In this post, we'll be taking a look at the AL Central division, or "The Indians And Royals Still Exist?!"
AL CENTRAL:
Chicago White Sox - Since 2005, the ChiSox have hit a bit of a slide. Their championship caliber team has remained largely intact, but they've only returned to the playoffs once since then, when they lost in the LDS to the Rays, 3 games to 1. In 2010, their chances of winning the division started to look pretty good, with Mark Buehrle and Jake Peavy dominating the mound and a powerful lineup containing Paul Konerko, Gordon Beckham, and A.J. Pierzynski, but the Twins kept them out of first pretty handily for most of the second half. They shook things up pretty nicely this offseason by adding Adam Dunn, who is projected to be either a full-time DH and/or backup for Konerko on certain days. They also agreed to an extension with shortstop Alexei Ramirez, who's guaranteed to add some pop at the plate in conjunction with his effective defense (he's only committed 41 errors at shorstop, and turned 207 double plays, in 3 seasons). Say what you will about outspoken manager Ozzie Guillen (because he will sure say whatever he wants), this team he's got is certainly playoff-worthy. However, with the Twins taking the division 6 seasons out of the past 10 (compared to the White Sox's 3), it seems pretty bleak for Chicago to hope for anything other than the Wild Card.
Cleveland Indians - My first sentence in this post should tell you nearly everything you need to know about the state of this team. They're currently 2nd in number of years since their last World Series title (trailing only the Chicago Cubs, MLB's pariah team), and have little going for them. Sure, outfielders Shin-Soo Choo and Grady Sizemore are two highlights in the otherwise dark story of the offense, but they only shine when they're not spending time on the disabled list. Their rotation makes many pine for the days of Bob Feller (even those who, like me, weren't born for decades after he retired), or even just for 3 years ago, when CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee weren't making and breaking Yankees fans' dreams. Fausto Carmona is the only recognizable name on the list of pitchers, and he's lost 5 more career games than he's won in 5 seasons. Aside from recently signing Orlando Cabrera, and touting young catcher Carlos Santana as the hottest prospect since Bryce Harper (or His Holiness, Jesus H. Strasburg), there is really nothing to look forward to in Cleveland. Hell, that could apply to any of their sports teams, truth be told. Don't be surprised if even the Royals manage to pull ahead of this team in shambles in 2011.
Detroit Tigers - 2010 was neutral for the Tigers, right down to their final record of 81-81. There were some good times: Miguel Cabrera made a legitimate run for the first Triple Crown in the American League since Carl Yastrzemski, Armando Galarraga threw a 28-out perfect game, and Johnny Damon got his 2,500 hit in a Tigers uniform. There were some bad times: closer Joel Zumaya broke his arm early in the season and sat out the rest of it, Magglio Ordonez fractured his leg and missed the last 2 months of the season, and they provided the Rays and Matt Garza with the organization's and the player's first no-hitter. Not much was done to remedy their in-the-middle performance this offseason: they added catcher/DH Victor Martinez from the Red Sox while sending Galarraga to Arizona, so their team looks roughly the same as it did this time last year. It's a safe bet, then, that 2011 will most likely pan out the same way 2010 did: the expectations won't be met or exceeded, but they won't do worse than others in their own division.
Kansas City Royals - Do I really need to say it? THE ROYALS STINK. They're so bad, the Indians finished in 4th ahead of them. THE INDIANS. 2010 saw more of the same crap that the Royals have been slinging since 1985: losing, losing, losing, worst record in the division. They haven't had anything that resembles a winning season since 2003. This past season finally made Zack Greinke, 2009 AL Cy Young winner and the only reason Royals fans went to the games at all, get so fed up that he made it known that he would waive his no-trade clause regarding the Yankees and a number of other teams just to get the heck out of Kansas City (is it any wonder, after going 10-14 with a 4.17 ERA the season after he went 16-8 and 2.16?), and the Brewers made an attractive offer that got him to join their rotation. The addition of free agent outfielders Melky Cabrera and Jeff Francouer, their biggest acquisitions this winter, won't do much: Francouer hasn't been good since his days with the Braves, and Cabrera has never been good. Still, they could feasibly pull ahead of the Indians, but as the two teams are almost destined to be in the cellar, it begs the question: Who cares? As with the Rays, they supposedly have a fantastic farm system, so maybe we'll get a Back to the Future-type feeling in 2014 or 2015. Until then, the Royals could be on the way to their 5th 100+ loss season in the past 10.
Minnesota Twins - Finally, I get to discuss a team that has a few things going for them! I love the Twins. I really do. And if it weren't for the Yankees, they may be my favorite team. Joe Mauer is by far the best catcher playing today, Justin Morneau is arguably one of the best first basemen in the American League (I'm looking at you, Teixeira and Gonzalez), Carl Pavano is finally returning to form (at 35 years old, no less), and they've got a ton of young guys in the field and on the mound that are reason enough to party like it's 2006. After winning the Central 2 years in a row (and getting swept by the Yanks in the LDS both years), they've shown they can be a perennial contender, and by adding Tsuyoshi Nishioka, touted as the hottest player out of Japan since Ichiro and Hideki Matsui, along with bringing back many of the players who've made them so good lately, it looks like 2011 could be a big year for Target Field's second season. Considering some of their competition, I would bet they're poised to take the division by a pretty wide margin, winning it for the 3rd time straight. As long as they can all stay healthy (Morneau in particular, after missing most of the second half of '10 with the lingering effects of a nasty concussion), they might just advance past the broken Yankees pitching to the ALCS, and maybe beyond.
Projected 2011 AL Central Standings:
Minnesota Twins - stay the same
Chicago White Sox - stay the same
Detroit Tigers - stay the same
Kansas City Royals - move 1 spot up
Kansas City Royals - move 1 spot down
Wow, exciting changes in the AL Central, obviously. Next time, we'll go over the AL West.
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