MLB Preview: American League Central capsules
Kansas City Royals
2015: 95-67, first place, World Series champions.
Manager: Ned Yost (seventh season).
Hot Spot: Starting Rotation. Edinson Volquez surpassed 200 innings and proved to be a durable, consistent starter last season, but the rest of the rotation is a mixture of underwhelming or unproven quantities. Yordano Ventura has shown the makings of a star but has been inconsistent, while Ian Kennedy is hoping to rebound from a subpar season in San Diego by reuniting with former Yankees pitching coach Dave Eiland. Chris Young is a soft-tossing righty whose workload must be monitored, while Kris Medlen hopes to have a solid full season after a second Tommy John surgery. If things fall apart, heralded prospect Kyle Zimmer is a potential midseason call-up.
Outlook: Sure, the Royals have questions in their rotation. But signing Alex Gordon to a $72 million, four-year deal means nearly their entire lineup from last year’s World Series championship is back. And that means not only balanced production but one of the game’s best defenses, one that made marvelous plays at every turn to beat the New York Mets in five games for the title. Throw in one of the game’s deepest bullpens, anchored by Wade Davis, and folks in Kansas City believe their team can make a run to its third consecutive World Series.
Minnesota Twins
2015: 83-79, second place.
Manager: Paul Molitor (second season).
Hot Spots: Outfield and Bullpen. The Twins have a wealth of young talent in the outfield, with top prospects Max Kepler and Adam Walker rising up the ranks behind Byron Buxton, Eduardo Rosario and Miguel Sano, the burly slugger who will have a tough test in his transition to the tricky corner of Target Field. With Joe Mauer and Trevor Plouffe at the corner infield spots and the significant investment in Park, the Korean import facing his own challenge with the adjustment to major league pitching, the Twins had to find a place for Sano to play. Buxton was overwhelmed at the plate last year and needs to show his skills transcend elite speed. Glen Perkins is back in the closer role after a rough second half, confident he’s in better condition to avoid another late-summer fade and the back and neck problems that contributed to it. Kevin Jepsen was a big boost after arriving in a deadline-day deal. He and Trevor May, who is still considered a long-term starter, will need to lock down the seventh and eighth innings.
Outlook: The Twins were one of baseball’s biggest surprises last year behind their widely respected rookie manager Paul Molitor and a much-deeper rotation that combined for a 4.14 ERA that ranked 16th in the majors. Twins starters were last in 2014, last in 2013 and second-to-last in 2012. The starting five has the potential to be even better in 2016, with a full season from Ervin Santana, who was suspended for the first half of 2015, and an improvement from a slimmed-down Phil Hughes, whose uncanny career statistics have produced solid performances in even-numbered years and not-so-good ones in the odd seasons. The Twins could also use a bounce-back from Mauer, the three-time A.L. batting champ who hasn’t been the same since a concussion in 2013 forced him out from behind the plate. The team’s first postseason appearance in six years is a possibility if young outfielders Buxton, Rosario and Sano take more steps forward and Byung Ho Park’s transition is smooth.
Cleveland Indians
2015: 81-80, third place.
Manager: Terry Francona (fourth season).
Hot Spot: Offense. Too often, the Indians wasted solid pitching performances last season because they didn’t score enough. Cleveland ranked 11th in the A.L. in runs, averaging just more than 4.1 per game, and 13th in homers (141). Both of those statistics must improve and Carlos Santana, the enigmatic switch-hitting slugger, could be the key. Blessed with an incredible eye, Santana was second in the A.L. in walks last season, but the Indians need him to provide more power. He’s capable of hitting 30 or more homers – he’s twice hit 27 in a season – and Terry Francona can move him around in the order. Mike Napoli’s arrival should bolster the middle of the lineup, and Rajai Davis gives the Tribe some added speed at the bottom.
Outlook: Brimming with young talent and one of baseball’s best rotations, the Indians could be the A.L.’s sleeper. They shook off another poor start in 2015 and Francona had them in the playoff hunt until the final week. The Indians appear poised to take the next step. Corey Kluber may have had the best 16-loss season in history last year. He tied for first in the league in complete games, finished second in innings and third in strikeouts. He was doomed by a lineup that scored just 82 runs in his 32 starts, scoring two or fewer 21 times. Michael Brantley worked hard to get back from offseason shoulder surgery and hopes to stay healthy after dealing with a variety of medical issues in ’15. The club made a mistake in not having Francisco Lindor on the 25-man roster from the start last season, but he’s implanted on the left side of the infield and is on the verge of stardom. Yan Gomes is one of the league’s most overlooked players and could have a huge year. If the Indians hit, and that’s a big IF, they will challenge for a wild-card spot.
Chicago White Sox
2015: 76-86, fourth place.
Manager: Robin Ventura (fifth season).
Hot Spots: Locker Room and Front Office. The biggest concern coming out of spring training is a divide in the clubhouse as well as between some players and management in the wake of Adam LaRoche retiring after being told by executive Ken Williams to cut back on his 14-year-old son’s access around the team. Chris Sale and Adam Eaton were among the players publicly backing LaRoche, with Sale even saying Williams lied to the team.
Outlook: The White Sox were enjoying a rather quiet offseason before the big blowup. They were hoping LaRoche would bounce back after struggling in a big way last season – his first in Chicago. They were banking on more consistency from some of the other players whose arrival a year ago sparked high expectations, such as Melky Cabrera and Dave Robertson. And they were confident that Todd Frazier’s arrival would fill a big hole at third base they had been trying to plug for years. The biggest question now is whether they can put the LaRoche saga behind them. If they do and get the production they expect from certain players, the White Sox believe they can get back to winning after three losing seasons.
Detroit Tigers
2015: 74-87, fifth place.
Manager: Brad Ausmus (third season).
Hot Spot: Starting Rotation. The unit has slipped badly since the Tigers were running Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and David Price out to the mound during the 2014 stretch drive. Verlander pitched better toward the end of last season, providing hope that improved health can help him look more like an ace again. Anibal Sanchez, however, is coming off a season in which he gave up a career-high 29 home runs. The addition of Jordan Zimmermann should help, but the back end of the rotation still raises plenty of questions. Daniel Norris is a top prospect acquired when the Tigers traded Price last season.
Outlook: After four straight division titles, the Tigers dropped to last place in 2015, and their response was an offseason of big spending under new general manager Al Avila. The signings of Justin Upton and Zimmermann gave Detroit two more big names, but the health of players like Miguel Cabrera, Verlander and Victor Martinez will probably be crucial. The Tigers hope this is finally the year when their bullpen can be a strength after they acquired Francisco Rodriguez, Mark Lowe and Justiun Wilson to fill critical roles. Jose Iglesias and J.D. Martinez gave Detroit a much-needed boost last season when a lot of other things went wrong.