Fantasy Baseball: The Hook -- AL Central Breakdown (Part 2) - Indians/Tigers

vBy James Meyerriecks FantasyInfoCentral.com Cardinals Correspondent

Spring Training is right around the corner and baseball fans are getting set for another great season. In the next few weeks, we'll preview the pitching staffs for the 2003 MLB season. Today, we'll begin our look at the American League Central with a divisional overview and a look at the Chicago White Sox.

For previous division previews, click the following links:

* AL East Part 1 - Division overview/Baltimore Orioles * AL East Part 2 - Boston Red Sox/New York Yankees * AL East Part 3 - Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Toronto Blue Jays * NL East Part 1 - Division overview/Atlanta Braves * NL East Part 2 - Florida Marlins/Montreal Expos * NL East Part 3 - New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies * AL Central Part 1 - Division overview/Chicago White Sox

During our season previews, we will be accompanying players with ratings as to where they belong in a typical twelve team 5X5 rotisserie league draft with 25 rounds. The breakdowns will be as follows...

******, Rounds 1-3 *****, Rounds 4-6 ****, Rounds 7-10 ***, Rounds 11-15 **, Rounds 16-20 *, Rounds 21-25

No stars will be for players who are likely to (and should, in my opinion) go undrafted

Both the Indians and Tigers are smack dab in the middle of a rebuilding process. While the Tribe boasts one big-time starter in Sabathia, they've signed Jason Bere and Brian Anderson in the offseason so that they can let a few more of their youngsters develop in the minors. This should help both the Indians and fantasy owners down the road, but does little to help either right now.

The Tigers remain in the middle of their thirty year plan, and dealt away their young ace at midseason last year. With Steve Sparks leading the way in Detroit, most fantasy owners should look away. Hopefully the trial by fire method that they'll be using on Maroth, Cornejo, Bernero, and Van Hekken doesn't ruin them in future years.

Cleveland Indians

Projected Rotation

C.C. Sabathia **** Brian Anderson Jason Bere Ricardo Rodriguez Cliff Lee

Closer

Danys Baez ***

Sleepers

Jason Davis Billy Traber Brian Tallet

Starters

C.C. Sabathia is the only really intriguing starter on this year's squad. At just 22, the big lefty already has two full seasons to his credit, and could finally reach his potential this season. His 2002 follow-up to his rookie season saw him post virtually the same numbers that he did in 2001 (around a 4.4 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP). While better things are expected of him, the fact that Sabathia didn't suffer the infamous sophomore slump should be a good indicator that his stock should rise as his career progresses. The best news of all may be that Sabathia seems to have lost over twenty pounds from the start of last season, when he reported at a robust 300 pounds.

The Hook: Big and tall with a high 90's fastball, Sabathia could be ready to take off this season. In keeper leagues, he's gold. For this season, he's a solid pick late in the top ten rounds.

Oh, what a difference a year can make. Brian Anderson was slated as the number four for the defending World Champion Diamondbacks in the Spring of 2002, but now heads over to Cleveland, where he'll likely just hold down the fort at the major league level until the youngsters are ready to take over the rotation. A journeyman lefty, Anderson boasts a 4.72 career ERA and isn't worth anyone's time unless he has a Paul Byrd-esque breakout season.

The Hook: Avoid him.

Jason Bere will most likely end up winning the number three spot in the Indians rotation, but isn't anyone to get too excited about. Upon breaking into the league with the White Sox ten years ago, Bere was one of the better starters in the majors, but hasn't produced since. His career ERA in ten seasons is over five, and he's struck out more than 150 just once in his career Bere should rebound a bit from last year's poor 1-10 showing with the Cubbies, but is no better than a #5 starter on a contending major league team.

The Hook: Stay away.

Ricardo Rodriguez leads the kiddie brigade, and seems to be the only young prospect who is all but guaranteed a spot in the rotation. The Dodgers' former top prospect has a solid three-pitch arsenal and seems to have nothing left to prove at the minor league level. Expect growing pains.

The Hook: Rodriguez is worth a look in some keeper leagues, as he should develop into a solid #2/#3 starter in the next few years, but he's not worth your time in a single-season league.

Cliff Lee, acquired in the Bartolo Colon deal last season, figures to have the best shot at the number five job this season. After tearing through AA and AAA ball last year with a 3.64 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP, and 153 strikeouts in 146 innings, Lee appears to be major-league ready. His hard sinker should help keep the ball in the park at the big league level, and his good strikeout numbers are usually a good sign for young pitchers.

The Hook: Lee won't bust out in his rookie campaign, but should be a solid starter in the next couple of seasons. If you draft him, take him late, and don't expect more than eight wins with a mediocre ERA.

Closer

Danys Baez was finally moved back to the bullpen in mid-August last season after a decent showing as a member of the rotation. As a reliever, he was absolutely phenomenal in 2001, and should work well now that he can focus on pitching in short stints again. Baez closed six of eight tries down the stretch, and has the stuff to develop into one of the better closers in the league in the next couple of seasons. For now, don't expect the rebuilding Indians to give him enough chances to be an upper tier closer.

The Hook: Baez is a nice sleeper closer who should drop past the initial closer run. He's worth a shot anywhere around the tenth round, but could probably be had in the early teens.

Sleepers

Battling with Lee for the last spot in the rotation will be Jason Davis, Brian Tallet, and Billy Traber. Tallet and Davis were both effective in late-season callups, and could be effective in time. Traber didn't reach the majors last season, but was incredible between AA and AAA with a 17-5 record and a 2.94 ERA. Any of the four could end up starting this season in the rotation, and don't be too surprised to see all four of them in the majors by 2004.

Detroit Tigers

Projected Rotation

Steve Sparks ** Mike Maroth ** Andy Van Hekken Nate Cornejo Adam Bernero

Closer(s)

Matt Anderson ** Franklyn German **

Starters

Like most knucklers, Steve Sparks runs very hot and cold. He'll be incredible one night, and give up ten runs the next. If nothing else, he's durable and will chew up a ton of innings... just probably not the kind that fantasy owners want. After an eye-popping 2002 which saw him finish 14-9 with eight complete games and a 3.65 ERA, Sparks blew up last year with a 5.52 ERA. Expect those two figures to meet somewhere in the middle in 2003.

The Hook: Sparks will continue to run hot and cold. If the knuckler's on, he can be devastating. He's worth a stab late as a number five or six fantasy starter.

Mike Maroth doesn't have the talent that most prospects do, but he pitches smart and deceptively. In just his second season in the majors, expect Maroth to take his lumps repeatedly, while occasionally providing a brilliant start. He has great control, which should keep his WHIP down, but he'll be lucky to strike out more than 100 this season.

The Hook: Maroth's a mid-range #4 starter in a few years, but that's not going to help many fantasy owners.

Andy Van Hekken could easily become a solid starter in time, but is similar to Maroth. He's still only 23, and his fastball tops off in the high 80's. He has a nasty curve, and could be a decent #2 in time if he develops an out pitch. Van Hekken struck out just five batters in thirty major league innings last season.

The Hook: Move on... Tricky lefties are a dime a dozen, but they don't learn how to fool big league hitters until they've been around for a couple of years.

Nate Cornejo has a world of talent, but just needs to harness it. His control has been nasty at the big league level in the last two seasons, as he's walked 46 in just over 92 innings. Still, he has a power sinker to go along with his mid 90's fastball and will most likely win the #4 job by default in Spring Training. In two stints with the Tigers last season, Cornejo got lit up by the league and finished the year with an ERA over five.

The Hook: Consider drafting him... in 2005.

Adam Bernero will likely fill out a hopeless rotation, but has little upside. He was very hittable last season (the league torched him for a .303 average) and has little upside. Although he's still only 26, there's little upside for a guy who tops off in the mid-90's and isn't very deceptive.

The Hook: Skip to the Twins report or go back to the White Sox report if you're looking for a starter from the AL Central.

Closers

A recurring shoulder injury kept Matt Anderson from following up on his breakthrough 2001 season. This year, it will likely be the starters and the lack of offense that keep him from closing out more than twenty-five games. He's topped 100 on the gun with his fastball, and can be dominant when he's on. The downside is that he has little to complement it, and major league hitters can sit on his heat.

The Hook: Rumors have already started swirling around Anderson. Expect him to be wearing a different jersey by August, and don't expect him to be closing games wherever he goes.

Franklyn German was considered among the top closers in the minors last season, and figures to start the year as a setup man to Anderson. Like Anderson, he tops 100 on the gun, but he also has a solid splitter that he works in. He's widely viewed as the closer of the future for the Tigers, and the future should occur some time during this season.

The Hook: If you're going to go after either German or Anderson, German should be the guy. He's still no better than a late-round pick with the support around him.

Be sure to check back tomorrow when we conclude our look at the AL Central with an in-depth look at the staffs of the Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins!

Do you have any questions or comments about the column or the upcoming Major League Baseball Season? Want to know exactly when there's a new edition of "The Hook" posted throughout the season? Please e-mail me at royalcards@fantasyinfocentral.com.

Article courtesy of Fantasy Information Central.