First Quarter Report - AL Central
May 26th, 2007 by winabango
Today we will take a look at the American League Norris division. This will be the toughest division to win this year. There are plenty of solid teams, but no one real dominate team. Here are some observations that I have about this division:
Surprise Player
Magglio Ordonez, OF DET - I thought that he was going to be good this year, but not this good. A .361 batting average with 12 homeruns is definitely something to talk about. I am not decided on whether or not this is a sell high candidate, or if this is a career year. He has shown this kind of production in the past, but always had difficulty staying healthy all year.
Disappointing Player
Alex Gordon, 3B KC - I am not sure that it is fair to put a rookie in this spot. However, with all of the hype surrounding him, many owners were sucked into his potential. In the deep roto league that I am in, Gordon was taken in the 6th round, which was 7 rounds before Ordonez was selected. DOH!
Most Costly Injury to Owners
Joe Mauer, C MIN - There are not many significant injuries in this division that would have wrecked an owner’s season. Mauer missing time has hurt some owners. This is because his production has been so good when he is the lineup. Thankfully he is due to return within the next few weeks.
Player to Watch
Joe Crede / Josh Fields, 3B CHW - Crede has been dealing with a back injury over the past few weeks, and Fields has begun to destroy Triple-A pitching. I don’t think it is coincidental that plenty of rumors about Crede being traded by the end of the year have begun.
Team Stats
Most runs scored - Detroit (231)
Most Homeruns - Detroit (48)
Most Walks - Cleveland (168)
Most Strikeouts - Kansas City (313)
Lowest Team ERA - Minnesota (3.95)
Lowest Opponent Batting AVE - Chicago (.308)
Most Strikeouts - Minnesota (299)
Best Fielding Percentage - Minnesota (.987)
Most Double Plays - Kansas City (50)
Most Errors - Kansas City (36)
Obviously Detroit has the most powerful offense in the division. I also think that by season’s end, the White Sox break out of their team slump and will take over some of the hitting categories. I personally think that the Twins low ERA is a reflection of their defense. They are so strong up the middle, and once again they will be a team to beat in the second half of the season.
Looks like Gordon is starting to hit the ball a little better lately. Hopefully he can continue to do so. Speaking of rookie third basemen, it’ll be interesting to see how Ryan Braun does over an extended period of time for the Brewers after being called up recently.
Gordon is beginning to do something over the last few weeks, but it will take a lot of production to make his owners feel like they did not screw up. I think that Braun will have better stats by the end of the year.
Kelly