I'm still trying to figure out how I want to place teams 2-4 in the AL Central, so I'm gonna do the team which I will almost guarantee will win the AL Central to make my life a bit easier for today. I've had a busy last 4 days, so I took the night off. Anyway, tmi. So, the Detroit Tigers made the playoffs again by adding some guy named Prince Fielder in the off-season and Anibal Sanchez during it. They have some guy who's also named Justin who pitches for them...he's somewhat okay from what I hear. Not to mention they're ADDING a bat they didn't acquire in Victor Martinez. This team should be fun to watch. Let's take a look at Detroit Rock City....
Starting Lineup
CF Austin Jackson
RF Torii Hunter
3B Miguel Cabrera
1B Prince Fielder
DH Victor Martinez
SS Jhonny Peralta
LF Andy Dirks
C Alex Avila
2B Omar Infante
Infante's batting last. And he's no scrub. He's got a solid bat: he could bat 2nd too. There's a lot to like here. Jackson improved his BB/K rate, which helped not only his average, which will help his SBs but his power. Torii Hunter is still a productive player, especially between Jackson & Cabrera. No worries with Cabrera and Fielder. Martinez comes back from a torn ACL and he looks good according to reports. Peralta should be better surrounded by V-Mart and Dirks. I believe Dirks wins the LF job for now. Avila needs to bounce back a little. This lineup is stacked with a good bench, too. No worries here.
Starting Rotation
SP Justin Verlander
SP Doug Fister
SP Anibal Sanchez
SP Max Scherzer
SP Rick Porcello
That Verlander guy's pretty good. I like the Sanchez/Infante trade: Sanchez is a very good #3 starter. I think Fister would be great between Verlander and Sanchez: he's a vastly different pitcher. Scherzer found some consistency in the second half with a 2.69 ERA and as always, lots of K's. I wouldn't be surprised if Drew Smyly wins the #5 job: he's a lefty and probably more talented than Porcello. I saw a trade proposal by writers/bloggers: Rick Porcello for Jim Johnson of Baltimore. I think that's a fantastic idea, and with that, we go to the bullpen.
Bullpen
CL Bruce Rondon
SU Al Alburquerque
SU Joaquin Benoit
SU Phil Coke
SU Octavio Dotel
SU Brayan Villarreal
So, if you're not familiar with Bruce Rondon, I'm here to help. He's a top relief prospect: he throws HARD. I mean 100 MPH AVG. fastball. The problem? He's barely pitched at AA, which brings me to the Porcello/Johnson trade. Jim Johnson saved 51 games for Baltimore, who needs starting pitching. I would rather go with Octavio Dotel or really anyone in the pen over Rondon. They're all capable of closing. Dotel's got over 100 saves to his career. The bullpen is good, so hopefully Manager Jim Leyland goes with a veteran.
This team is clearly the best in the AL Central. There's weak spots in each part, but small enough where other teams cannot catch up. Your AL Central winners, folks.
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