Seeing that pitchers and catchers report in 2 days, I decided to make the awaited preview right now. I'll start off by saying that this offseason has been really interesting. The Phillies added ace Cliff Lee to a super-rotation. The Red Sox added 2 major bats into a hitters park. The Nationals added Jason Werth to a lineup that may feature Bryce Harper. The Yankees added a second closer for $35 Million. The Brewers added an ace and a legit starter, and White Sox added slugger Adam Dunn. Here we go - the 2011 Preview. In the next few weeks I will be posting previews for each division.
American League!
Central Division
The AL Central, as it always is, will be a fun division. Nobody in this division is really good, but there are 3 legitimate teams.
1. Chicago White Sox - 90-72
The White Sox are going to have a really good year. First, they added Adam Dunn who will really help drive in some runs on a team that had the 10th best OBP in MLB. Peavy-Buehrle is either a big hit or a big miss, but even if it is a miss, prospect Dan Hudson can provide depth to a deep rotation. Alexi Ramirez is destined to really break out, and this could be his year.
2. Minnesota Twins - 87-75
The Twins are also a serious contender for the division. With a decent rotation and...MAUER, it won't be a shock to see them over .500. They added IF Nishioka, who hit .346 in Japan. Great move, for you never know when the next Ichiro is just an ocean away. The concern for the Twins is defense. They had the 4th worst field % in the bigs, and that does not help a semi-inconsistent rotation.
3. Detroit Tigers - 79-83
Ahhhh, the Tigers. They are won of the hardest teams to predict in baseball, for their starters always under perform and their bench warmers the contrary.Verlander is a great starter, Austin Jackson and Brenden Bosch are good young players, and that's all I can say.
4. Clevland Indians - 70-92
Its kind of sad that the city with the Cavaliers also has the Indians, because they both stink. The best thing about the Indians is Shin-Soo Choo. Sure he has the greatest name ever, but he is also a .300 hitter 2 years in a row, who had 22 homer and 22 steals last year. Plus, he is only getting better. They don't have a second baseman, and their best candidate is Jayson Nix. At catcher, Santana has tons of potential but you can't base a franchise off a prospect unless you're the Nationals. Grady Sizemore is too injury prone to be called great.
5. The Kansas City Royals - 59-103 (Worst Team in AL 2011!!!)
Oy Vey.
Star Pitcher - Gone
Weak Prospects from Milwaukee - In Kansas City!
I think 59 Wins may be generous. The Royals are so bad, they make the 2006 Cubs look...less bad. Their star closer is also gone, and they have few recognizable players. Billy Butler's OK. Ned Yost is their manager...fun.Go look at their roster. It's not impressive.
That's all for today. Please email me questions for me to answer in posts.
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