AL North Preview

The AL North is home to the dominant team in MLB: Detroit FC Dinamo.  Two-time defending World Series champions, seven All-Stars, the league MVP and Cy Young Award winner make competing in this division tough.  However, three of the four clubs finished over .500 last season; Toronto went to the playoffs, and the Bruisers have made the Windy City a difficult trip for any team, posting a 47-34 record at U.S. Cellular last year.  With production like these teams put up, it should come as little surprise that the offseason was relatively quiet in the AL North.

The Detroit dynasty shows no signs of slowing down, so it will be up to the other three teams to step up to the plate to force the boys from Motown to sing the blues.  Can Toronto make the jump from Wild Card winner to Division champ, will the AL North finally send some new blood into October, or will Detroit be dynamic once again?  We look at what each team can expect this season, taking the teams in order of their finish last season.  

Detroit FC Dinamo

Key Departures: Rock Owens (FA), Fausto Castillo(FA).

Key Acquisitions: Milton Robinson (FA).

Breakdown: FC Dinamo won 117 games and kept that momentum rolling all the way through the World Series. CF Dante Seo hit 24 HR and OPSed .824 while playing solid defense, and the club locked him up to a long-term deal over the offseason, guaranteeing that he will be back to terrorize AL pitching for years to come. Their own pitching posted a 3.89 ERA, good for fourth in MLB, and that rotation remains largely intact. 

Outlook: Owner lfkbibanul decided if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The team will look for similar production from RF Luis Crespo (118 RBI) and 3B Ugueth Pascual (38 HR), and a rotation filled with aces shows no signs of letting up in its quest for a return trip to the Fall Classic.  The rest of the teams in the AL North face an uphill climb to be sure.  

Toronto Thoroughbreds

Key Departures: Benito Javier (FA).

Key Acquisitions: None. 

Breakdown: 1B Seth Brinkley made a big splash in his first full season in the majors, putting up 43 HR and posting a .984 OPS, and DH Seth Brinkley slugged .573 and drove in 70 runs. The offense as a whole scored 943 runs, good for seventh in the majors. The pitching staff was equally solid, allowing a 1.39 WHIP. 

Outlook: With 99 wins last season, the team chose not to panic in the offseason and stayed the course with the talent on board. With an average age of only 26.5, Toronto boasts the fourth youngest roster in MLB. Another solid season from veteran starter Norm Baldwin atop the rotation should help lead the youngsters by example. The question is whether their talent and cohesion will lead to another year of steady improvement and allow the Thoroughbreds to challenge for the Division crown.

Chicago Bruisers

Key Departures: Phil Kondou (FA), Benito Neruda (FA).

Key Acquisitions: Mel White (FA).

Breakdown: A consistently solid franchise, Chicago won 86 games for the second season in a row, and 80+ games for the fourth consecutive year. They did so thanks in no small part to midseason acquisition 3B Chad Yeats and his 33 RBI down the stretch. The offense was there, but a pitching staff that finished in the middle of the pack in most statistical categories left them on the outside looking in when the playoffs began, of course due greatly to the stiff competition they faced within the division. 

Outlook: If CF David Crespo can match his .905 OPS and 40 HR totals from last season, the runs will continue to come. However, they will need better than a 4.86 ERA from ace Randy Watson and a big-time performance from pitcher Milton Lamb in his first full season as a major league starter if they expect to out-duel the reigning champs. It will be a tall order, but expect them to compete for a Wild Card slot once again.

Pittsburgh Crawfords

Key Departures: Chris Elster (FA).

Key Acquisitions: Mo Webb (FA), Clint Hines (FA), Justin Bennett (Rule 5 Draft).

Breakdown: The team was led once again by cornerstone 1B Ivan Maradona and his 112 RBI. Young RF Erik Black continued to come into his own with 36 HR and a .919 OPS, and the team was able to post a collective .350 OBP. However, their .445 team SLG and 0 SB on the season (!) meant that the offense was unable to overcome the disappointing 5.67 team ERA. 

Outlook: The Crawfords are hoping that Hines can parlay his career 4.19 minor league ERA into major league success and shore up the back end of their rotation. Aging starters Dan Tomlinson and Jon Roth will have to continue to get it done (Roth posted a very respectable 4.05 ERA last season) and need to be dependable sources of quality starts. If that happens and Rule 5 selection Bennett can make a successful jump to the major leagues, Pittsburgh could once again flirt with .500 or better this season.