Foul Balls MLB Preview: AL Central

As the end of spring training draws near, I figure it's about time I got off my ass and started with the Foul Balls 2008 season previews. Each day I'll preview a separate division followed by individual previews for the White Sox and Cubs. Expect expert analysis bad jokes.

Today we look at the division I'm more familiar with than any other, the AL Central.

2007 Finish

1. Cleveland Indians 96-66
2. Detroit Tigers 88-74
3. Minnesota Twins 79-83
4. Chicago White Sox 72-90
5. Kansas City Royals 69-93

2008 Predictions

1. Detroit Tigers - Let me start this whole thing by saying that I don't think the AL Central is anywhere near as strong as everyone else seems to feel it is. I'm more along the line that the Tigers and Indians are pretty good, and everyone else is pretty average. Really, I don't even think the Tigers and Indians are that good this season. The Tigers lineup is fantastic, they already scored a ton of runs and now they've added Miguel Cabrera to the middle of the lineup. What worries me about this Tigers team though, and what I think will turn out to be the thing that bites them in the ass, is their pitching staff. Mostly the bullpen. This has to be the year where Todd Jones' luck finally runs out, right? I've no idea how he continues to be an effective closer in this league, and everybody else in the Tigers bullpen is hurt right now. In the starting rotation they have Justin Verlander and a whole bunch of questions afterward. Can Jeremy Bonderman finally have a complete season? Is Kenny Rogers too old? Will Dontrelle Willis be able to adjust to the American League? I'm picking the Tigers to win this division, but as you can tell, I'm not all that confident in the pick. INTERESTING FACT: Jim Leyland smokes in his sleep.
2. Cleveland Indians - The Indians won the division last year, and were only a victory away from the World Series before Boston came back from a 3 games to 1 deficit to knock them off. Cleveland can easily win the division again this year because even though they didn't really add anyone, they didn't lose anybody of real significance either. The offense should be fine because they were more than potent last season, and Travis Hafner had a down year. If he rebounds this season, the Tribe will be even more dangerous. Much like the Tigers, though, I worry about their pitching staff. C. C. Sabathia won the Cy Young last year, but I'm not convinced he can go two seasons without having to spend some time on the disabled list at some point. Plus, they still have Joe "Mouthbreather" Borowski closing their games, and that can't inspire confidence in anybody. INTERESTING FACT: Grady Sizemore is dreamy!!
3. Chicago White Sox - It's no secret that I haven't been very happy with what the White Sox did this offseason, but the closer we get to the season the more optimistic I get. At first I thought the Tigers and Indians would be invincible in this division, but I see cracks in their armor. It's not entirely impossible that the Sox could make a run at the division. I fully expect the offense to rebound after a horrible 2007 (to be fair, it couldn't get much worse) and if the pitching staff gives the team any kind of consistency, the White Sox will have a shot at this thing. INTERESTING FACT: A recent study showed that White Sox fans are not only smarter than other fans, but they're a lot better looking too and make better lovers.
4. Minnesota Twins - I'm always leery of predicting the Twins will finish this low in the division because it seems like everytime I do, they end up winning it. This year, however, I think it's finally safe to say the Twins are going to struggle to compete. They've lost Johan Santana and Torii Hunter, and they haven't really found anybody to replace them. Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Michael Cuddyer, and now Delmon Young will make sure that the Twins score some runs, but I've no confidence in anybody in the starting rotation. So Minnesota's strong bullpen is going to be taxed heavily this year, which will hurt them in the long run as well. INTERESTING FACT: Joe Mauer's sideburns cure cancer.
5. Kansas City Royals - The Royals started to show signs that they're turning things around last season, and though I expect them to continue improving this season, they're still the Royals. They're still going to finish in last place. Unlike previous seasons, though, they'll actually be worth watching this season. Alex Gordon should have a much better sophomore campaign, and other young hitters like Billy Butler and Mark Teahen should blossom as well. They also have a starting rotation that's largely unproven, but has the talent to surprise a lot of people this year if things go their way. The Royals aren't very far away from respectability. INTERESTING FACT: Mark Grudzielanek's eyes can see straight through to your soul.

Foul Balls All-Division Team

• Victor Martinez-CLE-C
• Justin Morneau-MIN-1B
• Mark Grudzielanek-KC-2B
• Miguel Cabrera-DET-3B
• Jhonny Peralta-CLE-SS
• Delmon Young-MIN-LF
• Curtis Granderson-DET-CF
• Magglio Ordonez-DET-RF
• Jim Thome-CWS-DH
• Justin Verlander-DET-SP
• Bobby Jenks-CWS-CP

Youngsters to Watch

• Alexei Ramirez-CWS-SS
• Asdrubal Cabrera-CLE-2B
• Alex Gordon-KC-3B
• Billy Butler-KC-DH
• Joakim Soria-KC-CP
• Carlos Gomez-MIN-OF

Guys Who Will Disappoint

• Jose Contreras-CWS-SP
• Jake Westbrook-CLE-SP
• Joe Borowski-CLE-CP
• Edgar Renteria-DET-SS
• Todd Jones-DET-CP
• Francisco Liriano-MIN-SP