2012 Season
Entering the 2012 season, Detroit was a popular pick for the World Series ring, having acquired free agent first baseman Prince Fielder to go with an already potent line-up. During the regular season, they were a bit of a disappointment, finishing May with just a 38-40 record, and needing a 34-24 record in the final few months to see them over the line with the AL title, a final record of 88-74 enough for them to do so. In the post-season, they beat the Athletics in a five game thriller, rolled over the Yankees in a four game sweep and then got swept themselves by the Giants in the World Series. The star performer was undoubtedly AL MVP winner Miguel Cabrera who put up a monster .330/.393/.606 triple-slash with 44 homers on his way to the triple crown. On the mound, Justin Verlander continued from where he left off in 2011, with 17 wins, a 2.64 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 239 strikeouts as he showed no dip in form from his historic 2012 campaign.
Off-Season Moves
IN: Torii Hunter
OUT: Gerald Laird, Delmon Young, Jose Valverde, Daniel Schlereth, Ryan Raburn
Overview: After making a big splash in the 2011 off-season, the Tigers had a much quieter free agent period this year, although they addressed the one area of weakness they struggled with in 2012 by signing Torii Hunter to be their number 2 hitter. In 2012, they had a number of players try and hit between Jackson and Cabrera whilst Hunter was putting up a .313/.365/.451 triple-slash hitting second for the Angels. At the age of 37 he is well into his limelight years, but he continues to have value at the plate and in the field. None of the off-season losses were major, with all five players easily replaceable. It was a quiet off-season for the Tigers, but that was all they needed. Overall grade: 5/10.
Overview: After making a big splash in the 2011 off-season, the Tigers had a much quieter free agent period this year, although they addressed the one area of weakness they struggled with in 2012 by signing Torii Hunter to be their number 2 hitter. In 2012, they had a number of players try and hit between Jackson and Cabrera whilst Hunter was putting up a .313/.365/.451 triple-slash hitting second for the Angels. At the age of 37 he is well into his limelight years, but he continues to have value at the plate and in the field. None of the off-season losses were major, with all five players easily replaceable. It was a quiet off-season for the Tigers, but that was all they needed. Overall grade: 5/10.
| Projected Opening Day Line-up | ||
|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Projected stat line (OBP/SLG/WAR) |
| CF | Austin Jackson | .363/.442/4.1 |
| RF | Torii Hunter | .336/.428/2.8 |
| 3B | Miguel Cabrera | .413/.595/6.5 |
| 1B | Prince Fielder | .413/.548/4.1 |
| DH | Victor Martinez | .369/.457/1.0 |
| LF | Andy Dirks | .335/.438/1.7 |
| SS | Jhonny Peralta | .329/.423/2.5 |
| C | Alex Avila | .373/.446/3.1 |
| 2B | Omar Infante | .320/.400/2.0 |
| Projected rotation | ||
|---|---|---|
| Starter | Player | Projected stat line (IP/ERA/WAR) |
| 1 | Justin Verlander | 231/3.00/5.7 |
| 2 | Max Scherzer | 191/3.72/3.7 |
| 3 | Doug Fister | 212/3.69/3.1 |
| 4 | Anibal Sanchez | 201/3.72/2.8 |
| 5 | Rick Porcello | 178/4.50/2.4 |
Position Players
This potent line-up is led by third baseman Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera has extraordinary ability with the bat, racking up an average above .292 every season since 2004. He doesn't strike out at a particularly high rate, and draws his fair share of walks, but it is his power that sets him aside as he led the Majors in home runs last year with 44. He destroys anything inside the strike zone, can take pitches the other way and has proven to be extremely durable, so despite poor defense at third base, he is one of the best players in baseball. Ably batting behind him is first baseman Prince Fielder, whose game has changed notably in the last couple of seasons. His years of challenging 50 homers are probably behind him, especially in Comerica Park, but he has hit for an average greater than .299 for two seasons in a row and actually drew more walks than strikeouts in 2012. Austin Jackson had a breakout year last season, hitting .300 with a .377 OBP from the lead-off spot, and whilst the speed was down he looked like having 20 homer power. In the outfield he is one of the best defensive players in the Majors, pulling off highlight reel catches every night in center.
Victor Martinez missed the entire 2012 season with an ACL injury, and will likely spend most of the season as the full-time designated hitter. He has excellent contact ability from both sides of the plate, and is a good bet to bat around the .300 mark. How much power he has is a different question, but somewhere in the 10-20 home run range seems about right in his first year back. Andy Dirks didn't get much consistent playing time in 2012, sharing outfield spots with the likes of Quintin Berry, Brennan Boesch and Delmon Young. Despite that, he put up a .322/.370/.487 triple-slash in 88 games and appears to have secured himself a full-time role. Regression is due, but if he can come close to that kind of stat line the Tigers will be thrilled. Alex Avila struggled for much of 2012, hitting just .243 (although his OBP was over 100 points higher) and struggling with a variety of injuries. He'll look to bounce back this year, and a season like his 2011 performance (.295/.389/.506 triple-slash) would make this line-up even better. Neither Peralta nor Infante are likely to be pushing for an all-star spot this year, but both have proven durable with reasonably production and average defense, although the middle infield is probably one area where the Tigers will look to improve. Overall, this is a line-up with a pair of studs at it's heart, speed and on-base ability up top and no clear weakness. The defense looks like it will be shaky, but runs will not be hard to come by. Overall grade: 8/10.
Pitching
The staff is led by perennial Cy Young candidate Justin Verlander, who turned in another dominant 30 starts in 2012. His stuff is some of the best in the Majors, with a fastball that increases in velocity as he gets deeper into games, a filthy breaking ball and a change-up that puts left-handed hitters away with ease. He has been a real workhorse over the past few seasons for Detroit, and that looks likely to continue as Verlander is at the peak of his career. Behind him is the steadily improving Max Scherzer, who posted a 3.74 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 2012. He also has an overpowering fastball and devastating slider, and whilst the finer arts of pitching may still need crafting, he struck out 231 hitters in 187 innings in 2012. Doug Fister struggled with injury at the start of the season, but found his form midway through to post a 3.45 ERA in 161 innings. Primarily a groundball pitcher, he had an uptick in strikeouts last year including one memorable game against KC where he struck out nine in a row. Anibal Sanchez arrived in Detroit after a mid-season trade from Miami, and he impressed in his short time with the Tigers, particularly in the post-season. He won't blow hitters away, but should be a reliable innings eater with good ERA and WHIP numbers. Finally, Rick Porcello held onto his spot as the fifth starter with a strong Spring Training performance, but will have Drew Smyly breathing down his neck if he is unable to find his groove.
The bullpen was an area of weakness for Detroit last year, especially in the post-season, thanks largely to the shakiness of Jose Valverde who's 3.78 ERA and 5 blown saves were a far cry from his perfect 2011 season. They have given Bruce Rondon, the fireballing right-hander, a Spring audition, but his demotion to AAA appears to pave the way for a 'closer by committee' approach. Among that committee will be Joaquin Benoit who was solid in 2012, pitching in 73 games and posting a 3.68 ERA and 1.14 WHIP, but he is yet to really find his groove. Al Alburquerque missed most of last season, but his September outings were promising, as he only gave up an earned run in his final start against KC. Phil Coke was the closer in the post-season, and he did a pretty good job whilst he was there, but that could mask the fact he had a poor regular season, with a 4.00 ERA and 1.65 WHIP, although he figures to be the team's primary left-handed option. Veteran Octavio Dotel (now with his 13th franchise) will also get the nod in key situations, and his 3.57 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 2012 were solid enough to give him one of his best years for a long time. Overall, this is one of the best rotations in the Majors. Verlander is a legitimate ace, both Scherzer and Fister have the potential to record ERA's in the low-3's and Sanchez is a reliable innings-eater. The bullpen is a bit more questionable, but if Leyland is able to pick the hot hand and play the right match-ups then there is no reason not to think they can close out more games than they blow. Overall grade: 8/10.
Prospects
The Tigers last top-40 pick was all the way back in 2009, as their drafting plans have been ravaged by trades and free agent signings. As a consequence, the system is pretty bare with the main prospect Nick Castellanos, one of the purest hitting youngsters in the minors. He has the ability to hit for average and down the line 20-30 home run power, although his primary position of third base is currently taken up by Miguel Cabrera. Moving him to left field seems to be the main plan, but that takes away considerable value, especially given Cabrera is pretty poor at the hot corner himself. Avisail Garcia and Bruce Rondon seem to be the two prospects most likely to contribute this season. The former is an outfielder with a good hit tool, but not enough plate discipline to allow him to truly access his power potential. The aforementioned Rondon can run his fastball up above 102mph, but there are concerns over his command and injury history, so he will at least start the season in the Minors. Other than those three, there is little to get excited about for Tigers fans, and they'll be hoping a strong draft is coming this year. Overall grade: 3/10.
Overview
The Tigers struggled during the regular season in 2012, and still ended up winning the division by a few games. With Martinez back on the field and a full season of Sanchez in the rotation, I don't think they'll struggle. Cabrera, Fielder, Jackson and Martinez are all excellent contributors with the lumber, and in Verlander/Scherzer/Fister/Sanchez they have one of the best rotations in the AL. If everything goes right, this team could win the most games in baseball, but as it is I think they'll coast to the play-offs without winning 100 games.
Prediction: 96-66
Gif to Watch
There are few sights in baseball more attractive than a back-door breaking ball for strike three, and there are few pitchers in baseball who pull it off with the same regularity and pomp as Justin Verlander:
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