CSF Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 Winter moves haven't altered pecking order January 17, 2005 BY CHRIS DE LUCA STAFF REPORTER So general manager Ken Williams' winter relationship with fans went from ''RipFest'' in 2004 to ''LoveFest'' in 2005 during the White Sox' annual convention. Even without Randy Johnson and Omar Vizquel, fans seem to like the Sox' slimmed-down look. The Sox certainly didn't land the big fish they were chasing this winter, but Williams and manager Ozzie Guillen developed a plan for a new look, and the Sox should get credit for at least executing their plan. Guillen's message all weekend was the rebuilt Sox should rule the American League Central in 2005. Though there will be more reshaping throughout the division, here's a look at how the Central stacks up a month shy of spring training: TWINS Record in 2004: 92-70, first place. Winter remodeling: General manager Terry Ryan lost the left side of his infield to free agency with the departures of shortstop Cristian Guzman and third baseman Corey Koskie. Outlook: Losing Guzman, who hit .274 and scored 84 runs, hurts. The Twins will let free agent Juan Castro and rookie Jason Bartlett battle for the job. Still, manager Ron Gardenhire gets the most out of his teams. If catcher Joe Mauer stays healthy, the Twins will have a potent lineup that still has Torii Hunter and Justin Morneau in the middle. The AL's best pitching staff in 2004 remains anchored by Johan Santana, Brad Radke and Carlos Silva (plus the expected return of Sox killer Joe Mays). And Gardenhire has a balanced bullpen with J.C. Romero and Juan Rincon setting up closer Joe Nathan. Bottom line: Again the Central's team to beat. WHITE SOX Record in 2004: 83-79, second place. Winter remodeling: Williams signed four key free agents: outfielder Jermaine Dye, catcher A.J. Pierzynski and pitchers Orlando Hernandez and Dustin Hermanson. In the deal that sent Carlos Lee to Milwaukee, Williams got outfielder Scott Podsednik and reliever Luis Vizcaino from the Brewers. Missing are Lee, right fielder Magglio Ordonez, shortstop Jose Valentin, catcher Sandy Alomar Jr. and left-hander Scott Schoeneweis. Outlook: The pressure is on Podsednik to return to his 2003 form, when he hit .314 and scored 100 runs. Guillen will find himself frustrated if Podsednik duplicates his 2004 numbers, when he hit .244 and struck out 105 times. The rotation is strong, and the bullpen is its deepest since 2000. The Sox must get off to a decent start until Frank Thomas (left ankle) is back to form in midseason to have a shot in this balanced division. Bottom line: Shedding so much power is risky if Thomas might be lost for half the season. INDIANS Record in 2004: 80-82, third place. Winter remodeling: General manager Mark Shapiro filled a big hole in his rotation by signing right-hander Kevin Millwood. Shapiro gambled on a minor-league deal with outfielder Juan Gonzalez and added backup infielder Jose Hernandez and reliever Arthur Rhodes. But the Indians lost shortstop Omar Vizquel. Outlook: A shaky bullpen put the Indians in a big hole last season. Manager Eric Wedge is relieved to have closer Bob Wickman healthy and ready to start the season. Millwood, if he shakes off the elbow trouble that plagued him in 2004, gives Wedge a strong No. 3 starter behind All-Stars C.C. Sabathia and Jake Westbrook. Bottom line: With a healthy Wickman back, the Indians (who converted only 32 saves in 60 chances) should finish with a winning record for the first time since a division title in 2001. TIGERS Record in 2004: 72-90, fourth place. Winter remodeling: Though GM Dave Dombrowski looked as if he would do more, the Tigers' most significant move was stealing free-agent closer Troy Percival from the Cubs. Outlook: Questions surround the Tigers' young rotation anchored by Nate Robertson, Jeremy Bonderman and Wilfredo Ledezma. Ivan Rodriguez, Dmitri Young and Carlos Guillen give the Tigers a dangerous trio in the middle of their lineup. Bottom line: Despite a decent lineup and a better bullpen, the Tigers are asking a lot of their young pitchers. ROYALS Record in 2004: 58-104, fifth place. Winter remodeling: GM Allard Baird has little to work with, but added starting pitcher Jose Lima and right fielder Terrence Long. Outlook: First baseman Mike Sweeney is the biggest threat in the lineup, but back problems held him to 106 games. David DeJesus replaced Carlos Beltran in center and gives the Royals a legit leadoff hitter. But the rotation and bullpen are thin, and there are too many holes in the lineup. Bottom line: Only the Diamondbacks (111) lost more games last season. The Tigers bounced from 119 losses in 2003 to 90 but after a much more productive winter than what the Royals have shown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshPR Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 To Depuca.. NO s*** SHERLOCK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalapse Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 The Twins are still the top dogs in the Central til we dethrone them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordan4life_2007 Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 In the word's of Pedro, the Twins are our "daddy" until proven otherwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 QUOTE(Kalapse @ Jan 18, 2005 -> 01:37 PM) The Twins are still the top dogs in the Central til we dethrone them. I agree 100%. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider17 Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 Twins, Braves and Yankees - Perennial division locks until some team proves otherwise. :banghead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosMediasBlancas Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 Exactly. Every once in a while that guy gets bored and puts out a non story. Usually he tries to stir the pot, his cubicle must be next to Moronotti's. Frank not back til mid season??? QUOTE(JoshPR @ Jan 18, 2005 -> 07:34 PM) To Depuca.. NO s*** SHERLOCK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aboz56 Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 Just as AJ told me this past weekend at Soxfest when I asked him about Minnesota, "The White Sox need to worry about the White Sox and let the Twins worry about the Twins. Part of the White Sox problem is that they worry about the Twins, but the Twins don't worry about the White Sox, they just worry about the Twins." I think all of us should adopt this. We need to quit worrying about the Twins and worry about the White Sox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilliamTell Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 They're still the team to beat, until this year hopefully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witesoxfan Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 QUOTE(aboz56 @ Jan 18, 2005 -> 02:10 PM) Just as AJ told me this past weekend at Soxfest when I asked him about Minnesota, "The White Sox need to worry about the White Sox and let the Twins worry about the Twins. Part of the White Sox problem is that they worry about the Twins, but the Twins don't worry about the White Sox, they just worry about the Twins." I think all of us should adopt this. We need to quit worrying about the Twins and worry about the White Sox. That is just one of the reasons the AJ signing was a great signing. He may have questionable character, but teams have won with those guys before. What AJ does is bring in a different mentality to this clubhouse, similar to the Twins. If he can help establish that attitude throughout, this team will be very dangerous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texsox Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 (edited) So far it seems there are two schools of thought on the central. Some writers prefer the duh, obvious, I want to say I picked every division race correctly, they go with the Twins. Some pundits want to be the genius, pick someone no one else is picking, that seems to be the Indians. I like our chances. I am one of those that went from 2004 Rip Fest to 2005 Love Fest. Spring training begins in less than one month. Edited January 18, 2005 by Texsox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JUGGERNAUT Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 He wrote this before today. The Twins have Santana, Lohse, & Silva going to arbitration. I see them having to make trades to cut payroll if they are to sign all 3. The CWS on the other hand have all their players signed, still have a 10M/3 deal out there for Igs & are willing to spend to upgrade their middle IF. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AddisonStSox Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 QUOTE(JUGGERNAUT @ Jan 18, 2005 -> 03:14 PM) He wrote this before today. The Twins have Santana, Lohse, & Silva going to arbitration. I see them having to make trades to cut payroll if they are to sign all 3. The CWS on the other hand have all their players signed, still have a 10M/3 deal out there for Igs & are willing to spend to upgrade their middle IF. Didn't the Twins agree to terms wth Silva? Anywho, the Twins deserve to be favorites until proven otherwise. They have dominated the AL Central the past 3 seasons. They do everything the right way and flat-out win. We should not be the favorites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnB Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 QUOTE(Jordan4life_2004 @ Jan 18, 2005 -> 01:47 PM) In the word's of Pedro, the Twins are our "daddy" until proven otherwise. that's all that needed to be said right there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnthraxFan93 Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 Didn't the Twins agree to terms wth Silva? Anywho, the Twins deserve to be favorites until proven otherwise. They have dominated the AL Central the past 3 seasons. They do everything the right way and flat-out win. We should not be the favorites. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Agreed, 100000000% Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soxman352000 Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 Until we beat them they are the king of the central division, as much as it makes me sick to say that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedoctor Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 nice of deluca to step out on a limb. :rolly anyhow, i have no gauge on how the sox will finish. i think preseason rankings of the sox are going to be all over the place. when you alter your roster and style of play as dramatically as the sox have, i don't think you can make a really accurate prediction as to how they'll be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witesoxfan Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 QUOTE(thedoctor @ Jan 18, 2005 -> 05:03 PM) nice of deluca to step out on a limb. :rolly anyhow, i have no gauge on how the sox will finish. i think preseason rankings of the sox are going to be all over the place. when you alter your roster and style of play as dramatically as the sox have, i don't think you can make a really accurate prediction as to how they'll be. That about hits it right on the head too. We have no idea how this team will mesh, we have no idea how good this team will actually be, we have no idea about anything regarding this team. I do like our chances though...I like them a lot. The Twins did not upgrading whatsoever(IIRC, their major moves of the offseason were bringing in like Juan Castro and Mike Redmond, along with Eric Munson, and losing Corey Koskie to Toronto...not much). Basically, I fee like this...the Sox have the best team in the division talent wise up and down the roster, and I think they will win the division...but when I do end up making my predictions, Minnesota will be on top for a good reason. May sound weird...but it is the truth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JUGGERNAUT Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 Ok all this arse-kissing for the Twinkies aside let's try to view this like the AP views top 25 rankings before the season starts. Those are based more on current rosters than past team success. The SOX have the better rotation but MIN has the better pen. Pitching & defense wise MIN has a slght edge over the SOX. IF wise SOX have the edge in the stick. Crede+Uribe+Harris/?+Koney should beat Morneau+Cuddyear+?+?. C wise MIN has a slight edge w Mauer over AJP. OF wise SOX have the edge in the stick as well. Rowand+Pods+Dye beats Ford+Hunter+Jones. So stick wise the SOX should have a solid edge. Basically the SOX upgraded their pitching & D w/out giving up their edge w the stick. That gives them the edge overall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 Those who do not learn from their history are doomed to repeat it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChWRoCk2 Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 QUOTE(AddisonStSox @ Jan 18, 2005 -> 03:30 PM) Didn't the Twins agree to terms wth Silva? Anywho, the Twins deserve to be favorites until proven otherwise. They have dominated the AL Central the past 3 seasons. They do everything the right way and flat-out win. We should not be the favorites. i was going to say something similar but you beat me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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