If Justin Morneau's concussion problems linger, will they have enough pop to win the Central?

BY SCOTT CARSON
sportsnet.ca

If Justin Morneau’s concussion problems continue to linger, how much production can the Twins expect again from Jim Thome?

When healthy, Morneau is one of the top offensive players in the game and always in the MVP discussion.

Unfortunately, he has suffered concussions twice in his past six seasons, the latest causing him to miss 81 games in 2010. Eight after taking a knee to the head from John McDonald at Rogers Centre while trying to break up a double play, Morneau’s Opening Night status remains in doubt.

If the Canadian-born first baseman remains sidelined, then Thome and Joe Mauer will have to continue to shoulder the load. Thome is entering his 20th MLB season, and while he did hit 25+ home runs for the 14th time in his career in 2010, he’ll turn 41 during the season and one has to wonder just how much he has left.

Mauer, on the other hand, could pick up his own production. He has won the A.L. batting title in three of the past five seasons, but has yet to reach the 100 RBI plateau in his seven MLB seasons.

With the hole left in the offence another extended Morneau absence would create, the time may have come for Mauer to sacrifice some of his batting average in order to up the RBI total.

What can the Tigers reasonably expect from Miguel Cabrera given his off-field troubles this spring?

This was one of the saddest stories of the off-season.

Cabrera, one of the most talented young players in the game and someone who has battled alcohol-related problems in the past, was arrested on suspicion of DUI during the first week of spring training.

This after it appeared he might have put his problems behind him thanks to a 2010 campaign in which he led the A.L. with 126 RBI and finished second in MVP balloting. It’s all up to Cabrera now, who in the past has been in an outpatient program to deal with his drinking problem, and now has the MLB Commissioner’s Office keeping a close eye on him.

Still just 27-years-old and entering the prime years of his career, there’s no reason to think that Cabrera can’t continue to be one of the most productive players in the game. He has driven in 12 runs in his first 18 spring games and Tigers manager Jim Leyland is hoping that Cabrera’s latest off-field incident is an isolated one.

A lot is expected of the Tigers this season with Cabrera being the key cog of their offence. Fingers will remain crossed all season long in the Motor City.

How much of an impact can 21-year-old White Sox phenom Chris Hale have on the AL Central race?

To say that Sale’s minor league career was brief would an understatement.

Drafted 13th overall in the 2010 MLB draft, he rocketed through the White Sox system, pitching in just 11 games before being summoned to the south side.

And despite his age, when he arrived Sale didn’t look out of place, saving four games down the stretch as the White Sox tried to reel in the Twins.

His numbers were quite spectacular – 1.93 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 12.3 strikeouts per nine innings.

The thinking was that Sale would step into the closer’s role after the team cut ties with Bobby Jenks, who averaged 33 saves over the past five seasons. Instead, the Sox have decided to take a cautious approach with the lanky left-hander, putting him into a set-up role for fellow lefty Matt Thornton.

It’s not that Sale won’t get a shot at the odd save going forward—as will hard-throwing, converted infielder Sergio Santos—it’s just that general manager Kenny Williams and skipper Ozzie Guillen know that they have something special in their bullpen and don’t want to burn him out at such a young age.

What are the chances of Grady Sizemore returning to form in 2011?

With 10 days remaining in spring training, the two-time Gold Glove centre fielder played for the first time since May 16, 2010, or 310 days between outfield assignments.

For the Indians, who are not expected to contend in the A.L. Central in 2011, it was the first bit of good news in quite some time. When healthy, Sizemore is one of the most athletic defenders in the game. But his all-out style has come at a cost: surgeries on his abdomen and left knee, coupled with inflammation in his left elbow have forced Sizemore to miss 185 games over the past two seasons.

But even with him in the lineup over that time, the Tribe has played at just a .453 clip. The Indians, which used to be one of the model franchises, has fallen back into also-ran status. A perennial playoff team in the ‘90s, they have been to the post-season just once over the past nine seasons.

And for a city like Cleveland, still hurting by LeBron James’ defection to Miami and a very average Browns team, these are tough times.

Don’t expect the Indians to change the mood of the ticket buyers any time soon.

How far away are the Kansas City Royals from contending given their talented and deep farm system?

It’s been a long, hard road for this once proud franchise.

It’s hard to believe, but they haven’t been to the post-season since their World Series championship year of 1985. Since the beginning of the 2002 season, the Royals 597-861 record is the worst in the Majors and they have suffered through four 100+ loss seasons during that time span.

That has led to a revolving door on the manager’s office with six different skippers over the past nine seasons. Finally however, they have decided to do a proper rebuild which led to the off-season trade of 2009 Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke to the Brewers for four prospects, including high-ceiling outfielder Lorenzo Cain and shortstop Alcides Escobar.

With thoughts of contending at least a half-decade away, general manager Dayton Moore is in this for the long haul and is patient enough to see it through. For this season, he’ll be looking for some growth from the likes of Luke Hochevar, Alex Gordon and Brayan Pena.

They are also hoping that Canadian left-hander Jeff Francis can remain healthy after suffering through injuries in his past two seasons in Colorado.

STATSMAN'S NON-BINDING PREDICTION IN THE AL CENTRAL DETROIT

CHICAGO

MINNESOTA

CLEVELAND

KANSAS CITY