The 2012 AL Central Position Analysis - Right Field

And now we land at the final spot, right field. Choo had another good year, but actually wasn't the best right fielder in the division. That honor goes to former waiver pickup, Alex Rios for the White Sox. His 805 OPS with 25 bombs outpaced Choo's 815 OPS and 16 homers. After that, there was a severe drop off with the Tigers, Royals and Twins. Boesch and Francouer both at least had some power but landed in the 650 OPS range. But hoo boy did Revere struggle, one of the emptiest 675 OPS you'd ever see. It was Damon/Duncan-esque.

The 2013 season should be an interesting one at this position as three teams will likely have new starters. We all know about Swisher, our new toy in right. And although his numbers were slightly behind Rios last year, I expect him to edge him for first place at this position. Revere and his stick bat moved onto the Phillies, and hotshot Parmelee will get first crack at that spot. His 1102 OPS in AAA was pretty nice and he will only be 25 this year. Although Boesch is still around, I expect Avisail Garcia takes over for him this year. He was fairly impressive as a 21 year old last season. But at least Dayton Moore's pet, Francouer will ensure a fifth place finish this year.

Onto the minor league assessments ...

Moncrief and Greenwell had good numbers last year, but are much too old to be toiling in A+. The loser of the Raburn/Francisco battle likely ends up in AAA. I suspect Gallas is the regular in AA. But all in all, a very uninspiring bunch here.

Both Earley and Hankerd both had very good seasons, but again, are much too old for their levels. I suspect one of the CF prospects may end up in RF for AAA this year. Because, I don't really see much out of this group. Stefan Gartrell was also signed this offseason.

Guez had the best year of the bunch OPS-wise, but needs to repeat AAA this year. Castellanos is the one to keep an eye on, he had a great year as a 20 year old. If he continues to progress, he might get a cup of coffee this year. Collins and Moya also look like they have promise as well.

Lough got a lot of burn last year, and with Maier gone and Falu likely to be on the Royals bench, Lough should repeat AAA this year. Wil Myers would have been the likely future stud here, but was dealt to the Rays. And as you can see, there isn't much left.

Wilkin Ramirez likely is the AAA guy this year, but the future stud here is Oswaldo Arcia. He had a great 2012. If he can repeat his numbers in AA, he'll likely get a shot at Ramirez's job. And they better hope that is the case, as no one else here looks like they have a shot.

Swisher and Rios should battle it out this year. I may be biased, but I give Swisher the slight edge. I think that Parmelee struggles a bit but ends up third. Garcia will be right behind him and Francouer will lag the field, and fairly badly too. Unfortunately, with Wil Myers dealt, the Royals are without another up and comer in AAA. Francouer won't be pushed. The best prospect is Castellanos with Arcia right behind him. And the Tigers might have the next 2 behind them as well. The Tribe and White Sox join the Royals without a whole lot of hope. Although I think the White Sox are in better shape with some of the other CF prospects.

This series attempts to review how each position fared within the AL Central last year and what holds for the future. The first chart reviews how the position fared in the majors between the five teams. The subsequent charts track each position through each team's farm system. Status is not always correct as some of the info was culled a few weeks ago. For players not on the 40-man roster, I have taken my best guess as when/how they were acquired. Not every player who played the position in the minors has been identified as again, I have tried to identify core players at the position only. Some identified as minor league free agents, could have been trade acquisitions. I also only reviewed down to the A level as players at A- or in the rookie leagues are still quite volatile.