Detroit Tigers: The Big Questions

Here we are. It’s June 1st and the Detroit Tigers have a four game lead in the American League Central. Who saw this coming? I’ll be honest, I thought the Tigers were a .500 team at best. That still may happen given that the season isn’t even half way done yet, but we have to be impressed with what we’ve seen the first two months of the season.

This is generally the time of year where you can start sizing up who is for real and who isn’t. The New York Yankees got off to a slow start, but look who’s in first place today. Just because a team struggles out of the gate doesn’t mean they’ll play the whole season that way.

On the opposite end of that spectrum we see the Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays of the baseball world. These guys started out hot and have since cooled off a great deal.

The Tigers on the other hand have been pretty even keeled throughout the season. However, the White Sox have gotten hot the past couple of weeks and one can never count out the Twins. Where exactly do the Tigers stand? Do they stand pat with the club they have now or do they sell of pieces? 

Here are some of the big questions I have for the remainder of the season:

• What do the Tigers do with Magglo Ordonez? If he gets enough at-bats with the Tigers this year, his contract ($18M) becomes guaranteed in 2010. Is that really what’s best for the Tigers?
• Who sticks in the starting rotation? Jeremy Bonderman has yet to pitch while Dontrelle Willis and Armando Galarraga are huge question marks. 
• What do the Tigers do when/if Carlos Guillen comes back?  That means less playing time for the young guys who may just give the Tigers a better chance to win than Guillen at this point in his career.
• Where does Marcus Thames fit in? With the Tigers new emphasis on speed and defense, it’s hard to picture my favorite Tiger getting many at-bats.
• Is the bullpen going to pitch this well all season? Fernando Rodney is perfect in save situation, he can’t possibly keep that going, can he? Does it make sense to trade off a prospect for a reliever near the trade deadline?
• Does Jim Leyland deserve a contract extension? When does Dave Dombrowski make a decision on Leyland’s future?
• If the White Sox make a trade for a pitcher like Jake Peavy or Roy Oswalt, should the Tigers make a move in response?
• How many innings should the Tigers allow Rick Porcello to pitch this season? He has been one of the best pitchers in the AL this season, but the Tigers don’t want to wear out his arm in 2009 and sacrifice his performance for future seasons.
• Is Jim Leyland ever going to stick with a batting order?  What’s the ideal order?

Please feel free to chime in with ideas or answers to these big questions.