February 13, 2006
Arms Race in the Central
ChicagoSports.com previews the AL Central, noting the plethora of good pitching in that division.
While teams on both coasts get the most attention, the best pitching in the AL is definitely in the middle. Teams from the Central ranked first (Cleveland), second (the White Sox) and fifth (Minnesota) in earned-run average last season. Even Detroit improved to eighth around promising young starters.
That high standard should be maintained this season. The Central is adding Javier Vazquez (White Sox), Kenny Rogers (Detroit), Paul Byrd (Cleveland) and Mark Redman (Kansas City) while losing only Kevin Millwood (Cleveland) from its deep stable of starters. Plus youngsters like Brandon McCarthy (White Sox), Francisco Liriano (Minnesota) and Justin Verlander (Detroit) are on the rise.
Wow, this may be the first time I've seen the acquisition of Mark Redman as a positive step for someone!
Good thing for the Sox that they sold so many season tickets. They area going to need a higher payroll to compete with the young talent in CLE and the upcoming pitching in Minn (Liriano and Baker).
Didn't Cleveland also lose Elarton and a couple relief pitchers?