Early Thoughts: AL Central

A month in the books across baseball, and with some teams defying expectations in a good way - hello Rockies - there are others that have been so unimaginably bad that it's hard to think we liked them so much in the pre-season - hey Angels and Blue Jays. It's always tough to read too much into the first month of a season, but here are my early season thoughts of the AL Central representatives:


Kansas City Royals - 15-10

The Royals made a gutsy (and in my opinion, bad) trade in the off-season when they acquired James Shields and laid down a marker that the new mantra was 'win now'. So far, they have been quietly impressive, despite awful starts from youngsters Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas. They've hit .250 and .176 respectively and have combined for zero home runs and just ten RBI. The two guys billed to be future heart of the order hitters have been nothing but disappointing so far. However, Alex Gordon has continued to impress, hitting .323 with some pop, whilst Alcides Escobar has set out to prove that 2012 was no fluke, stealing five bases to go with the .290 average. Billy Butler and Sal Perez are yet to really heat up, but this line-up has been able to manufacture enough runs to win so far.

The area that needed improvement heading into the season was the rotation, and to the credit of the front office, it has been a lot better so far. James Shields has been exactly what they expected from him; a 3.09 ERA and nearly a strikeout per inning, although the run support hasn't been there for him yet as he is stuck with just one win. Somewhat surprisingly, Ervin Santana has been the pick of the starters, with a 2.00 ERA on his way to three wins. Jeremy Guthrie has also been rock solid, with a 3.06 ERA in 32 innings, whilst Wade Davis has recovered from an early season shocker to be a reliable innings eater. The bullpen suffered a little wobble on the road-trip to Philadelphia, but Greg Holland has settled back into the closer's role, with 6 saves in 7 opportunities, whilst Kelvin Herrera has actually struggled of late. Pint-sized reliever Tim Collins continues to defy the doubts scouts had about his size on his way to a lights-out 1.00 ERA at a K per inning as he keeps all left-handed bats quiet.


Detroit Tigers - 15-11

Coming into the year, the consensus AL Central pick was the Detroit Tigers. Partly because they're an excellent team, and partly because the AL Central is the worst division in baseball. So far, the Tigers have profited from the latter, as their 15 wins has kept them near the top of the division. That's not to say that they've played badly of course, with reigning AL MVP Miguel Cabrera hitting .367 with a .442 OBP and veteran Torii Hunter continues to rake with a .375 average through the first month (partly fuelled by a mind-blowing .442 BABIP since the 2012 all-star break). Prince Fielder has jacked six home runs and leads the team with 19 walks, whilst Austin Jackson continues to cement his spot as one of the best center fielders and lead-off hitters in baseball. This line-up is fearsome.

On the mound, the Tigers have a devastating top four on paper, and this fact was highlighted by Anibal Sanchez's ridiculous 17 strikeout performance against the Braves - he is the fourth starter. Verlander hasn't been vintage, which is kind of ridiculous to say considering he owns a 1.95 ERA. It says a lot of how much we expect of him that I hadn't been impressed with what I had seen. Scherzer continues to be a strikeout machine, although his 4.02 ERA shows how he can be inconsistent at times. Fister has been solid but after a strong spring training showing, Rick Porcello has been awful, with an 8.84 ERA and with Drew Smyly impressing out of the bullpen, it's surely a matter of time until Porcello is replaced. I'd like to see him given a chance on a team that actually has an infield defense, but the once-top prospect has been nothing but disappointing in recent seasons. The bullpen was shaky in early season goings, with Phil Coke, Bruce Rondon and Joaquin Benoit all given chances to seize the role, but ultimately the Tigers decided to stick with the devil they know and acquired Jose Valverde. Valverde's stuff is pretty awful, but he has the much-desired 'proven closer' tag, and will get a fair share of chances on this team.

Minnesota Twins - 12-12

The Twins had several games cancelled in the early season goings thanks to bitterly cold weather in Minnesota. When on the field, the team has been able to scratch together a hand .500 record. Joe Mauer has been the lynchpin at the plate, hitting .287 with a pair of home runs, but the meagre 8 RBI must be cause for concern. Josh Willingham has once again been the main power source, smiting five big flies and his 16 walks lead the team. The line-up is still far from impressive however, as bit-part players like Mastroianni, Parmelee and Plouffe have struggled. Aaron Hicks shocking early showings led to his demotion, whilst rookie Oswaldo Arcia may be one to watch for the future.

The rotation was the main areas of weakness I identified in the pre-season, but after a shaky start it has begun to put together some better showings of late. Kevin Correia has been the ace, with three wins and a 2.23 ERA in 36 innings of work. His low K rate suggests this is likely a lucky start, but the Twins will take all the luck they can get this season. Vance Worley and Mike Pelfrey have both been disastrous so far this season, with a 7.22 and 7.66 ERA respectively. However, the bullpen has been pretty solid, with closer Glen Perkins saving all six opportunities granted to him as well as striking out a hitter per inning. A brief look at the stats suggests this team is outperforming itself, and whilst there are some bright sparks, this rotation just isn't good enough to allow them to contend.

Cleveland Indians - 12-13

The Cleveland Indians made some noise in the pre-season, signing several free agents, but despite a four game winning streak they find themselves with a below-.500 record in fourth place of the AL Central after the first month. The .270 team average is fourth in the AL, and the star performer with the bat has been switch-hitting catcher Carlos Santana, who's .395 average leads the Majors. He's also jacked five home runs and has 13 walks to the 16 strikeouts, so a monster season may be in order for the 26 year old. Ryan Raburn is hitting .364 at the moment, thanks largely to a ridiculous past few days in which he has gone 12-for-14 with four home runs and Michael Bourn was hitting well until he suffered a hand injury sliding into first base (who knew that was a bad idea?).

Unfortunately, for all the promise shown on offense, this team continues to be dire on the mound. Justin Masterson continues to frustrate, as every unhittable outing is followed by a weak one, and his 3.12 ERA may well go up further in the coming weeks. Ubaldo Jimenez is continuing to prove that his days as an effective pitcher are over, with a 7.13 ERA, although Brett Myers has been even worse as his ERA heads north of 8. Despite having nothing to work with, the bullpen has actually been pretty effective. Chris Perez has just a 1.13 ERA, but he has had a laughable four save opportunities. Vinnie Pestano, Joe Smith and Bryan Shaw help form a pretty handy bullpen, and Trevor Bauer has shown promise that is outmatched only by his wildness in his two spot starts in the Majors (13 walks in 10 innings).

Chicago White Sox - 11-15

The bottom-dwellers of the AL Central is the weak hitting White Sox, whose .231 team batting average is second worst in the AL. The sole bright spot on offense has been third baseman Conor Gillaspie, although his 6:18 walk:strikeout rate suggests that regression from his .323 average is due. Adam Dunn has continued to prove that walks, strikeouts and home runs are all you need, as his .141 average is barely even a surprise any more despite the fact he has mashed six home runs. Alex Rios and Alejandro De Aza have shown promise, but both need to provide more to get this offense rolling. Paul Konerko has also been mightily disappointing, hitting just .237.

In direct contrast to the Indians, the White Sox success has largely been due to their rotation. I tend not to watch White Sox games in order to avoid the insufferable Hawk Harrelson, but was able to watch Chris Sale recently, and despite his awkward arm action and subsequent injury risks, he continues to look like a bona fide ace. He got roughed up by the Indians in a recent start, but the 3.83 ERA is by no means disastrous when he is rolling along at a strikeout per inning, although he has thrown 40 innings already in the young season. Jake Peavy leads the starters with a 3.38 ERA and Jose Quintana has been impressive on his way to a 2-0 record. Gavin Floyd's 5.18 ERA is disappointing, but if he can cut down on the walks that number should fall. After being shaky in the closer's role last season, Addison Reed has been fairly untouchable this season so far, with a 1.50 ERA whilst saving 9 saves in as many opportunities. Jesse Crain and Matt Thornton have also been effective out of the 'pen, though Nate Jones has been struggling so far.