Detroit Tigers
Team Motto: Gettin’ Miggy wid it!
Hello: Torii Hunter
Goodbye: Delmon Young
Pleasant surprise player? Andy Dirks
Nice comeback player: Victor Martinez
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| Miggy gave up Crown Royal for a Triple Crown |
The rotation is solid and good, with Doug Fister, Anibal Sanchez and (the next Verlander?) Max Scherzer (the next Verlander?), and the bullpen is solid, even if they don’t have an anointed closer to date.
Torii Hunter is declining and Jhonny Peralta is weak defensively, but there is a Miggy clone in Avisail Garcia waiting in the wings to add another excellent bat to a team that will score a lot of runs.
Prediction: 1st Place
I have a hunch that this is the season in which Scherzer emerges as an elite starter, and Andy Dirks could finally solve the revolving door problem Jim Leyland has had in left field.
Cleveland Indians
Team motto: We’re Tito-licious!
Hello: Michael Bourn, Nick Swisher, Drew Stubbs, Brett Myers, Matt Reynolds
Goodbye: Shin-Soo Choo
Pleasant surprise player? Lonnie Chissenhall
Nice comeback player: Brett Myers
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| Swisher will be a great add. |
Ballplayers love having Terry Francona as a manager, that is a given, so right away this is a team that will always give their best all the time. If Chissenhall at third finally lives up to his prospect hype the infield will be excellent, with Asbrubal Cabrera, Jason Kipnis and Swisher around the horn. I think the Yankees made a big mistake letting Swisher walk away? Bourn is capable of hitting .300, scoring 100+ runs, and leading MLB is stolen bases, and Michael Brantley continues to get better.
Vinnie Pestano is a great 8th inning guy setting up Chris Perez who has solidified his skills. The big question for the Indians is their starting rotation? Can Justin Masterson figure out a way to get left-handed hitters out? Can Ubaldo Jimenez re-capture the magic that saw him average 15 wins a year from 2008-2010? Zach McCallister is a nice sleeper, and Carlos Carrasco brings back his electric skills after missing all of 2012 after TJS.
Prediction: 2nd Place
I think the veteran presence of Brett Myers in the rotation will be a good one, and Carlos Santana is an All Star catcher, though he needs to improve defensively. Trevor Bauer is one of the top pitching prospects in all of MLB. If the pitching takes a step up, this is a playoff team.
Kansas City Royals
Team motto: This is "next year," or next year will be!
Hello: James Shields, Wade Davis, Ervin Santana
Goodbye: Wil Myers
Pleasant surprise player? Lorenzo Cain
Nice comeback player: Ervin Santana
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| Less dancin' and more hittin' for Moose & Hosmer? |
The Royals trade top prospect Myers to Tampa Bay to land a top starting pitcher in Shields, along with middlin’ starter Davis serving notice that they think they are ready to challenge for a division title, or at least a wild card spot. They also acquired Santana, who if he can ever solve his gopheritis could be a solid number 2 or 3 starter.
The bullpen is loaded with very nice talent in Greg Holland, Aaron Crow, Kelvin Herrera, and Tim Collins. Former top draft pick Danny Duffy is waiting his turn after having TJS surgery last year.
The line up is loaded with young stars, and potential stars. Billy Butler and Alex Gordon are good, and it looks like (catcher) Salvador Perez and shortstop Alcides Escobar will be? The two big questions are much hyped prospects Mike Moustakas (3B) and Eric Hosmer (1B)? They both had disappointing 2012 seasons.
Prediction: 3rd Place
They have a couple of burners in outfielders Lorenzo Cain and Jarrod Dyson, and I look for Dyson to push the disaster known as Jeff Francoeur to the bench at some point. Hosmer and Moustakas must take a big step up for this team to be good enough to over-come what may be a shaky rotation after Shields. They can make the post-season if those two do come through and the 2-5 starters are good enough, but I think 2014 is their year.
Chicago White Sox
Team motto: We’re still better than the Cubs!
Hello: Jeff Keppinger
Goodbye: AJ Pierzynski
Pleasant surprise player? Dylan Axelrod
Nice comeback player: John Danks
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| Maybe the old days were better after all? |
Remember when (Chicago manager) Robin Ventura charged the mound, and old timer Nolan Ryan put a head lock on him, and pounded away? How about when Ventura had that awful broken leg sliding into home? This season may not be quite as humiliating or physically painful as those two experiences, but 90 loses and an ulcer may be on the horizon?
It’s not that the Sox don’t have some talent, but Paul Konerko is going to stop hitting soon, Adam Dunn is windier than the Windy City, and Alex Rios is the epitome of that "box of chocolates." Catcher Tyler Flowers may hit a bunch of homers, but not much else, and Gordon Beckham has yet to fulfill his early promise. Dayan Viciedo will be just all right, and Alexi Ramirez is very under-rated as an all-around short stop.
The top two guys in the rotation, Chris Sale and Jake Peavy are very good, but it’s mediocre after that. John Danks was a star in the making until he got hurt last year, and he’ll need to come all the way back if Chicago is going to challenge.
The bullpen is average, with Addison Reed looking like he could be pretty good, and old reliable Matt Thornton still good in a set-up role.
Prediction: 4th Place
Keppinger is a nice player, but he shouldn’t be a full-time starter at third. Not much team speed, and a weak bench. I have never liked Gavin Floyd much, and I don’t know why? I could be wrong and Konerko, Dunn and Rios (making a combined $48.5 million this season) will all come up big, but I this is still a team going down, not up.
Minnesota Twins
Team motto: Who are these guys?
Hello: Mike Pelfrey, Kevin Correia, Vance Worley
Goodbye: Denard Span, Ben Revere
Pleasant surprise player? Chris Parmelee
Nice comeback player: Justin Morneau
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| Who are those guys? |
It seems like Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire has been around forever, doesn’t it? He has seen good times and bad in his 11 seasons running the Twins, and has often over-achieved during than time. This year, he will need to work a lot of magic if this team is to contend for anything, except staying out of last place.
The pitching staff is a mess of retreads (Pelfrey, Correia) and wannabe’s (Worley, and Scott Diamond). They gave speedsters Ben Revere to the Phillies for Worley, and Denard Span to the Nationals for pitching prospect Alex Meyer, so they’re trying to improve things, but it’s not happening soon. The bullpen doesn’t offer much after Jared Burton setting up Glenn Perkins.
I would bet you could ask a lot of very knowledgeable baseball fans who Pedro Florimon and Brian Dozier are, and they couldn’t ell you that they are slated to man second and short for the Twins this year?
Prediction: 5th Place
Minnesota will have some thump in their line up, as Josh Willingham hit 35 homers in 2012, Morneau is back and (finally) healthy, and of course Mister Twin, Joe Mauer is still a great hitter. Trevor Plouffe and Parmelee are potential 20-25 home run guys, and Ryan Doumit is a good hitter if he can stay healthy, which has happened seldom in his career. Top prospect Aaron Hicks won the job in center with a hot spring, but I think he may have needed a bit more time in AAA?
Nickel recap:
Too much would need to go wrong for Detroit to not win the division, but I do like the Indians to push them, and for the Royals to push Cleveland. If the Twins are pushing Chicago by the All Star break, look for Robin Ventura to be fired. If that does happen at least it’ll be a lot less painful than a Nolan Ryan noogie or a broken leg.
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