Ranking the 2015 AL Central Division Infields

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Detroit Tigers Sportscaster Al Ackerman once said about Sparky Anderson “Sparky came here two years ago promising to build a team in his own image. Now the club is looking for small, white-haired infielders with .212 batting averages.”

Has any team in the AL Central Division truly mastered the mix of having the right balance of great gloves and great bats for their infields? The quality of an infield has proven to make or break a team, especially on the run to a postseason. Teams like the Detroit Tigers have leaned in the past that great bats and not gloves can cost your team at critical times when great gloves were needed.

Let’s take a look at the projected starting infields for the 2015 American League Central division and grade them on their bats, their gloves and give them an overall grade and rating.

5. Minnesota Twins

Gloves: D+

Bats: C-

Overall: C-

1B – Joe Mauer

2B – Brian Dozier

SS – Danny Santana

3B – Trevor Plouffe

No offense Twinkie fans…but Dozier, Plouffe? Who? This infield could be amongst the worst in the major leagues. Joe Mauer is coming back from an awful 2014 season batting .277 with only 4 home runs and 55 RBI’s while battling a return from a concussion. Can we write 2014 off as a bad Mauer year? Twins fans certainly hope so.

At shortstop the youthful Santana brings speed and can get on base for the Twins. His solid 2014 offensive performance of .319 average and .353 on base percentage might be difficult to repeat, but his glove will be solid with his range.

Brian Dozier doesn’t bring a lot to the middle of the infield for the Twins except for some above average speed. Dozier’s below average bat and a hole in his glove with 15 errors last year keep second base a major weak spot for the Twins. Plouffe provides more and less the same as Dozier to third base – below average bat and glove.

Eduardo Escobar will be competing for shortstop in the spring and throughout the season and look for Jorge Polanco to battle for a spot too.

4. Cleveland Indians

Gloves: C-

Bats: C+

Overall: C

1B-Carlos Santana

2B-Jason Kipnis

SS-Jose Ramirez

3B-Lonnie Chisenhall

The Indians are coming off an abysmal 2014 defensive performance. Leading the poor defensive performers were 2B Jason Kipnis and 3B Lonnie Chisenhall. The good news for the Central Division foes is that they are back this year. Kipnis will also be rehabbing a finger which he had off-season surgery. Kipnis’ plate performance in 2014 was about as bad as his fielding, hitting .240 with only 6 home runs with 41 RBIs. Chisenhall had 18 errors and continued to look lost at not only at third base but at the plate.

Jose Ramirez brings a solid glove and range to shortstop with a mediocre bat. Carlos Santana will start the season at first base and try to get comfortable at that corner after moving around last year from catcher to third base to first base. Santana will need to pick up his offensive performance as well and bring the anchor that the Indians desperately need after hitting only .231 with 27 homers and 85 RBIs. Santana’s bat showed promise in the second half of the season.

Top Tribe prospect shortstop Francisco Lindor will fight for Ramirez’s starting spot during spring and throughout the season. The Indians’ performance will dictate how much they push him. Mike Aviles provides a solid utility presence and if needed a Kipnis replacement. Brandon Moss and Nick Swisher could possibly add some depth if they can complete their rehab and comebacks from major surgeries.

3. Kansas City Royals

Gloves: B

Bats: C+

Overall: B-

1B – Eric Hosmer

2B – Omar Infante

SS –Alcides Escobar

3B –Mike Moustakas

Hosmer is coming off two consecutive Gold Glove awards but his power and at the plate and overall hitting performance needs to improve. He needs to step up and be more of an offensive anchor for this Royals’ infield. I like the potential of Moustakas especially after his stellar post season power. Last season Moustakas had a career low batting average of .212 and on base percentage of .271. He needs to hit better for the Royals to be in contention.

Omar Infante, still one of my favorites from his Tiger days, is now a mediocre second basemen at best. His age and injuries make this a weakness to the Royals. He struggled at the plate in 2014 and will most likely continue to do so in 2015. Escobar’s glove and speed are his biggest assets for the Royals. He a decent offense year last year hitting .285 with an on base percentage of .317 but provided 31 stolen bases and the speed that the Royals rely on once they are on base.

Top Royals prospect Christian Colon will provide utility responsibilities most consistently at second base for Omar Infante and he could very well take the day-to-day responsibilities from Omar by mid-season.

2. Detroit Tigers

Gloves: B-

Bats: B

Overall: B

Projected Starters:

1B – Miguel Cabrera

2B – Ian Kinsler

SS – Jose Iglesias

3B – Nick Castellanos

Ian Kinsler provided in 2014 a much-needed defensive improvement to the middle of the Tigers infield and he will again anchor the middle with his sure handed play. Along side of Kinsler will be one of the best and most exciting gloves in the game with Jose Iglesias. The combo might just give us nostalgic Tiger fans flashbacks to the days of Sweet Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell. However, it is yet to be seen if Iglesias can maintain his health throughout the season.

Nick Castellanos needs to improve on his all around game. His defense needs work on his quickness and speed and he needs to dramatically reduce the amount of errors he made in 2014. His hitting needs to step up to the potential that he has shown after hitting only .259 and having a slugging percentage of .394 in 2014 with limited power.

It goes without saying that the Tigers need a healthy Miggy to make this infield a B. Without him it’s a C- at best. Filling in platooning will be Hernan Perez and Andrew Romine will battle for a platoon spot. Look for Dixon Machado to have a surprise break through in spring or sometime this year.

1. Chicago White Sox

Gloves: B

Bats: B+

Overall: B+

1B – Jose Abreu

2B – Micah Johnson

SS – Alexei Ramirez

3B – Conor Gillaspie

Cuban Jose Abreu had a phenomenal rookie season earning Rookie of the Year and All Star credentials with a .317 average, 36 home runs and 107 RBI’s. If he can continue to improve with his fielding and quickness at first and if he can repeat his offensive performance, Abreu could compete for the MVP award. Projected to win the start at second is rookie lefty Micah Johnson who brings needed speed to the infield both in position on and the bases. Johnson has proven himself so far as a prospect in the Sox organization that he can get himself on base.

Anchoring the left side of the infield for the Sox will be the every day go to Ramirez at shortstop who provides a steady glove, bat and speed. Gillaspie provides a decent bat and glove at the hot corner.

Carlos Sanchez and Gordon Beckham will win spots on the roster for backup and utility. The real question for the Sox infield is whether or not Johnson is ready for primetime.

The Sox have a solid steady infield which could outperform expectations and definitely won’t cost them games.

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