Twins Trivia Question – 3/1/2009

Q: Who was the first Twins player ever to hit four extra-base hits in a single game?

As usual leave your answer in the comments section and I’ll email you to let you know whether you’re correct or not.

Twins & Crede agree on 1 yr. deal

Well, it happened anyway. The Minnesota Twins and free agent third baseman Joe Crede struck an agreement for one year that will net Crede $2.5 million and possibly as much as $7 million in incentives. I realize I’m in a very small majority of Twins fans when I say I really don’t like this deal that much. I think the Twins were already fine with a platoon of Brian Buscher and Brendon Harris at 3B and the addition of Crede very likely means that Buscher will remain at Rochester when spring training ends – delaying his development as a major leaguer yet one more (unnecessary) year.

With lefties Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Jason Kubel in the middle of the lineup, the Twins have been trying to find a right-handed hitter with power since losing Torii Hunter in free agency. Before the start of last season they traded prized pitching prospect Matt Garza to Tampa Bay as part of a package for outfielder Delmon Young who hit just 10 homers in his first season in Minnesota. And while that was a disappointment I fully expect that Young will rebound with a 20 plus homer season for the Twins in 2009 – provided he is the team’s starting leftfielder. Young has wrongly – and quite callously – become a focal point for the Twins failure to succeed and many out there in Twinsland were very vehement about a trade of Young for a third baseman. That would have been sheer stupidity as Young will most definitely become a dynamic offensive weapon and for the first time in many, many seasons the team has multiple capable major league ready outfielders that provide a solid & very deep bench. Besides, the lack of home run production didn’t hurt the team in 2008 – after all they finished third in the AL with 829 runs scored.

The Twins front office, as well as manager Ron Gardenhire, were enthusiastic supporters of this signing, touting his power-hitting numbers and Gold Glove winning defense. Crede did get off to a great start in 2008 hitting 16 home runs and making the All Star game – but he managed just one homer after the All Star break and played sparingly in the second half because of recurring back trouble. He worked out for MLB scouts during an early winter session and Minnesota attempted to negotiate a contract then with no luck. Reportedly Crede’s agent, Scott Boras, wanted a $7 million per year contract and the Twins found that entirely too much – and they should have! Boras also stated (multiple times in fact) over the winter and even into the beginning of spring training that San Francisco was ‘a strong suitor’ for Crede also. I don’t think this was ever the case but rather just a negotiating chip Boras was using to try to get leverage. Why else would Crede have agreed to just $2.5 million and have the rest placed in incentives? Because nobody else was trying to sign him that’s why!

Crede will have an impact on the Twins batting lineup no doubt and his contributions should give the team a few extra wins in 2009. We’ll have to wait and see if his power effect & Gold Glove defense are with us for all of 2009 or discover that playing on the artificial turf of the Metrodome is bad for his back. 

Twins Trivia Question – 2/22/09

Q: What Twins pitcher holds the team record for most consecutive complete games pitched?

As usual leave your answer in the comments section and I’ll email you to let you know whether you’re correct or not.

Twins off-season moves not dazzling but assured

It’s unbelievable to realize how many Twins fans are whining about the front office lack of activity during the off-season. No…check that. It’s actually not the lack of activity that has fans worked up but more of a demand to sign a marquee free agent to supplement the club. Why? I’m not sure at all.  How quickly so many forget that the Twins extended the regular season by one game – losing a winner-take-all showdown with Chicago for the AL Central crown. The Twins were a very young club entering into 2008 and were not expected to be competitors but proved to be vastly different than those early perceptions. There’s no reason to believe that will be any less competitive going into 2009 – in fact I honestly believe they have improved with the few additions they made (minus the R.A. Dickey signing). First I want to address those whiners who are complaining – and quite vociferously – that we resigned Nick Punto to be our everyday shortstop and are entering into the season with a platoon of Brian Buscher and Brendan Harris at third base. Bear in mind that when the Twins won the World Series in 1991 they did it with a platoon of journeyman Mike Pagliarulo  and rookie Scott Leius at 3B.

I don’t understand what all the urgency is behind some fans clamoring for the Twins to sign former White Sox 3B Joe Crede. This one boggles my mind and I have just one thing to say about it – ENOUGH ABOUT CREDE!!! Let’s look at a few stats OK? Crede has been an active MLB player for nine seasons now. He had a career year in 2006 hitting 30 homers, driving in 94 RBIs and posting a .283 BA. Previous to that he had just 1 year where he drove in 75 RBI. Yes, that’s right – just 1 year. His best OBP was .323 (that’s less than one-third of his plate appearances!) and in four full seasons only once has he hit over .261 and his career BA is .257. As stated he hit 30 HRs once and has 22 & 21 in two other seasons, 19 and fewer in all other seasons. In terms of the MLB definition of a 3B he is a below average hitter. Period. His last two years combined he had 502 ABs posting a .237 BA, a .412 slugging %, his OPS was a lousy 649…in other words very Puntoesque. Also, he’s been sidelined repeatedly with back pains for most of the last two years and his defense has become marginal at best. And he’s asking for a 40% increase in base pay? Is it any wonder nobody else has signed him??? For all of you crying we need Crede you are simply not looking at the facts. Give your collective heads a shake to clear the cobwebs. Punto brings well above average defense and is capable of producing as good or better BA, OBP and maybe even OPS numbers than that over a full season. And I have no doubts that Buscher and Harris can combine to produce the kind of run production we need from the third base position.

Relief pitcher Luis Ayala is the other recent signing that has caused some others to hang their heads. Again why? I’m very happy with the acquisition of Ayala who I believe will develop into the setup man the team needs. The Twins pitching coaches have a great track record of getting pitchers back on track and I just don’t see Ayala as either erratic or in decline. Sure, he’s had consecutive bad seasons but he’s coming to us at the right price and after playing for a perennial loser for 4 1/2 seasons (Nationals) he’ll be revived and I predict we will see the Ayala of 2004-2005 & 2007. Instead of the Ayala signing many Twins fans preference was for a Juan Cruz signing. Cruz, recently of the Angels, is a solid reliever and I agree he would have been a great pickup for the team. But as a Type A free agent the Twins would have lost their 2009 first round draft pick to the Angels and it just isn’t worth that cost. Now, before any of you assume that first round draft picks don’t matter here’s a recent sampling of current & former Twins who were drafted in the first round:

1997 – Michael Cuddyer; 2001 – Joe Mauer; 2002 – Denard Span; 2004 – Glen Perkins; 2005 – Matt Garza. Not bad at all…

Kansas City: Couldn’t get any worse…or could it?

It seems to me the Royals have forever been stuck in that perpetual up-and-coming stage, continually rebuilding since the last year they were in the World Series. They finished strong during the month of September and stayed out of the cellar by besting the Tigers by one game. Still, they headed into the offseason with lots of questions… as they do every season. And their offseason moves, especially the trades for Marlins first baseman Mike Jacobs and Red Sox outfielder Coco Crisp, doesn’t exactly pave the way for developing players in the minors to find their way to Kansas City. Crisp was acquired to ‘give the team an infusion of speed at the top of the lineup’ but it’s all for naught as we’ll all soon find out. Signing utility man Willie Bloomquist is a head-scratcher too. Bloomquist has certain value in that he can play all infield positions and occasionally left or center field effectively but as a career .263 hitter with no power all he is doing is standing in the way of a minor leaguer who could perform the same job. He adds absolutely no new dimension or depth to this Royals squad that they didn’t already have and I just don’t see the sense in this move.

There were bright spots for the team last season that do provide hope for the immediate future. Shortstop Mike Aviles was a genuine surprise in his rookie campaign hitting .325 and becoming a viable candidate for the AL 2008 ROY. Alberto Callaspo, acquired in a trade with Arizona, took over at second base and hit .305 over the final 74 games. After a slow start José Guillén demonstrated he can still hit 20+ homers and drive in 90+ RBIs; Alex Gordon also finally began to show the type of performance he is capable of at the plate. With the addition of Jacobs at first, Crisp in centerfield and the continued career progression of leftfielder David DeJesús the Royals should have a fairly potent batting lineup to keep them at least competitive. Super-sub Mark Teahen and DH-1B Billy Butler provides the team with a couple of solid bats off the bench when needed.

The starting rotation – forever in limbo – appears to be taking some shape after several years of constant transitioning. Gil Meche continues to surprise and amaze becoming an effective #1 man for the Royals. Brian Bannister burst of the gates as one of the top pitchers in the AL in 2008 but went south in a hurry by the end of May and never really got back on track – a situation that needs to addressed in spring training. Zach Greinke and Luke Hochevar, each 24 y.o., continued to improve – especially Greinke who was unbeatable at times. A fifth starter will be determined from a large group of candidates in spring training, but the Royals rotation is no longer a collection of misfits or castoffs. It is quickly becoming a team strength and is keeping pace with the rest of the AL Central.

The bullpen however may have some adjustments to make in 2009. Closer Joakim Soria was definitely no slouch picking up 42 saves and posting a 1.60 ERA – most impressive! Setup man Ramon Ramirez was included as part of the Crisp trade with the Red Sox and the team signed Yankees-Tigers castoff Kyle Farnsworth as a possible option for the role. Farnsworth has been quite sketchy the past three seasons though he did show signs of dominance in the early months with the Yanks before suffering a total collapse after being traded to the Tigers. Beyond that is the iffy duo of Joel Peralta and Jimmy Gobble; veteran Ron Mahay is onboard and is still largely effective in either long or short relief. But past that is only a cast of unknown and unproven youngsters awaiting their tryout.

After years of ineptness and losing season upon losing season Kansas City does look like it is ready to challenge their division rivals with a legitimate squad. With a few tweaks during the season and some additional help for the bullpen the Royals could very well be a surprise contender.

One suggestion to the Royals front office: One of the team’s most obvious weaknesses is at the catcher position. Incumbent John Buck is now in his third year as the regular backstop and has rarely shown signs of the promise he had coming up in the minors – his MLB career batting average is .234. Packaging one of their expendable 1B-OF bats, Ryan Shealy, Ross Gload – maybe even Teahen – with a minor league prospect or two should fetch a much needed catching prospect from someone else’s minor league system.

Chicago: ‘City of Big Shoulders’ bears ‘09 burden

The 2009 Chicago White Sox are much different looking than the team that won the division title in 2008, which is not necessarily a good thing. Starter Javier Vasquez is gone along with shortstop Orlando Cabrera and third baseman Joe Crede and outfielders Nick Swisher and Ken Griffey Jr. – all have left by either trade or free agency. This leaves a lot of question marks and each of those slots being filled by first or second year players with little experience. Couple that with the starting rotation that currently looks like this: Mark Buerhle, John Danks, Gavin Floyd, Lance Broadway and either Bartolo Colon or Clayton Richards as the fifth starter. Buerhle is the resident veteran and ace of the staff; Floyd has three years of experience, Danks has two and Broadway and Richards each have had a couple of cups of coffee. Even with the addition of the journeyman Colon, who was let go by Boston despite finishing great last season, this is a bit sketchy. Buerhle, Floyd and Danks pitched quite good last year and there’s no reason to think they’ll do any different in 2009. And Colon could possibly rebound to have a decent year as he was showing signs of life after the All-Star break. But without a solid number four and five starter they had better count on a lot of run production to offset the expected pitching woes coming during those outings. Jeff Marquez, acquired in a trade with the Yankees, may figure into the starting rotation equation but he’s not likely to be an impact player.

To replace Cabrera at shortstop Alexei Ramírez has been moved there; replacing Crede at third is Josh Fields who the White Sox are still expecting to develop into an offensive weapon. Providing some stability to the Sox are Carlos Quentin, who will be back in full force after missing the last month of the season with a fractured wrist, and Jermaine Dye remains in rightfield for now. During the past month-and-a-half Dye’s name has been dropped at least a dozen times as a possible trading chip, most prominently in connection with the Phillies. A.J. Pierzynski continues to be both a reliable catcher and excellent hitter for his position and they could not do without him. Sluggers, first baseman Paul Konerko and DH Jim Thome will both be back as well though each of them had a major dropoff from their usual career numbers. Konerko hit .240 with only 22 homers and for a little more than the first two months of the season he barely managed to hover above the infamous ‘Mendoza Line’ until getting hot – or at least as hot as he could get. Thome batted just .245 – his worst average ever for a full season – but did hit a very respectable 34 HRs with 90 RBIs.

The Sox couldn’t possibly survive a drought this season like each of them went through last year. And last season they had the luxury of having swingman Nick Swisher who added 24 homers though he didn’t hit for any better of an average – a paltry .219. All the Sox have for bench depth is the well-traveled journeyman utility infielder Wilson Betemit who takes the place of departed free agent Juan Uribe. Betemit is useful in that he can play all infield positions…just so long as you don’t need any of them played very well. Dewayne Wise and Jerry Owens return to the squad but their only value is as outfield subs – though Owens does possess speed and is a legitimate threat to steal. Which brings up a very important point – there is not one bona fide leadoff hitter among all the current members on this squad. GM Ken Williams should have been making bids on Boston’s expendable outfielder Coco Crisp when he was on the trading block but instead he was too busy trading away quality & value and getting nothing in return to show for it.

As it stands right now I think the White Sox are planning on just ‘phoning it in’ this season and waiting for players to develop in the minors. I can see them giving challenges to Minnesota and Kansas City but they appear vastly undermanned when matched up against Detroit or especially Cleveland. I think it’s going to be a long year in Chicago and I wouldn’t be surprised to see manager Ozzie Guillen get more than a few ejections this year, possibly even taking a walk if it gets too hard to bear.

One suggestion for the Chicago front office: It’s time to dump centerfielder Brian Anderson already. He can’t hit, can’t steal bases, only an average fielder with no range to speak of and marginal at everything else. He adds nothing to the team they couldn’t get from a player out of Triple A. Move either Quentin or Dye into center and sign Adam Dunn, inserting him into either left or right field. People knock Dunn for his play all the time but it’s as average (or better) than over half of the 700+ players who played outfield in the majors last season. Dunn would also be a long term solution for DH when Thome hangs it up – which ought to be by the end of this season or next.

Minnesota: Woulda’, Shoulda’, Coulda’!

When the 2008 season began Minnesota was projected by most analysts to finish dead last in the AL Central and be one of the least competitive teams in the majors. As we all know the Twins missed the playoffs by one game last season and, most impressively, they did it with a lineup where most of the players were no older than 28 and often no one with more than four years of MLB experience. Without a doubt they have the nucleus of a great team, having built from within the organization and trading quality and getting quality in return. So a quiet offseason isn’t such a bad thing. But from the moment their offseason began they have been rumored to be interested in every third baseman on the market, and yet nothing has happened. Same thing with their well publicized search for bullpen help.

Currently the media reports are linking the team with former Arizona closer Brandon Lyon and Eric Gagne, lately with Milwaukee. Lyon sparkled as the D-backs setup man in 2006 & 2007 before struggling as the team’s closer last season. I’m definitely intrigued by him joining the Twins and giving assistance in the setup role to Matt Guerrier who was severely overworked last year. Gagne I’m much less thrilled by and I hope the Twins take a pass on him. He’s flopped for the past three plus seasons since returning from Tommy John surgery and he simply isn’t worth the risk. Also,we don’t necessarily need either of them as current Twins lefthanders Craig Breslow & Jose Mijares have proven quite capable and ready to help with setup; Breslow was a waiver wire addition and Mijares came up from the minors. Each of them were a welcome surprise to the Twins bullpen that up to that point had been mostly abysmal.

The starting rotation hasn’t looked this great in years. Ace lefthander Francisco Liriano, who will come back for a full season, and rising star Scott Baker anchor the pitching staff that also includes Kevin Slowey, Nick Blackburn and Glen Perkins. Slowey & Perkins are each entering just their third big league season and Blackburn is entering only his second. That may seem to some like an awfully young cast but these youngsters all performed outstanding and I don’t see any reason for one of them to under perform in 2009. Boof Bonser, who lost his spot in the rotation, reportedly doesn’t enjoy being part of the bullpen and that’s unfortunate. He might have developed into a very reliable relief specialist. Philip Humber, acquired in the Johan Santana trade, is out of options and with no openings available in the starting rotation he could become the Twins long relief man. The team will most likely determine each of their futures during spring training camp.

All-stars first baseman Justin Morneau and catcher Joe Mauer return to lead the Twins offensively.  Minnesota has been successful playing small ball, but they could definitely use some additional power in the 5, 6 & 7 spots to help them score a few more easy runs. Every sports publication and website have targeted third base as the most obvious place to add a few home runs and it’s easy to see why. The team used five players at the position in 2008 and got a mere six homers out of all of them. Brendan Harris and Brian Buscher finished the season in a platoon at the spot and I would be comfortable with the Twins entering the season with the same projection. Buscher established the fact that he can hit the ball and Harris is an above average fielder with the necessary range and fits in well with the Twins small ball approach. As I mentioned in an earlier entry on this blog Buscher does need to improve his fielding dramatically if he is to get regular playing time at third. If he doesn’t I think the team would have no choice but to go to their fallback option in the farm system which would be Matt Macri.

Alexi Casilla and Nick Punto return at second base and shortstop respectively to anchor the Twins infield. Casilla showed he can hit in his first full season but he also needs to get better defensively – he was terrible at times last year. Punto is absolutely unparalleled at defense but his hitting has become seriously suspect. He serves the team better as an infield reserve defensive specialist and occasional centerfielder. But until touted prospect Matt Tolbert proves ready to become the everyday shortstop we can expect to see Punto there daily.

With the late season addition of Denard Span, Minnesota now has a bit of logjam – four outfielders that they could use everyday. Delmon Young, acquired in a trade with Tampa Bay, Carlos Gomez, acquired in the Santana trade with the Mets, and, Twins defensive star, rightfielder Michael Cuddyer all figure to be starters when the season opens.  Jason Kubel currently is slotted as the team’s DH and placed into left or right field only on occasion so he doesn’t figure into that equation. The outfield situation is much like the starting rotation in that it has no real weak link – although there are many calling for the ouster of Young due to his error proneness. Young, though, recovered from his early season woes and did a turnaround that was simply amazing after the All-Star break. And the outfield and the starting pitching has depth in the minors making one of the current Twins trade-bait to add a third baseman or possibly some relief help. But at this point a trade by the Twins front office is only an extremely remote possibility and all of the current players will very likely stay. Instead I look for the Twins to be keeping an eye on the players released by other teams during spring training or those jettisoned as camp breaks and get someone then.

With both Cleveland and Detroit ready to rebound with fantastic seasons it will be very, very difficult for Minnesota to win the division – especially without the power needed from the 5, 6 and 7 spots in the batting lineup. If Young, Cuddyer and Kubel can each hit 20+ home runs in those spots then they will have the run production necessary to compete with strong batting lineups from both Cleveland & Detroit. Even without that though they’ll still be in the thick of the division race come September because no MLB team can play small ball as well as the Twins. But honestly, at least ‘on paper’, they’re just not any better now than they were at the end of 2008.

Detroit: Don’t expect another flop performance

After an embarrassing total collapse last season Detroit returns with a slightly different look but many of the same players. Catcher Gerald Laird was acquired from Texas in a trade a short while ago to take over the backstop duties with Ivan Rodriguez having been traded at the deadline last year to the Yankees. Adam Everett, who hobbled through his own lost season with Minnesota in 2008, was signed as a free agent to be a stop-gap at shortstop while the club gives top prospect Cale Iorg some additional time at Triple A. GM Dave Dombrowski was successful in signing a 26-y.o. pitcher from Taiwan who is very promising but will begin the year at their Lakeland minor league facility until he reaches major league projections. The biggest, and most curious, move of the off-season was the trading of terrific young outfielder Matt Joyce to the Tampa Bay Rays for starting pitcher Edwin Jackson. During the past two years the Tigers front office has traded away top prospects in pitcher Jair Jurrjens and outfielder Cameron Maybin and now the very promising Joyce. After looking at the minors via the web as well as reading my issues of Baseball America, in my opinion that leaves them very thin at the minors in development of position players ready for the majors. Jackson had remarkable success last season and figures to continue to be a successful starter in the AL Central facing the semi-potent offensive lineups of teams in Minnesota, Chicago and to a lesser extent Kansas City. In short it’s a trade I probably wouldn’t have made.

While we’re talking about pitching don’t expect Justin Verlander to flounder again in 2009 as he did last year or for Jeremy Bonderman to continue to suffer setbacks because of past injuries.  I look for each of them to have respectable ‘comeback’ type seasons after struggling through 2008. Rookie Armando Galarraga was a real surprise becoming the team’s most consistent starter and he should be even more prosperous this season. But definitely don’t expect Dontrelle Willis to return to any kind of the form he resembled in his earlier days as a Florida Marlin. He simply hasn’t shown any flashes of that brilliance in over two years now and it doesn’t appear imminent either. Verlander, Bonderman, Jackson and Galarraga will form an impressive staff but either Willis or fellow lefty Nate Robertson need to step up and show they can be consistent in the fifth spot. And actually I would not be surprised to see either of them – or possibly both – moved before the end of spring training via trade(s) or out right released.

Where the Tigers really need help though is the bullpen and in particular the role of the closer. They have let every viable candidate on the free agent market get away from them – likely due to payroll constraints after taking on offensive powerhouse Miguel Cabrera last season. But Detroit has produced some very good major league capable pitchers in their minor league system lately and chances are good they can find someone at that level to work into that role while they let Fernando Rodney & Joel Zumaya share the responsibility. It’s possible they may be fortunate to pick someone up off the scrap heap when players begin being released prior to the end of spring training.

Cabrera leads the impressive lineup with outfielders Curtis Granderson, Carlos Guillén and Magglio Ordóñez and second baseman Placido Polanco all providing offensive weaponry. Moving Brandon Inge back to third base, shuffling Cabrera across the diamond over to first and sending Guillén out to leftfield was a complete necessity and has worked to help improve the team both defensively and offensively. Inge is capable of hitting 20 or homers in a full season as he has proved in the recent past and super-sub Marcus Thames will add his usual 25+ too. No doubt Detroit has the personnel to contend and they very likely will challenge Cleveland for the title.

One suggestion to the Tigers front office: release current DH Gary Sheffield and sign Garrett Anderson. Sheffield is an absolute offensive black hole at this point and a disaster waiting to happen in the field at any position. Anderson is still a threat and could easily become the everyday DH. He would also make sense as the fourth outfielder and first bat off the bench…though Thames currently fills that role admirably. Yeah…release Sheffield. That’s really the weakest link on this strong Tigers squad for 2009.

Cleveland: Reloaded and ready to reboot for ‘09

The Indians have been very active in the offseason, making two significant additions, positioning themselves as the team to beat in the AL Central in 2009. Their outstanding offensive lineup returns with standouts centerfielder Grady Sizemore, DH Travis Hafner and catcher Victor Martinez as well as 2008 newcomer Ben Francisco in leftfield and returning rightfielder Shin-Soo Choo.  If you think Hafner will be slow to get going offensively don’t count on it. I consider it a lock that both he and Martinez will be back to form before too long into April. Martinez though very likely won’t be able to push last season’s injury replacement Kelly Shoppach out from behind the plate. Shoppach excelled last season when given the chance to become the everyday catcher hitting 21 homers, driving in 55 runs and finished with a very respectable .354 OBP. He is also superior defensively to Martinez making it even more difficult to foresee him back behind the plate. My guess is that Martinez will probably get more starts at first base but displacing incumbent Ryan Garko (.273, 14 HRs, 90 RBIs) may be just as difficult. It will be interesting to see how this minor dilemma gets resolved. The one question mark I see on the Indians roster so far is who plays second base. In-house candidates include Jamey Carroll & Josh Barfield; Andy Marte would be a longshot to get the nod at the position after proving unsteady both offensively and defensively in 2008.

After failing to put the Chicago Cubs curse to rest former Cubs’ teammates Mark De Rosa & Kerry Wood join the Indians, where they will be able to help the Tribe undo their curse (Cleveland hasn’t won the World Series since 1948). The two of them solve the two biggest priorities Cleveland GM Mark Shapiro had in the offseason.

Wood solves the ninth-inning issue that sunk them faster last year than the injuries to offensive stalwarts Hafner & Martinez did. De Rosa, I imagine, will be the third baseman they have needed after trading Casey Blake to the Dodgers at the trade deadline last season.  Third base emerged as the team’s biggest problem when the team dealt Blake and then top prospect Marte flopped. Wood does immediately provide the Tribe with a closer and hopefully helps clear up the rest of the bullpen’s shortcomings. Carrying over from last season are a handful of their failed closers and setup men who I think should work out much better in the short or long relief roles they were always best suited for. The bright spots are second year man Jensen Lewis, who became the team’s most effective closer by season’s end, and the recently acquired Joe Smith (three way trade with the Mets & Mariners). Either are likely to become the setup man and each of them are quite capable of assuming that role.

The starting rotation is only a little shakier. Cliff Lee returns after winning the 2008 Cy Young but I don’t expect him to come close to repeating last year’s amazing performance. Fausto Carmona returns also and he did appear to be returning to his top form after coming back from surgery and I don’t think there’s any reason to believe he won’t continue excelling. The rest remain unproven: Anthony Reyes, Jeremy Sowers, Scott Lewis and just signed free agent Carl Pavano. At $1.5M Pavano was a risk worth taking for them even if he does bomb. Whether or not Jake Westbrook plays this season is still unknown; probably not until late in 2009 after rehabbing from Tommy John surgery (last June) would be my guess right now.

Still, even with a rotation and bullpen that each have a questionable supporting cast, I don’t think the Indians will suffer any for it. Their batting lineup will provide them with all the offensive power they will need to overwhelm anyone and they are solid defensively as well, though shortstop Jhonny Peralta continues to suffer periodic problems with range at the position. Providing that second base doesn’t become an issue either offensively or defensively I look for Cleveland to be a serious contender in 2009. One suggestion to the Indians front office: move (at least temporarily try) Garko to third, De Rosa to second and Martinez to first in an effort to keep all of their bats in the lineup.

AL Central mostly slow to take shape this winter

Unlike 2008 where the Tigers and White Sox pulled off some spectacular trades the 2009 Hot Stove season has proven to be a generally quiet time for most of the teams in the AL Central…but there have been a few noteworthy additions – and subtractions as well. Let’s recap 2008 as quickly as we can first though.

Last season neither the Twins or the White Sox were figured to be part of the winners circle but it came down to a playoff game where the victor took the division crown home. Before the season began most every baseball beat writer, analyst and fan were not only predicting Detroit to win the AL Central but also christening them World Series champs. Cleveland figured to be the only serious contender with Chicago passing the Twins by for a third place finish and Kansas City in the cellar as usual. Instead Detroit was a bona fide first class flop and Cleveland suffered injuries to key players that had them limping to a .500 finish. The White Sox off-season trade acquisitions of Carlos Quentin (Arizona) and Orlando Cabrera (Los Angeles Angels) and especially the signing of former Cuban professional Alexei Ramírez helped make them competitive keeping up with the overachieving Twins. Kansas City actually stayed out of the cellar by squeaking past Detroit at season’s end. Nobody can say they saw anything like this coming!

I don’t look for a finish resembling anything close to that this year. Cleveland made some key acquisitions to clear up an ugly problem at closer and an unexpected hole at third base and will look to get full seasons from Travis Hafner & Victor Martinez after each of them lost significant amounts of playing time last season. Detroit has improved ever so slightly but will most definitely rebound after a completely unexpected flop. Minnesota has been slow to make any changes or additions to their lineup but return with all their major contributors and will push for the division title. Chicago lost several starters from last year due to trades or free agency and appears to be settling for a rebuilding year. Kansas City just doesn’t do anything to ever make anyone take them too seriously.

For each of the next five days my blog will be dedicated to one of the teams in the AL Central. I’ll publish each entry in the order I predict the teams to finish this season. Yeah, I know it’s a little early but I’m getting anxious for any baseball activity to start and this will help pass that time. Of course I reserve the right to change my mind should one or more of the teams make an earth shattering trade or free agent signing…not there’s much left out there. But I’ll worry about that when the time comes.