5 Detroit Tigers Who Will Determine If Team Is a 2015 Contender
The Detroit Tigers will face their toughest challenge for American League Central supremacy in years this season. The departure of Max Scherzer to Washington, and the improved strength of their division, will make it a real dogfight for the Tigers.
Last year it was a three-horse race in the American League Central division. Now you can throw in the White Sox alongside the Indians, Royals and Detroit as genuine contenders. A few months ago Buster Olney of ESPN argued that this division is now the toughest in baseball.
Despite losing their pitching ace, the Tigers remain a strong team. The middle of their batting order looks as potent as any in the game. With Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, J.D. Martinez and Yoenis Cespedes batting third through sixth in the lineup, they will score plenty of runs. But this cohort will not be enough to secure a fifth straight Central title on their own.
So, who could be the difference-makers?
The first place to look should be the relief corps—arguably the major cause of Detroit’s playoff meltdowns in recent seasons. Bruce Rondon, Joakim Soria and Joe Nathan project to be the seven-to-nine inning men, at least initially. Rondon did not pitch at all last season, while the latter two were disappointing in a Detroit jersey. It’s time for them to step up.
Absorbing the loss of Scherzer won’t be easy for the Tigers. Even with David Price now in their ranks, the rotation looks weaker than a year ago. Question marks also remain about whether former Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander can reverse his downward trend of the last few years.
Defense is another concern. Detroit was below average last year, but Cespedes and the returning Jose Iglesias will greatly improve it. Nick Castellanos should also be better on the hot corner.
The center field platoon will also be something to keep an eye on. Anthony Gose joins Rajai Davis to cover Comerica field’s substantial real estate. Their offensive contributions will be a key as well. This pair may be better than expected and finally erase the bitter taste of losing Austin Jackson last July.
Now that I’ve set the tone, let’s take a closer look at five players who could take Detroit to the postseason in 2015.
Justin Verlander
1 of 5
Verlander once had a reputation for getting stronger—both during games and over a full season. That’s difficult to argue now as these numbers suggest:
Year | IP | ERA | K/BB | Fastball velocity |
2011 | 251 | 2.40 | 4.39 | 95.0 |
2012 | 238.1 | 2.64 | 3.98 | 94.7 |
2013 | 218.1 | 3.46 | 2.89 | 94.0 |
2014 | 206 | 4.54 | 2.45 | 93.1 |
Source: fangraphs
The veteran righty was also the man to be relied upon to deliver the goods in the postseason. Two blinding Game 5 performances against Oakland (17 IP, 0 ER) helped the Tigers clinch the AL Division Series two years in a row (2012-2013). The five shaky innings that he dealt in Baltimore last October just wasn’t the same player.
The Tigers need the old Verlander to return, and quickly.
Signs are good that the 32-year-old can bounce back in 2015. The reason—he won’t have to rely on just his upper half.
Last offseason’s core surgery affected Verlander’s ability to utilize any drive from the ground up. “I didn’t feel hurt in my core area. It just translated to soreness in my shoulder. I wasn’t using my legs. The power from my legs couldn’t really translate through my core,” he told ESPN’s Jayson Stark.
A clean offseason, 28 pounds of added muscle and a 30 percent increase in mobility should make a big difference for the 2011 AL Most Valuable Player.
Joakim Soria
2 of 5
Usually a projected setup man would not be considered so important to his team. However, Soria could have a huge influence on the Tiger’s 2015 season.
The 30-year-old had a wretched time in the regular season (4.91 ERA) and postseason (0-1, 45.00 ERA) after his acquisition from Texas last July.
He claims to have put that all behind him now: “a lot of things went wrong last season. But that's last year. It's over. You move on. What's most important is that I'm healthy and ready to do my job the best possible,” he said to Drew Sharp of Detroit Free Press.
Soria’s career ERA (2.58) and save total (178) demonstrate his proven quality, and last season he appeared to be at the peak of his powers with the Rangers. He saved 17 games in 19 opportunities and had an elite 10.5 K/BB ratio before being shipped to Motown.
We are seeing signs of that form returning this spring. The 6’3” right-hander has struck out three batters in four scoreless innings.
Soria should do an excellent job as setup man and even as closer if given the opportunity.
Detroit’s incumbent stopper, Nathan, may be past his use-by date after yielding a 4.81 ERA and seven blown saves last campaign. A couple of failures in April could compel Detroit to cut its hefty losses ($10 million) and release the 40-year-old veteran.
If that’s the case, it has a pretty darn good replacement to succeed him.
Ian Kinsler
3 of 5
Ian Kinsler had a fine first season with Detroit: .275, 17 HR, 92 RBI. In addition to his hitting, he also showed his prowess with the glove by grasping the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year award for second basemen.
Pretty good work in anyone’s book. But closer examination shows a season of two halves, especially offensively. He was brilliant before the All-Star break (.303/.337/.470), but insipid after it (.239/.270/.357). This also carried into the postseason where he mustered only one single in 12 at-bats.
The Tigers seemed to roll when Kinsler was hot last year. Detroit notched a 53-38 record during his blockbuster first half. This had the club on pace for a 94-win season and a stranglehold on the division. After the break it was 37-37, including a neck-and-neck race with the Royals for the division and a quick exit from the playoffs.
Struggling in the second half is not a new phenomenon for the Tigers infielder. James Krueger of Statliners recently noted that Kinsler had drop-offs during the two preceding seasons as well. This led Krueger to argue that the 33-year-old may be permanently on the downward slide.
The Tigers will hope this is false and that he can be a consistent performer throughout the upcoming season. A strong Kinsler equals a strong Detroit.
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Anthony Gose
4 of 5
Every MLB team would love to insert a speedy center fielder at the top of its lineup. Somebody who can slap line drives, draw walks, steal bases and flag down everything in the outfield. This year Detroit will give Anthony Gose every chance to be that player.
The question begs: Is he good enough?
We will soon find out. If spring training is anything to go by, then Gose could have a breakout year. His numbers are outstanding through 11 games: .419 (13-31), 3 2B, 3 3B, 4 BB and 4 SB.
The speed and defense has always been there; it’s the hitting that’s been the concern. So far, the practice with Tigers hitting coach Wally Joyner seems to be working: "I think feeling comfortable with what I'm doing is definitely playing a huge role. Getting comfortable and finally settling into something and now trying to repeat it day in and day out," said Gose per Jason Beck of mlb.com.
Joyner saw Gose’s potential long before he landed in the Motor City, telling Beck, "I told [general manager] David [Dombrowski] last year, I think the guy has talent. It's a matter of finding what it's going to take to allow him to show it. So far, so good."
If Gose can carry this momentum into the regular season, he’ll be the ideal table-setter for the big guys behind him.
Nick Castellanos
5 of 5
Speaking of breakout seasons, the Tigers third baseman may also be climbing the ladder to MLB stardom.
Detroit has always liked his bat. His inside-out swing should enable him to hit for a high average and his 11 homers during his rookie year shows he’s got some pop too.
ESPN's Keith Law, per Brian Manzullo of Detroit Free Press, also noticed that Castellanos had matured as a hitter toward the end of last season:
"He showed early in the year he could hit a fastball, received a steadier diet of off-speed stuff, and by August and September cut his swing-and-miss rates on both sliders and change-ups by significant margins. His swing has always been mechanically sound, but with these improvements in his pitch recognition, similar to what he had to go through in Double-A (another long adjustment period for him), I think he'll hit close to .300 with more walks and another 5-10 homers.
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All bodes well for the lumber in the future. But what about the leather?
Castellanos had a struggles on the hot corner in 2014 as his metrics (-30 defensive runs saved and -18.4 ultimate zone rating) show. However, you cannot be too harsh on him. At Triple-A Toledo in 2013 he played the entire year in the outfield, and at 23 he has plenty of time to improve his defensive play.
Speaking to Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press, Castellanos noted his hard work this offseason, including footwork drills with defensive coordinator Matt Martin.
With increased focus, a year’s experience and now sharing the left side of the infield with Jose Iglesias, Castellanos will be far better all-round player in his sophomore season.
Unless otherwise stated, all stats in this article are courtesy of mlb.com
Find me on Twitter: @jdunc1979
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