The AL Central is always a division that is amazingly competitive. Let's take a look at the players that will cause the most impact at their position in 2014:
Catcher: Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals
Perez enters his fourth season in the majors with a lot of promise. He has a .301 career average and has been a great fixture to the Royals' lineup. With Joe Maurer moving to first base, Perez is the easy choice to be the best offensive catcher in the division.
First Base: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
Cabrera makes the move back to first after the Tigers traded Prince Fielder to the Texas Rangers. If he stays healthy, Cabrera will easily be one of the top five bats in the entire league.
Second Base: Brian Dozier, Minnesota Twins
Dozier is a young guy that has a lot of upside. He hit 18 home runs and stole 14 bases in 2013 and could potentially be a 20/20 player this season.
Third Base: Mike Moustakas, Kansas City Royals
Moustakas is another young bat that the Royals are hoping to see blossom this season. He's the only third basemen in this division that honestly has his position locked up going into this season. Moustakas is a player that could hit twenty-plus home runs in 2014.
Shortstop: Asdrubal Cabrera, Cleveland Indians
Cabrera will be back to his usual self after missing some time in 2013. He's an often overlooked talent at shortstop that will be trying to match the power numbers he put up in 2011.
Left Field: Alex Gordon, Kansas City Royals
Gordon won a Gold Glove in 2013. On top of that, he hit 20 home runs. The seven-year vet will be looking to build on a successful 2013 by trying to help the Royals become postseason bound.
Center Field: Michael Bourn, Cleveland Indians
Bourn had a tough first year in Cleveland, nearly halving his stolen base numbers from 42 in 2012 to 23 in 2013. He will have to find a way to strike out less so he can terrorize catchers on the base paths again this season.
Right Field: Torii Hunter, Detroit Tigers
Hunter proved his worth last season by winning the Silver Slugger at his position. "Spider Man" is looking to help guide the Tigers to the World Series in 2014.
Designated Hitter: Billy Butler, Kansas City Royals
Butler was one of two players in 2013 to play in all 162 games. He hit for a .289 average and drew 79 walks. This led to an impressive .374 on base percentage. Also noteworthy: Butler grounded into the most double plays in 2013, with 28.
Rotation: Detroit Tigers
Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander and Anibal Sanchez create an incredibly tough front end to a Tiger rotation that will try to pitch its way back into another World Series.
Bullpen: Kansas City Royals
The strategy in Kansas City will be the same as last season: Get the ball to Greg Holland. Holland has become one the game's most efficient closing pitchers.
Honorable Mentions:
1B Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
Mauer is in year number two of his switch to first base. Mauer only played in 113 games in 2013. If he can stay healthy, he will be able to produce some of the numbers he was capable of producing in past years.
1B Eric Hosmer, Kansas City Royals
Hosmer is regarded by many to be the best young player in Major League Baseball. He is coming off a great 2013 where he won a Gold Glove and hit for a .302 average.
SS Alexei Ramirez, Chicago White Sox
Ramirez played in 158 games last season for the White Sox and has been playing at a high level this Spring. Even at a veteran age, Ramirez is still an extreme threat on the base paths, swiping 30 bases last season.
C Jasmil Pinto, Minnesota Twins
Pinto hit four home runs in 21 games in 2013. He's expected to be the second catcher for the Twins, playing behind veteran Kurt Suzuki. Pinto will technically still be a rookie in 2014, and it will be very interesting to see him develop this season. Interestingly enough, Pinto shares the same hometown of Valencia, Venezuela as Royals' catcher Salvador Perez.
Be sure to check out each division's power players by clicking on the links below:
