MLB Prewiew 2018 - AL CENTRAL
10 DAYS FOR THE OPENING DAY
10 days left until the start of the #OpeningDay I leave you the preview of the East Division of the American League
CHICAGO WHITE SOX
The White Sox have lost in recent months Chris Sale, Jose Quintana, Todd Frazier, Melky Cabrera, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle; and it is the time for all the young material obtained in exchange for these elements.
The basis of this reconstruction in the "The Windy City" without a doubt is José Abreu. The Cuban has averaged 31 homers and 103 RBI in his first four seasons in the majors, and with the arrival of Yoan Moncada and Tim Anderson, as well as the revelation of Avisail Garcia, are the basis of the offensive in the future in the team of Rick Renteria.
The problem will continue to be the pitching, where after the departure of his two best pitchers, likely trying to form a decent rotation. Carlos Rodon, Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo López, James Shields... a series of names accompanied by a large question mark but you definitely have to do something, if they want to make valid the prognosis to be protagonists for the 2020.
CLEVELAND INDIANS
In an era in which the problem of the majority of the teams with a view at the start of the season is the pitching, the Cleveland Indians can boast of being very well protected in that regard.
The launchers of the tribe were the best collective effectiveness in the last year, both openers as relievers, a situation that will not change too much in this new calendar, since the staff of pitchers of Terry Francona remains almost intact, especially the openers, as in the bullpen sure will be surprised to Joe Smith, but more than anything else to Bryan Shaw, who has been instrumental in the success of the team in recent seasons.
Corey Klüber, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer, Danny Salazar and Mike Clevinger make up the is without doubt the best rotation of the American League and his manager know perfectly how to dose their work to arrive at the final straight and the postseason,A situation that Francona will have to take special care in the case of Kluber, which last October definitely was no longer the same launcher, lost effectiveness and there was the difference as the tribe will not list in the Fall Classic.
The Indians lost to Carlos Santana and hoped that Yonder Alonso to fill the vacancy of the inicialista Dominican, especially after the extraordinary Cuban season last year, the best offensively speaking in his career.For anything and at the last minute, offered him a minor league contract with the veteran Mike Napoli.
The other positions of the infield are perfectly covered. Francisco Lindor is one of the best SS in the majors, José Ramírez, third in the MVP voting last year as well as you can cover the middle or the anteroom, the youth of Yandy Diaz and Giovanny Urshela will also be deployed in the hot corner and as if that were not enough, there is also Jason Kipnis as a waiter.
Terry Francona will have the task of delineating its gardens, where you can also have too many options of high quality despite the departure of Jay Bruce. Michael Brantley will try to recover from operation on his ankle and finally have a full campaign, Lonnie Chisenhall wanting to leave discomfort in the calf that led to a bad second half in 2017, Brandon Guyer that struggled with the doll, but in addition, there are Bradley Zimmer, Abraham Almonte, Tyler Naquin and Melvin Upton.
DETROIT TIGERS
In the middle of the season 2017, the most important players left Detroit, an exodus which included Justin Verlander, J. D. Martínez, Justin Upton and Justin Wilson, who joined Ian Kinsler once had already finished the season.
The only survivors with heavy contracts on the team, Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez, remain with the organization, but wrapped in rumors, for the same new policies of the leaders in relation to lower costs on the payroll.
If the Venezuelan V-Mart leaves behind their health problems, and I hope that it will be maintained as the designated hitter, and that alignment would accompany the Cuban Leonys Martin and Joseph Churches (in his last year of contract), the venezuelan also Dixon Machado,That seems to be the number one candidate to stay with the post left by Kinsler in 2B, Jeimer Candelario and of course Miguel Cabrera, which comes from the worst year of his career in terms of numbers, in a season with injuries that surely would have been only an exception, in that it will be back left behind the physical problems.
Ron Gardenhire enters the respite as helmsman by Brad Ausmus. The new leader demonstrated in 13 years in Minnesota, which has the capacity to carry away to low-budget teams. With the twins, got 6 titles in that period and is now before another one of those challenges that sit well.
Two years after he was Rookie of the Year in the American League, Michael Fulmer will now have to bear the responsibility of leading the rotation of the team. The output of Justin Verlander to Houston last year, has left a staff of openers with many questions and that will surely be the main problem to be solved by Gardenhire in his first season at the front of the team.
KANSAS CITY ROYALS
Today, Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain and those heroic members of the bullpen, are part of the story, and have "rescued" Mike Moustakas at the last minute, is seen as a great achievement on the part of the general manager. The pillars of that group that came to two consecutive World Series have gone, and it looks extremely complicated that can lift a competitive version in so short a time.
Although the hopes of ball in october are very distant, what is certain is that the real will have a multicultural and representing various nations, which can be fun. The Venezuelans Salvador Perez and Alcides Escobar are two of the survivors of those teams, and two of the most important in the current version of Kansas City. The Dominican Raul Mondesi Jr. now seen as it's time to realize all that has been expected for some calendars, because you will get more opportunities than ever before, the same as his countryman Jorge Bonifacio. The Cuban Jorge Soler, the Brazilian Paulo Orlando and the Nicaraguan Cheslor Cuthbert, complete a ninth in the field and on the offensive, could give good things to talk about in this process of reconstruction.
The problem will be on the hill, where the bad decisions of the management weighed both in the field and in the bank account of the computer. Three names in the starting rotation absorveran almost 40 million in 2018 and the truth is that hardly are investments that redituaran in the statistics. Danny Duffy will win 14 million of green bills, Ian Kennedy 9 16 and Jason Hammel, too much for what they can give, unless a miracle happens.
MINNESOTA TWINS
The player base of the twins is very strong and gives to think that can go far this year. Miguel Healthy away from injury, finished with 28 home runs, 77 runs produced and assistance to the all-star game for the first time in his career; Byron Buxton won the first of what are expected plenty of Gold Gloves in the central garden of the Twins, Joe Mauer had his best season since 2013, when he started with their problems of shock and now comes to the last year of his contract in better physical and mental conditions, thanks to the great work that has been done with the Molitor in that regard, Briand Dozier is one of the best intermediaristas of Major League Baseball, almost to the height of Jose Altuve and Robinson Cano.
This suggests that the key to Minnesota will be in his pitching. While the last year were among the best 6 or 7 teams in the league in offensive categories, were ninth ERA with 4.59 and that is where you have to work.
Fernando Rodney comes to shore up the bullpen. The dominican saved 39 games for the Diamodmbacks in 2017 and reached 300 rescues in his career, but has 41 years of age, so we'll see how far you can go climbing in that list of saves of all time, where it has been installed in the place 26.
The rotation is anchored by another Dominican, Ervin Santana (16-8, 3.28 ERA), which will be supported by the Puerto Rican Jose Berrios (14-8, 3.89 ERA) and Adalberto Mejía (4-7, 4.50 ERA), and accompanied by Kyle Gibson (12-10, 5.07 ERA), without a doubt, represent the largest uncertainty for the twins when we speak of progress in playoffs.
I’m hoping my Royals will play at least .500 ball this season. I think it’s going to be between the Twins and the Indians for the division.