1. Minnesota Twins
The Twins still have a huge hole at third base and the worst outfield defense in baseball, but Orlando Hudson (is it just me, or is the “O-Dog” nickname played out?) and J.J. Hardy were cheap, sneaky additions to the infield. Jim Thome gives them depth if Delmon Young continues to fail to progress, and remember, this team somehow made the playoffs last season despite Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer missing nearly two months combined, losing Kevin Slowey for the year in early July and getting nothing from Francisco Liriano. Mauer is sure to fall back to earth some, but what if Liriano resembles his 2006 form? Scott Baker is very good too, and Slowey is back. Losing Joe Nathan obviously hurts, but it’s a deep rotation, and no other team in MLB has such an advantage of getting that kind of production from the catcher position.
Fearless prediction: Francisco Liriano enters 2011 as a unanimous top-10 fantasy starter.
2. Chicago White Sox
Chicago’s starting rotation is just as good if not better than the Twins, but the lineup is shaky, and if Bobby Jenks doesn’t get healthy soon, the bullpen becomes awfully thin. If Gordon Beckham progresses at a fast rate, Alex Rios bounces back and Carlos Quentin stays healthy, this team will contend for the division title. However, Juan Pierre, Andruw Jones and Mark Teahen are pretty weak regulars, and Alexei Ramirez is a far better fantasy player than real life asset. It’s a good, not great White Sox team.
Fearless prediction: Jake Peavy’s transition to the AL is overblown, and most fantasy owners are more than happy they drafted him. He surpasses 200 Ks with a sub 1.20 WHIP.
3. Detroit Tigers
Just like the White Sox, the Tigers have a strong starting rotation (and their top-three may even have the most upside in the division), but it’s not as deep, and the lineup is also a problem. Justin Verlander threw 3,937 pitches last season, more than 300 more than the next most in MLB, and since he also led the league in “stress” pitches, he enters 2010 as somewhat of an injury risk. Max Scherzer is also no sure thing to stay healthy, although Rick Porcello could really thrive now unleashed, and his K rate is sure to increase as a result. But bottom line, there’s not enough offense here.
Fearless prediction: Miguel Cabrera goes nuts, posting a .330-45-130 type season, although his teammates bring his counting stats down some. He proves more valube in fantasy leagues than Ryan Howard, Prince Fielder and Mark Teixeira.
4. Kansas City Royals
I had a hard time picking who would finish fourth here, but ultimately I sided with KC ending up ahead of Cleveland. Zack Greinke was a big reason why, but Gil Meche’s shoulder trouble isn’t a good sign. As usual, the lineup is bad, as GM Dayton Moore continues to prove he’s one of the very worst in the business. Poor Alex Gordon; I’m still not completely writing him off though. When healthy, Joakim Soria is the fourth-best closer in baseball.
Fearless prediction: Billy Butler has a big year and enters 2011 ahead of Adrian Gonzalez, Kevin Youkilis, Kendry Morales and Justin Morneau on fantasy draft boards.
5. Cleveland Indians
Matt LaPorta remains intriguing and Carlos Santana is a fine prospect, but the plan for this Cleveland team is unclear right now. Grady Sizemore should rebound, but why sign Russell Branyan? And what exactly happened to Fausto Carmona? Justin Masterson has some upside, but man has this franchise fallen.
Fearless prediction: Chris Perez takes the closer’s job and runs with it, as Kerry Wood is used strictly as a setup man after he returns from his injury before getting traded. Go ahead and treat Perez as a borderline top-20 fantasy RP right now.
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