Springing The Detroit Tigers Back to Life

Spring training is back again in Detroit and fans are looking forward to a better baseball season than last year. With the disappointment of last year's Tigers, the winless Lions, and slumping Pistons, Motown fans would like something else to cherish besides a Stanley Cup win.

There is a legitimate shot for the Tigers to win the AL Central this year, as none of the five teams appear any stronger than the other. The downside is that there has been little shakeup this offseason. 

Manager Jim Leyland will return this year, bringing new acquisitions Brandon Lyon and Adam Everett. Lyon will bring a little more consistency to the closer's role and Everett provides great defensive presence in the infield.

The return of Joel Zumaya from nagging injuries also brings hope to a city desperate for something positive.

The bad news is the pitching, which, aside from the arrival of Lyon and the retirement of Todd Jones, really isn’t much different from last year.

The Tigers' strengths this year are mainly based around hitting. Magglio Ordonez is back and still dangerous. Miguel Cabrera still can hit and anchors this potentially explosive roster. The names, and the bats that are synonymous with those names, are still the same as the 1,000-run expectation of last year.

Curtis Granderson, Placido Polanco, Carlos Guillen, Cabrera, and Ordonez have what it takes to make a run at another Series, but hitting was not really the issue last year. Pitching was the downfall.

While the outlook seems to be better than last year, there are many questions surrounding this year’s pitching staff in Detroit.

Can Lyon actually be a consistent closer for the Tigers?

Is Jeremy Bonderman actually healthy enough to pitch a full season?

Will Justin Verlander be able to regain his form that has been missing since the World Series run?

Can Zumaya and the middle relief keep the Tigers in ballgames?

The ninth-inning situation should be much improved with Lyon replacing Todd Jones, but Lyon is in no way a dominant closer. The defense will be relied on to get the Tigers the final outs, as Lyon, much like Todd Jones before him, is a groundball pitcher.

Detroit needs a miracle right now to spark some life back into a sports city that is giving Cleveland a run for the title of the most disappointing sports city. As was the case last season, the Tigers have the potential to make it deep in the playoffs. But can a team that has been a model of inconsistency and sloppy play when it matters most piece together a full season of baseball?

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