1st. Detroit Tigers - Key Addition- Prince Fielder. Key Loss- Victor Martinez—The Tigers were the team to beat in the AL Central before Victor Martinez went down for the year with a torn ACL. How did they respond to such a devastating loss? They went out and gave Prince Fielder all the money they could offer him. Any team with a heart of the order consisting of Fielder, Miguel Cabrera, who will move to third base this year, and the resurgent Delmon Young will be a team to be reckoned with. Center fielder Austin Jackson will look to continue to be a sparkplug for the both the offense and defense. This all sounds like a very good team; then you remember the Tigers pitching staff. Reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander was flat out untouchable last year. With a record of 24-5, a 2.40 ERA, 250 K’s, a 0.92 WHIP, a .192 opponents’ batting average and a no-hitter to boot, you could argue that Verlander had one of the most dominant seasons by a pitcher in the modern era. The Tigers ace is not alone, however. Doug Fister came over from the Mariners at last year’s trade deadline and did more than anyone could have imagined. With Detroit, Fister posted an 8-1 record, with a 1.79 ERA and absurd 0.84 WHIP. The rotation also includes Max Scherzer and youngster Rick Porcello, who have both been improving with each year. The Tigers will most likely look to 20-year old Jacob Turner to fill out the rotation. The kid is two months younger than I am. This is depressing. Anyway, the Tigers are set at the end of games with the fiery Jose Valverde, who recorded 49 saves in as many chances last year. Alex Avila will handle this pitching staff and also look to put up phenomenal offensive numbers once again, proving that he is one of the best young catchers in all of baseball. Projected: 101-61
2nd. Cleveland Indians - Key Addition- Casey Kotchman. Key Loss- None—The Indians came roaring out of the gate last season surprising everyone. Although they finished below .500, they still finished second in the diminished AL Central. If the Indians can stay healthy this year, they could surprise some people once again. Travis Hafner, Grady Sizemore, and Shin-Soo Choo will aim to rebound from injuries and have dominant seasons like they have in the past. After a cup of coffee late last season, second baseman Jason Kipnis is here to stay, and will be very good. Asdrubal Cabrera will look to build upon a tremendous 2011 season. Carlos Santana will aim to improve upon a solid 2011 campaign, as well, as he most likely moves back behind the dish with the addition of Casey Kotchman at first base. Starter Ubaldo Jimenez begins his first full year in Cleveland and likely won’t have the 2010 season he had in pitcher-friendly Colorado, but needs to have a solid year as the Tribe’s ace. Justin Masterson also had a very respectable 2011 season and will have to improve if the Indians want to push the Tigers for the AL Central title. With the question marks surrounding the return of Fausto Carmona, or Roberto Hernandez as it was discovered he actually is, the Indians went out and signed veteran starter Jon Garland to a minor-league incentive-laden contract. Don’t be surprised if he makes a good number of starts at the back of the Indians rotation with another veteran newcomer in Derek Lowe. Projected: 84-78
3rd. Kansas City Royals Addition- Key Addition-Jonathan Sanchez. Key Loss- Melky Cabrera—The Kansas City Royals may be the most exciting team in baseball to watch in 2012. This team is loaded with young talent, held back only by lack of experience. Alex Gordon finally tapped into his heralded potential and had a greatly overlooked season last year, hitting .303 with 23 home runs and 87 RBI. Eric Hosmer also had a phenomenal rookie campaign in 2011, as he hit .293 with 19 homers and 78 RBI. Johnny Giavotella will likely start the season at second base for the Royals, and big things are expected by the former second-round pick. Much is also expected of third baseman and former second overall draft pick Mike Moustakas, who can rake. However, the name you’ll want to remember is Salvador Perez, the likely starting catcher in 2012. At 21 years old, the sky is the limit for this Venezuelan future phenom. Offensively, this team looks like it could do some damage. The back end of the bullpen is also pretty stacked, as the Royals signed Jonathan Broxton to set up closer Joakim Soria, whose option they picked up after a subpar 2011. However, the questions arise when looking at the rotation. Will this year be the year Luke Hochevar gets that elusive winning season? Can Bruce Chen replicate the best season of his career he had last year? Can new addition Jonathan Sanchez bounce back from a subpar 2011 and adjust to his move to the American League? The answers to these questions will be indicative of how far this team can go in 2012. The offense is primed to break out, the bullpen will step up, but it will come down to if the starters can hold their own. Projected: 83-79
4th. Minnesota Twins - Key Addition- Josh Willingham. Key Loss- Michael Cuddyer—Minnesota is looking to rebound from a dismal, injury-ridden 2011 campaign. Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau were hampered by injuries all year, which had a huge effect on the Twins 63 wins last year, worst since 1999 when they won the same amount. Mauer played in only 82 games, while Morneau played in only 69 and hit .227 with four home runs. Although it’s stating the obvious, the health of these two guys is crucial to the Twins success this year. Aside from Mauer and Morneau, the rest of the Twins position players are relatively young, but have a good amount of experience. Denard Span will look to rebound from last year when he played in only 70 games. Ben Revere is also a rising talent in the outfield. The question with this team will be the starting rotation. Any team with Carl Pavano as its probable ace isn’t in great shape heading into the season. Francisco Liriano shows flashes of brilliance, but they are often far and few between. The bullpen will also be a huge question mark, with Matt Caps only converting 15 of 24 save opportunities in 2011. However, I refuse to count out a team with a healthy Mauer and Morneau. Projected: 81-81
5th. Chicago White Sox - Key Addition- Kosuke Fukudome. Key Loss- Mark Buehrle—Ah, the poor White Sox. Not only did they lose Mr. Reliable in lifelong ChiSox Mark Buehrle, they also lost Juan Pierre, who had a surprisingly good 2011, the slugging Carlos Quentin, and most importantly, their feisty manager Ozzie Guillen. They also signed Robin Ventura to become their next manager, which is a bit questionable. Paul Konerko is coming off one of the better years of his illustrious career, but one wonders if he can duplicate the numbers from his past two seasons; he just turned 36. Alexei Ramirez will look to continue improving and anchor the Sox infield at shortstop. The White Sox could actually have a pretty solid rotation this year. John Danks isn’t quite an ace, but has good stuff. Jake Peavy, on the other hand, was an ace once upon a time but hasn’t been the same since his freak injury he suffered when in San Diego. Perhaps Peavy will finally be able to return to his old form, likely not 2007 form, but it is possible he could become somewhat dominant again. The ChiSox also have Gavin Floyd, who had to have led the league in no-hitters taken into fifth inning last year, if such a stat existed. Seriously, if that stat becomes available without weeks of research I want to know those results. The most interesting player will be young southpaw Chris Sale, who moves from the ‘pen to the rotation this year. Sale throws gas and relies heavily on a nasty slider that lefty hitters have nightmares about. If he is able to make the transition with relative ease, Sale could be a big story for the White Sox in 2012. Philip Humber, who flirted with a no-no of his own against the Yankees early last year, finally posted some decent numbers in 2011. A former first round pick and highly-touted prospect of the Mets, Humber is on his fourth team and has a chance to build upon last year and turn his career around. And for the record, the bullpen looks to be atrocious. Did I go this whole write-up without mentioning Adam Dunn hit .159 with 11 home runs and 177 strikeouts last year? I did until now. Overall, the White Sox have too many holes to contend in 2012. Sorry, Chi-Town. Go Bulls? Projected: 75-87