Odds to Win the 2009 American League Central

Written by Jack Jones

al-central-odds The AL Central has been one of the toughest divisions to predict in recent years and it should come as no surprise that the people who create the baseball odds think that there are plenty of teams in contention this year with no real front-runner.

Cleveland Indians +160 – Even without CC Sabathia the Indians do have some talented hurlers in their rotation. Cliff Lee had a 2.54 ERA and a 22-3 record last year and I expect Fausto Carmona to bounce back from a sub-par sophomore campaign. The lineup isn’t all that scary now that Travis Hafner has hit the tank, but Grady Sizemore and Victor Martinez are still talented, plus the infield of Jhonny Peralta and Mark DeRose are above-average for their positions.

Chicago White Sox +550 – Last year the White Sox surprised some people when they won the division despite the Tigers and Indians being heavy favorites coming into the season. Can they do it again? Well, there pitching is suspect at best behind ace Mark Beuherle, who hasn’t been dominant. This team always seems to score runs with their potent lineup, and ChiSox fans have to be excited by Alexei Ramirez.

Minnesota Twins +250 – The Twins seem to be in the thick of the division race every single year and there is no reason to think this year is going to be any different. Ron Gardenhire has been a great manager here, putting together 79 wins or more each year since taking over back in 2002. Their rotation isn’t too bad as Scott Baker might be the best pitcher that you haven’t heard of. The lineup isn’t too bad too. I know Joe Mauer will start the season on the DL, but Justin Morneau gets it done year after year.

Detroit Tigers +300 – Detroit’s pitching staff forgot to show up last year and it led to a very disappointing season. Justin Verlander was a stud in 2006 and 2007, but last year he had an ERA of 4.84 to go with Jeremy Bonderman’s 4.24. Remember this team trading for Dontrelle Willis? I’d like to forget that part too, but at least Miguel Cabrera produces in a big-time way. Both Gary Sheffield and Magglio Ordonez are starting to show some age, but they should have enough in the tank for a run in 2009.

Kansas City Royals +900 - This team doesn’t have the pitching or the hitting to compete in the division. I’m starting to wonder if they will ever turn things around, I mean the Twins are a small market team in the same division and the two franchises are on two completely different levels.

Archives:

Current AL Central Predictions

Individual MLB Team Previews:

American League
AL West	AL Central	AL East
Rangers Predictions	Tigers Predictions	Red Sox Predictions
A’s Predictions	White Sox Predictions	Yankees Predictions
Angels Predictions	Twins Predictions	Rays Predictions
Mariners Predictions	Royals Predictions	Blue Jays Predictions
	Indians Predictions	Orioles Predictions
National League
NL West	NL Central	NL East
Giants Predictions	Brewers Predictions	Phillies Predictions
Rockies Predictions	Cardinals Predictions	Braves Predictions
Dodgers Predictions	Reds Predictions	Marlins Predictions
Padres Predictions	Cubs Predictions	Mets Predictions
Diamondbacks Predictions	Pirates Predictions	Nationals Predictions
	Astros Predictions

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