Next up is the shortstop position. Other than the Twins, this is a fairly stable position. But just based on numbers, the Tribe has the best in Droobs (or AbaCab, my favorite nickname). Sure Peralta almost matches his power, but his OBP is worse. Ramirez is as old as Jhonny, but is signed through 2015. The White Sox also claimed Angel Sanchez from the Angels in the Rule 5 draft. Escobar will probably outlast all three of them though. If Carroll is slotted for second, the Twins must decide between Dozier and Floriman. Neither seems too appealing at the moment.

Onto the minor league assessments ...

With Aviles now slated to back up Droobs, Diaz looks to get a full season in AAA. If Droobs is dealt, I think Diaz could handle the job until Lindor is finally ready. Wolters and Rodriguez both show up here, but Wolters is more of a second baseman while Rodriguez is a shortstop. Everyone else is mostly a placeholder.

With Ramirez signed for a while, there is not a pressing need for a quick progression here. But Carlos Sanchez looks a little promising as a 20 year old in AA/AAA. And Marcus Semien also put up good numbers as a 21 year old in A+.

With Jhonny and Santiago only around for 2013, the Tigers have a need in 2014. Danny Worth could take over for a bit, but I don't think he's the long term solution either. LGFT Niuman Romero had a great season last year, but is ancient at 27 in AA. Eugenio Suarez did well as a 20 year old in A ball, but I suspect the Tigers will have to look elsewhere if Jhonny ages poorly.

The Royals also have Escobar through 2015 and possibly til 2017, so no pressing need here either. Abreu and Seratelli are AAAA guys. The only true prospects here are Colon, their first rounder from 2010, and Calixte, who showed decent power last season.

The Twins tried to nab Tommy Field off waivers from the Rockies, but when they tried to sneak him through waivers, the Angels nabbed him, who promptly lost him in the Rule 5 draft to the White Sox. Wickens had good numbers in limited plate appearances, but is a bit old for A ball. The best prospect here seems to be Santana.

Droobs is the best in this division, but will have to suffer through many trade rumors as I doubt he gets a long term deal from the Tribe. Lindor still has 3 levels to jump, so he won't be ready for at least 2 years. Each of the other teams has potential prospects as well, but other than Colon, I doubt they are as highly rated as Lindor.

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.