2011 Predictions: American League Central

Following up my predictions for American and National League Most Valuable Players for 2011, I am finally getting around to predicting the final placing for each division, as well as the wild card winner for each league. Once I establish who my playoff teams will be, I will make my predictions for each playoff series and ultimately crown my prediction for 2011 World (er U.S. and Canada) Series Champion.

American League Central: Talk about a tight division. In 2008, the Twins and ChiSox fought in a tie-breaker followed by another tie-breaker in 2009 between the Twins and Tigers. It’s really going to be a battle between those three teams for the division crown in 2011 with the Royals and Indians bringing up the rear.

1^st: Chicago White Sox: The White Sox should be excited going in to 2011. They brought in home run juggernaut Adam Dunn to DH for them. They thus created a fearsome group in the middle of the order with keeping Pauly and AJ. Look for Alexi and Beckham to start breaking out this season, and don’t discount that they’ve been hanging out with Omar Vizquel for the last two years. Chris Sale is a borderline man crush for me and getting Jake Peavey back at some point during the season may set this team off in nothing but to the top of the AL.

2^nd: Detroit Tigers: The Tigers had a hell of an offseason. They kept Magglio around, which I think means a lot for the team to keep his presence in the clubhouse and on the field. They brought in Victor Martinez to beef up the lineup; he can catch, play first, but it slated to be the primary DH. They solidified the back end of their bullpen by signing 2010 WonderBoy Joaquin Benoit. Verlander, Scherzer, and Porcello make for a solid 3 at the top of the rotation. They were in contention right up to the end in 2010 and have only gotten better.

3^rd: Minnesota Twins: I know, the Twins are defending champs and will run a very similar team out there in 2011 and I drop them to third in the division (maybe I’m just sick of seeing them roll over to the Yanks in the playoffs). I really just hate this teams’ pitching. I think they’re rotation is among the worst in the AL and the club itself doesn’t seem to have any faith in Liriano either. They lost a lot in the bullpen and who knows what they will get from Nathan, Morneau, or Nishioka. They won’t be a bad team and could easily prove my prediction wrong, but I don’t see the Twins being a legitimate playoff threat.

4^th: Cleveland Indians: I really really really hope that Carlos Santana gets plenty of time at 1^st base. I think the team will be a lot better with Marson at catcher, Santana at 1^st, LaPorta at DH, and Travis Hafner in another uniform. If you don’t watch the Indians, you should. Choo is the most underrated player in the game. I’m anxious to see what 2011 holds for Sizemore and Masterson. The Indians, however, won’t be a .500 team.

5^th: Kansas City Royals: Quick, name 6 players on the 2011 Royals team…. Yeah. Ask me about this team in 2013. In the mean time someone come up with a new nickname for Soria.