1. Detroit Tigers
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Minnesota Twins
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Kansas City Royals
I've gone back and forth on the top end of this division. My first instinct was to say that Detroit just will score so many runs and Cleveland's lineup is no where near as deep, and thus Detroit would win. Then I started thinking about the fragility a performance questions of the Detroit rotation after Verlander and the superiority of the Cleveland pen, and I was inclined to give the nod to the Tribe. Ultimately, the pitcher I'm most comfortable with in the division is Verlander (I think the Cleveland 1-2 could be in for a rough year after big usage last year) and the Detroit lineup is stacked, so I'll go with the Tigers to win a close race, though I'm not at all confident about it.
The back end of the division should still be competitive and interesting to watch. The Twins feature an intriguing young rotation, and have a solid middle of the order lineup that should be relatively productive. Losing Hunter isn't as bad as people think but they would have benefited from more of a return on Johan and the team doesn't have the guns to keep up with the top of the division. The White Sox probably should be rebuilding, but they have enough firepower and solid enough pitching to stay competitive for a while, perhaps. I could see them slugging their way to 3rd or getting hurt, aging and falling to last. The Royals are clearly on the road to recovery, but they were so far depleted in talent a few years ago and have such limited resources that it will be a long road back. Still, the Meche signing turned out ok for now, and they have some good young hitters to build around.