Chicago White Sox - 2011 was a year South Side Chicago fans would love to forget. Poised to win the division at the outset of the season, the White Sox allowed the Tigers and Indians to surpass them handily, while barely putting up a fight. While first baseman Paul Konerko and outfielder Carlos Quentin (now a Padre) tried their hardest to boost the offense (combined for 55 homers and 182 RBIs), designated hitter/overall disappointment Adam Dunn and outfielder/saboteur Alex Rios (24 home runs and 86 RBIs) dragged them down enough to place the Sox no higher than 15th in any offensive category. The pitching wasn't much better: Mark Buehrle (now a Marlin) led the team with 13 wins and a 3.59 ERA, but Jake Peavy continued his slide into mediocrity and was unable to overcome his injuries to pitch effectively. The bullpen was boosted slightly by the addition of Jason Frasor, who was traded from the Blue Jays for Edwin Jackson, but they managed to blow more saves than they recorded, with the only reliever who had more than 8 saves, Sergio Santos, was traded to the Jays a few weeks ago. For whatever reason, it looks like the White Sox have traded away most of the players that made 2011 give fans any hope. If Konerko can stay healthy and produce the numbers he always does, and if Gordon Beckham, A.J. Pierzynski, Dunn, Rios, Peavy and the bullpen can all have bounce-back years, the White Sox could possibly contend again. That's a lot of unanswered questions, though.
- 2012 Prediction: It's all there for the Sox. The potential to return to the playoffs is within their reach, even with manager Ozzie Guillen leaving for Miami and new manager Robin Ventura being unproven. They just have to get healthy, find their stride and keep it.
Cleveland Indians - While no one expected the Indians to have a very good season, they managed to lead the division for most of the first half, before falling behind the Tigers. They sorely missed the production of Grady Sizemore and Shin-Soo Choo, who didn't play an entire season between the two of them, and adding Kosuke Fukudome from the Cubs midseason did little to help. Catcher/first baseman Carlos Santana hit with some power, but aside from Asdrubal Cabrera (who won his first Silver Slugger and garnered his first All-Star apperance), he received little to no help. The rotation, led by Justin Masterson (the only one to post a winning record and an ERA under 4), also failed, even after adding one-time phenom Ubaldo Jimenez from the Rockies before the trade deadline. The bullpen was somewhat strong, led by closer Chris Perez, who recorded 36 saves, but otherwise couldn't hold up. The offseason has been just as disappointing as the regular season was: they traded for Derek Lowe from the Braves, which would have been a great move 7 years ago. For a team that didn't crack the top half of any statistic, either offensive or defensive, there's a lot of work that still needs to be done. Rookies Lonnie Chisenhall and Jason Kipnis showed flashes of brilliance that could make the infield a little more powerful, but with the recent scandal with pitcher Fausto Carmona (real name Roberto Heredia), the Indians might not want to come out of their teepees to see the 2012 season.
- 2012 Prediction: They surprised everyone by leading the division early in 2011, but it stands to reason that they won't easily be able to duplicate that. They've got a long way to go until they're competitive again.
Detroit Tigers - There is some real sweet music that will be playing in Motown this summer, and the man singing the loudest will be doing so to the tune of $214 million over the next 9 years. The Tigers were a scary team last year, and have been a tough team to beat since 2006 when they made a World Series appearance. But if they weren't dominant enough with a lineup led by perennial Triple Crown threat Miguel Cabrera, Detroit got a little hitting insurance in Prince Fielder, who signed a mega deal that will ensure he spends the entirety of his prime in the same ballpark that his now-estranged father used to smash homers in himself. While designated hitter Victor Martinez will be out for the year with a torn ACL, youngsters Alex Avila and Austin Jackson appear poised to have breakout seasons, and the rotation, headed up by Triple Crown, Cy Young and MVP winner Justin "Credible" Verlander (who only went 24-5 with a 2.40 ERA, 250 strikeouts and 251, all of which only led all of baseball...no big deal), skews very young and figures to only get better. While the bullpen is somewhat questionable (can you believe that hurlers like Phil Coke and Al Albuquerque may NOT be realiable?), they have a Mo-like closer in Jose Valverde, who just put the finishing touches on a perfect season, converting 49 save opportunities into saves. With the Twins and White Sox faltering, and the Indians and Royals still in rebuilding mode, the Tigers can and will pounce on this division.
- 2012 Prediction: Need I say more? PRINCE FIELDER, MIGUEL CABRERA, JUSTIN VERLANDER AND JOSE VALVERDE ARE ALL PLAYING FOR THE SAME TEAM.
Kansas City Royals - Most teams trot out their Triple-A players in late August and September, whether they're resting their regulars for the playoffs or realize that, unlike Yogi Berra said, it's over before it's over. The Royals, however, might be the one team that's genuinely excited to write out a lineup with kids that have come straight from the farm. Would you believe that they were in the top 10 of every offensive statistic, even reaching as high as 4th in batting average? Well, believe it. Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Billy Butler, Alcides Escobar, Lorenzo Cain and Alex Gordon are all highly-rated prospects who got to show off a little bit of muscle in 2011, and it stands to reason that all these future All-Stars will bring the Royals back to prominence. In fact, it's already being predicted that they have a legitimate shot to win the pennant...in 2015, admittedly, but good things come to those who wait. Their rotation, always a weakness and especially suffering from the loss of Zack Greinke, ranked in the bottom 5 of all of MLB, but they added former Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton to help shore up the bullpen behind closer Joakim Soria, and traded Melky Cabrera to San Francisco for Jonathan Sanchez, who is an effective hurler that can help the Royals climb just a little in the standings. While they probably won't be able to overtake the Tigers this season, it's completely feasible that they could finally begin the long climb out of the AL Central cellar, now occupied by the next team on our list. Even though Detroit has a new prince, there's still some Royalty to contend with in Kansas City.
- 2012 Prediction: It's hard to imagine that a lineup that is this young and powerful will falter enough to cause this team to rank any lower than 3rd place. But 2012 isn't necessarily the year the Royals are shooting for; this is simply practice for the next 8-10 years.
Minnesota Twins - Just like their division rival White Sox, 2011 is a season that many in St. Paul would like to pretend never happened. With a first baseman that still seems dazed from a concussion sustained a year and a half prior, a catcher that can't crouch for long periods of time, and a lineup completely devoid of any power without the aforementioned two, the Twins ranked no higher than 21st in any offensive stat, and were 28th in slugging. Joe Mauer, in the first year of an 8-year/$184 million extension, played in 82 games, posted a mediocre .287/3/30, and saw 18 games at first base (and even had a start in right field). The player Mauer was covering at first, Justin Morneau, played in just 69 games, hit .227/4/30, and put up the lowest OPS of his career. Shortstop Tsuyoshi Nishioka, a pickup from Japan's Chiba Lotte Marines this offseason, played in 68 games and put up absolutely unforgivable numbers. Michael Cuddyer, now with the Rockies, led the team in batting average (.284) and home runs (20). The rotation and bullpen were equally atrocious, and ranked in the bottom 3 of every defensive stat except for quality starts (22nd). Carl Pavano, who has largely been a bust since his time in pinstripes, led the team with a 4.30 ERA and 9 wins, not to mention the 13 losses he allowed while only recording 102 strikeouts. Closer Matt Capps led the bullpen with 15 saves. Joe Nathan, who know plays for the Rangers, posted 14 saves, in 20 innings less and with 9 strikeouts more than Capps. Hoo boy.
- 2012 Prediction: Uhh...huh. Hmm. When does the Vikings' season start? Are the Bucks doing well?
2012 Projected Standings:
Detroit Tigers
Kansas City Royals
Cleveland Indians
Chicago White Sox
Minnesota Twins
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