5 Signs from Spring Training That the Detroit Tigers Will Go to the World Series

Last season, the Detroit Tigers won the American League Central Division, their first division title since 1987 when they were in the A.L. East.

They defeated the Yankees in the A.L.D.S. but got demolished by the Rangers in the A.L.C.S. After their first trip to the playoffs since 2006, and acquiring arguably their biggest free agent in team history, the expectations for the Tigers to return to the playoffs and vie for a World Championship are as high as ever.

The 2012 Tigers came into Spring Training with essentially the same team that got them to the A.L.C.S. last season with the exception of Victor Martinez, who went down in January with an apparent season-ending ACL tear.

The Tigers more than made up for Martinez's absence, signing Prince Fielder to a nine-year, $214 million contract. But as always, there were holes to fill, positions to change, old players retiring and new ones trying to prove themselves.

Detroit appears to have left Lakeland, Fla., with more answers than questions, and here are five positive things the Tigers took away from Spring Training:

1. Miguel Cabrera & Prince Fielder Are the Most Dangerous 3-4 Duo in Baseball

Ok, it's obvious Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder would be positives for Detroit coming out of Spring Training.

But when two superstars become teammates, there tends to be animosity and lack of chemistry between them. Both players want it to be their team, and have aspirations to be the alpha-male in the clubhouse.

That hasn't happened in this case.

Cabrera and Fielder formed chemistry during the spring and appear to be best friends in the dugout, work well together on defense and feed off each other in the batters box.

In seven games this season, the heart of the Tigers order has gone 17-for-50 (.340) and combined for five home runs, 13 RBI's, 13 runs scored and eight walks.

Cabrera and Fielder are a threat to find the seats every pitch they see, and the duo’s presence affect the way the whole lineup is pitched to.

Defense at the corners was one of the biggest questions going into the season, with Cabrera moving back to third base, where he started his career with the Marlins in his slimmer days, and Fielder has taken over at first.

In a Spring Training game on March 19, Cabrera took a ground ball to the eye after a nasty hop, which left him sidelined for a week and admittedly timid about sharp grounders hit his way.

But Cabrera has continued to lose weight throughout the offseason (down about 20 pounds to weigh 240) and hasn’t lost a step defensively, committing only one error so far this year.

Fielder is far from a defensive liability at first base.

In his last three seasons for the Brewers, the 275-pounder played 479 of a possible 482 regular season games and had a .992 fielding percentage, committing just 26 errors. He doesn’t have an error so far this season in 47 total chances.

2. Drew Smyly's Emergence as the No. 5 Starter for the Tigers Rotation

The Tigers, who have constantly searched for stability in the back end of the rotation, selected Drew Smyly as the 68th selection overall in the 2010 draft.

A 22-year-old lefty out of the University of Arkansas, Smyly was selected as the organization’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year last season, but going into Spring Training this year, he wasn’t expected to make it to the show.

He competed against the more experienced likes of Andy Oliver, Jacob Turner and Duane Below, but on April 1, the Tigers announced Smyly earned the job as fifth starter.

Smyly, a non-roster invitee to camp, went 1-0 this spring with a 4.00 ERA in 18 innings. Last season, he split time with Single-A Lakeland and Double-A Erie, going 11-6 with a 2.07 ERA. 

Smyly pounds the strike zone, which the Tigers badly need from the No. 5 starter. He had 130 strikeouts (9.29 K's-per-nine innings), and only 36 walks in 126 minor league innings last year. 

Tigers manager Jim Leyland said he has faith in Smyly and said his quiet confidence and ability get strikeouts, made him stand out. 

"I took the guy that I thought had good stuff, a good delivery and threw strikes,” Leyland told reporters after announcing Smyly would make the team. “How that plays up here, we'll wait and see. That usually plays pretty good anywhere." 

Smyly debuted Thursday against the Rays and wasn’t great, but for a No. 5 starter making his Major League debut, it was equitable. 

He threw four-plus innings, gave up four hits, one earned run and three walks, and recorded four strikeouts. He struggled in the first inning, loading the bases with no outs, but got out of it unblemished, and allowed his team to stay in the game, and eventually win. 

“When I got out there, it was real surreal that I was there pitching. Once I got out of the first inning, I was kind of able to settle down and go,” he said after the game. “I was struggling. It was tough and I couldn’t get really get into a groove. I was like ‘you gotta settle down and get out of this’ and I was just trying to throw strikes and let the defense work, and luckily I was able to get out of it.” 

Smyly gives the Tigers a solid fifth starter, who will settle down and grow with each start. He has the ability to be a star, and said he’s having a blast so far.

“I had an awesome time out there. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

3. Austin Jackson's Offensive Improvement Vital for Tigers Success

Austin Jackson will be the X-factor for the Tigers this season. 

Jackson was one of the pieces the Tigers received from the Yankees when they traded away fan-favorite Curtis Granderson in Dec. 2009. 

So far the Yankees have won that trade after Granderson hit 65 home runs and had 186 RBI’s in his first two years in Yankee pin stripes, while Jackson hit 14 home runs, recorded 86 RBI’s and struck out 351 times (29 percent of his at-bats) in those two years. 

But Jackson worked tirelessly with Tigers hitting coach Lloyd McClendon during the offseason and through the spring, in an effort to compact his swing, cut down on strikeouts, and improve his power. 

After adjusting his swing, lowering his leg kick, Jackson’s work has paid dividends so far in 2012. Through eight games, Jackson leads the team in batting average (.385), has one home run and three RBI’s.

He's working out the kinks with the strikeouts with eight in 26 at-bats, but that will come as he gets more comfortable with his new swing.

Being the leadoff hitter, Jackson getting on base is imperative for the Tigers success. He’s Detroit’s only player capable of stealing consistent bases, and when he’s on the base paths, the wheels turn completely differently for opposing pitchers who have to face Brennan Boesh, Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder behind him. 

Jackson, who’s 25 and in his third year in the league, has the ability to be a star. He’s one of the best defensive center fielders in baseball, only committing nine errors in two seasons. He runs down everything hit in his direction, and has an above average throwing arm. 

If Jackson continues to improve offensively, get on base consistently and cut down on the strikeouts, he’ll be a vital asset for the Tigers run to the World Series.

4. With Baseball in His Blood, Alex Avila Is Becoming a Star

Alex Avila has been around baseball his whole life. His father, Al Avila has been in MLB front offices for over 20 years and has groomed his son to be a star. 

The elder Avila has been the Tigers vice president and assistant general manager since 2002 and has watched his son grow up in the organization, quietly becoming one of the best catchers in the league. 

Avila made his Major League debut for the Tigers in 2009, but played sparingly, only appearing in 29 games. But the next year, Avila became the regular starter and has steadily improved since. 

In 2010, Avila got his first chance to play almost every day and did okay. He played 104 games, and hit .228 with seven home runs and 31 RBI’s. But last season his bat came alive. He played 141 games, and hit .295 with 19 homers, 85 RBI’s and earned his first trip to the All-Star Game. 

He started getting attention from everyone in the league for his grit and toughness last season, but moving forward, his home run trot and ability to drive in runs will make the highlight reels more than ever. 

In six games this season, Avila is hitting .364 with two home runs and six RBI’s. He hit a walk-off home run April 8, and has been clutch in big moments with runners in scoring position. 

Avila is a rock at catcher, and handles his pitchers extremely well, and with the young pitching staff the Tigers have, a calm, experienced presence behind the plate will be huge. He’s only committed nine errors in three seasons at catcher, and throws out over 30 percent of runners attempting to steal. 

He had a fantastic spring, and is showing everyone in the organization, especially his daddy, the catcher position will be set in Detroit for years to come.

5. The Absence of Brandon Inge, Carlos Guillen and Magglio Ordonez

For several years, Brandon Inge was was a fan favorite in Detroit, and was one of the best defensive third basemen in the league, and produced enough offensively to remain in the lineup every day.A 

But his numbers have declined dramatically the past few years and he’s fallen out of favor. 

Last season, Inge began as slow as ever, and after hitting .219, with zero home runs and four RBI’s in May, the Tigers sent Inge to Triple-A Toledo to work out his troubles. 

He returned to the team and finished the season, but remained anemic offensively, raising more questions about his future. 

When the Tigers acquired Prince Fielder in January, and announced Miguel Cabrera would move to third base, it appeared Inge was out the door.

Inge remains committed to Detroit and is attempting a move to second base, where he’ll platoon with Ramon Santiago and Ryan Raburn. 

Inge went to the disabled list just before the season started with a strained groin and has missed every game so far this year.

Unless he comes up with a herculean performance at the plate when he returns and sustains success, Inge will likely spend most of this season on the bench, and will be out of Detroit by season’s end. 

Magglio Ordonez was a star in Detroit for years, and was the hero in the 2006 A.L.C.S. 

But recently, age and injuries have caught up with Ordonez and he’s found himself out of baseball. 

Ordonez suffered a fractured ankle during last year’s A.L.C.S., his second ankle fracture in two years. He said he is ready to play this season, but is only interested in a Major League contract. 

Ordonez turned 38 years old in January, and hit .255, with an OBP of .303 and slugged .331 (all career lows) in 357 at-bats for the Tigers last year. 

Ordonez made $10 million last season, and $15 million per year before then. He was more than a liability in right field with no legs, no arm and no desire to leave his feet, and with declining numbers offensively, paying him the money he wants, isn’t worth it.

Carlos Guillen had a similar story to Ordonez. Guillen has battled injuries his entire tenure in Detroit, and after hitting at least .318 in three straight seasons after joining the Tigers in 2004, his numbers and time in the lineup have steadily declined. 

Guillen hasn’t played more than 81 games in a season since 2008 and hasn’t hit above .273 or recorded more than 41 RBI’s since then. 

Guillen was making $12 million per year, and when you’re 36 years old, spending most of that time in the training room, and not in the batters box, you’re expendable. 

"We had pretty much told Magglio and Carlos during last month, that we would doubt they'd be back," Dombrowski told the Associated Press after last season's end. 

The Tigers are much better off without them, and Inge.