Phillies Nation

12 Responses to “American League Central Preview”

1. The Original Chuck P Says:
   March 11th, 2010 at 9:32 am

   It’s a two horse race, for sure… I don’t know if either team (Sox or Twinkies) wins 90 games but I guess they could because the division is so terrible. In the end, I really like the White Sox… a healthy Carlos Quentin will make a huge difference but I think that the experience of losing a close race in 2009 will really help the maturity of a couple of really nice young players (Ramirez, Beckham, Flowers) plus the addition of guys like Pierre and Rios… they could be dangerous. Their rotation (Peavy, Buerhle, Floyd, Danks, Garcia) is good enough in that division… come playoff time, they’ll need to evaluate whether they’ve got enough but they’ll be fine heading into regular season.

   The Indians will be atrocious… the Royals could be marginally better this year but they lack star power in their lineup (a lot of “nice” players but no one capable of carrying them).

2. Don M Says:
   March 11th, 2010 at 10:02 am

   From what I read so far.. they are projecting TARGET FIELD to be something more of hitter’s park..

   On paper, you have to love the Twins as the beast in that division..

   Mauer and Morneau.. with the additions of Jim Thome and Orlando Hudson

   …
   White Sox had down years from Gavin Floyd and John Danks last year..
   with a rotation of those guys your #3 and #4 behind Mark Buerhle, and Jake Peavy.. they could be tough

3. Manny Says:
   March 11th, 2010 at 10:10 am

   Had Joe Nathan not been sidelined with a “significant tear” in his elbow, I would say the Twins would easily win this division… but those few saves they will miss with Nathan out/ineffective may be the difference-maker in the end.

   Plus, the White Sox have yet to see what Peavy and Alex Rios could be bring.. it could be a tight race, with the Tigers also in the mix.

4. matt Says:
   March 11th, 2010 at 10:28 am

   Isn’t this supposed to be a Phillies blog? I know you want to change things up sometimes. But the the A.L. Central? Really?

5. The Original Chuck P Says:
   March 11th, 2010 at 10:35 am

   The Tigers will be good… I kind of write them off because they weren’t able to do anything with better teams so I can’t say with any confidence that they’ll be able to do anything with a less potent offense… that offense never lived up to expectations. Verlander/Porcello/Scherzer is nice. Gotta seal the deal…

   Nothing on the site about yesterday’s ST game; Hamels did pretty well. Drabek pitched against the Phils for the Jays. Mayberry and Dobbs had strong performances. Ransom hit a solo homerun… although he hasn’t hit well in ST, he could find a roster spot if he continues to work hard (very athletic and versatile). Polanco reached base four times (2H and 2BB).

6. Chuck Says:
   March 11th, 2010 at 10:59 am

   matt….

   Relax…We’re talking about BASEBALL here. It’s not as if this has turned into “PoliticalNation”

   —–

   Tigers may surprise. Twins look really good, although the loss of Nathan may hurt. White Sox are interesting, too.

7. Manny Says:
   March 11th, 2010 at 11:19 am

   What’s the deal with Juan Castro? I’m kinda surprised he’s not getting any more ABs.. (6 only) ..guys like Bocock, Valdez, Wise, and Galvis all have more at-bats than the guy who’s actually supposed to make the 25-man roster…..

8. Manny Says:
   March 11th, 2010 at 11:22 am

   And you gotta give credit where it’s due –even though these are only ST games—: JC Ramirez pitched 3 innings yesterday, 3 Ks, no runs, no walks.

   Mayberry is having a great spring….

9. Chuck Says:
   March 11th, 2010 at 11:38 am

   Ramirez was that “just has to be included in the deal” guy. See….maybe Ruben and Co. actually know what they’re doing.guys like

   The only thing I can think of with guys like Bocock, etc…is that they want to see just what they have with these guys….and how to place them in them in the system….I’m sure Castro gets more playing time as the Spring wears on.

   Good for Mayberry….I won’t be convinced until I actually see him have PROLONGED success at the big-league level.

10. Paul Boye Says:
    March 11th, 2010 at 12:33 pm

    Don’t forget about the inclusion of J.J. Hardy. Guy was a solid player for Milwaukee before last season’s slump. He’ll be a nice addition for the Twins.

11. matt Says:
    March 12th, 2010 at 3:48 am

    I’m aware it’s baseball. I come here for Phillies related news not what the Twins will do this season. I go elsewhere for the rest of the league.

12. Patrick Kane Says:
    March 16th, 2010 at 11:48 am

    As a SOX fan,

    I’m skeptical of their performance. Quentin and Rios have to show up with good solid bats. Also their defense is revamped with the addition of Mark Teahan which moves Gordon Beckham to second, and Omar Vizquel basically perfecting Alexi Ramirez @ the SS position. The Bullpen to me is a ?, but starting rotation has to be key 1-5. The Twins are always gonna be good but, if Thome is gonna hit .246 like he has for the White Sox since 2007, the won’t make a huge impact for that team. Their bullpen is always solid, and Detroit is a ? as well to me because, they have the talent but I don’t think they push themselves. I expect the Royals to make some ‘noise’ but not alot. Cleveland, why bother.

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