Central LA: Two questions from each club

With the season getting closer, it’s time to start doing the division previews. While we are clear that there are probably some moves left to make, at this point we have a pretty good idea of ​​what each team will look like. After our delivery on the National League Central Divisionit is the turn of the Central Division of the American League.

Let’s be honest: Until the lockout ended, it looked like the White Sox were going to take off easily in this division, right? They won it easily last year, despite battling injuries all season, and this year they look just as strong. One wondered if the rest of the division was just going to watch Chicago ride them.

But the Twins, we already know, did not sit idly by. Minnesota moved almost hyperactively after the stoppage, culminating in the impressive signing of Puerto Rican Carlos Correa. Now it seems that we will have a fight again. The rest of the division still has a lot of ground to cover, but this is not one of those keys, like the Central of the National, where two or even three teams are already thinking about 2023. These five teams, each in their own way They think they can win now.

Chicago White Sox

1. Will they be a little healthier this year?

Dominican Eloy Jiménez played 55 games last year. Cuban Luis Robert played 68 and his compatriot Yasmani Grandal 93. The White Sox, logically, expect to see much more of those three on the field. Just having them in the lineup on a regular basis makes their projections a lot better than last year … in which they still won 93 games. Robert, in particular, has MVP talent. Last year he slugged .567. Do that for a full season – and remember, Robert is only 24 years old – and you’re a superstar.

2. Will they finally be able to take the next step in the postseason?

The White Sox looked great heading into the ALDS against Houston last October — with Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn and Carlos Rodon lining up in the rotation — but they fell in four games, and they never looked particularly competitive. The White Sox still haven’t won a postseason series since winning the 2005 World Series (Robert was eight at the time) and you don’t bring in Tony La Russa for a first-round knockout. Chicago has all the pieces to succeed in October. Now they have to do it.

1. Wow, is that… Carlos Correa?

I don’t remember a signing as surprising as Correa’s with the Twins. Maybe Albert Pujols to the Angels? The move makes perfect sense for the Twins, who obviously needed a shortstop and got the best. Correa clearly believes the Twins — a team that lost 89 games last year — to sign with them, so now it’s up to Minnesota to make him look good. Otherwise, are you ready for the rumors of change around Correa in the middle of the year? I am not ready.

2. Do they have enough pitching?

The lineup looks much more complete with Correa, Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela, and it could be a fearsome lineup if Byron Buxton can stay healthy (no guarantees, of course). But even with the additions of Sonny Gray, Dylan Bundy and Chris Archer, starting pitching will remain the big question mark in Minnesota.

1. Will the rotation be able to stay healthy?

The Guardians start their first year under their new name with a lot of similar questions. They have plenty of pitching, as usual, but keeping stars healthy is a recurring problem (as it is for many other teams). A quintet of Shane Bieber, Cal Quantrill, Zach Plesac, Aaron Civale and Triston McKenzie (all 27 and under) is fearsome, impressive and good enough to win the division…but are we really counting on each of them? make all your starts? Or even half? They always have fresh arms on their farm, but considering Cleveland’s offense, they don’t have much room for error here.

2. José Ramírez stays… right?

The trade rumors surrounding the Dominican José Ramírez do not stop, and although it seems that it is not going anywhere, the fact that the issue continues to come to the fore speaks of the general instability that exists in Cleveland right now. Because if the Guards trade Ramirez, those starters are going to have to win a lot of games 1-0. Dominicans Franmil Reyes and Amed Rosario have had their moments, but Ramirez is the only proven hitter in that lineup. And the lineups, well, they have nine spots. Ramirez and those starting pitchers are almost enough to keep you afloat. As long as nothing goes wrong… and no one leaves.

1. Will they be able to keep up the good momentum?

Don’t you think there’s not so much noise around the Tigers anymore? They got a lot better in the second half last year, a club on the rise, a storied MLB franchise ready to compete after years of rebuilding. They added a few names in the offseason – mainly Puerto Rican Javier Báez and Venezuelan Eduardo Rodríguez – but when you take a deeper look at their roster … they don’t look like a team ready to compete with the Twins right now, let alone the White Sox. It seems like it’s too early to talk about competing: Perhaps the Tigers should focus better on having their first positive record season since 2016.

2. When will we see Torkelson and Greene?

What a world this is, right? After all these years developing young pitchers – and we also have some questions about them, since we’re here – the Tigers have two position players among the top five prospects in the MLB Pipeline. We’re probably going to see Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene this year, maybe sooner rather than later, especially in Torkelson’s case. The two are not only keys to improving the Tigers’ lineup, but also represent a brighter future after years of neglect. That’s a lot of pressure for them… but hey, 1984 was a loooong time ago.

1. Can Zack Greinke throw 229 innings again?

Those were the episodes he shot in 2009, the year he won the Cy Young with the Royals, his top person. Ok, fine, there’s no way 13 years later he’s going to get close to that number — though it’s worth noting that he shot 208.2 in 2019 and 171 last year — but that speaks volumes about how desperate the Royals are, as usual, when it comes to starting pitching. Besides Greinke, the rotation is basically what it was last year, and while none of those pitchers are necessarily terrible, they’re not exactly inspiring either.

2. Maybe Bobby Witt Jr. is the missing spark plug?

If you want to shake things up a bit, there are few better ways to do it than bringing up the best prospect in all of baseball. Witt appears to be the real deal in every possible way, talented enough to potentially become the best player on the team as soon as he steps foot in the clubhouse, even if the Royals aren’t sure exactly where he’s going to play. Will you be ready to dominate from day one? That’s a lot to ask, obviously, but the Royals still have a long way to go to compete seriously. Witt’s arrival will keep everyone entertained for a while.

White Sox: 97-65
Twins: 85-77
Guardians: 82-80
Tigers: 76-86
Royals: 75-87

Even with Correa, the Twins don’t seem to be that close to the White Sox, unless they make some impact move for more pitching. The rest of the teams seem to lack a lot. One thing is clear, though: This division looks a lot more fun than it did a few weeks ago.

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Central LA: Two questions from each club