Fantasy Baseball Friday: Five Hottest Bats in AL Central

Mar 10, 2015; Surprise, AZ, USA; Chicago White Sox infielder

(79) at bat in the fourth during a spring training baseball game against the Kansas City Royals at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports

It’s a division more known for its pitching, but the AL Central has definitely seen some hot bats this Spring Training, much to the delight of fantasy baseball owners.

The Detroit Tigers, alone, have four projected Opening Day starters hitting above .300. Incredibly, none of them are named Miguel Cabrera although he hasn’t done badly for himself. Cabrera is hitting .280 with two home runs and five RBI in 25 at-bats this spring.

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All five teams will be equally represented on this list with one honorable mention selection from the Tigers.

Now, a hot Spring Training doesn’t always lead to success in the regular season, but it certainly can’t hurt. Fantasy owners will have to hope that when the teams break camp and head north to the colder weather that those bats stay hot.

Without further ado, here are the five hottest bats in the AL Central entering the 2015 season.

Mar 24, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers left fielder

(28) leads off of second base during the fourth inning of a spring training baseball game against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Yankees won 9-8. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Honorable Mention- OF J.D. Martinez, Detroit Tigers

The fact Martinez didn’t make this list despite hitting .339 with five home runs and 11 RBI should indicate to readers how hot some bats in this division really are at the moment.

Many owners are not expecting Martinez to repeat his stellar 2014 season, in which he hit .315/.358/.553 with 23 home runs and 76 RBI. Come on, he posted a .912 OPS, which was over 250 points higher than his OPS in 2013, so why wouldn’t owners assume his 2014 season was an outlier?

Through March, however, Martinez is proving he can keep hitting like last year. His OPS in 62 Spring Training at-bats is 1.076.

Sep 24, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians left fielder

(23) singles in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

5. OF Michael Brantley, Cleveland Indians

Brantley’s batting average is in the same neighborhood as the other four names to come on this list, but Brantley hasn’t produce as much power, so he lands at No. 5.

Still, fantasy owners will gladly take his .366 batting average with one home run, six runs and five RBI.

One of Brantley’s biggest fantasy attributes is his ability to limit his strikeouts. In two of the last three years, Brantley has nearly walked the same amount of times as he has struck out.

This spring, he has four strikeouts and two walks in 41 at-bats.

Mar 4, 2015; Surprise, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals first baseman

(35) reacts after striking out in the third inning during a spring training baseball game against the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

4. 1B Eric Hosmer, Kansas City Royals

Besides in the playoffs last season, Hosmer has yet to live up to his expectations as a hitter in the big leagues, but fantasy owners should be reassured by what they have seen from him this spring.

Hosmer is batting .357 with three home runs, 12 RBI and 12 runs in 56 at-bats in Spring Training. His 20 hits is second on the Royals.

The first baseman, however, continues to strikeout a lot more than he walks. He had 93 punch outs versus 35 base on balls in 2014 and in Spring Training, Hosmer has struck out 12 times and walked just twice.

If owners are in leagues that have on-base percentage as a category, they should take into account Hosmer’s limited walks.

Mar 24, 2015; Fort Myers, FL, USA; Minnesota Twins second baseman

(2) hits a home run off the first pitch during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Hammond Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

3. 2B Brian Dozier, Minnesota Twins

Dozier, who led American League second basemen with 23 home runs last season, is a very intriguing option at second base for fantasy owners.

He is off to a great start this spring, hitting .362/.434/.702 with three home runs, six RBI and nine runs in 47 at-bats. The .702 slugging percentage is nearly as high as Dozier’s OPS from 2014, .762.

Dozier doesn’t have any steals this spring, but he did have 21 in 2014. It shouldn’t surprise owners if he once again reaches the 20/20 club.

Mar 10, 2015; Surprise, AZ, USA; Chicago White Sox infielder Jose Abreu (79) at bat in the fourth inning during a spring training baseball game against the Kansas City Royals at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports

1. 1B Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox

Hosmer, Dozier and Kinsler are pretty much interchangable on this list as any of them could be ranked ahead of each other, but there is no debate here. Abreu is clearly the hottest hitter in the division and maybe the entire league.

The second-year player is batting an astonishing .508/.516/.678 in 59 Spring Training at-bats.

Should fantasy owners be concerned he has only gone deep once and 23 of his 30 hits are singles? Not at all, this guy was already a first round pick, now he is approaching top tier status.

It’s frightening to think that he could be even better than his rookie year which saw Abreu hit .317/.383/.581 with 36 home runs and 107 RBI.

Next: Verlander and Rondon headed to DL