Sports Illustrated has put up their Scouting Reports on all MLB teams as well as placement predictions. These predictions show each teams place within their division as well as amongst all teams. For the American League Central they have:

1. Cleveland Indians
2. Detroit Tigers
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Minnesota Twins
5. Kansas City Royals

This is a bit different than most other predictions that show Minnesota coming close to the same level of success that they had in 2006. Additionally most projections show the White Sox sliding a bit in their success and possibly not even having a winning season.

As for the placement of the Tigers, most predictions/projections have them trailing Cleveland. It’s important to remember that most had them trailing almost all AL Central teams last year, though this years projections should be a bit more realistic since Detroit is no longer relying so much on complete rookies. As for the Tiger offense they are pretty optimistic:

.329 On-base percentage for the Tigers, who ranked 12th in the AL last year. But not even a paltry 430 walks (fewer than only the Mariners among AL clubs) hampered Detroit’s ability to score — the club was fifth in the AL with 5.07 runs per game, thanks largely to its 203 home runs (third in the league). The addition of Gary Sheffield and his .398 career OBP should improve the club in all four categories.

The only signifigant issues they see with pitching are around Todd Jones as closer:

The Tigers shouldn’t be too attached to closer Todd Jones. Though he had 37 saves in 43 chances last year, strikeout rate is the best predictor of a pitcher’s longevity, and Jones’s 3.94 K’s per nine signify that he may be headed for a decline.

Overall they are optimistic for the Tigers which I’m not too overly use to :) Most projections show the AL Central race being a very close one and all signs point to an outstanding 2007 season!