American League Central Preview

Last season, the American League central had one clear cut contender; the Cleveland Indians. The Indians finished the season with an 8 game lead over the 2nd place Tigers and were on their way to trying to make some noise in the playoffs. This year, the standings may look a bit different. To me there is a clear cut dominant presence in this division, and that is the Detroit Tigers. So, before we head too deep into spring training, here's how I predict the American League Central will look and why:

1. Detroit Tigers. Detroit definitely had the most successful winter of all 30 clubs in the league. The Tigers acquired third baseman Miguel Cabrera and pitcher Dontrelle Willis from Florida for a package of prospects, including outfielder Curtis Maybin. The Tigers offense, with Cabrera in the mix, now is probably the most feared in all of baseball. Cabrera joins a lineup already featuring Magglio Ordonez, Ivan Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield, and Carlos Guillen. Guillen will move over to first base this year to make room for Cabrera. The middle of the infield is still solid, as Detroit added Edgar Renteria at shortstop and will be paired with Placido Polanco as his double play partner. Curtis Granderson will be patrolling center once again, but most importantly, leading off. Granderson is always a threat to steal bases, as he swiped 26 bags last season.

On the mound, Detroit's equally as dangerous. As mentioned, Willis joins a rotation that is already packed with perennial all-stars. Justin Verlander and Jeremy Bonderman are still at the top of the rotation, and the Tigers have veteran Kenny Rogers still in the mix. Their 5th starter, Nate Robertson was a mediocre 9-13 last season, but won 13 games two season ago. He's still a reliable starter and at the back of the rotation, will have less pressure on him to go out and perform. All this being said, Detroit should be at the top of the heap in the AL Central come October.