CSF Posted February 7, 2003 Share Posted February 7, 2003 Here's the article from CBS Sportsline: AL Central progress report Feb. 5, 2003 By Scott Miller SportsLine.com Senior Writer Tell Scott your opinion! There is separation in the AL Central like in no other division. If it were a subdivision, two of the houses would be in a gated community and the others would be shacks down in the poor end of town. Unless somebody comes through with one of the greatest, most unexpected stories in baseball history, this is a two-team race: Minnesota and Chicago. The other three clubs will be sentenced to a summer of evaluating young players ... and saying their prayers. Winter Power Rankings Disclaimer: These rankings are solely based on what clubs have done from Nov. 1 through now. So don't be sending nasty e-mail notes demanding to know how I could pick, say, the Milwaukee Brewers to win the NL Central. These aren't predictions for 2003, just impressions of winter activity. So as our friend David Letterman might say, please, no wagering. 1. Chicago White Sox: Yeah, Sox have had a good winter ... but will Frank Thomas trash all of this good karma by the second day of spring camp? 2. Minnesota: Quick, make sure owner Carl Pohlad's checks don't bounce on Torii Hunter's new deal. 3. Vacant: None of the other three clubs should rightfully finish as high as third. 4. (tie) Kansas City and Detroit: Ugh. 6. Cleveland: They won't win, but at least the Indians have a plan. Breaking it down Best move: White Sox acquiring Bartolo Colon. When Chicago acquired closer Billy Koch from Oakland, it was eyebrow-raising. When they reeled in Colon from Montreal, it was a statement. It might be difficult to pick against Minnesota's talented team to win the division, but the White Sox sure appear to have closed the gap over the past few weeks. Colon was one of only six 20-game winners in the majors last season, and he well could win 20 again given his overpowering stuff. With Colon and Mark Buehrle at the top of the rotation, this could be the White Sox's most exciting season since the heady day of Black Jack McDowell, Wilson Alvarez and Alex Fernandez. Re-signed Torii Hunter is back as the Twins' leading man. (Getty Images) Worst move: Cleveland losing Jim Thome. OK, so this one is pretty obvious. The Indians have been shrinking over the past few seasons -- both in payroll and talent -- and Thome's departure for Philadelphia takes away the organization's soul. Shortstop Omar Vizquel is about all that is left from the glory days. Honorable mention worst move: Kansas City failing to trade starter Paul Byrd and closer Roberto Hernandez at the deadline last July 31. Then they could have gotten something, anything, in return. Now, forget it. The reeling Royals wound up losing both pitchers to free agency this winter without getting anything in return. And given the tight payroll, the Royals couldn't go out and replace Byrd's 17 victories in 2002. What's left? A wing and a prayer, basically. Of what's left to fill out Kansas City's rotation this summer, nobody who will be in camp won more than four games in the majors last season. The Royals' likely opening day starter is Runelvys Hernandez, who has a career mark of 4-4 with a 4.36 ERA in 12 big-league starts. Most off the wall move: Detroit trading left-hander Mark Redman to Florida. We know the Tigers are watching their payroll and were likely going to deal Redman by July 31, anyway, given the large raise he was expected to receive via salary arbitration. But get this: Since last season, Detroit has rid itself of its only All-Star (Robert Fick, who signed with Atlanta as a free agent), its best starter (Redman), its player of the year (Randall Simon, traded to Pittsburgh) and its closer (Juan Acevedo). Sheesh, do Alan Trammell, Kirk Gibson and Lance Parrish have any eligibility left? Most underrated move: Minnesota re-signing Torii Hunter for $32 million over four years. We're calling this underrated because everything Minnesota does is underrated, given their small market-ness. But this was a significant signing, given the Twins' status as defending champions and Hunter's popularity both in Minnesota and nationally. For penurious owner Carl Pohlad to actually crack open that bank vault -- we're pretty sure he needed a crowbar -- well, it truly was a momentous occasion. Congratulations to both the Twins and Hunter. Another underrated move came in Cleveland, where, after Thome left for Philadelphia, the Indians acquired first-base prospect Travis Hafner from Texas. Keep an eye on his development. Noticeable move that isn't as shocking at second glance: Minnesota allowing designated hitter David Ortiz to walk. Ortiz, who batted .272 with 20 homers and 75 RBIs last season, was a force at DH for the Twins in 2002. But with Hunter, Jacque Jones, switch-hitter Cristian Guzman and first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz, the Twins have been lefty-heavy. So the decision was made to cut loose Ortiz for two reasons: He was going to get a big raise via salary arbitration, and the Twins have right-handed candidates such as Matt LeCroy who can step into the DH role and give manager Ron Gardenhire a better-balanced lineup. On the rise: Chicago White Sox. Not much question that the Sox are on the way up, given the acquisitions of Colon and Koch this winter. In outfielder Magglio Ordonez, Chicago has one of the best secrets in the AL offensively, and with Paul Konerko also in the middle of the lineup, Jerry Manuel's team can score. The fact that they couldn't get rid of Frank Thomas over the winter gives this year's team some uncertainty, because with Thomas, the Sox have had one of the weirdest clubhouse mixes in the game for several years now. If the Sox can overcome the bad juju, they can make a run. One sobering recent reminder, though, is David Wells: The Sox thought they were over the hump when they acquired him two years ago, too, and it was only a mirage. The last thing they need is to have Colon follow Wells' injury-marred season in Chicago. On the decline: Cleveland Indians. The Jim Thome negotiations this winter were a big fork in the road for the organization. Had he stayed, their current rebuilding program could have been expedited to a degree because the Indians at least would have had a big bat in the lineup, as well as slick-fielding Omar Vizquel. But when Thome departed ... well, you just don't replace his offensive numbers, and give GM Mark Shapiro credit for not throwing good money after bad and bringing in some broken-down stiff for a season or two in hopes of erasing the memory of Thome. Cleveland's fans, some of the most supportive in all of sports, are getting a completely raw deal from Indians ownership, which owes them much more than they're getting in return for all of those Jacobs Field sellouts since 1994. Having said that, if there is no other option than to rebuild, Shapiro is to be commended for developing what appears to be a pretty good blueprint and then sticking with it. Keep an eye on: New Detroit Tigers manager Alan Trammell. The road is littered with carcasses of managers such as Davey Lopes, who was brought in to re-build Milwaukee only to be canned less than three years into his tenure because of a lack of patience. It is going to take years to rebuild this once-proud Tigers franchise, and the hope here is that the organization doesn't do anything to smudge Trammell's gleaming years in Detroit. We don't know yet what kind of a manager he will be, but we do know this: When the Tigers open the season, many baseball fans might not be able to name even one of their starting players. The cupboards have never been more bare in Detroit. The only way Trammell will succeed is if the organization backs him, helps him and is loyal enough to grant him as much patience as he needs. Miller's previous progress reports: AL West | NL West | AL East | NL East Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bighurt52235 Posted February 7, 2003 Share Posted February 7, 2003 That was a pretty good article, but I don't like the idea of "The Sox couldn't get rid of Thomas". I for one think he is going to have a huge season. He is too damn good to be down for so long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSF Posted February 7, 2003 Author Share Posted February 7, 2003 That was a pretty good article, but I don't like the idea of "The Sox couldn't get rid of Thomas". I for one think he is going to have a huge season. He is too damn good to be down for so long. Agreed. Remember, he was down in '99 too, & look what happened the following year. I think Frank's going to have a monster year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BridgeportHeather Posted February 7, 2003 Share Posted February 7, 2003 Agreed. Remember, he was down in '99 too, & look what happened the following year. I think Frank's going to have a monster year. I agree. Hurt's been spending lots of time in Vegas working on his fundamentals, so I have heard. He looks like he's in very great shape from what I've seen on TV and in pictures. Can anyone who went to Sox Fest comment on his size? I'm looking forward to seeing the Hurt reverting back to mid-90s form and making a run (of course with Magglio) at the AL MVP award. His leadership is necessary; with it, we can do deep into a beautiful sunset this year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted February 7, 2003 Share Posted February 7, 2003 I think he's going to have a really good year, but I'm going to have to wait till spring training and see how he looks before I make my predictions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaSoxRox Posted February 7, 2003 Share Posted February 7, 2003 I think he's going to have a really good year, but I'm going to have to wait till spring training and see how he looks before I make my predictions. I don't know, maybe its just me, but I never really see too much of a difference in his size year to year....maybe the size of his head, but his body seems to be always HUGE. Let's hope Frank keeps his g-damn head out of his backside and his agent's office long enough to get us to the promised land!! ...because with a killer year from the hurt, we will scoremore runs than our d will give up to end up on top... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitesox247 Posted February 7, 2003 Share Posted February 7, 2003 I think he's going to have a really good year, but I'm going to have to wait till spring training and see how he looks before I make my predictions. I don't know, maybe its just me, but I never really see too much of a difference in his size year to year....maybe the size of his head, but his body seems to be always HUGE. not as HUGE as ur avatars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BridgeportHeather Posted February 8, 2003 Share Posted February 8, 2003 I think he's going to have a really good year, but I'm going to have to wait till spring training and see how he looks before I make my predictions. I don't know, maybe its just me, but I never really see too much of a difference in his size year to year....maybe the size of his head, but his body seems to be always HUGE. not as HUGE as ur avatars LOL! That guy makes Rich Garces look like a twigboy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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