Division Preview and Predictions: AL Central
Yesterday, we focused on the division full of team's that possess several mashers in their lineup, the AL East. Today, we transition over to the AL Central, a division that is in the midst of a transition period and should be known as the transition teams.
You have the rebuilding Chicago White Sox, mysterious Minnesota Twins, relentless but falling Kansas City Royals, and the up and coming Detroit Tigers along with last year's AL Central Champion, the Cleveland Indians. Every team listed in this division is in a transition period either with their window being opened at the moment to contend now, their window closing very quickly, or their window closed and in rebuild mode.
With that said, here is how I expect the division to shape out in 2017 in order and a preview of what's to come this season for each individual team.
1. Cleveland Indians (AL Central Champions) - After falling to the Chicago Cubs in last year's World Series, the Indians are still in win now mode and added a few more weapons to their arsenal this winter to help them get over the top in 2017. Cleveland came out of the gates with a surprise signing of DH/first baseman, Edwin Encarnacion, and later added more depth at the back end of their bullpen by signing free agent, left-handed pitcher, Boone Logan. Both Logan and Encarnacion will contribute at a tremendous level in 2017 and will be more valuable to the Indians than they could have ever imagined. In addition to those two signings, Cleveland still has a very potent starting rotation that could compete with the best-of-the-best which is headlined by Corey Klubot known to Indians fans as Klubot and complimented by Danny Salazar, Carlos Carrasco, and a ton of back end depth with Trevor Bauer, Josh Tomlin, Mike Clevinger, Cody Anderson, and Ryan Merritt. Furthermore, Cleveland will once again have a strong bullpen especially now that they have Boone Logan to go along with Cody Allen, Andrew Miller, and Brian Shaw. Cleveland's bullpen finished 4th in the MLB last year with a cumulative ERA of 3.45 in 508.2 IP and will replicate even more success this coming season. Look out for the Tribe because they are still full of momentum and could very well give the Cubs a run for their money in the World Series once again this year!
2. Detroit Tigers (2nd Wild Card) - Following the passing of Detroit Tigers owner, Mike Ilitch, the baseball community is left remembering the life and times of Ilitch, but also wondering what the future of the Tigers franchise will be. The Tigers have a very nice roster that has talent, but do lack depth in certain positions around the diamond particularly in centerfield. As it stands right now, Mike Mahtook will be the Tiger's Opening Day Centerfielder, assuming that he earns that role in Spring Training, with Tyler Collins serving as a backup. Last season, the Tigers finished 11th in the league, 6th in the American League with 750 runs scored in 5,526 at bats and were 8th in the league with 211 home runs over that span. Of course, you could argue that they should have added a bit more offense this winter, but for a team that went into the offseason with it's eyes set on a complete rebuild, they ended up standing pat and will try to make it as far as they can in 2017 with virtually the same roster except for Cameron Maybin. Although, the Tigers didn't put up impressive offensive numbers last year, they still have a nice core headlined by Miguel Cabrera and complimented by J.D. Martinez, Victor Martinez, Ian Kinsler, and Justin Upton all of which hit at least 20 or more home runs last year and put up 60+ RBI. Besides that core, Detroit also has Justin Verlander who should have a better season than last year along with Michael Fulmer and Jordan Zimmerman. As long as all three of them stay healthy and perform to expectation, you can expect to see the Tigers lock down the second American League Wild Card spot.
3. Kansas City Royals - If any team is going to give the Detroit Tigers a run for the second American League Wild Card spot, it will be the Kansas City Royals. The Royals are going into the season with a window that is quickly closing and this will certainly be a year of transition for the entire franchise. After the 2017 regular season, the Royals will lose several key players to free agency including: Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain, Jason Vargas, and Alcides Escobar. Depending on where the Royals are at in the standings come the Trade Deadline in July, will help dictate if they end up trading a few of those players then, in an effort to get a return while they can, or if they end up waiting until the offseason. One of the biggest downfalls for the Royals will be their starting rotation even though the team tried to bolster it by signing free agent starting pitcher, Jason Hammel, last week following the tragic death of Yordano Ventura. Kansas City's starting rotation finished last season with a cumulative ERA of 4.67 in 900.1 IP, but does have a nice star in Danny Duffy who was signed to a five-year extension with the organization last month. Duffy will be a nice piece for the Royals to build around moving forward and can help provide some stability in the rotation. Although the Royals won the World Series two years ago, their window is closing and this will likely be a year that doesn't bring postseason baseball to Kansas City.
4. Minnesota Twins - The Minnesota Twins are easily the most mysterious team of the five that make up the AL Central. They had an excellent amount of success and surprised many around the baseball world in 2015 and absolutely disappointed last year finishing last in the division with a 59-103 record. Although the Twins went into this offseason with a lot of buzz surrounding second baseman, Brian Dozier, and his future with the organization, Dozier is still on the team and rightfully so because they need him in their lineup on an everyday basis and never got the type of return that they wanted from the Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, and the few other teams who were connected to him. Heading into 2017, Minnesota is going to have some work to do with their starting rotation that finished dead last in the MLB last year with a cumulative ERA of 5.39 in 875.1 IP. Nothing was done by the front office this winter to address the problem as the team is counting on another solid season by Ervin Santana after he finished last season with a 3.38 ERA in 181.1 IP and will look for big things in 2017 from Jose Berrios and Tyler Duffey. Besides pitching problems, another downfall for Minnesota in 2017 with be their offense and a lack of veteran leadership. The jury is still out on the future of centerfielder, Byron Buxton, and there are still several question marks with other players around the diamond. As the case is with the Tigers, this will be a pivotal year for the Twins and if they don't end the season with a winning record, look for big changes to come.
5. Chicago White Sox - Ah, the good ole Chicago White Sox that looked as though they were going to go into last season as a contender, but failed to live up to expectations finishing the year fourth in the AL Central with a 79-84 record. Chicago will head into the 2017 season with a new manager in Rick Renteria and hopefully will benefit tremendously from his veteran leadership during this time of rebuild. While the 2017 season will likely be a downer for the White Sox and their fans, the future is extremely bright especially with the return the team got back for former starting pitcher, Chris Sale, and centerfielder, Adam Eaton. In addition to some big named prospects that the team got in return, they still have Jose Quintana anchoring their rotation although he could still be traded prior to Opening Day if a need arises on a contending team's roster such as the Houston Astros. Assuming that Quintana starts the season in a White Sox uniform, he should provide some much needed stability and leadership to a starting rotation that is pretty lackluster. Furthermore, the White Sox still have some nice offensive weapons in Jose Abreu, who finished last season with a team high 100 RBI, Todd Frazier, who scored a team high 40 home runs, and Melky Cabrera who had a team high .296 batting average with 25 home runs. Although things look dismal right now for the White Sox and their fans, brighter times are right on the horizon and who knows, we may see a trade or two involving the team go down before Opening Day!
