Predicting the AL Central

First I shall start by analyzing the offseason moves, then I shall predict how the teams will finish, who will come out on top.

Twins: The Twins got Carl Pavano, Jim Thome, Orlando Hudson, and J.J. Hardy, which strongly improves their offense, but the Pavano re-signing was a terrible one, he is very mediocre and has been known to be a toxin in the clubhouse, which is not worth 7 million. Since Thome was acquired so cheap, the two balance each-other out. And since Carlos Gomez was the only thing they traded away, it was a very successful offseason (Except they lost Joe Nathan too). Overall the Twins have a good offense, good rotation, and a below-average bullpen.
Verdict: They look strong, but the question to ask is if they have good chemistry? We'll see.

Tigers: Next up is Detroit a.k.a. Motown. The Tigers acquired Max Scherzer, Johnny Damon, and Jose Valverde. They lost Curtis Granderson, Fernando Rodney, and Edwin Jackson. Going from Jackson to Scherzer is a wash, from Rodney to Valverde is an improvement, and from Granderson to Damon is a de-provement, because Damon is aging, and he won't have that classic Yankees lineup behind him. They also got Austin Jackson who should struggle in his first season. Overall the Tigers have very good pitching, a good bullpen, and an above average offense.
Verdict: This is an aging team, but also a young team, look for a very solid season. If Miguel Cabrera can improve his SB% and Austin Jackson can do as well as he did in the minors, then watch out, this could be the team to beat. (But if is just if)

White Sox: They signed alot of bench players, Putz is the most likely to make an impact. They also acquired Juan Pierre and Mark Teahan. Pierre hits for very good average, and Teahan should be an average third baseman. They lost Podsednik, which makes getting Pierre a wash and they lost Dye and Dotel and Getz and Carrasco. Overall they have an average offense, good pitching and bad bullpen.
Verdict: If Quentin can swing like 2008 that'd make the offense a beauty. Also Beckham will be the best 2B in the bigs, mark my words.

Indians: All they got was Russell Branyan, which is good, but not enough to make anyone scared. Soppach is the only player of importance that they lost. Overall, they have an offense with potential coming out the wazoo, a pitching staff that's quite unimpressive, and a bullpen that is to be feared.
Verdict: A team that has good potential, but is most likely will lose 100 games due to lack of pitching.

Royals: The Royals acquired Scott Podsednik, Rick Ankeil, Jason Kendall, Chris Getz, and Josh Fields. They lost Mike Jacobs, Teahan (Making Fields a wash), Coco Crisp (Making Podsednik a wash) and John Buck who was better than Kendall. Overall they only have two good players in Grienke (Who I actually believe was a fluke) and Butler who I love.
Verdict: There is no upside here, they are going to have to get very lucky.


The Prediction


1. Tigers
2. White Sox
3. Twins
4. Indians
5. Royals

Best hitter: Gordan Beckham
Best Pitcher: Justin Verlander
Best Defense: Orlando Hudson


The Central is shaping up to be pretty interesting. I hope this was informative to you my readers, have a nice day, and remember to check my blog every day for updates.

Schedule

Hello, so before the season begins I would like to analyze each division, possibly analyze a prospect or two, and I also plan on doing another interview, of either a star player or an important part of the personnel team (Such as a GM, scout, or manager).
Look for this within the next 24 days before Opening Day.

Top 10 Prospects In 2010.

1. Stephen Strasburg: Throws heat, throws movement, control. He has it all and if his first spring start is any indication, he's major league ready. For more on Strasburg just read my second post.

2. Mike Stanton: Although a few years off, look for this slugger to hit HR's year in and out.

3. Buster Posey: A catcher with a bat. And a god bat at that. Look for him to get the majority of the starts for the Giants this season and hit anywhere from 15-30 HR's with an average between .260-.325 and not to mention a few steals peppered in.

4. Justin Smoak: Might start the year in the minors, but will be up by September with the callups if not earlier since he's starting in AAA. Should end up with good defense at first and will look like Chipper Jones at the plate.

5. Jason Heyward: I'm lower on him than most people are, but he is still a top prospect. I was talking to a scout recently and he says he really likes him, he's got very quick wrists and a good work ethic. My gut says no but I also trust my connection which is why I'm letting him stay in the top 5 instead of top 50 where my gut says. I'm down on him because a 19 year old in AA just doesn't do it for me, that's just too young, he's at least 9 years away from his prime.

6. Neftali Feliz: He can throw cheese at 101 MPH at ease on a regular basis. Look for him to get lots of strikeouts and shattered bats. Maybe by mid season he could be starting. Also, these types of pitchers usually have short careers or he'd be number 2.

7. Tim Beckham: I am very Bullish on Tim, I think by next year he could be in the pros giving the rays 70-80 steals for years to come with Gold Glove defense too.

8. Brian Matusz: A young gun with a cannon of an arm, he should be an ace to replace Lincecum when he goes to free agency, and if they keep both.... LOOK OUT. Because Matusz is a top arm too.

9. Madison Bumgarner: The Giants are building a franchise that won't soon be beat at pitching, because Bumgarner is another can't miss arm that will be a top player within the next 2 years.

10. Jason Castro: Maybe a bit higher than most people think, but he is a catcher and that justifies it, because this catcher hits like Helton. Look for Castro to be a top catcher by this year or next year in the mold of Mauer with less power.