Will the Detroit Tigers be Contenders or Pretenders?
The Detroit Tigers enjoyed a long run of being top dog in the A.L. Central, winning 4 consecutive division titles and getting to the world series twice in the last 7 years. However, The good times are over and the Kansas City Royals reign supreme. The Tigers have fired their GM Dave Dombrowski and promoted Al Aliva in his place. Aliva has made some big moves but will they be enough to put the Tigers back in the top spot?
Case for Contenders
Big signings
The Tigers signed a couple studs in free agency, Justin Upton and Jordan Zimmerman, which are sure to bolster an already hard hitting line up and solidify the number 2 spot in the rotation. Justin Upton, with his .343 OBP will likely …show more content…
Every move they seem to make, Joe Nathan, Jose Valverde, Joaquin Soria, never seems to fix it. Al Aliva did make a big slash and signed Francisco Rodriguez as their closer as well as some other solid bullpen arms. The fact remains that it may not be enough and this shortcoming may prove fatal again for the Tigers.
Aging Stars
Despite Justin Verlander’s excellent second half, there are some concerns that he may be on the steep decline. He has had several abysmal years and has declined in his average fastball velocity almost every year, from 95.5 mph to 93.1*, which usually spells doom for pitchers. Combine that with concerns of Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, and Ian Kinsler’s decline and you have a potential recipe for disaster for the Tigers.
Youth flames out
There are camps in the Detroit Media who don’t have as high of hopes for the young Tigers. Jose Iglesias was a career .257 hitter in the minors and last year’s all star caliber season may have been a fluke in terms of offense. Nick Castellanos, the Tigers starting third basemen, has been inconsistent at best both offensively and defensively. The bottom half of the Tigers lineup is mostly unproven in terms of longevity and talent in some
The Detroit Tigers enjoyed a long run of being top dog in the A.L. Central, winning 4 consecutive division titles and getting to the world series twice in the last 7 years. However, The good times are over and the Kansas City Royals reign supreme. The Tigers have fired their GM Dave Dombrowski and promoted Al Aliva in his place. Aliva has made some big moves but will they be enough to put the Tigers back in the top spot?
Case for Contenders
Big signings
The Tigers signed a couple studs in free agency, Justin Upton and Jordan Zimmerman, which are sure to bolster an already hard hitting line up and solidify the number 2 spot in the rotation. Justin Upton, with his .343 OBP will likely …show more content…
Every move they seem to make, Joe Nathan, Jose Valverde, Joaquin Soria, never seems to fix it. Al Aliva did make a big slash and signed Francisco Rodriguez as their closer as well as some other solid bullpen arms. The fact remains that it may not be enough and this shortcoming may prove fatal again for the Tigers.
Aging Stars
Despite Justin Verlander’s excellent second half, there are some concerns that he may be on the steep decline. He has had several abysmal years and has declined in his average fastball velocity almost every year, from 95.5 mph to 93.1*, which usually spells doom for pitchers. Combine that with concerns of Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, and Ian Kinsler’s decline and you have a potential recipe for disaster for the Tigers.
Youth flames out
There are camps in the Detroit Media who don’t have as high of hopes for the young Tigers. Jose Iglesias was a career .257 hitter in the minors and last year’s all star caliber season may have been a fluke in terms of offense. Nick Castellanos, the Tigers starting third basemen, has been inconsistent at best both offensively and defensively. The bottom half of the Tigers lineup is mostly unproven in terms of longevity and talent in some