vincente Padilla and Kevin Milwood leading your rotation, I would completely run for cover. The other big thing is Josh Hamilton wasnt playing almost all year and the Rangers still found ways to win without their best hitter. Now he is hitting the ball making that offense even tougher. I still think the Los Angeles Angles who are getting their pitching back and starting to heat up slowly are good enough to still take this division although they are not the run away favorite like in years past.

-Charlie.