Starting Nine: American League Central

Yesterday, I took at the starting nine position players for each American League East team. Today, I will cover the starting nine position players for each American League Central team.

Remember, these lineups are as of today. Obviously these will change as the offseason continues. I will update these lineups as the season approaches.

Here are the starting lineups for each American League Central team:

Minnesota Twins

1. Denard Span, CF

2. Joe Mauer, C

3. Justin Morneau, 1B

4. Michael Cuddyer, RF

5. Jason Kubel, DH

6. Delmon Young, LF

7. J.J. Hardy, SS

8. Brendan Harris, 3B

9. Nick Punto, 2B

Quick Take – The Twins have as good a one through five as anyone in baseball. They desperately need a third and second baseman. Orlando Hudson would be a nice addition.

Chicago White Sox

1. Juan Pierre, LF

2. Gordon Beckham, 2B

3. Carlos Quentin, RF

4. Paul Konerko, 1B

5. Alex Rios, CF

6. Alexei Ramirez, SS

7. A.J. Pierzynski, C

8. Mark Teahen, 3B

9. Mark Kotsay, DH

Quick Take – Perhaps there is no lineup that is harder to put together than the White Sox’s. This lineup could go in nine different directions. They need a DH and bringing back Jim Thome would make sense.

Detroit Tigers

1. Austin Jackson, CF

2. Carlos Guillen, DH

3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B

4. Magglio Ordonez, RF

5. Brandon Inge, 3B

6. Ryan Raburn, LF

7. Gerald Laird, C

8. Adam Everett, SS

9. Scott Sizemore, 2B

Quick Take – Another hard lineup to put together. Jackson and Sizemore could flip-flop in the order. I don’t see a reason to ever pitch to Cabrera.

Kansas City Royals

1. Scott Podsednik, CF

2. David DeJesus, LF

3. Billy Butler, 1B

4. Jose Guillen, RF

5. Alex Gordon, 3B

6. Alberto Callaspo, 2B

7. Josh Fields, DH

8. Yuniesky Betancourt, SS

9. Jason Kendall, C

Quick Take – This lineup is going to have a hard time scoring runs. This year might be make or break for Gordon.

Cleveland Indians

1. Azdrubal Cabrera, SS

2. Michael Brantley, LF

3. Grady Sizemore, CF

4. Shin-Soo Choo, RF

5. Travis Hafner, DH

6. Jhonny Peralta, 3B

7. Matt LaPorta, 1B

8. Lou Marson, C

9. Luis Valbuena, 2B

Quick Take – I like putting Brantley in the two-hole because of the speed and high OBP ability he showed in the minors. Sizemore moves down to the three-hole and takes on the role of a run producer.

Tomorrow, I will take a look at the American League West.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

Kansas City Royals Trade Mark Teahen To Chicago White Sox

It only took a couple of hours till after the World Series ended to get the hot stove started.

Today, the Kansas City Royals traded 3B/OF Mark Teahen to the Chicago White Sox for 2B Chris Getz and 3B Josh Fields.

I don’t get this trade for either team. First, let’s start with the White Sox.

While I give White Sox GM Kenny Williams for being one of the few general managers in today’s economic climate who is willing to take on salary, sometimes I question what he is thinking.

Teahen is finally getting out of KC

If you are going to take on salary, the juice better be worth the squeeze. With Teahen, who will earn probably around $4.5-$5 million in 2010 (he is a second-year arbitration eligible player), I am not sure he is.

Teahen enjoyed his best year in the majors in 2006. The former first round pick out of William & Mary hit .290/.357/.517 with 18 homeruns and 10 SB’s in just 109 games. After that season, I really thought the Royals had something in Teahen.

Since that season he has been extremely mediocre with the Royals. He has never even come close to duplicating his 2006 season and for his career he is a .269/.331./.419 hitter.

I always viewed Teahen as a guy who could be a good piece/role player on a championship team. As the Royals found out, Teahen is not a star player in this league.

I have no idea how Teahen fits on the White Sox. The White Sox need a third baseman, but Teahen is a terrible defensive fielding third baseman. I am guessing he is going to be playing the outfield.

If that’s the case, the White Sox, in this down economy could have gotten a better option than Teahan to play the outfield for roughly $5 million.

As for the Royals, don’t they have enough DH-type players on their roster? Didn’t they learn their lesson last year when they traded for Mike Jacobs?

That is what the Royals got with Fields–a DH. Fields was supposed to be the heir apparent to Joe Crede in Chicago, but it never happened. After Fields hit 23 homeruns in 2007 in just 100 games, I thought the White Sox had a bopper on their hands.

Not so much.

Since 2007, Fields has fallen flat on his face. He has battled injuries and has never really lived up to his promise that made him the second best prospect in the White Sox system according to Baseball America in 2007.

Fields doesn’t have a position on the Royals except for DH. The Royals have Alex Gordon at third and Billy Butler at first. And if Fields is the DH, does that mean Kila Kaaihue will never get a shot with the Royals?

I don’t get it. Kaaihue is the only player in the Royals organization, who understands the meaning of a walk (206 the last two years in the minors) and he can’t see the light of day in the majors.

Getz hit .261/.324/.347 with 25 SB’s in 100 games as a 26-year-old rookie last year with the White Sox. The Royals already have a 26-year-old second baseman named Alberto Callaspo.

Callaspo hit .300/.356/.457 last year and had 173 hits. It looks like Getz will be just a role player with the Royals.

The Royals can shed all the salary they want, but if you are going to shed salary, then you have to get players back who fill a need or needs.

Fields and Getz don’t fill any needs.

Essentially what the Royals did was trade a mediocre player for two mediocre players to back up the mediocre players they already have.

That’s called spinning your wheels.

Looking At Fantasy 3rd Basemen In 2009..

In honor of March Madness, I am going to do a tournament to determine who is the best fantasy 3B in 2009. This is a 36 player tournament and seeds are broken down from 1-8 in 4 regions. The 4 regions are the Mike Schmidt Region, George Brett Region, Eddie Mathews Region and the Brooks Robinson Region.

Since there are 36 players who will be participating in this tournament, the last 2 seeds in each bracket (8 players total) will play in a play-in game to determine who advances to the actual tournament. Let the tournament begin….

Mike Schmidt Region

Play In Game

Bill Hall vs Andy LaRoche. Winner – Andy LaRoche

Longoria is a #1 seed

1st Round

#1 Evan Longoria vs #8 Andy LaRoche

#2 Garrett Atkins vs #7 Scott Rolen

#3 Ryan Zimmerman vs #6 Mark Reynolds

#4 Chone Figgins vs #5 Mike Lowell

Winners – Longoria, Atkins, Zimmerman, Lowell

Analysis – Longoria hit 27 hr’s and drove in 85 runs in only 122 games in 08. Baring injury Longoria should put up 35+ hr, drive in 120+ runs and even swipe double digit steals in 09. He is the #1 seed in this region and should be one of the 1st 3B on your draft board.

Mark Reynold’s K’s (204 last year) were too much to overcome against Zimmerman, who should have a nice bounce back year. Figgins has been injury prone the last 2 years (hasn’t played in more than 116 games) and I believe his 07 season was a fluke. Lowell looks good this spring and that enables him to pull off the upset against Figgins.

Brooks Robinson Region

Play In Game

Eric Chavez vs Russell Branyan. Winner – Russell Branyan. It is pretty amazing how far Chavez has fallen in such a short period of time. Branyan qualifies as a 3B but will get 1st crack at being the Mariners everyday 1B. Maybe Branyan will be the Mariners version of Carlos Pena?

1st Round

#1 Alex Rodriguez vs #8 Russell Branyan

#2 Chipper Jones vs #7 Casey Blake

#3 Aubrey Huff vs #6 Pablo Sandoval

#4 Mark DeRosa vs #5 Carlos Guillen

Winners – Rodriguez, Jones, Huff, DeRosa

Analysis – Despite probably missing the 1st month of the season, Rodriguez still remains 1 of the 4 best fantasy 3B in baseball. He still should be able to put up 30 hr’s and 90 rbi, which is better than most.

Chipper Jones, headed into his 16th season still has a lot to offer fantasy owners. His batting avg. has increased each of the last 3 years and he can single handily win you OBP in a head to head league.

Aubrey Huff is often over looked in fantasy drafts but all he did last year was smack 32 hr’s, drive in 108 runs and hit .304. Expect the same from Huff this year, as the Orioles will have a solid lineup in 2009.

George Brett Region

Play In Game

Jed Lowrie vs Chris Johnson. Winner – Jed Lowrie

1st Round

#1 David Wright vs #8 Jed Lowrie

#2 Chris Davis vs #7 Troy Glaus

#3 Adrian Beltre vs #6 Melvin Mora

#4 Alex Gordon vs #5 Jorge Cantu

Winners – Wright, Davis, Beltre, Gordon

Analysis – David Wright goes into 2009 as the #1 fantasy 3B. Wright has finished in the top 10 in MVP voting the last 3 years and that trend should continue in 2009. What separates Wright is 1. His durability (160 games played in 3 of the last 4 years) and 2. His ability to steal a base. Wright was a 30/30 man just 2 years ago. I don’t think he will go 30/30 again but 20 sb’s can be expected.

A lot has been expected from Alex Gordon ever since the Royals drafted him the 2nd pick overall in the 2005 draft. Gordon showed some progress last season by raising his avg. 13 points and his OBP by 37 points. If he can continue this trend maybe a .275/20/80 is doable in 2009.

Chris Davis has been the hot name going into fantasy drafts due to his 17 hr and 55 rbi performance in just 60 games last year. Is he another Kevin Maas or will he break out in 2009? I think hitting is contagious in that Rangers lineup and Davis will put up a nice .282/33/101 in 2009. Davis also qualifies as a 1B as well

One last note on this bracket. Jed Lowrie is probably the best #8 seed in this tournament. With Julio Lugo going down with a knee injury, Lowrie becomes the starting SS in a powerful Red Sox lineup. Lowrie qualifies as a 3B but has more value as a SS.

Eddie Mathews Region

Play In Game

Brandon Inge vs Josh Fields. Winner – Josh Fields. Fields wins based on his sleeper potential. You know what you are going to get with Inge…which isn’t very good

1st Round

#1 Aramis Ramirez vs #8 Josh Fields

#2 Kevin Youkilis vs #7 Joe Crede

#3 Kevin Kouzmanoff vs #6 Edwin Encarnacion

#4 Michael Young vs #5 Hank Blalock

Winners – Ramirez, Youkilis, Kouzmanoff, Blalock

Analysis – Aramis Ramirez has been one of the most productive 3B in the league since joining the Cubs in 2003. You can pretty much lock Ramirez in for 25+ hr’s and 100+ rbi every year.

Youkilis is the strongest #2 seed in this tournament and if Arod was out longer, would move into a #1 seed. Youkilis also qualifies at 1B but has more fantasy value at 3B. If your league has OBP as a category, then Youkilis (.380 or better 4 years in a row) is a must grab.

Blalock upsets Young in the first round because I believe Blalock will have a year similar to is .276/32/110 of 2004 season.

Mike Schmidt Region – Sweet 16

#1 Evan Longoria vs #5 Mike Lowell

#2 Garrett Atkins vs #3 Ryan Zimmerman

Winners – Longoria and Zimmerman

Analysis – Atkins batting avg, OBP, hr’s and rbi have dropped each of the last 3 years. That is not a good sign and to make matters worse, Atkins will be hitting in a lineup without Matt Holliday and has Ian Stewart breathing down his neck. Zimmerman will revert back to his 06 and 07 seasons when he averaged 22 hr’s and 100 rbi.

Brooks Robinson Region – Sweet 16

#1 Alex Rodriguez vs #4 Mark DeRosa

#2 Chipper Jones vs #3 Aubrey Huff

Winners – Rodriguez and Jones

Analysis – I will bet a lot of money that DeRosa will not have 21 hr and 87 rbi again in 2009. Last year is what we call a “career year.” I look for more DeRosa like 15 hr and 65 rbi in 2009 and thus ending DeRosa’s tournament run.

Even knowing that Jones is going to miss at least 20 games, I would still take him over Aubrey Huff and that is the reason he advances.

Wright is a top 4 3B

George Brett Region – Sweet 16

#1 David Wright vs #4 Alex Gordon

#2 Chris Davis vs #3 Adrian Beltre

Winners – Wright and Davis

Analysis – Gordon might be improving but he is no match for Wright. Davis vs Beltre is an interesting matchup because Beltre is a free agent at the end of the year and you know what happened last time Beltre was a free agent. Beltre lit up baseball with a .334/48/121. I don’t think Beltre will put up those numbers but I think Beltre will be better than he was last year. However, Davis edges Beltre in the end due to his age (keeper consideration) and his potential for a great year.

Eddie Mathews Region

#1 Aramis Ramirez vs #5 Hank Blalock

#2 Kevin Youkilis vs #3 Kevin Kouzmanoff

Winners – Aramis Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis

Analysis – Ramirez and Youkilis advance pretty easily to the Elite 8. What hurts Kouzmanoff is his OBP. Last year it was a pretty pathetic .299. If Kouzmanoff can learn a little plate discipline, he would be more highly regarded in fantasy drafts.

Elite 8

#1 Evan Longoria vs #3 Ryan Zimmerman

#1 Alex Rodriguez vs #2 Chipper Jones

#1 David Wright vs #3 Chris Davis

#1 Aramis Ramirez vs #2 Kevin Youkilis

Winners – Rodriguez, Longoria, Wright, Youkilis

Analysis – Youkilis pulls off the upset due to him hitting in a better lineup than Ramirez and Youkilis’ ability to play 1B. Having players who can play multiple positions is a bonus to any fantasy roster. So the Final 4 is set with the 4 best fantasy 3B in baseball. Longoria, Rodriguez, Wright and Youkilis. These are the 4 guys who should on the top of your list come draft day.

Final 4

#1 Evan Longoria vs #1 Alex Rodriguez

#1 David Wright vs #2 Kevin Youkilis

Winners – Longoria and Wright

Analysis – Due to Arod’s injury Longoria gets the nod on draft day. In the other matchup in the Final 4, David Wright gets the edge on draft over Youkilis. Wright’s sb potential sets Wright apart.

Finals

#1 Evan Longoria vs #1 David Wright

Winner – Wright

Analysis – Wright went into this tournament as the #1 3B and comes out of this tournament the #1 3B. If Wright is available to you on draft day, don’t hesitate to grab him.

I hope you enjoyed this fantasy 3B tournament and good luck in your NCAA Basketball bracket.

The “Key” Player For Each MLB Team…

Yesterday, in Part 1 of my “The key player each MLB team” column, I covered all 16 National League teams. Well, today it is time to cover all 14 teams in the American League.

Teams are listed by division.

AL East

Blue Jays – David Purcey. I believe the Blue Jays offense will be fine due to having Adam Lind, Travis Snyder and Aaron Hill in the lineup for the full season. That means someone needs to step up behind Roy Halladay. With the loss of AJ Burnett to free agency and Shaun Marcum and Dustin McGowen to injuries, former 1st round pick David Purcey needs to step up in order for the Blue Jays to even think of having a chance in the AL East.

Orioles – Jeremy Guthrie. The Orioles need an ace and a leader of their pitching staff and Guthrie has the potential to be that guy. At 30 years old, it’s time for Guthrie to step up, pitch 200 innings and be the ace of the Orioles staff.

Can Percival return as the Rays closer?

Rays – Troy Percival. I think the Rays are playing with fire by going into the season with an uncertain closer situation. According to Rays Index, Troy Percival is ahead of schedule and while I am not sure how good that is for the Rays, a healthy Percival means guys like Wheeler and Balfour can pitch in their appropriate role of set-up men.

Red Sox – Mike Lowell. Just like Chase Utley, Lowell had hip surgery in the offseason. The Red Sox need a healthy Lowell to add depth and stability to the lineup. If Lowell can get back to at least a 20 hr and 80 rbi season, the Red Sox will once again be contenders for a World Series title.

Yankees – Jorge Posada.This was a toss-up between AJ Burnett and Jorge Posada. In the end Posada is the “key” because if Posada can’t play behind the plate because of his shoulder, it affects the entire roster. If Posada can’t catch then the Yankees will have to carry a 3rd catcher which would weaken there bench and Posada would have to DH, which would take away ab’s from Matsui, Nady and Swisher.

AL Central

Indians – Travis Hafner. A shoulder injury limited Hafner to only 57 games in 2008. Even in those 57 games, Hafner hit only .197/5/24. Very un-Hafner like. The Indians are proceeding with caution with Hafner but they need “Pronk” to return to the 25 hr and 100 rbi guy they are used to.

Royals – Kyle Davies. It seems like Davies has been around forever but he is only 25 years old. He is just entering his prime pitching years and a solid September in 08 (4-1, 2.27) lead many to believe Davies has turned the corner. The Royals need someone from the trio of Davies, Bannister & Hochevar to step up behind Meche and Greinke. If Davies can be that guy, the Royals might be headed to the post-season for the 1st time since 1985.

Tigers – Joel Zumaya. Zumaya burst onto the scene in 2006 and was one of the key reasons the Tigers went to the World Series for the 1st time since 1984. In the last 2 seasons, Zumaya has only appeared in 49 games because of injuries. Still only 24, a healthy Zumaya in 2009 gives the Tigers one of the best 8th inning set-up men in the game and will help them improve on their 27th ranked bullpen in 2008.

Liriano is the key for the Twins in 09

Twins – Francisco Liriano. I love the Twins this year but they will only go as far as Francisco Liriano takes them. At 25 and over 2 years removed from Tommy John surgery, Liriano has the potential to be a Cy Young candidate in 09. If Liriano can get back to his 06 12-3, 2.16 form, the Twins will be a serious contender for the AL Pennant.

White Sox – Josh Fields. With Joe Crede finally out of his way, it’s time for Josh Fields to prove he is just not another top prospect but a legit major league player. Fields had a solid rookie season in 2007 when he hit 23 hr and had 67 rbi in 100 games but injuries derailed his 2008 season. If Fields can’t get back to his rookie form, the White Sox are looking at a combination of Wilson Betemit and Brent Lillibridge at 3B. Not good.

AL West

Angels – Brian Fuentes. I always viewed Fuentes as a nice lefty set-up guy rather than a Closer for a team trying to win a World Series. For those who argue Fuentes was on the Rockies team that made it to the World Series in 07. Remember, he lost the Closer’s job to Manny Corpas during that season and he wasn’t even the Closer when the season began last year. Fuentes will have a lot of pressure on him to replace the departed Francisco Rodriguez. If he can’t handle the pressure, the Angels will have to scramble to find a Closer.

A’s – Dana Eveland. The A’s went for it on offense this offseason by adding Holliday, Giambi, Cabrera and Garciaparra. Now with reports that Justin Duchscher will have an MRI on his forearm there is even more pressure on someone on the A’s rotation to make an impact. That person needs to be Dana Eveland. One of the key players in the Haren trade, Eveland needs to improve on his 9-9 2008 record in order for the A’s to compete with the Angels for the AL West crown.

Can Bedard stay healthy in 09?

Mariners – Erik Bedard. The rebuilding Mariners need more than ever for Bedard to stay healthy and pitch like he did in his 15 win season with the Orioles in 2006. Why you ask? Because Bedard is a free agent at the end of the 2009 season and you better believe that if Bedard is pitching well, the Mariners will ask for a king’s ransom for the 29 year old lefty at the July 31st trading deadline. If the Mariners can get some top prospects for Bedard, it will speed up their rebuilding process.

Rangers – Matt Harrison. It seems like it has been the same question in Rangers camp for the last 20 years. Who is going to pitch for this team? So this years “key pitcher de jour” is Matt Harrison. Harrison was the key pitcher in the Mark Teixeira trade a couple of years ago and despite having an era of 5.49 he still managed to go 9-3 in 2008. The Rangers know what they are going to get from Millwood and Padilla, so the development of young pitchers like Harrison is key for the Rangers in 09.