Yesterday, we took a look at the National League and American League East Divisions. Today, it’s the Central’s turn. Both Chicago teams saw great improvement over equally abysmal years last year, while the Tigers and Cardinals look to maintain their firm grip at the top. How will things shake out? The ZP: Left Fielder predicts!
American League Central:
- Tigers
Four time defending Central Champs has a nice ring to it. The Tigers have a solid rotation, a deep lineup, and a manager who has already seen success after just one year in the Majors. The addition of Yoenis Cespedes is huge, as he is one of the premier bats in the American League, and will benefit from protection from Cabrera and Martinez.
- Indians
Everyone tried to forget about Cleveland, but the Tribe kept fighting last year, falling only a few games short of a Wild Card spot. Corey Kluber is a dominant, filthy pitcher, who will anchor an otherwise unpredictable staff. The roster looks to have the depth to keep the Indians in contention for the long hall. This is going to be one of the most intriguing teams to watch this year.
 |
| Michael Brantley was a force for the Indians. He will be a huge part of the success for this year's Tribe. |
- Royals
Baseball’s greatest feel-good story of the past decade, the Royals came 90 feet away from the greatest postseason story anyone could have imagined. The emergence of Eric Hosmer, Salvador Perez, and even Mike Moustakas as young talents in the AL only bodes well for the future in Kansas City. This year, they will have to balance great talent with even greater expectations.
- White Sox
Everyone is jumping on the White Sox bandwagon, and for good reason. A huge offseason left the made-over White Sox looking like contenders. The problem is that many of these additions will not be able to add up to team success, and will instead lead the Sox to flounder come July. Look for great individual performances from many, but very few collective wins.
- Twins
Minnesota has embraced the full-scale rebuild mode, and has made some great moves to help make the process more successful in years to come. The addition of Torii Hunter gives the young guys a role model to admire, and should lead to an even brighter future. All that being said, don’t go looking for any kind of winning at Target Field this year.
National League Central:
- Cardinals
It brings me great sadness to put the Cardinals at the top of anything. A team that made it to the NLCS for the fourth straight year, though, is hard to vote against. The addition of Heyward adds to their threatening lineup, but the rotation is an area of concern. Look for the Cardinals to be sweating it out late in September.
- Pirates
My vote for best outfield in baseball goes to the Pirates, who have five-tool players at all three positions. The Pirates are fun to watch and go about the game the right way. They will compete with the Pirates til the very end, but still may be a transcendent ace away from stealing the Central.
The arrival of Bryant will be the most
anticipated event of the summer.Cubs
Who doesn’t want to be a Cubs fan right now? Chicago has made it known that they are done dwelling in the cellar, and that they want to compete. The greatest young talent in the game makes that a very real possibility. This team doesn’t even need ALL of the stars to pan out, just a few to make this team scary. Kris Bryant’s arrival the first week in May will be a sight to see. Bold prediction: This is a playoff team.
- Reds
The Reds are getting no respect. They have the best righty in baseball, a former MVP coming back from injury, and a third baseman who, I believe, is ready to be a superstar. The Reds don’t have the depth to stay competitive for the entire season, but they will be a factor in a very competitive NL Central.
- Brewers
The Brewers were in first place for much of last season and came away with nothing. Now, the jig is up. This team is not nearly as talented as they pretended to be, and Jonathan Lucroy is not enough of a superstar to carry this team by himself. This team is going to sink like a stone, and will serve as the punching bag for the far more talented competition in the NL Central.
Check back tomorrow for the breakdown of the AL and NL West!
If you like the work of the ZPMedia team, please donate to our GoFundMe page. Thank you for your support.
No comments:
Post a Comment