Baseball 2009 Preview of American League Central

February is here, which means it's time to think about the upcoming baseball season. Most of the spring training magazines haven't arrived yet, and most are too expensive to purchase anyway. That's why I've decided to create my own preview to the upcoming baseball season.

I'll start with what I think is the strongest division in the majors, the American League Central. Here are synopses of the five teams in the order of their predicted finish.

The White Sox are frontrunners to defend their division championship. They still have a potent lineup with first baseman Paul Konerko, leftfielder Carlos Quentin, catcher AJ Pierzynski, rightfielder Jermaine Dye, and DH Jim Thome. The club had been discussing Dye in trade talks during the winter meetings, but they may keep him since Nick Swisher was traded to the Yankees and Ken Griffey departed as a free agent.

The infield has several question marks. If Josh Fields cannot replace Joe Crede at third, the club has Wilson Betemit waiting in the wings. Alexi Ramirez is expected to make a smooth transition to short, opening up second base for rookie Chris Getz.

The club's rotation, anchored by veteran Mark Buehrle, could be solid. After Gavin Floyd and John Danks, though, the club is hoping for a comeback from former all-star Bartolo Colon and several arms in the mix for the fifth spot in the rotation. Closer Bobby Jenks is consistent, but other than Octavio Dotel and Scott Linebrink the bullpen is undecided.

The Indians should rebound from a disappointing 2008 season. They signed former Cubs all-star Kerry Wood to be the closer. Another former Cub, Mark DeRosa, will play third base. They also will have a new right fielder, Shin-Soo Choo. The rest of the everyday lineup will remain as last year, with catcher Victor Martinez as its key contributor. Shortstop Johnny Peralta and centerfielder Grady Sizemore are above average offensively at their respective positions.

The club must get better production from guys who had terrible seasons in 2008. DH Travis Hafner must bring to the lineup the kind of stats he had in 2007. Ryan Garko must put up better numbers if he is to remain as the everyday first baseman. Asdrubal Cabrera will be counted on to repeat his 2007 production if Cleveland hopes to regain the division crown from the Twins and White Sox.

The rotation will be anchored by Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee, who had an outstanding season in 2008. The Indians hope Fausto Carmona returns to his 2007 form, which would give the team the best one-two punch in the division. Beyond those two, the rotation is uncertain. Comeback seasons for veterans Anthony Reyes and Carl Pavano could put the Indians in the post season.

No team was more disappointing in 2008 than the Tigers. After spending quite liberally to secure a pennant, the team ended up finishing last in the division. Most of the acquisitions were busts, and not even manager Jim Leyland could meld the pieces into a contending team.

The Tigers aren't nearly as bad as they seemed to be last year. They still have MVP candidatse Miguel Cabrera (first base) and Magglio Ordonez (right field) as well as veterans Placido Palanco (second base), Carlos Guillen (left field), and Brandon Inge (third base). They also have one of the premier leadoff hitters in the league with Curtis Granderson covering centerfield. Detroit brought in catcher Gerald Laird to guide the pitching staff and shortstop Adam Everett to shore up the defense in the middle of the infield.

The rotation should be able to help the team compete in the division. Justin Verlander and Jeremy Bonderman are still there, even though veteran lefty Kenny Rogers is gone. The team desperately needs former Marlin phenom Dontrelle Willis to regain the effectiveness he had several years ago that made him a star attraction in Florida.

Detroit's most glaring weakness last year (and the year before) was its bullpen. That could be the case again in 2009. The club hopes Fernando Rodney has completely healed from the surgery he underwent before last season, and that Juan Rincon can man the middle relief role with the effectiveness he showed when he was with Minnesota. Brandon Lyon did get 26 saves last season, but he's not nearly as reliable as the closers for the three other top teams in the division.

The Twins, who finished the regular season tied for the central division lead, are again going to have to rely on several youngsters in the everyday lineup. The club is anchored by former MVP Justin Morneau at first base and two-time batting champ Joe Mauer at catcher. The club's other strength is all-star closer Joe Nathan, though the rest of the bullpen is questionable. The starting rotation, which was solid last year, should be even better after the experience of the pennant race in 2008. Scott Baker, Neil Blackburn, Kevin Slowey, and Glen Perkins will be counted on to go at least six innings every five days. The 2007 phenom Francisco Liriano appears to be completely healed from surgery, and the Twins are hoping he will be the anchor of the staff.

The infield could be another question mark for Minnesota. While second baseman Alexi Casilla had a breakthrough last year, he is still relatively inexperienced. Nick Punto is a feisty shortstop but is not much of an offensive threat. Third base is the biggest concern. Unless the Twins sign free agent Joe Crede, the hot corner will be shared by Brian Buscher and Brendan Harris.

The outfield appears to be a strength for the Twins. Should any of the youngsters who covered the turf in the Metrodome last year (Delmon Young, Carlos Gomez, Denard Span) falter, the club has Michael Cuddyer ready to step in. Cuddyer likely will be in the lineup regularly, since he brings a valuable righthanded bat to protect Mauer and Morneau in the middle of the lineup.

The Royals moved up from out of the cellar in 2008, and they hope to make even bigger strides this year. They brought in Coco Crisp from the Red Sox to cover center field between veterans David DeJesus and Jose Guillen. Mike Jacobs (first base) and Alex Gordon (third base) give the club stability at the infield corners, and Miguel Olivo teams with John Buck to handle the catching duties.The biggest question for the Royals lineup is the middle infield. Miguel Aviles is unproven at shortstop, as is Alberto Callaspo at second.

The rotation should be a strength for Kansas City. Gil Meche, Zack Greinke, and Brian Bannister form a solid top three, and several quality arms are in the mix to fill the fourth and fifth spots. The club brought in fireballer Kyle Farnsworth to bolster its bullpen. The former Cub and Yankee will likely be the set up man for closer Joakim Soria. The rest of the bullpen is questionable, but the same can be said for most of the other teams in division. The Royals don't quite have to offensive potential of their four rivals, but they are set to at least continue the improvement they showed in 2008.