The Detroit Tigers came within four games of winning the World Series a year ago. Instead, they watched as an epic momentum shift left them to settle for the AL pennant–which isn’t a bad consolation, but motivates them even more for 2013. They return Triple Crown winner and MVP Miguel Cabrera as well as the previous year’s MVP and Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander. However, they were a disappointing regular season team in 2012 and the AL Central has gotten much stronger with the Royals and Indians improved and the White Sox coming off a good year last summer. The Tigers have all the pieces in place, it just remains to be seen if they can put everything together.
Projected Lineup:
- Austin Jackson Cf
- Omar Infante 2b
- Miguel Cabrera 3b
- Prince Fielder 1b
- Victor Martinez DH
- Torii Hunter Rf
- Jhonny Peralta Ss
- Alex Avila C
- Andy Dirks Lf
Projected Rotation:
- Justin Verlander
- Doug Fister
- Max Scherzer
- Anibal Sanchez
- Rick Porcello
Strengths:
Top of the Rotation: Justin Verlander is the best pitcher in baseball. The recently turned 30 year old had a sub-3.00 ERA last season to follow up his historic MVP campaign the year before. He’s battle tested, has postseason experience and is a flamethrower. If you needed to win one game for all the marbles, he’s the guy you’d want on the mound.
Lineup: What are you looking for? Power? Depth? Experiance? Run production? The Tigers have it all. Cabrera is the best hitter in the game right now bar none, and Prince Fielder is one of the premiere deep threats. Add to that duo Victor Martinez, back from a rejuvenating year of rehab, and the middle of the order is fiercesome. Peralta is one of the best hitting shortstops in baseball, Hunter is a veteran professional hitter with power, Avila is above average for a catcher, and Infante and Jackson are top flight table setters. This might be the only lineup in baseball in which Andy Dirks would hit ninth. It’s definitely the best lineup on paper in the AL.
Rotation depth: Fister is a decent number two who has performed well in the playoffs and in big spots and keeps teams off balance. Scherzer is finally starting to figure it out and has the potential to be one of the best number twos or threes in the game. Sanchez could be a two on many teams and was an Ace in Miami last season. The Tigers gave him many zeros to come back (way too many, if you ask me) and he’ll be a good innings eater for them. Porcello is good and has potential but doesn’t fit the roster particularly well and should probably be traded.
Weaknesses:
Closer: The anointed closer is Bruce Rendon, a guy with electric stuff who hasn’t thrown a single major league inning. That right there is cause for concern, but throw in Rendon’s spring struggles so far and this is a serious issue. The Tigers need to be looking for another option, either inside the organization with Phil Coke or outside via trade. According to sabermetricians, closing might not be all that different than other relieving, but somebody’s got to do it.
Infield Defense: The Tigers were able to work around this last season but it is still a weakness. This is the worst defensive infield in the game, even with Infante, a very good second basemen, out there. Peralta, Fielder, and Cabrera are all in the lineup for their bats not their gloves, and all of them are significantly below average defensively. Last season, Cabrera’s defensive WAR was -.2 and Fielder’s was -1.5! The defensive problem is exacerbated by the fact that Victor Martinez will be the primary DH, meaning that if Fielder or Cabrera plays, they will likely have to be in the field.
Storylines:
Can Rendon really be a viable closer?
What will Cabrera’s follow up be to his incredible Triple Crown?
The Tigers finally get their full lineup back with Martinez healthy again.
Will Anibal Sanchez make the team’s huge investment in him worthwhile?
Prediction:
93-69, 1st place, AL Central. The Tigers are the best team in what is overall a weak division. Their offense is too potent and their starting pitching is too deep for their bullpen and defense to fell them.
Bold Predictions:
- Cabrera wins the MVP and Verlander wins the Cy Young
- Victor Martinez hits .299 with 24 homers
- Anibal Sanchez finishes with an ERA over 4.50
- Bruce Rendon saves 4 games all season
- Jim Leyland retires at season’s end
- The Tigers reach at least the ALCS
-Max Frankel
Stat of the Day: The new pope, Francis, is the first pope to choose a new and never before used papal name since 913.
