The Tigers were supposed to be the team to beat in the AL in 2008; but an all-around slow start, Curtis Granderson's broken finger, and the disappearance of Justin Verlander and Jeremy Bonderman as staff anchors led to a hole from which the team could not rebound; even with a great second half from Miguel Cabrera. Detroit fell well short of expectations last year and finished dead last in the AL Central with a 74 - 88 record.
Projected Lineup:
C - Gerald Laird
1B - Miguel Cabrera
2B - Placido Polanco
SS - Adam Everett
3B - Brandon Inge
LF - Carlos Guillen
CF - Curtis Granderson
RF - Magglio Ordonez
DH - Gary Sheffield
Projected Rotation:
#1 - Justin Verlander
#2 - Armando Galarraga
#3 - Jeremy Bonderman
#4 - Edwin Jackson
#5 - Zach Miner
Closer - Brandon Lyon
Position Battles:
#5 Starter - It will be a battle in spring training between Zach Miner, Dontrelle Willis, Nate Robertson, and maybe even Rick Porcello (doubtful). Whoever has the better spring should get the spot and it appears all these starters (with the likely exception of Porcello) will get starts throughout the season.
Closer - The Tigers have thought of Joel Zumaya as their future closer for a few years now, but poor health has prevented him from reaching their expectations. The closer right now is Lyon, but he by no means has the job locked up; Zumaya, Fernando Rodney, or Freddy Dolsi could all get some opportunities for saves.
2009 Outlook: Detroit is a solid team and the offense looks excellent on paper again, but after their collapse last year, who knows what will happen once the real games get underway. I believe the team will improve upon last year's record because they are too talented to finish last in back-to-back years. Miguel Cabrera caught fire at the end of last season and the Tigers are hoping that fire returns at the beginning of the 2009 season.
The Tigers glaring problem, which is keeping them from being an elite team, is their pitching. Justin Verlander, a Cy Young candidate in years passed, fell apart leaving Detriot with no true "ace" coming into 2009; no guy that is going to go out and put fear in the other team. They have a bunch of average to below-average pitchers, unless Justin Verlander can rebound, they may have one of the worst staffs in the American League. Once they fix their pitching, they will be real contenders at making a run in the playoffs, but I do not think this is their year.
Projected Finish: 4th Place, AL Central
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