The Minnesota Twins have already managed to spend more time in first place in the American League Central than they did in the previous three seasons combined. However, the Twins haven’t created much separation on the teams chasing them for top spot. Minnesota will have a tough time holding off the Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers at the top of their division. The Indians and Tigers both have weaknesses they will need to overcome, but so does Minnesota. Here is a look at the weakest link on each American League Central team.
Minnesota Twins: Bullpen
The Twins have exceeded expectations out of the gates so far this season. However, they are still far from a lock to contend for a playoff spot in 2017. The biggest weakness for Minnesota remains a bullpen situation that still has plenty of question marks. Brandon Kintzler is once again being asked to fill the closer role. Kintzler has held his own to this point but his 4.1 K/9 is a little bit concerning. The bigger issue is the rest of the Twins bullpen. Trevor May is out for the season following Tommy John surgery. Meanwhile, Matt Belisle, Ryan Pressly and Taylor Rogers have all struggled in the setup role with May out. Veteran Craig Breslow has enjoyed a resurgence early on while former starter Tyler Duffey might be a better fit in Minnesota’s bullpen as well. However, even with Breslow and Duffey the Twins still have obvious concerns about a bullpen that is lacking in both talent and depth.
Cleveland Indians: Starting Pitching
Cleveland’s rotation looked as dangerous as any in the majors heading in to the 2017 season. However, it has been a major disappointment throughout the first six weeks of the regular season. Carlos Carrasco has been excellent so far but beyond him there have been some major concerns. Corey Kluber has stumbled out of the gate while dealing with a nagging back injury. Meanwhile, Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin both have ERA’s over 7.00 while Danny Salazar hasn’t been much better. The odds are that the Indians starters eventually figure things out. However, starting pitching has clearly been their biggest weakness so far this season.
Detroit Tigers: Bullpen
Notice a trend here? Pitching has been an issue for each of the top three teams in the AL Central. As has been the case with Minnesota, the Tigers bullpen has really struggled with consistency. Anibal Sanchez and Francisco Rodriguez will make a combined $22.8 million this season. So far they have contributed four losses, four blown saves and an 8.90 ERA in 30.1 innings of work. Justin Wilson has replaced Rodriguez as the closer in Detroit. However, he still has to prove he can hold down that job over the course of a full season. Shane Greene has quietly been solid for the Tigers but there are too many question marks beyond him. Detroit will need to solidify its bullpen in order to contend for a playoff spot this season.
Chicago White Sox: Infield
It isn’t difficult to figure out what’s wrong with the White Sox right now. Jose Abreu has hit .263 with six home runs and 19 RBI. The rest of the infield has been a complete mess. Todd Frazier is hitting just .173 with three home runs. Tim Anderson is hitting .221 with just two home runs. Chicago ranks 25th in runs scored this season so it’s no surprise they are treading below the .500 mark. The White Sox could have some help on the way in the form of top prospect Yoan Moncada. However, even if Moncada performs at a high level when he joins Chicago they will still need more out of the veteran players like Frazier and Anderson in order to contend in the AL Central.
Kansas City Royals: Second Base
The Royals second basemen have produced a wRC+ of 15. Essentially, Kansas City would be better off skipping the second basemen’s spot in their lineup and calling it an automatic out 85-percent of the time. Whit Merrifield is getting regular time at the position while top prospect Raul Mondesi continues to gain more experience in the minors. Mondesi hit just .103 in 46 plate appearances before he was demoted so he didn’t give Kansas City much of a choice. The Royals wanted to contend this season before a number of key free agents hit the open market. However, with such a massive hole at second base and major concerns throughout the lineup it is clear Kansas City isn’t ready to compete for a playoff spot right now.
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