Next, we move onto the first base sack. As has been detailed on this site numerous times, Kotchman had a horrible, horrible season. But, even if we regress to the mean in 2013, this position is still a black hole within the division as Fielder and Konerko are very good. Morneau had a slightly down year, but was still productive. And Hosmer, while his numbers are closer to Kotchman, he is still only 23 in 2013 so there is a lot of room for growth. Also noted here are quite a few of the DHs as I will not be delving into that position individually in this series.

Hafner was ok in his limited time. Dunn was fantastic considering he has a low average. Butler was also excellent. It will be curious to see how quickly Victor Martinez recovers after a whole season off. LaPorta's numbers look fairly decent, but those are his AAA numbers listed.

The only team with a black hole this offseason at first base was Cleveland. Hopefully Reynolds will be decent enough, but I fear his production will still land the Indians fifth in the division, even if he OPS+'s around 110 or so.

Onto the minor league assessments ...

The Tribe AAA roster in 2013 is extremely crowded. Goedert has moved onto Pittsburgh. Mills has been a major disappointment. Even with Anderson departing, the Tribe now has McGuiness, McDade and Gomes under contract. Even though Chen looks ready for AAA, without some reduction in the logjam, I see him sticking at AA this year. Aguilar is also looks like a promising prospect and will likely reside in A+ again. Tice's numbers look good, but he is way too old for that level.

Nothing too exciting in the upper minors here. Johnson and Gimenez are both journeyman. Black has good numbers, but is a tad old for A+. Hankerd was also resigned, but he is way too old for A+. If I had to place bets, Wilkins looks to be the best prospect here. If he continues in AAA this year, he could take over for Konerko in 2014, but he still must improve more.

Eldred is another classic AAAA guy, but he was not retained. Strieby was dealt to the Diamondbacks. Lindsay is ancient for AAA, but was resigned for 2013. But with Fielder signed through 2020, any development of a prospect here is most likely as trade bait. Green would likely be the best looking prospect here. And somehow I doubt the nepotistic Leyland will progress much further.

Robinson had a good year last year, but was designated for assignment and subsequently dealt to the Pirates. It is unclear if LGFT was retained, but he is likely a backup/mentor at this point. Maier was signed by Boston. Ian Gac (AA) was signed this offseason, but is not really a prospect at this point. It will be curious to see if Lisson or Whittleman gets more playing time in AAA. Nothing jumps out at me in the lower levels. But with a young Hosmer, this is not a critical position of need unless Hosmer doesn't pan out.

Burroughs is another classic AAAA player, but he didn't do so well last year. Colabello had a great year last year but will be 29 in 2013. Jeff Clement was signed and most likely will be in AAA this year. Reynaldo Rodriguez was another recent signing. Lance Ray looks to be the highest ranked prospect and I suspect he'll open in AA. Vargas had great numbers but limited playing time. There don't seem to be any other high draft picks here.

All in all, this position is as stable as the catchers were. With the Tribe having the one major opening. Hopefully Reynolds can be decent, but he isn't a long term solution and there does not seem to be one in the minors either. Dean Green might be the best ranking prospect but is still too far away to be counted on. I don't see much help for many of the franchises here. Once Konerko and Morneau fade away, I suspect the infusion of talent will have to come from elsewhere. And if Hosmer doesn't pan out, the Royals are in trouble, unless they feel Butler can man first base.

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.