By John Klima
Staff Writer

Torri Hunter flipped open his cell phone before he put on his uniform Friday, and you have to wonder, how much he is thinking about where he will play next year. His season has been solid but overlooked, and the barely-above-water Twins are a prime example of why the American League Central might just be the toughest division in baseball. It’s hard not to look ahead when the two top teams are imposing teams getting stronger.

You can make a case that the AL Central may be baseball’s deepest division, not only this season, but in years to come. That decision can be based not only on the amount of games distancing the pack, but in the depth of talent on these rosters.

That begins at the top with Cleveland and Detroit. There will surely be dissent from the American League or National League East supporters, but it’s hard to find a division in baseball with more impact talent with as many productive years remaining. A team assembled with talent strictly found on the Indians, Tigers and Twins would be a formidable opponent.

Start behind the plate and pick between Joe Mauer and Victor Martinez. Mauer is five years younger and coming off a batting title. Martinez is a switch-hitting catcher whose power has developed. Both throw well and run games effectively. If you like experience, take Ivan Rodriguez.

Justin Morneau is the obvious choice at first base, though Ryan Garko is showing that his bat warranted a position change. Placido Polanco, 31, is the easy choice at second, proof that he’s become a far better hitter than either the Cardinals or Phillies ever thought he would become. Carlos Guillen is at short over Jhonny Peralta, or perhaps one of them slides to third, the weakest position for the three teams. You could carry Brandon Inge if you wish, but Alex Gordon of the Royals and Josh Fields of the White Sox will shortly find their way onto this list.

An outfield of Grady Sizemore, Curtis Granderson and Hunter would be adequate, and that’s putting it mildly. That might bump Magglio Ordonez to DH, meaning you’d have to find a place to play Travis Hafner and Gary Sheffield. It’s no wonder why some teams have no pop, why it’s hard to find many true power hitters west of the Rockies. They’re all in the AL Central and in the East.

An AL Central pitching rotation of C.C. Sabathia, Fausto Carmona, Justin Verlander, Jeremy Bonderman and Johan Santana to go with a bullpen of a healthy Joel Zumuya, Fernando Rodney and Pat Neshek would work. Joe Nathan is the closer.

“I hate to say, ‘Yeah, this is the toughest,’ because you got the Eastern Division,” Hunter said. “But this year, I think the AL Central is really tough. It has good pitching, really good pitching. There’s just something about the division this year, man. I don’t know what it is. Maybe I’m biased, but I think the central division has to be the toughest.”

Cleveland began the weekend with a 1 ½ game advantage over Detroit. The Indians and the Tigers play each other eight more times this season, including five in the next two weeks. The Tigers finish with Oakland this weekend and then play only the Indians and Yankees for the next 15 games. This could be Cleveland’s chance to separate itself. While the Tigers fight the rejuvenated Yankees, the Indians get Tampa Bay and Kansas City.

The Twins have had less pitching depth and more injuries than usual. Their season has become about keeping within reach, above the .500 mark, and about the future of Hunter, who will be a free agent at the end of the season. They have six games remaining each versus the Indians and Tigers. The only other contending teams they face are the Mariners for three and the Red Sox for four to end the regular season.

The AL Central is a fine example of how clubs are meant to be built. Any team that adheres to one avenue will limit its ceiling. It is a fine balance of free agents, trades and player development.

Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski built the Tigers from scratch, merging the player development model from his Montreal days with the free agent flourish that accompanied his World Series winner with the Marlins. The Tigers signed Rodriguez and Ordonez as free-agents, pulled Granderson and Verlander from the draft, and procured Sheffield, Polanco and Guillen in trades.

“When we came here, the club had lost for numerous years, so we knew it was going to be a long-term project,” Dombrowski said. “We had to get a feel for what we had. After analyzing it, we knew we had to upgrade the talent throughout the organization. We needed more upside talent. That was the basic philosophy, while in turn, trying to do it as quickly as possible.”

Hunter believes both the Tigers and the Indians have a different feel this year. The Tigers, no longer a rebuilding team but a winning one, have outgrown the shock of winning. Now they expect it. The Indians, who traded for Sizemore and Hafner and developed Martinez and C.C. Sabathia, grow more confident with age.

“(Ordonez) is a complete hitter now,” Hunter said. “In the past, you saw the power, but now he’s a complete hitter.”

As for the Indians, Hunter thinks they haven’t reached their full potential.

“Cleveland has a swagger about them, and they’re a bunch of young kids over there,” he said. “Those guys are all 24 and 25. They’re good and they still have a lot to learn. That’s what’s scary.”

Sabathia has matured into a controlled power arm, with an improved slider to go with his change-up.

“C.C., in previous years, all he did was throw the ball hard,” Hunter said. “This year, he’s pitching. He’s settled down. He’s finesse. He’s not throwing as hard unless he needs to. He’s throwing his fastball, in and out. He’s throwing his change-up, in-and-out. His slider has developed tremendously. When a guy can throw 92-96 and drop a change-up on you, that’s devastating.”

For his part, Sabathia acknowledges that there are no easy lineups in a division that is often overlooked nationally in favor of the AL and NL East.

“There’s no break going through this division,” he said. “The White Sox are having a down year and they still have a good lineup. This is a don’t-make-a-mistake division.”

And yet it is Hunter, a product of the Twins farm system, who will be perhaps the most coveted bat this winter. Gold Glove centerfielders with power are not common. Hunter will have to decide if he will remain with the Twins to see some of his predictions come true.

“They, the fans and the media, bring (free agency) up a lot,” Hunter said. “I’m not a prophet. I don’t know what’s going to happen. At the end of the season, that’s when we can start talking. The future is at the end of the season.”

The future in the AL Central, Bud Selig’s dream of competitive balance for the small-market clubs, is as pleasant as Hunter’s potential pay day. The only question is not how good it will be in the coming years. The question is if Hunter will continue to be a part of it.