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To the Midwest we go, into one of the less compelling divisions we'll have to cover. A couple mid-sized markets that seemingly go from one rebuild to the next. Regardless, there's some intriguing young players and situations. Let's get into those:
Chicago White Sox
Right from the beginning in 2021, the Tony La Russa hire was a very strange one. Resumé or not, the man had been out of the sport for a decade and was clearly not the picture of health. Even the success he did experience that year felt like more a resonation from the previous season than an infusion of his prowess. Which showed less than a calendar year later, when he was getting the boot from the position amidst a massively underwhelming first half.
Onto 2023, with a lineup that'll surely miss Jose Abreu's bat. There's plenty of potential pieces to help fill that void, but many of those guys have underperformed in their brief careers. Yoan Moncada looks light years away from sharp 2019 and 2021 campaigns. Gavin Sheets and Andrew Vaughn have been adequate, but not quite the projected studs Chicago was hoping they'd be. Some tepid optimism toward Luis Robert too. If those guys can step up, this offense should be competitive. If not, it could be a really boring season at the plate for the White Sox.
Their cast of pitchers does provide some hope. Dylan Cease is a surefire ace that'll give the team a chance to win every five days. Lance Lynn has really thrived since joining the cavernous confines of Guaranteed Rate Field and Lucas Giolito is as exciting as he is frustrating. Throw in Michael Kopech and recent signee Mike Clevinger, and there's reason to think this could be a staff in the top half of the league.
As good as their starters should be however, the bullpen's going to be to be an area of concern. This unit was generally average yet inconsistent in 2022. They didn't give up a ton of home runs or allow a lot of walks, but just seemed to struggle to get outs at crucial times. If the ChiSox are going to maximize their potential, this group will need to improve.
Cleveland Guardians
The reigning AL Central champs not only look primed and ready to hold onto the title this year, but potentially for the foreseeable future. Their infield is young, deep and can slash, with Jose Ramirez, Amed Rosario and Andres Gimenez all being 30 or younger and all hitting above .280. Steven Kwan headlines a versatile and talented outfield, with free agent addition Josh Bell providing some real pop in the middle of the order. Something tells me he'll end up delivering more than one big swing for the Guardians.
Shane Bieber highlights a starting rotation that was fourth in the MLB in quality starts last season. Despite a pedestrian 13-8 record, his 2.88 ERA and 5.5 K:BB ratio indicate that Bieber was still as dominant as ever in 2022. Cal Quantrill and Tristan McKenzie are absolute studs for how relatively unknown they are, respectively posting 3.38 and 2.96 ERAs. A criminally underrated yet elite trio come playoff time. Plug in Aaron Civale and Zac Plesac at four and five and look out for Cleveland.
It doesn't let up once you get through the starters though, with the 5th ranked bullpen (by ERA) from 2022 coming in to slam the door. The group's headlined by 24 year old closer Emmanuel Clase, fresh off of 77 appearances that resulted in 42 saves, 77 strikeouts and a .167 OBAA. The dude was lock down. The rest of the pen ain't too shabby either and will be a big challenge for opposing batters trying to come back late. The Central is the Guardians' to lose.
Detroit Tigers
Into year seven of the rebuild we go. Poor Tigers' fans...because this go-round doesn't look a lot brighter.
Javier Baez was an oddly timed, large contract to hand out last offseason that didn't pan out in his inaugural stint in Detroit. They had some talent coming up on the farm, but it never felt like they were one star away from contending. Predictably, they didn't. Spencer Torkelson, the first overall pick in 2020, struggled mightily in a shortened season, only slashing for .203/8/28 in his first 110 games in the big leagues. Riley Greene was a little better but not super impactful, and Miguel Cabrera was steady as usual in his older age. But this offense was bad. Getting Austin Meadows back will help, but only so much.
On paper, this staff has some real youthful potential. The reality hasn't lived up to the hype just yet however. Casey Mize, Matt Manning and Alex Faedo have all had durability issues that have hampered their development. Spencer Turnbull looked to be a bright spot as well but had to miss all of 2022 after Tommy John surgery. Matthew Boyd and Michael Lorenzen, who each came over in free agency, should be reliable pieces while their young arms heal up.
Despite the Tigers' issues in the starting department, their bullpen was actually eighth in the league in ERA. It was a surprisingly high level of competence and a big reason that they even won 66 games. Losing closer Gregory Soto to Philadelphia will be felt, but Alex Lange is more than capable of stepping into the role. The team will be in okay hands on the rare occasions they get leads into the late innings.
Kansas City Royals
Another team seemingly stuck in purgatory are the Kansas City Royals. Their attempts to build their pitching staff through the draft haven't really come to fruition, leading them to find cost effective means to fill the holes. Nolan Watson was a full bust, Jackson Kowar hasn't been great and Asa Lacy has massively struggled at low levels-- to highlight just a few of the team's failures at the top of the draft.
Brady Singer has been one bright spot though from the first round, coming off a 10-5 season with a 3.23 ERA. Daniel Lynch has also at least made the big show, albeit with pretty shaky results. Jordan Lyles and Ryan Yarbrough are adequate free agent transplants, and the eternal Royal Zack Greinke will all provide decent innings for KC this season. But will it be enough to overcome an anemic offense?
After losing Andrew Benintendi, their best contact hitter, to divisional rival Chicago, expect this team to a cesspool of offensive inefficiency. Hunter Dozier and Salvador Perez are decent vets who'll contribute some leadership if nothing else, while MJ Melendez and Bobby Witt Jr. continue to grow on the major league level. Witt Jr. did hit twenty home runs while stealing thirty bases in his first 150 games, giving the Royals' faithful some hope. But anticipate many thoroughly uneventful half innings when they're are up to bat.
Minnesota Twins
Our final AL Central team has spent big time money the last two offseasons to massively underperform on the diamond. Will 2023 be any different?
The loss of Luis Arraez will make an immediate impact on the offensive side of things. The All-Star first baseman was traded to Miami in a swap for starting pitcher Pablo Lopez. Minnesota had only 35 quality starts in 2022, good for second worst in the league, so this is probably a positive for them. Unfortunately, their offense wasn't very good and will need to find a way to make up for the loss of a .316 hitter.
Carlos Correa's retention will help with that effort. It took like a month and two failed negotiations elsewhere, but the Twins brought back their star shortstop. He and Jose Miranda will compose a respectable left side of the infield. Byron Buxton and Joey Gallo bring a little pop in the outfield, and Max Kepler and Michael Taylor are fine depth pieces, but this is far from an elite group. Don't expect a ton of scoring up in Minneapolis.
The aforementioned Pablo Lopez will be a welcome addition to a rotation that was really underwhelming a year ago. He's a talented young arm and a big time innings eater under team control for two more seasons. Joe Ryan and Sonny Gray are two more names headlining this staff, rounded out by Kenta Maeda and Tyler Mahle, who was added last trade deadline. Far from a world-beating unit, but they should fare much better than last year's crew. Make sure to keep an eye on Jhoan Duran in his first full go-round as the team's closer.
Bold Predictions
-Jose Ramirez will bat .300+ with 30+ HR and 130+ RBI
-Josh Bell will also clear 30 home runs for just the second time in his career
-Andrew Vaughn will have over 25 home runs
-Dillon Cease will lead the league in strikeouts
-The Tigers will have the worst team batting average in the MLB
-Matt Manning will be Detroit's ace by season's end
-Bobby Witt Jr. joins the 30-30 club
-Brady Singer is the only starting pitcher who'll have double digit wins
-Pablo Lopez sets a career high for strikeouts
-Joey Gallo gets designated for assignment midseason
-Twins finish under .500 again
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@Choppinglines
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