Bandwagon/Real look at AL Central

[lonesometiger]

There is way too much Bandwagon going on like the year the Tigers were going to score 1000 runs! Fielder is just one player and the move of Cabrera back to 3rd is a hit or miss at this point. And really the total infield defense is questionable with the current position players. Keep in mind that Porcello is an ground ball pitcher and really this team does not have a 5Th starter as of now!
As for the Tigers winning the division, IMO they should, but not as easily as they did in 2010.
A point,reason is that 1 Minnesota will be better, 2 Cleveland should improve, 3 Chicago could rebound, And 4 Kansas City youth movement is getting better, Pitching ,Starting pitching questionable, for Royals.
1 Minnesota will get there JM's back this season,hum/healthy with a JW in the outfield as well.Those J's could be trouble,should these three have goood seasons, there lineup will be as good as before when they won the Division. And there rotation is built to win a 162 game season! This team could improve the most, last to ?Should they jump to first would not be that surprised!
2Cleveland is getting people back Sizemore at the top of there order should improve them and with Hafner back to drive him in that lineup will improve a year under there belt and the leaders of the Division till they faded,will not give up as easily as they did last season, and there rotation should be better,a whole lot better with run support. Sizemore's health is the big issue, they could be trouble.
3 Chicago really is there anyone out there that think Rios and Dunn are going to turn in the seasons they did last season, well ?There corners OF's thoe could be there downfall. But IMO there Starting Rotation is set and there infield is AOK/solid. Should Dunn/Rios kick in and show up they could be danger Will Robinson.
4 Kansas City, on paper this team hits and it don't pitch. A bad combo in the Division there in should all the injury batters return to health! But as far as the bats go, really no one has improved over last season. Should the Royals pitching improve then who knows.
5 Detroit, Jackson, Boesch, Cabrera, Fielder, Young, Raburn, Peralta, Avila, Dirks,is this really going to be the Tigers lineup. Defense is going to be a problem IMO. Yea they will score runs but how many will they need to win games? And really who will be that #5,20%, Starter of there games?
IMO this is not going to be the walk over Disivion that some/most think it will be!

 

[Thumb]

No team in the division has the pitching depth, or the offense that the Tigers have.


Barring injury, we win the division easily, sorry you don't see it that way.

 

[spockmaster]

minnesota and chicago are going to be flat out AWFUL this year, KC doesnt have the pitching to keep up, and cleveland doesnt have much of anything outside cabrera, jimenez and their bullpen. we will run away with the division.

 

[jmakula87]

Chances are that somebody in our division will have a decent season, but we are definitely the favorites. And who was our 5th last year going into the season...it was Coke and Penny was our 4th. We will have some drop off with a few players, but we will also have some other players step up a bit. And I don't think our D will be as bad as you think it will be. Young in Left is rough to watch, and Raburn at 2nd is rough to watch. We will see what Miggy can do at 3rd, but he seems very dedicated to playing at 3rd, and I think will be at least as good as WB was last year. It will also help not having somebody who is batting .190 playing every day for half of the year.

 

[Mitchrapp]

Way to paragraph, damn man.

 

[jdeb]

I think the Royals are gonna be tough. They are very solid defensively and have speed. They have talented pitching so you never know, they could put it all together. I think they will surprise a lot of teams this year. They are the second best team in the division in my opinion. I see them winning 80 -82 games. Tigers 92 -94.

 

[jimrice]

There's a difference between being the heavy favorite and being the winner already. There's no denying that the Tigers are favored. There's also no denying that the favorite doesn't always win.

 

[turok]

There is way too much Bandwagon going on like the year the Tigers were going to score 1000 runs! Fielder is just one player and the move of Cabrera back to 3rd is a hit or miss at this point. And really the total infield defense is questionable with the current position players. Keep in mind that Porcello is an ground ball pitcher and really this team does not have a 5Th starter as of now!

As for the Tigers winning the division, IMO they should, but not as easily as they did in 2010.

Nope

Don't see how Dunn will manage to raise his unprecedented horrific last season's BA above the Mendoza line, and the same goes for Lard and Inge, but they are both now just bench players, who may be playing their final seasons as Tigers, not double-digit, multi-year/million $alaried DHs.

 

[Mitchrapp]

I think the Royals are gonna be tough. They are very solid defensively and have speed. They have talented pitching so you never know, they could put it all together. I think they will surprise a lot of teams this year. They are the second best team in the division in my opinion. I see them winning 80 -82 games. Tigers 92 -94.

With the Royals I'll believe it when I see it. They've done nothing for years.

 

[mjsb2]

Minnesota is absolutely horrible.

I'm not sure where you get the idea that their pitching is built to win, because it's not, and their lineup is a joke.

They'll be fighting the White Sox for last place.

 

[Thumb]

Minnesota is absolutely horrible.

I'm not sure where you get the idea that their pitching is built to win, because it's not, and their lineup is a joke.

They'll be fighting the White Sox for last place.

Yea, I did not go into detail on his reasons just because they don't make sense, and I don't have all day to point out all the mistakes, but I don't see how losing Cuddyer and Kubel made their lineup as good as it was when they won the division.

Of all the teams in the central, none of which worry me in the least, the Twins are going to be a laughing stock.

 

[spockmaster]

every time i watch highlights of a twins game this year im gonna play benny hill music in my head.

 

[tomdalton22]

The Tigers won the division by 15 games last year. I doubt the win it by that much this year. I do think Mr I is all in this year and will make another significant move at or before the trade deadline...that will be the key to a deep post season run.

 

[kingofdetroit57]

I'm not being a homer, I really do see the Tigers as head and shoulders better than the rest of the division. The only other AL teams I see as on par with the Tigers are the Angels, Rangers, and maybe the Red Sux, Yankees, and Rays. We've got a good rotation, very solid pen, and killer offense. Our defense is gonna be bad most likely, but we've got enough depth to improve the defense as needed with the likes of Santiago, Kelly, Worth, etc. I think moving Cabrera to 3rd in the lineup and batting Fielder cleanup will make a big difference for us too. It'd be fantastic if we could get Jackson on base more and get VMart back before the playoffs, but we'll see what happens. At a minimum, we should be a playoff team that's favored in the first round. I don't think that's unrealistic or being a homer.

 

[biggunsbob]

Tigers win the division by 10+ games barring any injury to their top three players... They are so much much better then the rest of the division it is not even funny.

 

[jdeb]

Mitch[/color]]

I think the Royals are gonna be tough. They are very solid defensively and have speed. They have talented pitching so you never know, they could put it all together. I think they will surprise a lot of teams this year. They are the second best team in the division in my opinion. I see them winning 80 -82 games. Tigers 92 -94.

With the Royals I'll believe it when I see it. They've done nothing for years.

I hear what you're saying.

What you are gonna see is a fundamentally sound team that will manufacture a lot of runs. They arguably one of the best defensive teams in the AL as well.

 

[turok]

The OP confuses bandwagoning with being too homerish, which I don't think that there are as many if any real homers here than there was on the old ESPN boards, some recent years.

 

[kingofdetroit57]

Mitch[/color]]

With the Royals I'll believe it when I see it. They've done nothing for years.

I hear what you're saying.

What you are gonna see is a fundamentally sound team that will manufacture a lot of runs. They arguably one of the best defensive teams in the AL as well.

I've been saying this same thing about the Royals for years now. I always think this is gonna be the year they make that jump, and they never do.

 

[biggunsbob]

Yeah most of us if not all of us have been on the bandwagon since we came out of the womb..... That's the breaks not being born in New york...

 

[lonesometiger]

No team in the division has the pitching depth, or the offense that the Tigers have.


Barring injury, we win the division easily, sorry you don't see it that way.

I am picking the Tigers. But you mite read March 23, Sweet Spot by David Schoenfield. I do not agree with ever thing he come up with. As I believe that the Tribe needs Sizemore leading off to be the factor I think they could be!!!!
One other thing he has touch on is Young batting 5th. OK so what, should he bat like he is in these Spring games then woo that one for the Tigers. And Raburn should he get off to a good start then the offence goes to the Tigers way over the Tribe, and for that matter everone else in the Division! Which is something I did not forsee in my OP whenI posted it.

BTW I've had the Tigers picked all along just did not have them running away. With the Spring they have had so far. I'm a thinking get 2 out of 3 from Bosox and then who knows. And should the Tigers do the unthinkable and get get 3 from the Bosox, look out!