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by Digger

All World All Sports continues our division by division breakdown. Each day this week will feature a different division in order of predicted finish. Part 3, AL Central

Detroit Tigers (Mgr. Jim Leyland, 88-74 in '07)
General Manager Dave Dombrowski had a fruitful winter and created the American Leagues best and deepest team heading into 2008. Jim Leyland's players have all the tools. Power, speed, pitching, depth, defense, poise, talented youth and veteran leadership. Baseball... get ready for the "Motown MowDown". Detroit will win the most games in all of baseball this season.
Starting Pitching: Justin Verlander, Kenny Rogers, Jeremy Bonderman, Dontrelle Willis, Nate Robertson. Rogers is the veteran who will rebound nicely after a season shortened by injury. He'll be counted on to help guide this young talented group of starters. Verlander is a lights out type of pitcher and is the teams "Ace". Dontrelle is a charismatic pitcher who was over worked in Florida. He comes to Detroit by way of a Florida trade with MVP candidate Miguel Cabrera. He'll have a huge year in spacious Comerica Park. Bonderman and Robertson have been Tiger projects improving with time. They were important keys to Detroit's World Series run in '06. These young guns will cruise with a talented and deep lineup providing plenty of run support. Vet Todd Jones returns to close out victories. The remaining bullpen assignments will be finalized this spring.
In the Field: Tigers roar! This crew has it all. Rich Renteria (SS, .332) was another of Dombrowski's grade A acquisitions. A steady glove at short and a line drive hitter. A perfect compliment to double play partner Placido Polanco (2B). Polanco scortched AL pitching last season to a .341 tune. Moving to 1B this season is Carlos Guillen (.296) who finally played back to back injury free seasons. Third belongs to Miguel Cabrera (.320, 34 hr). Miguel has reported to camp in the best shape of his young career. He's as steady as they come, cool under pressure and impressed Tiger mates in his first spring at bat with a monsterous 420 foot blast to deep CF. Detroit's OF trio: MVP runner up Magglio Ordonez (RF, .363, 139 rbi), CF Curtis Granderson (.302, 38 2B, 23 3B, 23 HR, 26 SB) is a five tool player, LF belongs to Jacque Jones. Jones power totals slipped while playing for the Cubs last year. He'll have plenty of opportunities to drive in runs this season and should return to his old form. Outspoken Gary Sheffield and will let his monster bat will do all the talking once spring trainng ends as the full time DH. Behind the plate is cannon armed future hall of famer Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez. Pudge (.303 career) will be batting 9th this season which speaks volumes for exactly how deep this lineup has become.
Prediction: 1st, 105+ wins, World Series bound as Motown's favorite team mows them all down!

Cleveland Indians (Mgr. Eric Wedge, 96-66 in '07)
Wedge guided his team to a first place title last year. The core players return and this gutsy squad will challenge Detroit while trying to fend off the White Sox. This will be a very challenging season in Cleveland.
Starting Pitching: Cy Young winner CC Sabathia (19-7, 3.21) was tremendous last year and could be better in '08. This kid is intimidating and gets outs. Fausto Carmona (19-8, 3.06) had a great 2nd season and hopes for a successful repeat in '08. The rest of Cleveland's rotation brings big question marks. Byrd (4.61) is a winner but he's never completed a full season with an ERA below 4.00... this will be a problem in head to head matchups vs Detroit. Westbrook and Lee have made too many DL trips. Unproven Aaron Laffey and Jeremy Sowers are competing for starter status this spring. There just isn't enough in the tank to keep pace with Detroit... and could be ez fodder for hungry Tigers.
In the Field: Around the horn - Garko (.289) may split time with Victor Martinez (.301, 40 2B, 25 hr). VM will be catching when Garko mans first. 2B seems to be Asdrubal Cabrera's to win or lose this spring. He's a defensive wiz and seems patient at the plate. We'll see how he handles pressures of everyday play this year. Jhonny Peralta has some pop but strikes out way to often (128, 152, 148 past 3 years). He need better command of the strike zone. Casey Blake is steady at third but hasn't produced nearly as well as most other 3B in the league. In the OF, Dave Dellucci and Jason Michaels are expected to platoon in LF. Grady Sizemore is the everyday CF. Over in RF, Franklin Gutierrez tries to win the job this spring. DH Troy Hafner is the only power threat for Cleveland. The rest of this lineup must hit with runners in scoring position to have any shot this year. Cleveland got all the breaks last season... lack of power means they'll have to fight for every inch if they are to have any chance of repeating. Sorry fellas, '08 will not be your year.
Prediction: It'll be a dogfight for 2nd place... Indians survive.

Chicago White Sox (Mgr. Ozzie Guillen, 72-90)
Ozzie had fits last year as his staff imploded. Chicago won 90 in '06, then slumped to 72 w's in '07. Water coolers beware if this club begins slowly in '08. Injuries were a major factor in this clubs demise. Just about every regular was sidelined in '07.
Starting Pitching: Slumped in '07 after getting most of the breaks in '06. Buerhle (10-9, 3.63), Vasquez (15-8, 3.74) are a fomidable 1-2 and must excel for Chicago's playoff hopes. Contreras (10-17, 5.57) was hitting bats (232 hits in 189 innings) when not bruising hitters (15 hbp's) in an erratic filled subpar '07. Danks (6-13, 5.50) has been billed as a future star. He was pounded often and frustrated last year. Gavin Floyd has shown nothing during his brief career as evidenced by his lifetime 6.30 ERA. Owwww, that hurts. Chicago has been more than patient... if he can't step up and command the strike zone... he'll be gone in a hurry. Bobby Jenks (40 saves) will get his saves if this staff can step up as they did 2 years ago. If not... look out for major mid-season changes.
In the Field: Paul Konerko returns at first and has slugged at least 30 homers in four straight years. 2B will be won this spring. The competitors are rookie Alexei Ramirez, Danny Richar and Juan Uribe (a former SS). Orlando Cabrera makes his White Sox debut after steady years of slick fielding and steady hitting in Anaheim. Joe Crede returns to cover Chicago's hot corner after a dismal injury year in '07. This infield has way too many question marks and is difficult to grade at this juncture. Jermaine Dye (RF) and newly acquired Rick Swisher (CF) will be counted on for run production and power. They'll have to hit with runners in scoring position for this team to be competitive. Ozzie will formally announce Chicago's everyday LF sometime this spring. His options are limited. DH is reserved for super slugger Jim Thome (507 career dingers). A.J Pierzynski returns and needs to settle down his erratic staff from behind the plate.
Prediction: The wheels fell off in '07. They should challenge Cleveland for 2nd place... too many question marks at this time. 3rd place.

Kansas City Royals (Mgr. Trey Hillman, 69-73 in '07)
KC fans have faced a generation gap between great Royals teams comprised of Brett, McRae, Mayberry, Otis, Leonard, Splittorff, Gura and Quiz... and poor teams for more years than folks in Missouri care to remember. Hillman's team will be competitive this year and KC finally has reason to believe in their future.
Starting Pitching: Gil Meche (3.67) was solid last season but lacked run support. Brian Bannister led KC with 12 wins. Zack Grienke has good stuff but mediocre concentration (62 hr's allowed in 456 career innings). They're KC's front 3 heading into this season. The remainder of this rotation is anyone's guess. No other pitcher has stepped up in recent times. Perhaps, a new winning outlook for this season can change losing attitudes into winning performances. Time will tell. The Royals are one quality starter away from possibly becoming a winning team. Joakim Soria will close out games when saves are possible.
In the Field: Alex Gordon is coming off a roller coaster rookie season. He has all the tools to become a top notch player for years to come. Expect him to improve steadily every year once he learns to settle down at the plate and get adjusted to major league pitching. Tony Pena (SS) and dependable Mark Grudzielanek (2B) will be counted on to gobble up everything hit their way. 1B will most likely be a platoon with lefty Gload and righty Billy Butler. LF Mark Teahen has matured into a good hitter but lacks power. Rangy CF David DeJesus batting average dropped 30 points in '07 from his previous two campaigns. Expect him to return back near .290 this year. Jose Guillen is this teams new RF. Guillen represents the lone power threat in this lineup. He's had on and off years... this one must be on for KC to succeed. Hillman's DH will most likely be players being given a rest from defensive positions. John Buck enters his fifth season as team catcher. He has some power but hasn't displayed any consistency at the dish.
KC is a young team looking to improve... and they will this year. No longer cellar dwellers.
Prediction: 4th place. If Chicago faulters, look for KC to move up into third. This young club is on the rise.

Minnesota Twins (Mgr. Ron Gardenhire, 79-83)
Ron Gardenhire knows how to extract the most from his players. Having Cy Young starter Johan Santana always helped... unfortunately for this club, Santana was traded away to the Mets. Minnesota is in deep trouble heading into this season. The Pohlads' continue to give away their best players. Santana wasn't the only star sent packing. Elite CF and fan favorite Torii Hunter is also gone. Two key ingredients from prior winning years. There's no place to go but down.
Starting Pitching: Johan is gone and his 2 Cy Young awards are history and so are the 2008 Twins. Santana finished no lower than 7th in Cy voting for 5 straight years. Baker, Bonzer, Blackburn, Slowey and Livan sound more like baseball's version of Disney characters than proven starting pitchers. Hernandez is the vet but this over worked horse showed signs of dead arm last year. Without much defensive help behind him and a lack of offensive help to put up runs, Livan is in for a long season. This team has no clear cut #1 starter or proven hurler beyond Livan.
In the Field: 1B Justin Morneau ('06 AL MVP) is a great young player who should get better with each passing year. JM has posted consecutive 30+ hr, 100+ rbi years. Catcher Joe Mauer is another young Twins player who anchors Minnesota's offense. He was banged up last year and must return to form for this team to score runs. Brendan Harris (2B) comes to Minny by way of Tampa Bay. He has limited range but rarely makes an error. At the plate, he faired well during in '07 and will be counted on as a table setter in '08. From Houston comes slick fielding and weak hitting Adam Everett. This SS/2B combo must get to everything hit on the Metrodomes slick surface for this mediocre pitching staff to get outs. Mike Lamb is a man of many positions who flashed a steady bat during his career in Houston. 3B is his to win. Roaming the OF this year will be Mike Cuddyer in right, Carlos Gomez is projected to replace Hunter in CF, while Delman Young is penciled into LF. Many new faces on this squad. Defense is a huge question mark... coupled with an unproven starting staff... could prove to be big trouble.
Prediction: 5th place. Twins players and fans will not be happy with this predict. Many will shake their heads as to how anyone can pick KC to finish higher than last. This team has too much to prove. Losing Hunter and Santana's skills and leadership will be too much to handle. Gardenhire's a great manager who stresses fundamentals from fielding to smart base running. He'll have to keep these young players on their toes every single minute of every inning in every game. RG has the luxury of one of baseball's better bullpens led by closer Joe Nathan. Problem here will be not letting them get over worked early in the year.

Stay tuned, NL Central on deck