John Smoltz is a lock for the Hall of Fame.

Yeah, I'm a homer. I'm gonna talk about the Detroit Tigers and their new-look lineup for tonight. First, and most importantly, center fielder Curtis Granderson is in town and should be in the lineup for the first time this season and will bat in his customary leadoff spot. He's recovering from a broken finger and just finished his five-game rehab stint in the minors. He will be a welcomed addition to a lineup that has been featuring rookie Clete Thomas in center and batting leadoff. Also, Placido Polanco will likely be back in the No. 2 hole behind Granderson if his crispy back proves to be fit during normal pre-game routines. And in another move, manager Jim Leyland announced that Miguel Cabrera and Carlos Guillen would switch positions in the field, starting with tonight's game against the Texas Rangers. Cabrera will now start at first base, something he has done four times already this year. Guillen, meanwhile, will slide across the diamond to the hot corner, a position he hasn't played since 2003 when he was with the Seattle Mariners. Guillen had originally been switched from his customary shortstop position to first base to prolong his career due to the fact that he has a couple achy knees. Cabrera is noticeably lighter on his feet this year as compared to last but has made five errors already in the season's first month. In addition, many teams have been bunting his way just to make him field and cleanly throw a ball, something he seems to be struggling with right now. In any case, both players seem content with the move if the skipper thinks the move is best for the success of the team. At the press conference after last night's game he didn't explain himself, and he didn't field any questions on the subject of the defensive switch. Expect a surge in the win column with the Tigers, starting tonight.

I sung the praises of Manny Ramirez in my column last week, when I mentioned how well he took third strikes without arguing. Well, he got tossed in his first at-bat on Sunday when he argued a low-and-away strike three. Whoops. My bad. I'll stop trying to predict what this guy is gonna do. I'll just watch him mash. He's underrated, and I think he's one of the best right-handed hitters in the history of baseball. A couple years from now we'll be comparing him with the cream of the crop of Hall of Famers.

The Chicago Cubs will run away with the National League Central. The have six starters batting over .300. Reed Johnson was a huge pickup for them; I still don't understand why the Toronto Blue Jays let him go. He's playing a solid center field, and all he does is get on base. He's tough, gritty, and the fans will love him in Chi-Town. Derrek Lee is the Derrek Lee of old – hitting line drives all day. The Cubbies are hitting .286 as a team, best in the National League. They're also best in runs scored, hits, and on-base percentage. They can put up enough runs to beat anyone, except maybe Arizona...

...which brings me to the 15-5 Diamondbacks. This ball club has a team earned run average of 2.98 through 20 games. Absolutely phenomenal! They hold the opposing hitters to a .220 batting average, and they have a collective WHIP of 1.17. Again, amazing. This pitching staff is incredible. They didn't even need Dan Haren, but when they traded for him from the Oakland Athletics this past winter it clearly put them over the top in the National League West. The top three pitchers on the staff (Brandon Webb, Haren, and Micah Owings) own the National League with 12 wins in 13 starts. Their combined baserunners per inning is 0.92. Now, let's talk hitting. It seems the entire lineup is growing up and having career years at the same time. Justin Upton went through some major growing pains last season, but the club stuck with him even during a pennant chase. That proved to be a good move because he's putting himself on the map this year much like his brother, B.J., did last year. He's batting .368/5/13. Conor Jackson and Mark Reynolds have been hitting the ball all over the yard as well. Jackson, who many proclaimed a sleeper breakout player during Spring Training, is having just that kind of year. He's batting .361 and carries an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 1.133 despite the fact that he has just three home runs. The former Cal-Berkeley star is clearly finding the gaps and using the whole field. Reynolds is another youngster having a breakout year. Originally called up last year due to the injury to third baseman Chad Tracy, Reynolds will be a mainstay in the D'Backs lineup for the foreseeable future. He's red-hot of late, having knocked in runs in four of the team's last five games, and he's scored at least one run in six straight contests. He leads the National League in that category with a total of 19.

John Smoltz is a lock as a first-ballot Hall of Famer. It's a no-doubter as far as I'm concerned. He just notched his 3000^th strikeout, something only 15 other pitchers have done. Every other pitcher on the list is either in the Hall already or is has not retired yet. One of the best athletes in the game, Smoltz has a golf Handicap Index of .2. His manager, Bobby Cox, once said Smoltzy could be a starting center fielder if he wanted to; he's that good of an athlete. Heck, just look at his 1991 Upper Deck trading card. It's a snapshot not of him on the mound making some batter look silly, but one of him in the batters box driving a ball to the opposite field.

Check out these numbers if you don't already think he's a shoo-in for Cooperstown:

19 seasons, all with the Atlanta Braves

207 wins, 16 of which are shutouts

154 saves

3000+ strikeouts

1996 Cy Young Award winner

8-time NL All-Star

His post-season totals:

15 wins vs 4 losses

4 saves

2.65 ERA