AL Central Preview

Predicted Finish:

1. Twins
2. White Sox
3. Tigers
4. Indians
5. Royals

Yes, those are the same standings from 2010. I expect the Twins and White Sox will fight it out as they have for a couple of seasons now, while the Tigers again can't figure out if they are contenders or pretenders. The Indians have some upside if healthy, while the Royals have a system loaded with players who could make a difference starting this season.

1. Twins - Even though I do believe they will come out on top in this division, I always have a few questions. Is Justin Morneau ever going to bounce back from his concussion? Will Joe Nathan be fully recovered from his Tommy John surgery? At the end of the day this team won the division without these two and I see no reason why it will not happen again.

2. White Sox - The White Sox may have a higher ceiling than Minnesota because of its pitching depth. Heck, Jake Peavy is the fifth starter. I do have questions about the bullpen outside of new closer Matt Thornton and the lineup is heavy on power and light on contact. They need more than just Alex Rios to set the table.

3. Tigers - This is a team that feels like the wheels could come off the bus at any time. The rotation is thin beyond Justin Verlander and the lineup does not scare me outside of Victor Martinez and Miguel Cabrera, the latter when he is sober. Austin Jackson may have set the bar too high for himself last year as any numbers guru would tell you he is due to tail off. And Magglio Ordonez is aging and has injury liabilities.

4. Indians - I could easily see the Indians in the cellar if they can't stay healthy and I'm surprised they were ahead of the Royals last year. The emergence of Carlos Santana behind the plate should help, but the lineup has plenty of holes. Jayson Nix is starting at third base? The rotation expects Fausto Carmona to be an ace when he is ideally a No. 3 and most members of the rotation outside of Carmona would not make the roster on good teams.

5. Royals - The last place team traded away its only game changing talent in Zack Greinke in the offseason and the outlook is not good for 2011. Neither the lineup nor the rotation boasts a superstar, so let's just talk about 2012. Remember when the Reds brought up Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Johnnny Cueto and Homer Bailey right around the same time? That is going to be the Royals very soon, with a motherload of talent on its way. Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer could very well be household names in the near future. Wil Myers is a very good catching prospect who can hit well enough to play another position if he has to move. Then there are four or five pitchers who could take over the rotation in a hurry. This is going to be a very fun team to watch in 2012 and beyond.