Following a meltdown late in 2009, the Detroit Tigers struggled to get back on track in 2010. Once again, Detroit collapsed in the second half and ended the year at 81-81—third place in the AL Central division.
They traded away Curtis Granderson last offseason, but received four quality players (Max Scherzer, Austin Jackson, Phil Coke and Daniel Schlereth) in return. The move made Detroit a younger and deeper team and despite falling back in the standings, they are now built to contend.
The Tigers also made some nice free-agent moves, bringing in catcher/DH Victor Martinez and reliever Joaquin Benoit, and it looks like 2011 may just be their year. Find out with my MLB predictions on the Tigers below.
Projected Lineup
With the addition of Martinez, the heart of the lineup for the Tigers figures to be as dangerous as ever.
Martinez will still see some time behind the plate, but he'll mostly be used as a DH. He hit .302 with 20 home runs and 79 RBI in just 127 games with the Red Sox last year. Martinez will likely hit fifth in the order, behind right fielder Magglio Ordonez and first baseman Miguel Cabrera.
Ordonez has struggled to stay healthy over the last few seasons, but if he can find a way to stay in the lineup, he should finish the year right around .300 with 20 home runs and 90 RBI. Cabrera had a great run in 2010, hitting .328 with 38 home runs and 126 RBI, and continues to get better with each season.
Center fielder Austin Jackson had a fine rookie season, hitting .293 with a .345 OBP. Jackson scored 103 runs and stole 27 bases and really has the makings of a solid leadoff hitter.
Ryan Raburn is expected to take over the starting job in left field. He showed some nice promise with a .280 average and .340 OBP in just 87 games last season.
Jhonny Peralta was added in a trade with Cleveland last season and was so good in his two months with the Tigers they decided to keep him around to start this year.
Third baseman Brandon Inge has the ability to give Detroit some power at the end of the lineup, but has to show improvement on his numbers from last season when he hit just .247 with 13 home runs.
Alex Avila will be the primary catcher against right-handed pitchers, but the youngster still needs to get better with the bat.
Second base looks to be the Tigers' biggest question mark heading into the season. Youngster Will Rhymes and veteran Carlos Guillen are the two primary candidates for the starting job, and both have the potential to surprise if given the chance.
Projected Rotation
Detroit has some great arms at the top of the starting rotation with Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. Verlander has the tools to take home the Cy Young in any given season. He went 18-9 with a 3.37 ERA in 2010.
Scherzer really made a name for himself in 2010 with a 12-11 record and 3.50 ERA. The potential is huge for this 26-year-old.
Rick Porcello will likely be the No. 3 starter for Detroit, even though he had a big drop-off in production from a great rookie season in 2009. Porcello went just 10-12 with a 4.92 ERA last year, but we like his odds of getting things figured out in 2011.
Veteran Brad Penny gives Detroit a solid arm at the back of the rotation—that is, if he can stay healthy. Penny went 3-4 with a 3.23 ERA in nine starts last year before his season was ended.
Detroit is hoping Phil Coke can hold down the final spot in the rotation. Coke is trying to make a C.J. Wilson-like transition from reliever to starter. In 74 appearances last year, Coke went 7-5 with a 3.76 ERA, but we are a bit concerned with his 1.436 WHIP.
2011 Projection: 1st Place AL Central
The Tigers dumped more than $75 million in salary by letting go of Dontrelle Willis, Johnny Damon and Jeremy Bonderman. After the 2010 season finished, the Tigers seem to have chosen wisely on who to re-sign. There is no glaring weakness on this team and after signing Benoit and Martinez, the Tigers are ready—now more than ever—to take control of the AL Central.
The Tigers' MLB odds to win the AL Central are currently list at +180.
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