AL CENTRAL

[Paul Wozniak]

I honestly don't know who will win this division. Pitching will be the key, as it has been every year. They who have it, will win it. It really is that simple, just check the previous (place your number here) seasons. The team with the best staff has won the division every season since the re-alignment.

 

[stone phillips420]

Twining Again soon
twins will win central this year!

 

[Paul Wozniak]

Good to here from you Stoney! Loved your Minnesota Mild last night.

 

[BillD1984]

I honestly don't know who will win this division. Pitching will be the key, as it has been every year. They who have it, will win it. It really is that simple, just check the previous (place your number here) seasons. The team with the best staff has won the division every season since the re-alignment.

Paul, that's so true. Just look at the last three years alone:


'06- Tigers had Verlander, Bonderman and Rogers, with a lights out bullpen of Jones, Rodney and Zumaya

'07- Indians had Sabathia, Carmona and Westbrook (can you imagine if the Tribe had the '08 version of Cliff Lee ), with a lights out bullpen of Borowski, Betancourt and Perez

'08- White Sox had Buerhle, Danks and Floyd, with a lights out bullpen led by Jenks.

 

[stone phillips420]

Good to here from you Stoney! Loved your Minnesota Mild last night.

lol fell alseep real early yesterday bout 4pm cst slept till round midnight

picked a good game to miss and catch up on sleep
give harding credit it was only like his 5th or 6th start this year
i much prefer him to backstrom but thats for another thread

 

[Paul Wozniak]

Paul, that's so true. Just look at the last three years alone:


'06- Tigers had Verlander, Bonderman and Rogers, with a lights out bullpen of Jones, Rodney and Zumaya

'07- Indians had Sabathia, Carmona and Westbrook (can you imagine if the Tribe had the '08 version of Cliff Lee ), with a lights out bullpen of Borowski, Betancourt and Perez

'08- White Sox had Buerhle, Danks and Floyd, with a lights out bullpen led by Jenks.

Look at the Twins did last season with out there two best starters - Santana and the other kid who lit the Central up the year before. (His name escapes me, but I'm sure you'll remember his name.) The Twins pitching willonly be better this season. Injuries to the respective staffs will be a huge key. I know that injuries have been killling my Tigers rotation and most certainly their bullpen.

 

[stone phillips420]

fransico lirano?

 

[Paul Wozniak]

Remembered the name just a second ago. Thanks Stoney. How is arm? That kid is too good, and I hope he's healthy. Baseball needs some new names to be proud of.

 

[stone phillips420]

Remembered the name just a second ago. Thanks Stoney. How is arm? That kid is too good, and I hope he's healthy. Baseball needs some new names to be proud of.

dont really follow baseball in offseason it hockey time, but i suspect his arm is 110 percent and look for him tobe as dominating as ever this year
having best closer in game joe nathan doesnt hurt either
be proud of joe mauer i guarantee hes roid free

 

[Ramy]

Openning Day for me is the week of March 14th through the 18th(or something like that) when the World Baseball Classic comes to Marlins Stadium....yeah, yeah...I know is DOLPHINS Stadium, but they ain't using it during the baseball season so I renamed it...so there!!!!

It's Joe Robbie Stadium isn't it.

 

[stone phillips420]

It's Joe Robbie Stadium isn't it.

i thought it was pro player stadium

 

[HD MM]

2009 Cleveland Indians Preseason Pitcher/Catcher Report

Intro:

I truly believe the Indians had the best offseason among any other divisional opponent. The additions of Kerry Wood, Mark DeRosa, Carl Pavano and reliever Joe Smith should help improve this team in '09.

Last year, our primary flaw was our bullpen. Raffy Betancourt had an off year. Closer Joe Borowski was so bad, we cut him halfway through the year. With that said, shoring up the bullpen was our #1 objective this offseason. And boy did we ever shore it up!

Bullpen:

For the first time since the days of Joe Table (Jose Mesa), the Indians have a guy finishing games who can overpower the competition (Wood). In front of him will be Rafael Perez, who ESPN’s Peter Gammons has called the “best lefty reliever in the game,” Jensen Lewis, Rafael Betancourt, and newly acquired Joe Smith.

Starting 5:

#1- Cliff Lee- It was an absolute pleassure to watch him last year. It'll be interesting to see how Cliffy follows up on a Cy Young season.

#2- Fausto Carmona- Carmona's the biggest question mark on the team. Will we see the '07 ground-ball machine, dominator or will we see the wildly inconsistent version of 2008? If Fausto can’t find his old form, the Indians have no shot at winning the division.

#3- Carl Pavano- Pavano is a boom or bust candidate. If he can regain his pre-Yankee form, he will serve as a solid #3. If not, there is a bevy of youngsters ready to step into fill this void.

#4- Anthony Reyes- Reyes posted a 1.83 ERA in his six starts after coming over from St. Louis halfway through last season, but he was shut down with a sore elbow. Staying healthy is a concern.

#5- Aaron Laffey, Scott Lewis, Zach Jackson, David Huff or Jeremy Sowers. Laffey has the edge, but the battle for the #5 spot will be interesting.

Ace in the hold: Jake Westbrook will be out until apx. the All-Star break as he's still recuperating from Tommy John Surgery. If Pavano can hold down the #3 spot until Jake returns, I think this team will be thrilled.


Catchers:

It begins with Victor Martinez. The all-star hit machine is coming off a lost season of injuries to his shoulder and hamstring which robbed him of his power. He tried to fight through it, but in the end, he spent most of the summer on the DL. Victor will spend plenty of time playing first base as well, thanks to the emergence of Kelly Shoppach, who is hands down the best backup catcher in baseball. The Shop-Vac hit 21 HR’s in 352 AB’s last year, best of any AL catcher. With Travis Hafner’s shoulder/confidence a potential problem, Shoppach should have plenty of opportunities for playing time.

V-Mart and Shop-Vac are backed up by the #1 prospect in the organization, Carlos Santana, who will start the season behind the dish in Akron (AA).

 

[Paul Wozniak]

Nice post Matt.

WOW 33 posts in less than 2 hrs. here! Baseball ain't done in this section of the country.

 

[HD MM]

Nice post Matt.

WOW 33 posts in less than 2 hrs. here! Baseball ain't done in this section of the country.

Thanks Paul.

And you're right, a lot of love for baseball left in the good ol' midwest! If I recall correctly, last year's Tigers Thread (aka AL Central), gave the MLB '09 sticky thread a run for it's money. One of the busiest threads in the whole sports forum!

 

[Skyhi]

Intro:



Starting 5:

#1- Cliff Lee- It was an absolute pleassure to watch him last year. It'll be interesting to see how Cliffy follows up on a Cy Young season.

#2- Fausto Carmona- Carmona's the biggest question mark on the team. Will we see the '07 ground-ball machine, dominator or will we see the wildly inconsistent version of 2008? If Fausto can’t find his old form, the Indians have no shot at winning the division.

#3- Carl Pavano- Pavano is a boom or bust candidate. If he can regain his pre-Yankee form, he will serve as a solid #3. If not, there is a bevy of youngsters ready to step into fill this void.

#4- Anthony Reyes- Reyes posted a 1.83 ERA in his six starts after coming over from St. Louis halfway through last season, but he was shut down with a sore elbow. Staying healthy is a concern.

#5- Aaron Laffey, Scott Lewis, Zach Jackson, David Huff or Jeremy Sowers. Laffey has the edge, but the battle for the #5 spot will be interesting.

Ace in the hold: Jake Westbrook will be out until apx. the All-Star break as he's still recuperating from Tommy John Surgery. If Pavano can hold down the #3 spot until Jake returns, I think this team will be thrilled.

That rotation makes me VERY nervous. I'd say Lee is fairly safe for 13-18 wins and a sub 4.00 ERA. The rest of them are HUGE question marks. Carmona really needs to step up, stay healthy, and return to 07 form.

 

[Paul Wozniak]

I asked for a "sticky" last year, stating that it would be a busy thread, but I was rightfully turned down. I predict this thread will rival the NFL and College football threads for posts.

 

[SabresRule]

Any ideas who the AL Central teams play in Interleague games this year?

I remember HD saying something to the effect of Cleveland playing in Wrigley.

 

[Paul Wozniak]

That rotation makes me VERY nervous. I'd say Lee is fairly safe for 13-18 wins and a sub 4.00 ERA. The rest of them are HUGE question marks. Carmona really needs to step up, stay healthy, and return to 07 form.

My point about pitching exactly. After '06 a lot of people thought that the TIGERS were set in the pitching dept. for a long time ala the Braves of the 90's. Well we alll know what has happened since. Personally I think we still have a lot of potential on the TIGERS staff, but pitching is the most fragile part of the game. Cliff Lee is a prime example of the up and down nature of the game. No way did I see Chicago's staff having such a great season last year, yet there they were. Pitching is the key here in this division, and I'll be saying that a lot this season.

 

[HD MM]

Any ideas who the AL Central teams play in Interleague games this year?

I remember HD saying something to the effect of Cleveland playing in Wrigley.

As I'm looking at my Indians '09 schedule which is hanging just next to my desk, my Indians play...

vs. St. Louis
vs. Milwaukee
@ Chicago Cubs
@ Pittsburgh
vs. Cincinnati

 

[Skyhi]

My point about pitching exactly. After '06 a lot of people thought that the TIGERS were set in the pitching dept. for a long time ala the Braves of the 90's. Well we alll know what has happened since. Personally I think we still have a lot of potential on the TIGERS staff, but pitching is the most fragile part of the game. Cliff Lee is a prime example of the up and down nature of the game. No way did I see Chicago's staff having such a great season last year, yet there they were. Pitching is the key here in this division, and I'll be saying that a lot this season.

No doubt about it. As was discussed above, Francisco Liriano could be huge this year for the Twins. He's 1+ years post-Tommy John, so I expect him to pitch well. His rookie year - - - before he got hurt - - he was absolutely filthy.