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 AL CENTRAL
Minnesota Twins
2010: 94-68, first place, lost in first round.
Manager: Ron Gardenhire (10th season).
He's Here: INF Tsuyoshi Nishioka, LHP Dusty Hughes.
He's Outta There: RHP Matt Guerrier, RHP Jesse Crain, SS J.J. Hardy,
2B Orlando Hudson, INF Nick Punto.
Projected Lineup: CF Denard Span (.264, 3, 58, 26 SBs), 2B Tsuyoshi
Nishioka (.346, 11, 59 RBIs, 121 runs, 22 SBs with Chiba Lotte in
Japan), C Joe Mauer (.327, 9, 75, 43 2Bs), 1B Justin Morneau (.345,
18, 56 in 81 games), DH Jim Thome (.283, 25, 59, .412 OBP in 276 ABs)
or Jason Kubel (.249, 21, 92), RF Michael Cuddyer (.271, 14, 81), LF
Delmon Young (.298, 21, 112 RBIs, 46 2Bs), 3B Danny Valencia (.311,
7, 40 in 85 games), SS Alexi Casilla (.276, 1, 20 in 69 games).
Rotation: RH Carl Pavano (17-11, 3.75 ERA, 7 CGs), LH Francisco
Liriano (14-10, 3.62, 201 Ks), RH Nick Blackburn (10-12, 5.42, .302
opponents' batting average), LH Brian Duensing (10-3, 2.62, 13
starts, 53 appearances), RH Scott Baker (12-9, 4.49).
Key Relievers: RH Joe Nathan (injured all last season, 2-2, 2.10, 47
saves in 2009), RH Kevin Slowey (13-6, 4.45 in 28 starts, LH Dusty
Hughes (1-3, 3.83, 3 HR, 57 appearances with Kansas City), LH Jose
Mijares (1-1, 3.31), RH Matt Capps (2-0, 2.00, 16 saves in 27 games
after trade from Washington).
Hot Spots: 1B, 2B, SS, Nos. 3-5 starters, closer. Morneau missed the
last four months of last season with a concussion and has gradually
eased his way back this spring. Twins lineup is much different with
him hitting cleanup. If he can't overcome the injury, Cuddyer will
move from RF to 1B and Kubel will go to RF. The Twins are also
breaking in a new middle infield after Hardy and Hudson were let go.
Stepping in are Casilla and Nishioka, both of whom are unproven.
They also need some consistency at the back end of their rotation
after Blackburn, Baker and Slowey all struggled to be reliable for
most of last season. Nathan was an All-Star before missing the
entire 2010 season after reconstructive surgery on his elbow, and
Twins hope he regains his form.
Outlook: The Tigers and White Sox made big moves in the offseason in
hopes of chasing down the two-time defending division champions. But
the Twins always seem to find a way to be in the race in September,
and that doesn't figure to change this year -- unless Mauer and
Morneau are out of the lineup. Mauer had arthroscopic knee surgery
in the offseason and didn't start catching in spring training until
last week. He begins the first season of an eight-year, $184 million
contract extension, the biggest sign yet that the Twins are no
longer a small-market club thanks to cash cow Target Field, which
opened last season.
___
Chicago White Sox
Manager: Ozzie Guillen (8th season).
2010: 88-74, second place.
He's Here: DH Adam Dunn, RHP Jesse Crain, LHP Will Ohman.
He's Outta There: RHP Bobby Jenks, RHP Freddy Garcia, DH Manny
Ramirez.
Projected lineup: LF Juan Pierre (.275, 1, 47, 68 SBs), 2B Gordon
Beckham (.252, 9, 49), DH Adam Dunn (.260, 39, 103, 199 Ks with
Washington), 1B Paul Konerko (.312, 39, 111), CF Alex Rios (.284,
21, 88, 34 SBs), RF Carlos Quentin (.243, 26, 87), C A.J. Pierzynski
(.270, 9, 56), SS Alexei Ramirez (.282, 18, 70), 3B Brent Morel
(.231, 3, 7 in 21 games) or Mark Teahen (.258, 4, 25 in 77 games).
Rotation: LH Mark Buehrle (13-13, 4.28, 210 1-3 IP, 246 hits
allowed), LH John Danks (15-11, 3.72, 213 IP), RH Gavin Floyd
(10-13, 4.08), RH Edwin Jackson (6-10, 5.16 ERA in 21 starts with
Arizona; 4-2, 3.24 in 11 starts with White Sox), RH Jake Peavy (7-6,
4.63 in 17 starts) or RH Phil Humber (2-1, 4.15 in 8 games with
Kansas City).
Key Relievers: LH Matt Thornton (5-4, 2.67 in 61 appearances, 8
saves), RH Jesse Crain (1-1, 3.04 in 71 appearances with Minnesota),
LH Will Ohman (0-0, 3.30 in 51 games with Baltimore; 0-2, 3.00 in 17
games with Florida), RH Tony Pena (5-3, 5.10), RH Sergio Santos
(2-2, 2.96), LH Chris Sale (2-1, 1.93, 4 saves in 21 games).
Hot Spots: 3B, No. 5 starter, closer. Morel's glove may have won him
the starting 3B job over Teahen, who played only 77 games in his
first season with the White Sox because of injuries. Morel was a
late callup but impressed the White Sox. Peavy, recovering from
surgery to repair a detached muscle behind his shoulder, made great
strides to rejoin the rotation before a sore rotator cuff slowed him
late in the spring. Jenks is gone to the Red Sox -- he took some
shots at Guillen for his handling of the bullpen last year -- and
Thornton is going to get the role at the beginning of the season. He
signed a two-year, $12 million extension this spring.
Overlook: All in. That's the White Sox motto after a productive
offseason that could push their payroll over $125 million. Instead
of rebuilding, they decided to spend what they needed to make a run
at Minnesota in the AL Central. They signed Dunn and relievers Crain
and Ohman, brought back veterans Konerko and Pierzynski and gave
Ramirez a new deal. And they also picked up Guillen's option for
2012. Guillen and general manager Ken Williams, at odds last season
after Guillen's son, Oney, toasted the front office on Twitter, have
patched up their differences. The White Sox are counting on Beckham
playing like he did as a rookie two years ago, hoping Dunn can
adjust to being a DH and take advantage of the friendly fences at
U.S. Cellular Field. They're also looking for Quentin to return to
his form of 2008 when he was an MVP candidate before a self-induced
wrist injury forced him out the final month. Their biggest concern
now is what they thought would be their strength -- the rotation.
Opening-day starter Buehrle is entering the final year of his
contract and has been prone to big run and high hits totals after
pitching at least 200 innings for 10 straight years. Peavy's health
continues to be a concern, as it has been ever since he joined the
team at the trading deadline in 2009. The bullpen appears to be a
strength with three lefties, including the gangly 6-6 Sale, who was
called up two months after being drafted last June and was an
immediate success with his 100 mph fastball.
___
Detroit Tigers
2010: 81-81, third place.
Manager: Jim Leyland (6th season).
He's Here: C-DH Victor Martinez, RHP Brad Penny, RHP Joaquin Benoit.
He's Outta There: OF Johnny Damon, RHP Armando Galarraga, RHP Jeremy
Bonderman, C Gerald Laird, LHP Bobby Seay, RHP Zach Miner, RHP Eddie
Bonine, RHP Alfredo Figaro.
Projected Lineup: CF Austin Jackson (.293, 4, 41, 27 SBs), LF Ryan
Raburn (.280, 15, 62), RF Magglio Ordonez (.303, 12, 59 in 84
games), 1B Miguel Cabrera (.328, 38, 126 AL leader), DH Victor
Martinez (.302, 20, 79 with Boston), SS Jhonny Peralta (.249, 15, 81
with Tigers and Cleveland), 3B Brandon Inge (.247, 13, 70), C Alex
Avila (.228, 7, 31), 2B Will Rhymes (.304, 1, 19).
Rotation: RH Justin Verlander (18-9, 3.37 ERA, 219 Ks), RH Max
Scherzer (12-11, 3.50), RH Rick Porcello (10-12, 4.92), LH Phil Coke
(7-5, 3.76 as a reliever), RH Brad Penny (3-4, 3.23 in nine starts
with St. Louis Cardinals). ___
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Cleveland Indians
2010: 69-93, fourth place.
Manager: Manny Acta (2nd season).
He's Here: INF Orlando Cabrera, OF Travis Buck, INF Adam
Everett, 3B Jack Hannahan, OF Austin Kearns, RHP Joe Martinez,
RHP Doug Mathis, C Paul Phillips.
He's Outta There: INF Andy Marte, C Chris Gimenez.
Projected Lineup: CF Grady Sizemore (.211, 0, 13 in 33 games),
SS Asdrubal Cabrera (.276, 3, 29 in 97 games), RF Shin-Soo Choo
(.300, 14, 66, 22 SBs), C Carlos Santana (.260, 6, 22 in 46
games), DH Travis Hafner (.278, 13, 50), 2B Orlando Cabrera
(.263, 4, 42 with Cincinnati), 1B Matt LaPorta (.221, 12, 41),
3B Jason Donald (.253, 4, 24 in 88 games), LF Michael Brantley
(.246, 3, 22, 10 SBs in 72 games).
Rotation: RH Fausto Carmona (13-14, 3.77), RH Justin Masterson
(6-13, 4.70 -- 2.86 in last 13 games), RH Carlos Carrasco (2-2,
3.83 in 7 starts), Mitch Talbot (10-13, 4.41 as rookie), RH Josh
Tomlin (6-4, 4.56 in 12 starts).
Key Relievers: RH Chris Perez (2-2, 1.71, 23 saves in 27
chances, 0.53 ERA in last 33 games), RH Chad Durbin (4-1, 3.80
in 64 games for Philadelphia), RH Joe Smith (2-2, 3.83), LH
Rafael Perez (6-1, 3.25, team-high 70 outings).
Hot Spots: Sizemore's not opening the season with the Indians as
he recovers from microfracture knee surgery. The club is keeping
its fingers crossed that the 28-year-old can again be the
full-steam-ahead All-Star that made him one of baseball's most
exciting players. The pressure's on LaPorta, who hasn't lived up
to expectations since he was acquired in the 2009 trade for CC
Sabathia. In fairness, LaPorta never completely recovered last
season after undergoing two operations the previous winter. He's
in better baseball shape, and his bat looks quick again.
Cleveland needs him to be a thumper.
Outlook: Acta's infectious energy is perfect for the majors'
youngest club. Last season, injuries to Sizemore, Santana and
Asdrubal Cabrera forced the Indians to bring up minor leaguers
before they were ready. But that baptism by fire could pay
dividends this season. Acta expects the Indians to win -- now --
and he has told them that since training camp opened. No
excuses. Carmona bounced back nicely after an awful '09 and
anchors a rotation that needs someone else to emerge as a
double-digit winner. It could be Carrasco, who can effectively
control four pitches. The Indians need their young players to
step up and blossom together. That's what happened in the early
1990s, setting the stage for Cleveland's dominant run in the AL
Central.
___
Kansas City Royals
2010: 67-95, last place.
Manager: Ned Yost (2nd full season).
He's Here: OF Jeff Francoeur, OF Melky Cabrera, LHP Jeff
Francis, RHP Vin Mazzaro, SS Alcides Escobar.
He's Outta There: RHP Zack Greinke, OF David DeJesus, SS
Yuniesky Betancourt, RHP Brian Bannister, RHP Gil Meche, LHP
Dusty Hughes.
Projected Lineup: 3B Mike Aviles (.304, 8, 32), 2B Chris Getz
(.237, 0, 18), DH Billy Butler (.318, 15, 78), 1B Kila Ka'aihue
(.217, 8, 25), RF Jeff Francoeur (.237, 11, 54 with Mets, .340,
2, 11 with Texas), CF Melky Cabrera (.255, 4, 42 with Atlanta),
LF Alex Gordon (.215, 8, 20), C Brayan Pena (.253, 1, 19), SS
Alcides Escobar (.235, 4, 41).
Rotation: RH Luke Hochevar (6-6, 4.81), LH Jeff Francis (4-6,
5.00 with Colorado), RH Kyle Davies (8-12, 5.34), LH Bruce Chen
(12-7, 4.17), RH Vin Mazzaro (6-8, 4.27 with Oakland).
Key Relievers: RH Joakim Soria (1-2, 1.78, 43 saves in 46
chance), RH Robinson Tejeda (3-5, 3.54), RH Sean O'Sullivan
(3-6, 6.11 in 14 games after Royals got him in July trade with
Angels).
Hot Spots: CF, RF, LF, rotation, bullpen outside of Soria and
Tejeda. The Royals need free-agent signees Francoeur and Cabrera
to have bounce-back years after disappointing 2010 seasons. The
Royals moved Gordon from 3B to the OF last year, and are growing
impatient for his breakout season offensively. With Greinke
trade to the Brewers, they're hoping Hochevar, the first pick in
the 2006 draft, will make a quantum leap. Bullpen will be
inexperienced with exception of All-Star closer Soria and
dependable setup man Tejeda.
Outlook: Kansas City will likely have the lowest payroll in the
majors and yet another losing season. They've had only one
winning season since 1994 and have not made the playoffs since
winning the 1985 World Series. Help, however, is on the way with
a farm system said by Baseball America to be the deepest in the
land. 3B Mike Moustakas, 1B Eric Hosmer, LHPs Mike Montgomery,
Will Smith, Chris Dwyer and John Lamb, RHP Jake Odorizzi, INF
Christian Colon, OF Wil Myers and C Salvador Perez are all
blue-chip prospects and some could make their big league debut
before the end of the season. Royals will likely not end their
playoff drought this season, but by 2013-14 they could be
contenders if the "can't-miss" prospects pan out.
[Associated Press]
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.
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