I think it's safe to say that the American League Central has been the most unpredictable division in baseball over the past four seasons. Whether it was the Chicago White Sox's surprising run to a World Series title in 2005, Detroit's stunning jump from bottom feeder to A.L. Champion in 2006, Cleveland's resurgence in 2007, or the incredible Twins run last season, the Central has never been short on shocking storylines.

This year the team that is gaining traction as a potential Cinderella is - and this one is really going to surprise you - the Kansas City Royals.

I know, I know: it sounds crazy. But considering that the White Sox had to win three consecutive elimination games against three separate teams last year just to win the A.L. Central crown I can say that nothing that happens in this division would surprise me at this point.

Here is Doc's Sports 2009 American League Central preview:

Chicago White Sox
2008 Record: 89-74 (+705)
2009 Wins Over/Under: 78.5
Odds To Win 2009 AL Central: 4-to-1
Odds To Win 2009 AL Pennant: 12-to-1
Odds To Win 2009 World Series: 25-to-1

I think it's a HUGE red flag when the team that won the division last year has been tabbed by the oddsmakers as having the fourth-highest wins over/under this season. But that's the case with Chicago this season and I think that it might be an ominous sign for their 2009 prospects.

Chicks dig the long ball. And last year chicks were definitely digging the ChiSox. The White Sox slugged 235 home runs last season, which was 10 percent higher than the next closest team. In fact, their over-reliance on the bomb for offense was their undoing in October. Also, this team was incredible at home. Their 54 home wins were fourth most in the Majors.

The most underrated part of Chicago's game over the past several seasons has been consistently good starting pitching. Last year the 93 quality starts they received from their staff were second in the Majors to Arizona. And that was with staff ace Mark Buehrle having an "off" year. They dealt Javy Vasquez, but the rest of the staff remains intact. They'll need a similar effort if they want to avoid the predicted drop off.

The Sox actually underwent the biggest turnover of any team in the Majors last year. They lost 10 players in the offseason and picked up 10 players. Cohesion could be an issue in a division full of hungry up-and-comers. And Ozzie Guillen has to be one of the worst managers at "team building" so I have a feeling that it could be a long summer in Second City.

Cleveland Indians
2008 Record: 81-81 (-735)
2009 Wins Over/Under: 84.5
Odds To Win 2009 AL Central: 2-to-1
Odds To Win 2009 AL Pennant: 10-to-1
Odds To Win 2009 World Series: 22-to-1

I'm still a little stunned that the Indians managed to win 81 games last year. This team had to endure injuries to the two best hitters in a light-hitting lineup, the trading of their ace (C.C.) pitcher and ineffectiveness from their No. 2 (Fausto) throughout the season, and a bullpen that had the second-worst E.R.A. in the entire league. Yet, they still managed to cobble together a sweet 31-17 rush to finish the season.

Both Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez had their seasons derailed by injuries in 2008. If this team is going to be a contender they need contributions from both of them. Grady Sizemore and Jhonny Peralta picked up the slack. And those two need to match last season's production. This lineup is young and scrappy. But they need their stars to play like it if they are going to be an earner this year.

Cliff Lee had an exceptional comeback year last season and took home the Cy Young. That was huge, because it more than offset the loss of C.C. Sabathia. Now the Tribe needs Fausto Carmona to return to his 2007 form. This is made even more important by the fact that as I write this the No. 3 through No. 5 slots in the rotation are completely up for grabs. Also, they made some solid moves to upgrade their bullpen. But their season might rest on the oft-injured right arm of Kerry Wood, the new closer.

It's all about staying healthy for this team. If Wood, Hafner, Martinez, Carmona, Lee, and Carl Pavano can all stay healthy, and if they can avoid any serious injuries to any of their other key performers than this has the potential to be a really, really good team. But injuries are part of the game. And that is a very big "if".

Kansas City Royals
2008 Record: 75-87 (+375)
2009 Wins Over/Under: 74.5
Odds To Win 2009 AL Central: 14-to-1
Odds To Win 2009 AL Pennant: 50-to-1
Odds To Win 2009 World Series: 100-to-1

Apparently the Royals are the new "it" team in the A.L. Central. And if you have been paying attention to this team like I have over the last two years you could definitely see why. Their 75 wins last season were the most by this team in the last six seasons, and continued a four-year upward swing from 56 to 62 to 69 to 75. Their 18-8 mark in September was the best in baseball and they are hoping all of that momentum carries through to this year.

The buzz around the Royals starts with their pitching staff. The trio of Gil Meche, Zach Grienke, and Brian Bannister gives them a solid nucleus to build around. When any of those three are on their game they can matchup with just about anyone. Jo Soria gives them one of the best closers in baseball, and while the names in their bullpen aren't sexy they manage to get the job done.

Next, I like how the Royals are set up to hit both lefties and righties. Southpaws are something they have been vulnerable to in the past but Jose Guillen's stick helps take care of that. As a result their .286 batting average against lefties was third best in the league. This club also made some savvy moves to bring in veterans Coco Crisp and Mike Jacobs. And with youngsters like Mike Aviles, Billy Butler, Alex Gordon and Mark Teahen starting to come into their own this squad has a solid youth-veteran blend.

The Royals have absolutely owned me over the last two years and I have no earthly reason why. However, I can assure you that this year I'll be much more likely to get on K.C. than I will be to blindly fade away on them.

Minnesota Twins
2008 Record: 88-75 (+960)
2009 Wins Over/Under: 82.5
Odds To Win 2009 AL Central: 2-to-1
Odds To Win 2009 AL Pennant: 10-to-1
Odds To Win 2009 World Series: 20-to-1

Money, money, money. I proclaimed the Twins as one of my "Play On" teams before last season. And they didn't disappoint. They were one of just 14 teams that turned a profit for the season and until a late slide they were one of the best bets in baseball. The core of this team is intact and I definitely think that this team is a sleeper in the American League.

The source of Minnesota's power is that they are fundamentally sound in all facets of the game. They have solid starting pitching. Their middle relief is above average and they have one of the best closers in the game. They play outstanding defense. They have a quirky home field advantage. They have speed at the top of the order, power in the middle, and they pick up clutch hit after clutch hit. Oh, and they have a pair of MVP candidates in the middle of the order.

The Twins aren't flashy, but they are always a bit undervalued because they don't boast big names in their pitching staff and because they play in a small market. Ron Gardenhire has had six winning seasons in his seven years as a skipper of the Twins and he constantly produces one of the most textbook teams you could wager on.

Minnesota was exceptional in clutch situations last year. They were No. 2 in the league with a .268 average with runners in scoring position and two outs. And that number actually dropped a ton over the last month-plus of the year. I don't know if they can count on getting some of the bounces they did last year. And they won't be nearly as under the radar in the eyes of the public or the books. But by just doing things the right way they stand a great chance of having another money year.

Detroit Tigers
2008 Record: 74-88 (-2920)
2009 Wins Over/Under: 80.5
Odds To Win 2009 AL Central: 2-to-1
Odds To Win 2009 AL Pennant: 13-to-1
Odds To Win 2009 World Series: 26-to-1

Without question, the Detroit Tigers were the most disappointing team in Major League Baseball last year and were one of the biggest underachievers of recent memory. But then again, I think that the World Series expectations for a team that can't pitch, field or run were a little bit much.

Detroit was the third-worst bet in baseball last year, trailing only Seattle (101 losses) and San Diego (99 losses) as the biggest money burners in the league. They were in third place in mid-August, just eight games from the division lead, but slunk home with an 18-29 stretch run. The problem was their pitching. They posted the fourth-worst E.R.A. in the league last year and three of their top arms (Verlander, Bonderman and Robertson) went a combined 21-32 with an E.R.A. over 5.00. If Detroit has any prayer of having a better season this time around they will need that record to be reversed.

Entering the 2008 season Detroit's lineups was being touted as one of the best ever. And the team did finish in the top seven in batting, runs, and home runs. But the problem is that they didn't get going until the later portion of the season. And by then the pitching staff was in shambles. Also, their lineup full of big boppers was one of the worst fielding teams in baseball. It wasn't just their 113 errors (fifth most). This team didn't cover much ground so a lot of balls that they should have gotten to managed to fall in for hits.

There are still a lot of fundamental problems with this team. They feel like they addressed their bullpen issues by bringing in closer Brandon Lyon. I think that's wishful thinking. And the idea is that their lineups starts the year healthy and will be able to produce from Day 1. Again, wishful thinking. And finally, they believe that their starters will bounce back from last year's horrendous showing. I think you can guess what I have to say about that…wishful thinking.

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