Author: Trey Johnson - Friday, April 28, 2006

Part two of our six part baseball division breakdown will cover the American League Central. At the two week mark this division is log jammed. Cleveland, Chicago and Detroit are tied for first with matching 7-5 records and the Twins come in at a close second with a 6-6 mark. While the top four teams all appear to be for real at this point in the season the only weak link is the Royals with a dismal 2-9 record.

We stated in part one of this series that you do not want to take the summer off. Baseball has the potential to be your biggest money making season and we are proving it with a solid 12-3 record to this point. Don't miss any of our money making baseball selections on this website.

Chicago White Sox

The Sox are the defending World Series champions. They finished the season winning 16 of 17 including an 11-1 run in the postseason. You would think after winning their first World Series in 88 years the Sox would rest on their laurels. That is not the case. G.M. Ken Williams went out and made this team better by adding Jim Thome, Javier Vazquez and rookie Brian Anderson. How much better can a team that won 99 games and the World Series get. Just watch!

After starting the season 1-4 the White Sox finally got down to business winning six of their last seven to claim a three way tie for first place in the Central. Konerko is leading the team offensively with a .362 batting average and 12 RBI's while new addition Jim Thome is proving his worth with 7 home runs. Buehrle has picked up where he left off winning his first two starts racking up 6 strikeouts a 2.25 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP. While Contreras leads the team with a 1.93 ERA. Numbers like these should strike fear in the rest of the American League.

There is absolutely no reason this team shouldn?t win 100 games and reach the playoffs again. A successful defense of their title isn't out of the question. The pitching staff will be stronger and with the addition of Thome they will score more runs. We expect to see the White Sox playing late into the fall again this season.

Cleveland Indians

The Indians have proven they can play with the best now they need to prove they can win when the games really count. Two years ago the Indians folded in mid-August and last season they collapsed with seven games left. The biggest question in Cleveland is can the Indians win late in the season?

At the two week point the Indians are 7-5 and in a three way tie for first in the Central which is right where they want to be at this point. Unfortunately losing four of their last five including two of three to division rival Detroit won't keep them at the top of the division for long.

The only way the Indians can improve on the last three seasons is to make the playoffs. With the departure of Millwood, Elarton and Howry from their pitching staff that led the league in ERA last season could be devastating. The Indians may have missed their best opportunity to make the playoffs. Especially with the White Sox better then they were last year.

Detroit Tigers

Jim Leyland is the Tigers seventh manager in the last 12 seasons. His job? Turn around a team that hasn't had a winning season since 1993! Leyland inherits basically the same team that finished 71-91 last season. How much difference does a top rated manager make? We are about to find out.

At 7-5 the Tigers are in a three way tie for first in the Central thanks to starting the season with five straight wins. Since then they lost five of seven including three straight to division rival Chicago. If the Tigers think they can contend for the division crown two things will need to happen. First they can't be swept by division rivals and second they have to win at home where they are 2-4 at this point in the season.

At this point the Tigers need their young pitchers to develop. They need Rodriguez to come back strong and they need Guillen and Ordonez healthy. If all that happens the Tigers will be in great shape for a .500 season. Winning the AL Central will have to wait a while.

Kansas City Royals

The Royals lost 210 games over the last two seasons while in the middle of a rebuilding project. What do they do to create more wins? Supplement the roster with veterans. This off-season G.M. Allard Baird hit the free agent market hard picking up Reggie Sanders, Mark Redman, Scott Elarton, Mark Grudzielanek, Doug Mientkiewicz, Elmer Dessens, Joe Mays and Paul Bako. All will be 30 or older when the season starts and all of them are signed for two years or less.

Has this move payed off? Well, at the two week mark the Royals are 2-9 overall. They are 2-3 at home and 0-6 on the road. In their last ten games they are 2-8 including losing seven straight. Berroa leads the team offensively with a .282 batting average and Wood leads the pitching staff with one win. Mr. Baird may I suggest a new line of work!

The youth movement didn't work. The addition of eight veterans this season isn't working. The Royals reaching the .500 mark won't happen. Kansas City is destined to be a cellar dweller once again this year. Maybe next season they can get things turned around. Probably not!

Minnesota Twins

The Twins saw their three year reign as AL Central champs end last season at the hands of World Series champs Chicago. If they hope to regain the top spot they will have to improve both offensively and defensively. The Twins need to be more disciplined at the plate in an effort to score more runs. On the defensive side of things they need to improve their fielding and fundamentals. With the stiff competition in this division there will be no room for mistakes.

So far this season the Twins have lived a double life. At home they are a solid 5-1 but on the road they have struggled to a 1-5 mark. Against the AL East and West they are a respectable 6-3 but in their own division they have been shut down with a 0-3 record after being swept by the Indians. If they hope to compete this season they need to improve on the road and avoid being swept by division rivals.

The Twins live and die with their pitching staff and playing fundamentally sound defense. Their pitching staff should be as good if not better than last year with the addition of Liriano. Defensively the addition of Castillo, Batista and White should shore up their defense. However, in the ultra competitive AL Central reaching the top spot will be difficult.

Related Articles:
- Handicapping The NFL - Home Field Advantage
- Baseball Handicapping - Review Of The NL Central
- MLB Handicapping - Analyzing The NL East
- Baseball Handicapping - AL West Preview
- MLB American League East Breakdown

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