Pure Michigan Sports

Rarely have there been many seasons where the baseball MVP award, for either league, has a run away winner, especially since so many voters have a different a opinion of what MVP means.  The 2011 season has been no different with candidates ranging from Curtis Granderson, Jose Bautista, Jacoby Ellsbury, Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia, Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander.  Obviously all of these players have played major roles in contributing to their teams’ success, but determining who has had the most exciting and impressive stats on a contender (which is generally how voters define MVP) is where Verlander separates himself.

Of all the other MVP contenders none of the hitters are putting numbers that have rarely been touched.  Verlander is either the leader or ranked in the top three in nearly every pitching category and is ranked second in WAR (wins above replacement) trailing only the Blue Jays’ Jose Bautista.  He is on pace to win the AL pitching triple crown (leading the league in wins, ERA and strike outs), something that has only been done five times since World War II.  While he doesn’t play every day, he certainly has made the most of his opportunities twenty seven of his thirty two starts have been quality starts.  Not to mention Verlander has become must see TV, as fans are eager to see his 100 mph fastball and threat of throwing a no hitter every start.

Charles Rex Arbogast / Associated Press

At the beginning of the season the Tigers had division title expectations, but were desperate for a leader to emerge who could push them over their post 2006 funk.  Verlander made this team his own from day one and has been the driving force all season long, that put this team into position to contend.  The Detroit Tigers have become a complete team the past 20 games, compiling a 17-3 record and running away with AL Central in the process.  They have received break out seasons from unexpected places (Avial & Peralta), dominant performances from the bullpen, under appreciated great seasons from their stars (Cabrera & Martinez) and a huge lift from deadline deals (Fister, Young, Betemit) but none of them have had the impact of Verlander.

Clearly the biggest knock against Verlander winning the MVP is that he doesn’t play every day, but few players have the same impact Verlander has had every five days.  The other MVP candidates teams would likely still be contenders without them, but when Verlander takes to the hill the Tigers transform into one of the best teams in baseball and the last pitcher any team wants to face in the playoffs.  This transformation help build confidence in the team and also help the front office realize relying on long time veterans weren’t going to get it done.  The Tigers would have likely been sellers at the trade deadline or would have had to mortgage their future to claw their way back into the race if not for Verlander.  Verlander’s special season has been filled with amazingAt the end of the day Verlander and the Tigers are far more focused on bringing home their fifth World Series title, but Verlander’s magical 2011 season should end with the  Cy Young and MVP awards.

The Tigers offense has once again failed to live up to expectations early on this season, and few have struggled as heavily as Austin Jackson.  While he had one of the finest rookies seasons last year he has failed to find similar magic this season.  When the Tigers were making improvements this offseason one area they felt very confident was their leadoff hitter.  It’s hard to imagine the Tigers brass was expecting such a fine season from Jackson, but they certainly weren’t anticipating such a poor start.

While it would be ideal to use Jackson as a leadoff hitter to set up the Tigers offense with his speed, batting .189 is making it very difficult to keep him in the lineup let alone the top of the order.  Jackson has been in a slump for the first 28 games of the season, and has only just recently started hitting the ball hard.  When Jackson has made contact he has frequently hit soft rollers in the infield, skied pop ups to outfield, and simply looked over matched by opposing pitchers.  Unfortunately making contact has been easier said than done for the Tigers young phoneme.  After striking out 170 times last season it was clear one of his main goals would be to cut down on giving away at bats, but he is actually gone in the wrong direction so far this season.  Jackson is currently on pace to tie the single season record for strike outs with 223.  Despite cruising his way through his rookie year, he has had nothing but struggles in his sophomore campaign.

It would be too easy for the Tigers to drop Jackson in the order or send him down to the minors for to rebuild his confidence, except the Tigers don’t have a player like him anywhere in their system.  As Jacksons struggles are punishing the Tigers for relying so heavily on a young player in such an important spot, it also is another reminder of the Tigers inability to develop position players.  Another factor that is certainly isn’t making life any easier for Austin Jackson is living within Curtis Granderson’s shadow.

Last year Jackson made it relatively easy for fans to get over Grandersons departure, but that didn’t stop fans from still rooting and following the former Tiger.  Granderson’s jersey is still frequently seen at Comerica Park and fans are questioning more than ever why isn’t on the team as he he propelled a strong finish into an all-star caliber start to this season.  Regardless of how well the trade has worked out for the Tigers, it has become apparent Granderson will always hold a special place in Tiger fans hearts and be a player Jackson will be compared to.

However the Tigers must find ways for Jackson to regain his confidence, days off haven’t seemed to help, but batting him in front of Cabrera might ignite his bat.  Batting in front of Cabrera should allow him to see better pitches and lessen the pressure of batting leadoff.  Granted that leaves the Tigers with few options atop the order, it’s a role Jackson cannot handle right now.

During the Leyland/Dombrowski era the Tigers have typically gotten off to hot starts and then faded in the second half.  While it’s only two games into the 2011 season, they have definitely come out of the gate slowly.  While much was made about the Tigers offensive and bullpen additions, the importance Brad Penny could have on this team is huge.  The Tigers aren’t 100% sure what they will get out of their 4th and 5th starters, but definitely need Penny to eat innings and keep them in games.

Although it was only Brad Penny’s first start of the year, he was far from impressive lasting only 4 1/3 innings and getting pounded Yankee hitters all day.  Penny routinely left his pitches up in the zone, and had no answers for the Yankee hitters.  Penny has spent the bulk of his career pitching in the National League, with only a poor showing with the Red Sox in 2009 as his only exposure to the American League.  Obviously the Tigers aren’t expecting much from Penny, but if Saturday’s performance becomes the rule instead of the exception, than the Tigers will have to explore all options.

Luckily for the Tigers two of their best prospects happen to be starting pitchers, but the team has made it clear they would prefer to continue to bring them along slowly.  The Tigers are certainly no strangers to rolling the dice on young pitching, but Penny was supposed to allow them to keep Andy Oliver and Jacob Tuner in the minors instead of forcing them up the majors.  The Tigers will give Penny a relatively long leash if he gradually improves, but with Leyland and Dombrowski’s job on the line it seems unlikely the team will tolerate many of these type of starts before they call up Turner, Oliver or explore free agent or trade possibilities.

Although the Tigers outfield will be filled with familiar names, they present many questions that will play a major factor in the teams success.

Can Austin Jackson repeat last years success?

Austin Jackson had a phenomenal rookie season, he compiled over 200 hits, played gold glove caliber defense and brought much needed speed to the Tigers lineup.  While it would be great for him to build off of his impressive year, it will be just as important for him to duplicate last years numbers.  The Tigers don’t have another player like Jackson and if he cant hit well enough to stay atop the batting the team will be in big trouble.

Is Ryan Raburn ready to play 162 games?

While the Tigers spent big money this offseason on improving their team, they felt secure enough in Raburn’s development to steer away from making a trade or signing a free agent.  Raburn has been a solid utility man over the course of his time with the Tigers, but last season he showed glimpses of 20 home runs and 80 RBIs potential.  Unfortunately Raburn has never played in more than 113 games, so it’s difficult to say how he will hold up, and if he can match this promise.  Luckily the Tigers won’t be relying too heavily on him, but it would sure make the Tigers chances at a steady offense that much better.

Can Magglio Ordonez stay healthy?

Last season Ordonez saw his season end abruptly when he broke his ankle.  Although he is 37, he showed last season that he still has an impact bat, even if that means he is more of doubles hitter than a home run hitter.  Having Victor Martinez being able to catch or DH, and quality young outfielders on the bench should allow Leyland to rest or let Ordonez DH.  However another injury and the Tigers will have wasted $10 million dollars, and be back to counting on Boesch or Wells to fill roles they probably aren’t ready for.

Are Casper Wells and Brennan Boesch ready to step in?

Wells and Boesch both bring power to the table, but whether they can hit for enough average to justify their stay in the big leagues remains to be seen.  Barring injury both players will mainly see limited playing time, but making those moments matter will be crucial.  Wells has been a highly touted prospect in the Tigers farm system, while Boesch came out of nowhere last season to provide a spark.  The more reliable these players can the better the Tigers will be, even if this team avoids injury, infusing youth into the lineup every few games will be a major plus.

The Detroit Tigers re-loaded this offseason looking to regain the magic they created during the 2006 season.  After battling through last season’s highs and lows, they appear primed for a run at the AL Central.  Outside of relying on many players to carry them at times, no player is more important to this team’s success than ace Justin Verlander.  Certainly the Tigers will need big year from Miguel Cabrera and for the team to stay healthy, but stud pitching always coincides with October success.

Justin Verlander has had a very good career thus far, averaging just over 16 wins and just under 200 strike outs during his first five seasons in the big leagues.  However this season he appears to be ready to take his game to the next level.  He has spoken out about his enthusiasm towards this season and his confidence in his team appears to be at an all time high.  Verlander certainly doesn’t lack confidence on or off the mound, but he has shown the swagger and stuff that could finally find him amongst the leagues very best.

Robin Buckson/The Detroit News

He dominated spring training, posting a 0.96 ERA, 23 strike outs over 28 innings, and appeared to much more efficient.  While it’s foolish to use the small sample size of spring training to gage any players season, it’s great to see him pitching at a high level from the start.  Verlander has always been a slow starter, typically having his worst month during April, where his anything but stellar with a career ERA of 5.06, lowest strike out total and highest walk count of any other month.  Having Verlander at the top of his game for all 6 months of the season could result in at least 3 more wins, that could play a big difference in whether the Tigers make the playoffs or not.

Aside from slow starts the other minor flaw in Verlander’s armor is that he too often turns into a thrower, simply trying to blow hitters away.  If he can rely more on his off speed pitching and lean on his defense he should see his ERA and pitch count drop.  If the Tigers are to truly make a deep run in the playoffs they cant afford to have Verlander’s tank on empty, when the games matter most.  So far this spring he has appeared to be more poised and become pitcher, letting the game come to him instead of settling on his fastball.

Every team that has gone on to have October success has always had a stud pitching leading the way, a role Verlander must occupy.  The Tigers have one of the better pitching staffs in the American League, and one of the deeper bullpens in baseball, but Verlander stay consistent, become more efficient and take his game to the next level?  If Verlander can, the Tigers should find themselves back in the postseason and making a run at their first title since 1984.

After the events that transpired following Miguel Cabrera’s arrest on Wednesday night it’s time for he and the Tigers to move on.  I am not suggesting his matter should be handled lightly, but what needs to happen next is obvious.  Cabrera needs to take this time to seek and get help for his drinking problem.  In the past he has denied having any such issues, but he can longer live this lie and now must devote the same attention and time into getting sober that he has used to make himself one of the best players in baseball.  It will surely be an uphill battle, but with the support of friends, family and the his teammates Cabrera should be able to turn his life around, if he wants to.

This is not the first issue Cabrera has had with alcohol, but he has the power to make it his last.  Alcoholism is a disease that has and will continue to cripple and ruin peoples lives, if Cabrera cannot acknowledge his issues  he has no hope of moving on from this embarrassing episode in his life.  Several Tigers players have spoken out about their Cabrera’s arrest, but all of them expressed their desire to support him through this tough time.  Magglio Ordonez told the Detroit Free Press’ John Lowe about he plans to challenge and support Cabrera:

“Miguel is the franchise player of this team,” Ordoñez said. “He understands that they are building the team around him. He needs to pull everything together.  He is a superstar, and he needs to act like a superstar. He needs to work hard.”

Cabrera's mugshot. (St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office)

He added “Miguel is a really nice guy,” Ordoñez said. “I don’t know his personal life. I don’t know if he has problems. I know he is a good guy and a great teammate. He’s a very nice person. Hopefully, he gets himself together and ready to play baseball.  He’s my teammate. I’ve got to support him because he needs support. He’s also my friend.”

Brandon Inge also spoke about his approach to helping Cabrera get back on track to the Detroit Free Press’ John Lowe:

“For a situation like this, it’s going to be easy for us to handle. We all love Miggy. He’s one of the better teammates I’ve ever played with.  When he comes back, we want to help him in any which way he needs and make it normal for him. It will be fine. Everyone is going to blow it out of proportion and make a huge deal out of it. It will not be a distraction here with this ballclub. It will not.”

Manager Jim Leyland even told Lowe that he is confident Cabrera will rebound from this arrest to have a tremendous season:

“I know for a fact, without getting into this situation, I know for a fact Miguel Cabrera is in the best shape of his life. He’s stronger than he’s ever been, and he’s quicker than he’s ever been. … I think Miguel Cabrera is probably going to have the biggest year of his life.”

For the most part the team has been saying all the right things, and seems confident this issue will not be a distraction, unfortunately they also weren’t aware he had a problem in the first place.  As much as they would prefer to not allow this situation to take over the team they also cant treat it lightly.  Cabrera will need help, and as much as baseball can be an escape, hopefully it will also be place where he can be comfortable enough to seek help from people who want to help him.  While it’s easy to demand more from athletes and put them on a pedestal of higher standards, he still needs like like anyone else.

Cabrera cannot join the team in Lakeland until he receives clearance from doctors, but it would also be wise for Cabrera to seek out guidance and help from someone like the Texas Rangers’ Josh Hamilton (who almost derailed his career because of drug addiction) or local rapper Eminem (who is a recovering alcoholic).  Both of these men have found ways to battle their addictions and have had tremendous success after conquering their personal demons.  As much as everyone wants to keep the focus on baseball and move on, Cabrera needs to go at his pace and make his health his number one priority over everything else. Hopefully Cabrera makes the most of this chance to get his life in order and not allow alcohol to destroy his life on and off the baseball field.

Since drafting pitcher Casey Crosby in 2007 the Tigers have eagerly awaited his arrival with the big league club.  While he is only 22 his path to the big leagues has been stuck in neutral as he has battled elbow injuries.  Despite his lack of experience he is still possesses the ability to eventually be a top of the rotation pitcher for the Tigers.  However, Crosby is eager to finally take advantage of the opportunities ahead of him and prove he is more than just potential.  He spoke with the Detroit News’ Lynn Henning about his current progress and excitement:

Grand Rapids Press

“I’ve thrown only three bullpen sessions since I got here (Jan. 5), but I definitely feel like I’m getting there,” Crosby said. “I feel as good as at any point since 2009, if not better.  All I know is, I’ve got to produce and put up some big numbers. I’ve been here four years.”

Obviously elbow injuries have derailed numerous pitching careers, but Crosby has used the time to expand his pitching arsenal and appears to take the next step in his development head on.  Minor league pitching instructor Jon Matlack raved to Henning about Crosby’s current progress:

“His repertoire hasn’t changed,” Matlack said. “His velocity has been up to 97 since Day 1. That’s not going away. His breaking ball is better, and his change-up, which was probably non-existent when he first arrived, has become a third pitch.  He’s had to knuckle down and apply himself to some very mundane stuff as this recovery has gone on — things that most people would shy away from. But I tip my hat to the work he’s done. This is a competitive kid who’s only cracking the nutshell of his abilities.”

Crosby may not be where he expected himself to be at this point in his career, but he and the Tigers are still very excited about his future.  If he can progress through the minors this season and avoid any other injuries he has a strong chance to join the Tigers next season, and give Detroit a Crosby that they can root for.

Heading into spring training the Tigers have majority of their lineup set, but the only legit competition will be who will their 2nd baseman will be.  The team may leave Lakeland with a definitive answer, but the competition between Carlos Guillen, Will Rhymes and Scott Sizemore should be very interesting.  The Tigers seem committed to playing the best player for the job and not allow any outside factors from forcing their hand, but each player brings something different to the table.

John T. Greilick / The Detroit News)

Ideally the Tigers would like to get the most out of Carlos Guillen.  Not only is he on the books for $13 million this season (the final year of his contract), but he has far and away more experience than Sizemore and Rhymes.  Unfortunately Guillen has struggled to stay healthy enough (played in an average of 74 games the past 2 seasons) to justify his salary the last few seasons and probably won’t be ready until the middle of March.  None the less if he can stay healthy he could easily provide added punch to the lineup.

While Guillen misses much of last season and Scott Sizemore dealt with injuries of his own scrappy Will Rhymes was given an opportunity and did he ever make the most of it.  Although he only played in 54 games last season, he turned out to be a nice complement atop the order batting .304, an on base percentage of .350 and a slugging percentage of .414.  He may not have the potential of Sizemore or the track record of Guillen, but he simply finds a way to get the job done.  The Tigers could use his energy in the dugout his grit in the lineup.

Scott Sizemore appears to be the Tigers future 2nd baseman, but he struggled heavily during his 48 games with the Tigers last year.  The team feels most of his issues were because he was never really healthy last year, but are expecting him to make the most of the opportunity available to him this season.  In Toledo he hit the ball all over the field and even added a little punch with 9 home home runs.  As far as potential goes he exceeds Rhymes in every category, except heart.  That’s not necessarily a knock on Sizemore, but a tribute to how relentless Rhymes is.

More than likely the Tigers will keep 2 of these players on the roster, but the great thing about this competition is that the Tigers can only benefit from this trio of players from pushing each other.  One would have to imagine the Tigers will give Guillen every opportunity to be a difference maker on this team, but Rhymes and Sizemore are more than ready and capable to make Guillen expendable.

Austin Jackson had an incredible year in his rookie season with the Tigers, putting on quite performance in all aspects of his game.  While he clearly needs to cut down on his strike outs(170) he still managed to compile 181 hits, scored 103 runs, batted .293, and an OBP of .345.  However in an interview with MLB’s Jason Beck he explained that one of his main focus’s this season will be stealing more bases this season, 40 to be exact:

John T. Greilick / The Detroit News

“I think it’s just setting a goal to try to reach it, because I think I’m capable of stealing more bags. I think I need to try harder at it.  I think it’s more of something that I have,” he said. “I have speed and that’s a part of my game, and I definitely think that I could use it more on the basepaths. It’s really just stealing a bag, maybe getting in scoring position a little more, try to score some more runs. I think it’s a thing you just have to kind of learn. I think it’s a thing I need.”

Although the Tigers re-loaded their offense this offseason Jackson remains one of the only base stealing threats on the team.  It’s great to hear him acknowledging the importance of his speed and the value he can add to the team.  Obviously team’s will be putting more attention into slowing him down on the base paths, Jackson will be given the green light from day one.  Stealing 40 bases is a lofty goal, but one that will be within reach especially if the Tigers can find steady production from their number two hitter.   For better or worse the Tigers will have high expectations for Jackson, and cannot afford to have him suffer a sophomore slump in order to keep their playoff hopes alive.  The Tigers are very lucky to have a player of Jackson’s ability on their roster, even if he can simply repeat last season’s efforts the team will be very fortunate, but 40 steals and those numbers could make their offense one of the league’s best.