Yesterday, I looked at the updated starting rotations of each American League East team.
Today, I will look at the updated starting rotations for each American League Central team.
The American League Central is home to some of the best young pitchers in the game. As a matter of fact, five out of the last six AL Cy Young Award winners have come from the Central.
Here are the updated starting rotations of each American League Central team.
Minnesota Twins
1. Scott Baker, RHP
2. Nick Blackburn, RHP
3. Kevin Slowey, RHP
4. Carl Pavano, RHP
5. Francisco Liriano, LHP
Quick Take: This rotation is littered with No. 2 and No. 3-type starters. However, Liriano can be a No. 1 if he can regain his pre-Tommy John surgery form. Despite the lack of a true No. 1 starter, this rotation has plenty of depth.
Chicago White Sox
1. Jake Peavy, RHP
2. Mark Buehrle, LHP
3. Gavin Floyd, RHP
4. John Danks, LHP
5. Freddy Garcia, RHP
Quick Take: The White Sox have the best pitching staff that nobody ever talks about. Danks is a very good No. 4 starter. I will be interested to see how Peavy adjusts to the AL over the course of an entire season.
Detroit Tigers
1. Justin Verlander, RHP
2. Rick Porcello, RHP
3. Max Scherzer, RHP
4. Jeremy Bonderman, RHP
5. Dontrelle Willis, LHP
Quick Take: This rotation has more questions than answers going into 2010. Verlander threw more pitches than any other pitcher in baseball last season (3,937). How is that going to affect him in 2010? Will Porcello experience a sophomore slump? Can Bonderman and Willis bounce back in 2010?
Kansas City Royals
1. Zack Greinke, RHP
2. Gil Meche, RHP
3. Luke Hochevar, RHP
4. Kyle Davies, RHP
5. Brian Bannister, RHP
Quick Take: This staff is led by the great Greinke, who was last year’s AL Cy Young Award winner. Nobody expects him to repeat last year’s performance in 2010, but he shouldn’t be that far off. If the Royals are even going to think about being competitive this season, Hochevar will need to step up. This is a big year for him.
Cleveland Indians
1. Jake Westbrook, RHP
2. Fausto Carmona, RHP
3. Justin Masterson, RHP
4. Mitch Talbot, RHP
5. David Huff, LHP
Quick Take: For the most part, this is a young rotation, but it’s not very good right now. Carmona has been one of baseball's biggest mysteries over the last couple of years. Having watched Masterson over the last couple of years with the Red Sox, I feel he is better suited to be in the bullpen.
Tomorrow, I will look at the American League West. The West is home to one of the top young pitchers in the game, Felix Hernandez.
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