Detroit Tigers: 2014's Most Defining Moments

The Detroit Tigers’ 2014 season certainly had its ups and downs. During a roller coaster ride of a year, Detroit started the campaign with an offseason full of hope and promise. Then the roller coaster officially started.

The Tigers experienced more highs and lows than most. They went from a runaway division favorite to being in danger of missing the playoffs. In the end, thanks to some key performances and acquisitions, the team pulled out a fourth consecutive American League Central title.

Unfortunately, the success found in the division did not carry over to the playoffs as Detroit was swept by Baltimore in three games.

Here are some of those high and low points, or in other words, the most defining moments of the season.

All stats courtesy of http://www.baseball-reference.com/ unless otherwise noted.

Honorable Mention

Hiring Brad Ausmus

In earnest, the 2014 season began with the offseason.

During that offseason, the Detroit Tigers had to replace longtime manager Jim Leyland. The team’s brass picked Brad Ausmus as the manager to lead the team into its next phase—or, a continuation of the same phase.

Detroit wanted someone who could step right in for Leyland and continue winning while putting the team in a position to not only capture a World Series title, but to also have a capable manager and leader moving into the future.

Ausmus was and is that guy. While he had his ups and downs, the former catcher shows the potential to be the man to lead the team into the future. Yes, he made mistakes, but he seems like the type to learn from them, as evidenced by his post-game interview following the Game 3 loss.

5. Acquiring Ian Kinsler

Another defining moment was when the Tigers acquired Ian Kinsler. Not only did the team move on from Prince Fielder’s equally atrocious contract and postseason production, but it also diversified the team in ways Motown hadn’t seen in a long time. Kinsler provided the Tigers with excellent defense at second base, something that was missing at many positions in 2013.

Not only did Kinsler help on defense, he also brought speed to a lineup that was in dire need of it. The former Texas Ranger swiped 15 bases in his first go-around in Detroit, three times the amount of his predecessor Omar Infante.

While 15 stolen bases won’t make you the next Rickey Henderson, Kinsler is at least perceived by opposing teams as a threat to run—something that wasn’t true of Infante or, for that matter, most of the other Tigers. Not only did he provide speed, he also drove in a career-best 92 runs.

Kinsler didn’t just diversify the team himself—his arrival and Fielder’s departure allowed Victor Martinez to move into the cleanup spot where he proved himself to be the Tigers’ most important player, Miguel Cabrera included.

4. Joe Nathan’s Pickoff of Jarrod Dyson

While the Royals have marched on in the playoffs and the Tigers haven’t, this still served as one of the more memorable and defining moments of Detroit’s season.

Not only did Joe Nathan escape a potentially dangerous situation—his improved play, punctuated by the pickoff, helped to mend his relationship with the fans. It helped him restore the faith in a relationship that had been rocky at times.

The pickoff also came at a crucial time. If Nathan and the Tigers succumbed, they would have fallen two games back of Kansas City with 17 games remaining. Instead, the team held on to win and pulled even with Royals atop the division. Brad Ausmus’ club would claim sole possession of first place just a few days later and didn’t look back on the way to a fourth straight division title.

3. Acquiring David Price

Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski made waves when he acquired David Price. Initially, the American League was thought to be an arms race between Oakland and Detroit, with Price being Dombrowski’s statement acquisition.

This arms race never happened as the A’s and Tigers both crashed out early, but Price still played his part. The former Cy Young winner posted a 3.59 ERA in Detroit, a number that would have been much lower had it not been for a freak start against the Yankees where Price allowed eight runs in two innings.

With the exception of the pitch that Nelson Cruz hit over the fence in Game 3, Price showed his ace qualities against Baltimore. He scattered five hits over eight innings and fanned six. Had it not been for Cruz and a stuttering Tigers offense, Price likely would have come away the winner.

Price’s acquisition was also defining because it could end Max Scherzer’s time in Detroit—widely panned as a Plan B after Scherzer and the Tigers were unable to come to terms on a new contract. The team will likely look to re-sign Price to a new deal in the coming months.

2. And Trading Austin Jackson

One of the many small wrinkles of the David Price trade that is often lost in the opinion pieces is the loss of Austin Jackson.

The old adage that reads, “You don’t know what you have until it’s gone,” seems appropriate.

In one way or another, Jackson was an impact player on both sides of the ball during his time in Motown. Despite the high strikeout totals, the former Yankee farmhand brought power and speed to the leadoff spot while also bringing elite defense in center field.

Detroit lost his bat without finding an immediate replacement on Jackson’s level offensively and defensively. As such, the lineup lost some of its length and the defense in center field suffered.

While offensively adept, Rajai Davis didn’t provide the defense Jackson did. Don Kelly and Ezequiel Carrera didn’t fare much better defensively and weren’t impact players offensively.

1. Delmon Young’s Double in Game 2 of the ALDS

The Tigers were officially eliminated in Game 3, but it can be argued that Game 2 sealed the team’s doom.

After Justin Verlander and Anibal Sanchez got the team through the first seven innings with the lead, the bullpen imploded in the eighth. Joba Chamberlain and Joakim Soria allowed Baltimore to turn a 6-4 Detroit lead into a 7-6 Baltimore advantage thanks to Young’s three-run double.  

Sadly, the result summed up the Tigers’ season.

The bullpen issues were exacerbated by the dreadful display in Game 2. No matter how Detroit tried, it couldn’t quite fix the bullpen. Offseason acquisitions Joe Nathan (4.91 ERA) and Chamberlain (4.97 second-half ERA) struggled, prompting the team to part with a pair of prized pitching prospects, Jake Thompson and Corey Knebel, to acquire Soria.

The former Rangers and Royals closer struggled as well, posting a 4.91 ERA in 13 games. Additional reinforcements continued to flop. Reclamation projects Jim Johnson (6.92 ERA) and Joel Hanrahan (didn’t pitch due to injury) failed to deliver.