AL Central

Today, late in the ballgame, Adam Everett was due up in a key RBI situation for the Tigers. Since offense isn’t exactly Adam’s specialty, Jim Leyland looked to his bench for a pinch hitter.

Who did he turn to? Was it young Alex Avila, who with one swing of the bat could have potentially turned the tide for the Tigers? Was it the experienced Ramon Santiago, who while will never be confused with Barry Bonds, has put together his share of key hits over the years?

On April 2, we saw one of the Kansas City Royals' final bullpen spots get handed out to a young pitcher who has little service time.

I know I sound like an old man when I say it, but the Detroit Tigers starters need to go deeper into games to give the bullpen a break.

Five times the starter has lasted only five innings, and twice the starter has lasted six innings. Starting pitching has not yet recorded an out in the seventh inning.

I understand that baseball has changed. Gone are the days where complete games are commonplace, and even eight full innings now is quite a workload, but lasting only five innings—75 percent of the time—is a good way to burn out your bullpen.

These rankings are based on a 300 point system— 150 for offensive production and 150 for pitching production. 30 points (1 point for each team) is the most points any team can get in a given category.

In a new segment on Fantasy Baseball Insiders, our Insider will answer a fantasy baseball-related question sent from one of our readers.

Whether you have a trade proposal you’d like a second opinion on, or you’re unsure who to add, drop, or keep, we’ve got you covered in something appropriately titled: The Insiders’ Inbox.

So, I was Jonesing (get it?) for some Sox news and decided to make my way to BleacherReport. 

And by the looks of things, there is pandemonium, chaos, and a lost season on the South Side. 

All of you in panic mode are fools, and I'm going to show you why.

The Hitters

Much has been said about the production—or lack thereof—from the Sox lineup. Let me sprinkle some reality into your lives.

Going into the bottom of the ninth inning, the Chicago White Sox' Opening Day crowd was in a frenzy.

The Sox were trailing the Cleveland Indians, 1-0, but that wasn't the story. Twenty-one-year-old Bob Feller had not allowed a hit.

Feller had walked four batters and struck out eight going into the ninth.

This time last year, Grady Sizemore was considered Cleveland's Iron Horse.

The speedy center fielder missed just seven games from 2005-08. He played every day in 2006 and 2007; a sprained ankle in April 2008 snapped his consecutive games-played streak at 382.

That all changed in 2009 when a groin injury, elbow problems, and a hernia limited Sizemore to just 106 games.

First of all, if you didn't see, I posted my No. 3 Twins prospect for the 2010 season.

Now, on to the post...

The Twins (officially) open Target Field at 3:05 pm today against the Boston Red Sox. Carl Pavano will take the mound against southpaw Jon Lester.

Both pitchers have struggled against the opposition in the past, but it will be interesting to see what kind of momentum Pavano has in his first (real) start at Target Field.

2010 Top 50 Twins Prospects | No. 3 | Miguel Sano