AL Central: Midseason Report

As a White Sox fan, you'd probably expect me to start this report off with my first-place team.  Before I do that, however, there's another team in the division I want to touch upon first.

Remember during baseball's Winter Meetings when the Detroit Tigers traded pretty much their entire farm system to the Marlins for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis? 

That's when people thought the Tigers, who were one year removed from a World Series berth, now had the lineup to be considered one of the most feared in the history of the game.

A couple of things went wrong, however.  The team started poorly and was soon in last place in the Central.  Dontrelle Willis pitched so poorly after a stint on the DL that he was sent all the way down to Single-A Lakeland on June 10.  He hasn't even won a game with the big-league club yet.

If you want to talk about a waste of money, take the three-year, $29 million contract extension the Tigers signed Willis to on Dec. 20. It's been quite a drop off from a pitcher who helped lead the Marlins to a World Series title just a few years ago.

Things have improved in the Motor City since then, as the Tigers have moved up to third place and put themselves back in contention.  The offense features one of the top batting averages in the league, and Cabrera has been worth the hype. 

The other top hitters in the lineup are Placido Polanco, Curtis Granderson, and Marcus Thames, who has 17 homers.

Rookie Armando Galarraga has proven to be the best pitcher in the rotation with a 7-3 record and a 3.27 ERA.  Justin Verlander, thought to be the ace of the staff at the beginning of the year, has a less-than-stellar record but has recorded 88 strikeouts.

The rest of the staff however has not done so well, which is why the Tigers rank dead last in the league in strikeouts.

A team ERA in the lower third of all of baseball has been a sure sign that the Tigers have been hurting, especially in the bullpen.  That 'pen will have to be healthy in the second half if the Tigers want to make a playoff run.

The reason the Chicago White Sox are in first place is because of their pitching.  Their ERA ranks second in all of baseball; yet that staff will not be represented in this year's All-Star Game.  The biggest snub has to be sophomore John Danks, whose 2.52 ERA is third in the American League. 

Danks was a question mark at the start of the season, as was Gavin Floyd, who boasts a 10-5 record and a 3.63 ERA.  Mark Buehrle struggled at first, but has brought his ERA down to 3.68.  Javier Vazquez has gotten the job done in the strikeout category with 117.  Without question, this rotation is stellar from top to bottom.

The traditionally homer-happy White Sox are clubbing the ball out of the park again this year. Their 125 dingers are the most in the American League.

The surprise of the offense is undoubtedly Carlos Quentin, who was acquired in an offseason trade with Arizona.  Quentin's 21 homers and 66 RBIs have earned him a trip to New York for his first All-Star Game. 

Just as deserving of an All-Star spot is Jermaine Dye, who lost out in the final vote.  If a .297 average, 20 homers, and 53 RBIs are not enough to get someone into the game, then the whole system is flawed.

Jim Thome and Joe Crede have also led the way for the Pale Hose by hitting 'em out of the park.  There's no reason this team can't be considered legitimate.

Nipping at the heels of the White Sox, however, are the Minnesota Twins.  One might think the losses of Johan Santana and Torii Hunter would hurt this team.  Not quite.

The M&M duo of Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer have respective batting averages of .324 and .323.  Morneau has also chipped in with 68 RBIs.  Young outfielder Carlos Gomez, acquired in the Santana deal, has stolen 21 bases. 

The Twins as a whole have batted .279 and driven in 436 runs, third-best in the AL in both categories.  They've also hit the fewest home runs on the junior circuit with 63, but that doesn't seem to be a problem for this team.

Nick Blackburn has a 7-4 record and a 3.72 ERA.  Livan Hernandez has the most wins in the rotation with nine.  The pitching staff may not be the best, but Joe Nathan has 26 saves.

To stay in the race for the Central, the Twins will need more stellar pitching and have to feed off the hot-hitting duo of Morneau and Mauer.

The Kansas City Royals are on their way to another disappointing finish, but they can still avoid the cellar, which they have kept warm over the last few years.  Here are a few reasons why.

Mark Grudzielanek and David DeJesus are both hitting over .305.  That's helped the Royals as a team hit for the eighth-best average in the league.

Brian Bannister and Zach Greinke both have seven wins on the year, with Greinke pushing 104 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.48.  Joakim Soria is one of the top closers in the game with 25 saves and a 1.50 ERA.

Of course, there are the reasons they might finish in last once again.  They are next-to-last in the AL in RBIs, on-base percentage, and team ERA.  They're not ready to compete in the division just yet, but there is still cause for hope for the future in Kansas City.

Honestly, has there been a bigger disappointment in all of baseball this year than the Cleveland Indians?  Sure, Grady Sizemore continues to be the best young outfielder in the game, and Cliff Lee has put up numbers that should make him the starter for the American League in this year's All-Star Game.

Overall however, the Indians have been a downright disappointment.  Picked by many as the team to challenge the Tigers for the AL Central crown, they have instead fallen off the map and into last in their division. 

The trade of C.C. Sabathia signaled that they were throwing in the towel for the 2008 season.  After winning the first game of a series against state rival Cincinnati, they lost the next two and then got swept by the top three teams in the Central to complete a 10-game losing streak and a dive into the cellar.

One could make the argument that the Tribe has been hampered by injuries all year.  They definitely have a case there.

Jake Westbrook is out for the year and Victor Martinez and Josh Barfield are on the DL for quite a period of time.  They also just released closer Joe Borowski after having a disappointing season.  Borowski's struggles are likely the reason the Indians have the fewest saves in the American League.

There's little doubt in my mind that people in Ohio are calling it quits on this season and have turned talk to the Buckeyes and Browns.

Prediction:  The White Sox and Twins will battle it out all the way to the last week of the season, during which Chicago's pitching staff will prove itself superior to Minnesota's and give their team the AL Central crown.

On Deck:  AL West