2005 Predictions: The AL Central

Ray Flowers’ Picks

1. Twins- Every year they are going to fall, every year they just win. Top 1-2 combo in the division on the hill (Santana and Radke) an also the top 1-2 combo in the pen (Rincon and Nathan), could easily repeat.

2. White Sox- Buehrle’s injury is a killer, but they could still bring it home if El Duque and Contreras respond. Would also love a return to health by Thomas.

3. Indians- Lot’s o’ offense, not so much pitching. Westbrook must repeat last year, Lee must continue to grow and Sabathia must get healthy for them to have a chance.

4. Tigers- Could double 2003 teams 43 wins, the additions of Percival and Ordonez give the Tigers 2 more possible all-stars. The team's chances hinge on Ordonez and Guillen’s health.

5. Royals- Have yet again gone with a “youth movement”, this franchise seems lost. DeJesus, Berroa and Sweeney could lead a surprising offense, but they again, they might not.

Laura Nist’s Picks

1. Twins - The AL Central is still weak but the Twins have a very good pitching rotation. Somehow they keep winning the division and I think this year is no exception - mostly because there isn't any competition.

2. Indians - This year the youngsters are more seasoned and with a healthy Juan Gonzalez and Aaron Boone the team will be much improved. A lot depends on the pitching but the bullpen should be improved - providing that Wickman is healthy. Probably not enough improvement to win the division though and it will be a close race for second with the White Sox.

3. White Sox - Their lineup has power with Konerko, Dye and Frank Thomas if he is healthy. Their rotation is solid but not spectacular; it will be interesting to see how Pierzynski handles the pitchers. It's a toss up between the Indians and White Sox for second in the division.

4. Tigers - Still improving but probably will be lucky to have a .500 season. Weak starting pitching and questionable offense.

5. Royals - I think the Royals are in a rebuilding process. They have a weak rotation and an unimpressive lineup. Maybe they will get out of the cellar next year - they have a lot of promising young players.

Jonathan Leshanski’s Picks

1. Twins - Great young talent and the best pitching in the division will translate to yet another division title.

2. Indians - Outstanding offense, developing players with high ceilings, and a pitching staff that’s growing up. Millwood could awaken and become a good pitcher again which would help.

3. White Sox - A serious change in focus away from power hitters and the injury to Frank Thomas make the team’s ability to score runs somewhat suspect. The pitching should be pretty good though.

4. Tigers - Better than last year, but not good enough to compete for the top spot but a .500+ finish will be a nice step.

5. Royals - Beautiful ballpark but an awful team which is rebuilding once again. Should be the worst team in baseball.

Daniel Paulling’s Picks

1. Twins - The Twins lost only Corey Koskie from last year's roster, but have the added pop of Michael Cuddyer at the Hot Corner. Top prospect Justin Morneau will be playing first for an entire year, which should help the Twins offense. The rotation is one year older and the bullpen is dominant. All that spells a repeat in the Central for the Twins.

2. Indians - This is a surprise pick to take second over a vaunted Chicago White Sox, but that's why you read these crazy predictions. The Tribe have youngsters like Sizemore, Hafner, Crisp, and Martinez who should produce next year and Kevin Millwood headlines a very promising rotation. The bullpen will keep this team from overtaking the Twins.

3. White Sox - These Sox will be the most disappointing of the previous four years. I know that is a vast generalization, but there are many question marks. The only player who should produce much on offense is Paul Konerko, while Frank Thomas is an injury risk. Can Aaron Rowand repeat? Can Joe Crede pull it together? Which Scott Podsednik will show up? The rotation has question marks concerning Buerhle's durability, Garcia and Contreras's makeup, and Orlando Hernandez's health. The bullpen is also a time bomb with 35-year-old Shinjo Takatsu leading Dustin Hermanson and Damaso Marte.

4. Tigers - The Tigers will make a serious run at the White Sox this season, but will fall short. Their offense is much better than last year, their rotation will be better as well. The only problem holding this team back will be the depth of the offense. The rotation should be ready to contend in 2-3 years.

5. Royals - Take a bad team, subtract Carlos Beltran and you get an even worse team. Zach Greinke seems to be the only reason to buy a ticket, and the game will be that more interesting if Jeremy Affedlt closes. Don't expect many valuable players this year, and probably only a 70 win team.

Matthew Souders’ Picks

1. Indians (AL Central, 89-73) - A maturing core of brilliant young hitters, a solid group of starting pitchers, an improving bullpen, and the possibility for more, combined with the Twins relying heavily on a lot of untested rookies and role players, present the Indians with a golden opportunity in 2005.

2. Twins (85-77) - There’s no doubt Johan Santana is a brilliant young pitcher…but is he THAT brilliant? There’s no doubt that Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau have enormous potential…but are they ready to live up to that potential immediately? After arguably one of the best 1-2 punches in baseball (Santana and Radke) atop their rotation…it gets pretty tough to admire their pitching. On top of that other than Torii Hunter, not ONE of the players they intend to field in 2005 is considered skilled defensively. They’re going to have trouble staying in games as much as they might like.

3. Tigers (80-82) - The Tigers managed to appear generally respectable last season despite the continued struggles of a weak rotation, a shaky bullpen, and horrible team defense. This year I’m expecting a massive breakout season from Jeremy Bonderman and a return to career norms for Jason Johnson…as well as an increased role in the defense for skilled players like Omar Infante, Carlos Pena, and Carlos Guillen. No, they won’t be a good defensive team, but perhaps they won’t be quite as bad as they were in 2004.

4. White Sox (80-82) - A lot of analysts are very excited about the south-siders. I…am not. Trading their best hitter (Carlos Lee) for a middling set-up man (Luis Vizcaino) and a TERRIBLE lead-off hitter (Scott Podsednik), will not help the White Sox do anything but regress in 2005. I am also not convinced that Aaron Rowand is for real or that the Sox can expect to get anything productive out of untested Japan leaguer Tadahito Iguchi. The rotation of Buehrle/Garcia/Contreras/junk scares the heck out of me…Contreras has never shown the ability to be consistently effective…nor has Garcia. The Sox also continue to overlook team defense for the most part when putting their line-up together, a fact which could come back to haunt them this year.

5. Royals (51-111) - What can you say about the Royals? At least it’ll be easy to get good seats.

Brandon Wilson’s Picks

1. Indians - Yes, I am going out on a limb. There is not a clear pick in this division and Cleveland challenged well into August last year. Sabathia and Millwood will need to be healthy and the rest of the rotation will need to take another step in the growing process like they did last season. The already solid offense adds Aaron Boone and is so good that a rising star like Sizemore may have to wait a year.

2. Twins - Just the opposite of the Indians, the rotation should be solid and the bullpen is among the best. The offense, however, did not generate many runs last season and may be more unproven this season with the loss of Koskie and Guzman. In order for them to win, Morneau and Cuddyer need to take big steps, Bartlett needs ROY type numbers and the pitching needs to repeat last season.

3. White Sox - While I really like the potential of the pitching staff, I do not like Manager Ozzie Guillen's approach of turning a slugging team into a speed team in a park that is built for power. Scott Podsednik can steal, but can he get on base? For the Sox to challenge the offense will need to click and that is a real question mark with Ordonez and Lee gone plus Frank Thomas out for an undetermined period of time.

4. Tigers - This is an interesting team that is getting better. I actually think they will finish third but I am not sure which of the three teams above is going to tank and fall below them, but it will happen. The rotation is young and getting better, Maroth, Bonderman and Robertson could each have great years and lead the Tigers to the next level. Detroit took a chance on Magglio Ordonez and he could legitimize their offense if healthy.

5. Royals - No matter what else happens, this team is the worst in the American League. Even the Devil Rays have more hope. Pitching wise, Zack Greinke is the only interesting piece (no, it is not Lima time). On offense, Dejesus, Gotay, Buck and Teahen are all interesting, but not yet ready to make noise.

Expert Predictions: The AL Central March 31, 2005

Expert Predictions: The AL Central
March 31, 2005