"Indians right fielder Shin-Soo Choo does not care what many inside and outside of baseball think.

The day before the Tribe's season opener, Choo was talking playoffs.

Asked where the Indians would finish in the American League Central Division, he said: "First in our division. Yes, first."

A popular projection for the Indians is fourth, behind any combination of the Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins.

The White Sox are the Tribe's opponent today. First pitch is scheduled for 3:05 p.m.

When Choo spoke Thursday afternoon, everybody in the division was even. The Tigers were on their way to a loss to the Yankees.

"Our goal is to make the playoffs," Choo said.

Designated hitter Travis Hafner also expressed high-octane optimism. Asked how good the Tribe can be, Pronk said: "Our goal is to win the division and make the playoffs. We have a lot of development to do, but we feel like we have the talent in the room to do it."

To qualify for the postseason, the Indians will need to execute quite a turnaround. They went 69-93 last season and finished in fourth, 25 games behind Minnesota. They were 65-97 in 2009.

According to baseball-reference.com, the Indians have not been in first place since May 17, 2008. They spent six days in first that year en route to an 81-81 record.

Closer Chris Perez, informed Choo was thinking (very) big, said: "I wouldn't go so far as playoffs -- but we have a chance to compete. If we stay healthy and get a couple of guys up here when they're ready, I like our team. We have a lot of energy, a lot of young guys.

"The pieces are there. We just need what every other team needs: to stay healthy and to get a couple of breaks."

Perez said Opening Day might as well be a holiday, especially for the players, never mind that the players have work to do.

"This is what we prepared for during the whole off-season," he said. "Everybody's eager to get started."

The Tribe and White Sox will play their first games that count since Oct. 3, 2010, when they faced each other at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago. The White Sox won, 6-5, to finish 88-74 and in second place, six back. "