AL Central

Chicago White Sox (2010 record: 88-74)

The White Sox won 88 games last season and still didn’t get a sniff of the division title due to the success of the Minnesota Twins. During the offseason, GM Kenny Williams decided to reshuffle the deck to play to his team’s strengths—when playing in a park that caters to offense, add offense.

The Royals have been nothing short of a laughingstock for the last two decades.

They have not posed a threat to the AL Central since the days of George Brett, but after reading an article by Tim Keown in ESPN The Magazine, something struck me.

Could this new up-and-coming group of Royal studs be the next "Core Four?"

It's going to be extremely difficult for the Royals to compete this season. 

They lost 95 games last year, and lost the likes of Zack Greinke, Yuniesky Betancourt, and Jose Guillen, to boot.

2012 is the target date; several baseball experts have proclaimed that the Royals' farm system is baseball's best in a decade.

It's been 25 years since Kansas City last made the postseason, and they've had just one winning season in the past 16 years. 

The future is bright, and patience is a virtue.

This is something that the Royals haven't had for awhile: two All-Stars in the same season.

However, it could very well be a reality this year for KC, with a strong possibility of their two best players making the cut.

If you really think about this, it starts to make some sense.

On one hand, you have a two-time All-Star closer in Joakim Soria, and on the other hand, you have an emerging, young hitter in Billy Butler who has really improved in many areas throughout his short big league career.

As the Indians continue to rebuild, this season's storylines revolve around the development of young guys like Matt Laporta and Carlos Santana.

Grady Sizemore's health is another thing to keep an eye on.  He's in the final year of his contract, and if he can stay on the field and contribute his trade value will increase if the Indians decide to shop him.

It's going to take time in Cleveland.

Detroit Tigers (2010 Record: 81-81)

The Detroit Tigers finished the 2009 season tied for first place in the AL Central (86-76) after having relinquished a seven-game lead to the Minnesota Twins during the last four weeks of the season. They then lost a one-game playoff in the Metrodome in 12 innings, sending the club into the offseason on a down note.

The White Sox are a popular dark-horse candidate to win the AL Central.

The x-factor to me is Jake Peavy.  When healthy, he can dominate.  With him healthy, the rotation has great depth, although they don't really have a true ace.

Chicago also revamped the bullpen.  After several successful seasons as closer, Jenks scuffled over recent years. 

With the signing of Dunn, he adds more power to the lineup.

There is hope for a victorious recovery. 

As many Cleveland Indians fans remember, center fielder Grady Sizemore spent the majority of last season on the disabled list.  It took Sizemore just under a year to fully recover from microfracture surgery to repair his knee.

Now, in spring training, after slowly incorporating more drills into his routine, Sizemore is back at his home position in center, even if just for a few innings at a time.

Lost amid the drama of the Miguel Cabrera DUI, the decision on the starting second baseman and the battles for the final roster spots is the fact that Justin Verlander had a dominating spring.

Verlander ended the spring 3-0 with a 0.96 ERA and 23 Ks and only three walks in 28 innings. He was utterly dominating and bucked his trend of mediocre springs over the last couple of years. If the Tigers are going to be serious contenders, they need Verlander to move up from a quality ace to a top ace.

Every team has players that are up and coming or on the club's last straw. With spring training coming to a close and the rosters spots all filled out, it is time to take a look at the future. The White Sox have talent at every level of the game. These are the top six players to keep an eye on in the Sox system in 2011.

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