Tigers Ready to Claw Their Way into October

The Detroit Tigers finished the 2010 season in third place with a record of 81-81 in the AL Central.  The Tigers got off to a nice start last season finishing the first half of the season with a 48-38 record.  The second half of the season however was not so kind to Jim Leyland and the Tigers.  The club finished 33-43 during that span.  The one glaring deficiency that the Tigers had last season was playing in one-run games.  In 42 one-run games, the Tigers posted a 16-26 record.  The team was not able to get it done outside of Comerica Park last season.  They finished 29-52 on the road.

The Tigers dealt fan favorite Curtis Granderson to the Yankees for top prospect outfielder Austin Jackson and pitcher Phil Coke.  Jackson played in 151 games for the Tigers last season.  The outfielder hit .293 with four home runs, 41 RBI, 103 runs, 10 triples, and 27 stolen bases.  Unfortunately for Jackson, he led the American League with 170 strikeouts.  That is not a statistic that Austin Jackson should be leading in.  If he is going to have a better sophomore season, he is going to have to severely cut down on the strikeouts.  Phil Coke appeared in 74 games for the Tigers last season and finished with a 7-5 record with an ERA of 3.76 and two saves.  Coke will get a chance to pitch in the Tigers rotation in 2011.

This offseason, the Tigers added veteran Brad Penny to the starting rotation.  Penny has pitched for the Marlins, Dodgers, Red Sox, Giants, and Cardinals in his 11-year career.  Penny has been slowed by injury and inconsistencies for the last three seasons but hopes to regain his All-Star form of 2007 where he finished 16-4 with an ERA of 3.03 in 33 starts for the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Penny will start the second game of the season for the Tigers this season.

The biggest offseason move for the Tigers was the addition of catcher Victor Martinez.  Martinez played last season with the Boston Red Sox.  The Venezuelan native hit .302 with 20 home runs and 79 RBI in 127 games.  Martinez will provide a lot of help for a lineup that features fellow Venezuelan natives Miguel Cabrera, Magglio Ordonez, and Jhonny Peralta.  Martinez is known for having a good eye at the plate.  The switch-hitting catcher only struck out 52 times in 493 at-bats last season.  Although Martinez can probably still catch at the major league level, he will be used primarily as the designated hitter. 

Miguel Cabrera made news this offseason when he was arrested and charged with a DUI in February.  There was a lot of question as to when Cabrera would return to the field this season because his past incidents with alcohol.  The Tigers’ organization gave Cabrera the go ahead to resume play but has been monitored throughout spring training and will continue to be monitored during the season.  Cabrera did not skip a beat once he returned to the field.  This spring, Cabrera is hitting .311 with four home runs and 16 RBI in 74 at-bats.  Miggy will be hitting cleanup in tomorrow’s opening day game against the Yankees.

The Tigers also added reliever Joaquin Benoit to the back-end of the bullpen.  Benoit had a comeback player of the season-type of performance last season with the Rays.  After missing all of 2009, the Rays took a chance on Benoit as a non-roster invitee.  In 63 games last season, Benoit finished the season 1-2 with an ERA of 1.34 and one save in 60.1 innings.  Benoit also posted a WHIP of 0.68 and held batters to a .147 batting average.  Benoit joins a bullpen that already has closer Jose Valverde and young reliever Ryan Perry.

This team is looking really good for the 2011 season, but they will have to play a lot better against their division rivals.  The Tigers finished 38-34 against their division rivals last season.  The lineup, the rotation, and the bullpen all appear to be at the top of the American League, but looks can be deceiving.  It’ll be a wild ride in the American League Central this season, but when it is all set and done, I believe the Tigers will fall just short of the postseason.