Bold 2nd-Half Predictions for the Detroit Tigers

Regarding the ultimate fate of the Detroit Tigers in 2015, your guess is as good as mine.

It has been a topsy-turvy season for the 42-41 Tigers, who now face an uphill battle to qualify for the postseason. It’s easy to envision them going on a run at some point and surging into October, but this remains to be seen.

It would be very un-Tigers-like for them not to partake in a swap or three before the trade deadline. Identifying their needs isn’t difficult. Check out these stats:

Detroit Pitching	ERA	AL Rank
Starters	4.38	12th
Bullpen	3.91	11th

Anticipating activity in this area is not bold at all. In fact, the search has already begun. According to Jon Morosi of Fox Sports, Detroit scouted Cincinnati starter Johnny Cueto last month. More recently, Morosi also reported the Tigers raking their eyes over Marlins starters, per Brian Manzullo of the Detroit Free Press.

A good or premium arm acquisition for the rotation seems inevitable. The bullpen will also be tinkered with, but there are alternatives to trades.

Despite not quite clicking as a team consistently, there have been some fine individual achievers for Detroit. David Price, among others, will be in contention for personal awards at season’s end.

Without further ado, here are a couple of bold predictions for the Tigers with half a season left to play.

David Price Will Win the American League Cy Young Award

Kathy Willens/Associated Press/Associated Press

Price won the 2012 AL Cy Young with Tampa Bay.

The race for AL Cy Young Award honors will have many contenders again this year. The likes of Chris Sale (7-4, 3.7 WAR), Chris Archer (9-5, 3.4 WAR) and Dallas Keuchel (11-3, 3.2 WAR) are probably the front-runners at this stage, but the Detroit ace is right on their tails.

Price has been excellent in his first full season in a Tigers uniform.

	Stat	AL Rank
Innings	117	3rd
ERA	2.54	5th
K's	107	6th
Wins	8	10th

In order to be Cy Young material, Price must bump himself up a bit in these rankings. Here are five reasons why he can do it.

1. It’s his contract year. He will receive one of the most lucrative deals in the game’s history if he pulls off a blockbuster second half.

2. He’s got plenty of gas left in the tank. Price’s performance tapered off down the stretch last year. He had already logged 147.2 innings over 20 starts before the 2014 All-Star Game. This year, he’s sitting at 17 starts and only 117 innings pitched with one outing left before the Midsummer Classic.

3. Playoff push. Detroit will be embroiled in a sprint to the finish for a playoff spot with Price as its horse in the rotation. This should produce the best out of the 6’6” lefty.

4. He’s improving with every start. Price's last seven outings: 4-1, 1.79 ERA, 1.01 WHIP.

5. He would have the AL’s best ERA if you rubbed out the snow game. On April 22 versus the Yankees, Price had minimal feeling in his pitching hand when on the mound in a mini-blizzard at Comerica Park. Minus this outing, he would own a 1.96 ERA.

Justin Verlander Will Shift over to the Bullpen

Leon Halip/Getty Images

DETROIT, MI - JUNE 30: Justin Verlander #35 of the Detroit Tigers warms up prior to the start of the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 30, 2015 at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)

Really? A $180 million pitcher out of the bullpen? It could happen.

Let’s face it: Verlander's return to the hill as a starter this summer has not been pretty. Through four starts, he is 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA, 12 strikeouts and 10 walks. He simply hasn’t shown the ability to be a consistent starting pitcher again at the game's highest level. Not at the moment, anyway.

A trip to the pen may completely turn Verlander’s fortunes around.

The 32-year-old could be used in this capacity in a variety of different ways: defuse an existing threat with runners on; ice an entire inning (e.g., seventh or eighth); or even deliver multiple frames of work.

This is not the first time this switch has been mooted. Diane Firstman of ESPN.com argued its virtues in great detail last year.

Without the burden of starting, Verlander would be fresher, as he wouldn’t need to throw as many pitches overall. He may even rediscover the velocity he had a few seasons ago. It has been only four years since his pitches hit 100 mph on a regular basis. No opposing team would wish to face a bullish Verlander late in a game.

The Tigers bullpen definitely could use him, too. Sending Tom Gorzelanny and Joba Chamberlain packing last week shows that Detroit is still searching for answers. Isn’t it time the Tigers thought outside of the box?

All stats in this article are courtesy of FanGraphs and MLB.com.

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