MLB: One Guaranteed All-Star from Every American League Central Team

As we draw closer to Spring Training there is a bunch of optimism surrounding our favorite teams.

In the American League Central, nobody knows what to expect.

While there are many variables surrounding the teams, one thing is certain: There will be an All-Star from each team headed to Kansas City.

Predicting that this early in the season is no small task. T

ake the Minnesota Twins for example. One year ago, it seemed like Joe Mauer was the only sure All-Star in the Twins lineup. A dozen injuries later, Michael Cuddyer was headed to the All-Star game.

The reality is that we have no idea, and that's what makes picking a lead pipe lock All-Star in February so difficult. Heck, it's baseball in February though, why not give it a try.

Here are some players I guarantee you will see at the 2012 MLB All-Star Game in Kansas City, Missouri.

Kansas City Royals: Eric Hosmer

For the Kansas City Royals, it's like throwing darts to decide who will represent the hometown team.

Barring the Royals getting off to an ungodly fast start, they'll probably only have one All-Star this season.

I believe that the choice for Kansas City Royals All-Star will come down to two candidates.

In one corner, you have youth and an obscene amount of potential, in first baseman Eric Hosmer. On the other hand, you have the veteran presence who has finally emerged in left fielder Alex Gordon.

Gordon had a very good 2011—hitting .303, with 23 home runs and 87 runs batted in. However, I'm not sure he can keep that up. It may not be fair because Gordon battled injury after injury in his first four seasons at the MLB level, but his stats were an unhealthy .244/11/40 before last year.

Then there's Eric Hosmer, who had an impressive 2011 season with .293/19/78 after joining the club in May. There is a possibility here of a sophomore slump, but Hosmer has the reputation so far of being a Royals prospect that's actually worth the hype.

Joakim Soria and maybe Jonathan Sanchez could give him a run for his money, but I think Hosmer beats out Gordon to become the Royals representative in the 2012 MLB All-Star Game.

Chicago White Sox: Paul Konerko

The selection of Paul Konerko as the White Sox representative is mainly because of the change that's been taking place in Chicago.

They've already lost their manager from the past couple of seasons in Ozzie Guillen.

They've also made a bunch of moves to try and become a younger, more competitive team as well. That's why the man who I would nickname "Fountain Coke" is the guy who will be representing the Sox.

Over the past seven seasons with the White Sox, Konerko's average season has been .284/33/98 with the home run and RBI totals ballooning to 37 and 107 respectively, when counting per 162 games.

Simply put, the guy is a good hitter.

There is a possibility that John Danks or Gavin Floyd could step up and take this away from Konerko, but I believe that is highly unlikely.

Cleveland Indians: Chris Perez

I'll go on the record here and say that the Cleveland Indians are going to be an above.500 team this season.

That being said, I think they'll be in a lot of close games too. When a team is winning and finds itself in a lot of close games, the closer gets save opportunities and that puts him in the All-Star Game.

A perfect example of this is with former Twins closer Joe Nathan.

In reality, Nathan should have made the All-Star game every season he was a Twin (sans two years ago when he was out after Tommy John surgery).

However, there were some years where Nathan didn't have a massive amount of saves, so he was left off the team for somebody who had recorded more saves.

That's where I think Chris Perez gets in.

If Perez can record 25-30 saves by the All-Star break, he'll be a lock to go to Kansas City regardless of what his other numbers are. The managers who decide the All-Star rosters love saves, so they'll take the guy with the most.

There are other guys in Cleveland who could make the push, most notably Asdrubal Cabrera, but I don't think any of them are sure-fire picks for the game right now. (What if Cabrera falls off or gets injured again?)

Minnesota Twins: Joe Mauer

I am on the bandwagon again!

Joe Mauer will not only be selected for the 2012 All-Star Game, he will start in the 2012 MLB All-Star Game.

There are two reasons for this.

First, I believe that Joe Mauer is completely healthy after last year's debacle of a season. Sometimes, athletes have to learn how to take care of their body more as they progress during their careers. That may be the reason why Mauer wasn't ready to catch last April.

And let's be honest here, Mauer seriously can't be that stupid to show up to Spring Training not ready to go again.

Secondly, Mauer is also a model of consistency when it comes to his approach at the plate. With Mauer no longer compensating for some of the injuries he had in 2011, he'll be more comfortable and his numbers will go up as a result.

By the way, those numbers don't have to be from his MVP season of 2009. They just have to be regular Joe Mauer numbers of a high average with 7-8 bombs and 40-50 runs batted in.

He's been voted in before, and if he puts up those numbers this season, he'll be voted in again.

Detroit Tigers: Justin Verlander

When it comes to the Detroit Tigers, it's not a question of which player goes to the All-Star game but how many players go to the All-Star game.

Yet, we're looking for the biggest sure thing on the Tigers roster.

Doug Fister could make it to the All-Star game, but only if he builds off of his tremendous second half in 2011.

Prince Fielder should make the All-Star game, but he has to adjust to American League pitching. (It's a weak excuse...but the best I could come up with.)

Miguel Cabrera will be at the All-Star game, but he also has to be solid defensively at third base.

Then there's Jose Valverde who converted every save opportunity thrown at him last year, but you never know what you get in a closer (I know...that makes my pick of Chris Perez more of a head scratcher, but I'm sticking with it.)

What Justin Verlander has is a reputation across baseball as the best pitcher in the game.

Most of the time, that's all you need to punch an annual ticket to the Mid-Summer Classic.

Even if Justin Verlander does not pitch as well as he did in 2011, he'll do enough to sway the managers to put him on their squad.