The AL Central was speculated by many to be dominated by the Indians and Tigers this year, however, a quick look at the standings proves nothing is predictable.

Experts all over the place (including here) hyped the Tigers offense to be the best on the block.  So far it is 2nd to last in the AL, to the Royals (who have allowed the fewest ammount of runs).  The Tigers best offensive weapon this year, Carlos Guillen, who was hitting .324 with two home runs, is now out for several games with a hamstring injury; just another blow to the Tigers offense whom already lost Curtis Granderson to a broken figer.

Not many expected the Tigers starting staff to be THAT impressive, but good enough to get by.  The best Tigers pitcher this year is oft-injured Jeremy Bonderman, who is getting by with a K/9 just over 2.   According to ESPN.com, Justin Verlander is the teams best qualifying ERA pitcher, boasting a 6.52 ER per 9; a rediculous ammount.  Dontrelle Willis also went down already against the White Sox leading him to a 15-day DL stint.  I forgot to mention, the Tigers have allowed a league high 87 runs, which is 19 more than the next to worse team, the Angels.

The Tigers may still have an impressive team, but the blows they are suffering this early is going to put a huge dent in their season.  Granderson needs to come back fast and provide a spark for the lacking offense, and the starting staff needs to remain healthy, and the bullpen must hold down the games.

The Indians are a different story, but still haven’t managed to win close games.  The one thing that must be pointed out for the Indians is that they have faced some of the toughest competition so far in the AL this year; Oakland (twice), Chicago, and LA.  Four of the Indians losses have come in games lost by two runs or less. 

The main problem here is C.C. Sabathia, who was hyped entering his walk year, and has failed to display a solid start at this point.  Fausto Carmona has managed to post an impressive outing or two, but walked eight batters in 3.1 innings; a rediculous ammount.

If the starting staff can get their act together, and the team can find a replacement for the very lackluster Joe Borowski, a division title may still be possible.  The Indians are fortunate to not have suffered the ammount of injuries as the Tigers.

In 3rd place is the Minnesota Twins.  Many expected the Twins to have a so-so year after cleaning house, but so far they have been blessed with a few pleasant suprises, most of all outfielder Carlos Gomez.  Over half of their games so far have been decided by two or less runs, a rather lucky statistic, especially if the games fall their way.  This means with a strong bullpen, the Twins can manage to hang around, and potentially make a charge for the top of the division.

Everyone expected the Royals to improve with more experience under their belt, but few would have predicted a 1st place tie in the AL Central.  As previously mentioned, the Royals have managed to score the fewest runs in the AL, but have also managed to allow the fewest ammount of runs. 

It will be hard for the Royals to maintain this spot, but looking abck on this season, it will be a huge improvement.  Afterall, the Royals started off the season with a sweep over the Tigers, bringing a new attitude to the table.

In Chicago, the White Sox have managed to steal headlines with their dominance of the over-hyped Detroit Tigers.  The Sox have been fortunate to play the Tigers twice, catching them at the perfect time this season.  Part of the White Sox success has come from run production, and a new found attitude due to slumping outfielder Nick Swisher.  Although Swisher may not be producing much offensively, he has been the biggest offseason asset to the Sox providing a strong leadership role. 

If the Sox rotation remains at such a high standard, and can stay healthy (they have no depth) there is a good chance they can contend down to the wire.  Don’t expect weekly grand slams from Joe Crede.

Overall, the AL Central is flipped from what most thought it would end up this year, and it will be a waiting game to see how things shake up.