AL Central: 5 Pitchers Quietly Putting Together Excellent MLB Seasons

The AL Central has had a few main headlines this season.  First, what has happened to Adam Dunn?  Second, the Cleveland Indians battling for the title?  Third, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau sit and watch as their teammates struggle to keep the Minnesota Twins in the race.  Lastly, the level of mediocrity of the division.

All of these headlines are hiding some of the performances of the division's pitchers.  Quietly, a few have been putting together some nice numbers.  I'm not taking about Justin Verlander.  We all know how good his season is going.

So here it is, my picks for the five pitchers in the AL Central that are quietly putting up nice seasons.

5. Justin Masterson

Every baseball fan heard about the Indians' hot start this year.  Masterson was a key part of that.

In April, Masterson went 5-0 with a 2.18 ERA.  Every game Masterson was on the mound the Indians seemed to win.

However, as the Indians have started to cool off and injuries have exposed the team's lack of depth, Masterson's success has been forgotten.  

He is still putting up monster numbers.  Although he is just 3-7 since April, his ERA for the season remains at 2.57.

Clearly, Masterson is still giving the Indians every chance to win, he just isn't getting the same run support.  However, if Cleveland wants to win the AL Central, Masterson must continue to be the ace of the Indian pitching staff.

Honorable Mention: Chris Perez and Glen Perkins

4. Mark Buehrle

Buehrle has been the ace of the White Sox staff for a decade.  However, this year, the struggles of the Sox bats have overshadowed Buehrle's performance.

Buehrle also started off the season slowly, posting a 2-4 record with a 5.12 ERA in April.  In each month since, Buehrle has posted an ERA of 3.06 or lower.  

This July has been Buehrle's best month of the season.  He is 4-0 with a 1.61 ERA in four July starts.

Buehrle has quietly lowered his season ERA to an impressive 3.22 with an 8-5 record.  Continued success from Buehrle could also be a key to the Sox's chances down the stretch.

3. Sergio Santos

At the beginning of the season, Matt Thornton was the White Sox closer.  Although it wasn't set in stone, the Sox were confident Thornton could do the job.  He was an excellent setup man for Bobby Jenks in previous years.

However, Thornton and the White Sox bullpen struggled in April and May.  Then came savior Sergio Santos to provide stability on an underachieving White Sox team.

In just his second season in the majors, Santos was thrust into the closer role and he's been very successful.  In 41 appearances, Santos has a 3.07 ERA and has converted 20 of his 23 save opportunities.  

Also worth noting, ESPN named Sergio Santos' slider the top out pitch in all of baseball.  It had a "putaway rate" of 47 percent.

The consistency Santos provides in the White Sox bullpen will be key down the stretch, as the Sox try to capture a division title they were predicted to win.

2. Aaron Crow

Aaron Crow has been the one constant out of the Royals bullpen this year.  Joakim Soria, considered to be one of the best closers in the game (coming into this season), has struggled mightily.  Crow has done what he can to pick up the slack.

In 41 appearances this year, Crow is 3-2 with a 1.80 ERA.  He's recorded 48 strikeouts in 50 innings of work and was the Royals' lone All-Star representative this season.  

His performance has been amazing considering this is Crow's rookie season.  Looks like the Royals can expect great things from Aaron Crow.

1. Scott Baker

For years, whenever I watched the Twins, I would hear the TV analysts rave about how much talent Scott Baker has.  I couldn't see it.  All I saw was a guy who left the ball up and out over the plate, which resulted in lots of home runs for Minnesota's opponents.  

Analysts said he was unlucky, stating he had the highest percentage of fly balls that were home runs in baseball.  Again, if you throw it down the middle, the Miguel Cabreras, Paul Konerkos, Carlos Quentins and Travis Hafners of the AL Central will have a feast (but what do I know?).  Finally, Baker has lived up to his potential.  

"Moonshot" Scott is 8-5 with a 2.88 ERA this season.  Many of Baker's losses were early in the season, when the Twins were really struggling.  

Despite all of Minnesota's troubles this year, Baker has remained a constant for the team.  He's provided quality outings all year.  He is spotting his fastball incredibly well and keeping the ball down.  

If the Twins are planning on making a run this year, Baker's pitching will be the key.