Playing Pepper 2010: Detroit Tigers

The first game I ever went to was in old Tiger Stadium, back in the 1984 championship year for the Tigers.  I was visiting my aunt and uncle and only remember snippets, but it was a starting point on this long journey into baseball fandom.

A couple of people who have much stronger and better memories (though maybe not of last year) are John from Motor City Bengals and Shelly who writes over at Seamheads.  Both of them took the time to answer the now-familiar Playing Pepper Ten.

MCB: Overall, I'd say the offseason was a huge win for the Tigers. It started rough with the trade of Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson. The sky appeared to be falling and talk of a fire sale was rampant. I was actually quite happy with the talent Dave Dombrowski was able to get in return for those two. I know Granderson gets a lot of press, but he has shown over the past couple years a serious regression. I think the Tigers were smart to sell high on both players when they did. Then when you can add a top-level closer such as Jose Valverde along with Johnny Damon to bolster the offense, I think the 2010 edition of Tigers baseball has a good chance to be better than last year's team. Given what everyone was expecting, especially after the trade, I'd say the Tigers graded a B+.

SH: Woah, that was a weird off season. We as fans dont hear anything for weeks than BAM! Two fan favorites are gone. I will miss Polanco - a lot. I think the Tigers should have made him an offer, and a nice one at that. He has many good years left and he has proven time and time again to be the spark that ignites this team. As for Granderson, I was impartial to the trade that sent him to the evil Yankees. Granderson was good but very unpredictable - when he was hot he was on fire. When he wasn't - well, zzzzzzzzzz. No one can say anything negative about his love for Detroit and his charitable contributions to our suffering city, but I think he was at the peak of his career and the time to trade is in that peak. Jackson - he fell off so bad in the second half of the season that at times it was hard to watch; his pitching had become almost predictable. One couldn't help but think that may be a predictor for seasons to come - no hard feelings but I'm not crying over his departure. Johnny Damon - ugh, that saga went on WAY too long. I'm not opposed to the signing, but he needs to prove that he can perform and perform well for us before I make my way to the Tiger Den Shop and get me one of those $95 Damon Jerseys... Grade: B/B- 

C70: What is the key to success for 2010? 

MCB: The bottom third of the order will have to produce much more than they did a year ago if the Tigers are to compete in the Central this year. There are a bunch of question marks in the order. Can Brandon Inge produce for a full season after struggling so much in the second half last year? His health and his bat will be a major factor in how the team does in 2010. Detroit will need more offense from the catcher as well, expect Gerald Laird to see extra time off this year, which should help his bat. 

SH: The key to the 2010 season is definitely going to be health - this team (pitchers in particular) need to stay healthy. 

C70: What will be the team's strength? 

MCB: Starting Pitching will no doubt carry this club. Justin Verlander is poised to contend for a Cy Young, Rick Porcello has a full year of experience to build on, and Max Scherzer has the stuff to dominate. Add in a healthy Jeremy Bonderman and whomever wins the fifth spot (Armando Galarraga, Nate Robertson) and this staff can be one of the best in the AL.

SH: Pitching. With the acquisition of Scherzer and the recovery of Bonderman and Zumaya the pitching staff should be spot on this season. I'm also expecting a bounce back year for Galarraga too - I would like to think that he knows last season was dismal and he needs to step up and perform to keep his place on the mound. Willis is done - we should cut our losses and move on from that experiment. 

C70: What could be their Achilles' heel? 

MCB: Again, the biggest area of concern is going to come from the offense, specifically the development of rookies Scott Sizemore and Austin Jackson. If they struggle to hit ML pitching, or if Inge can't return to his first-half form of last year, there won't be many runs scored in Detroit. The Tigers are putting a lot of faith in those three guys, if they can't live up to the expectations, it could be a long year.

SH: In one word - rookies. There are two prominent rookies that are expected to make the opening day roster - Jackson in Center and Sizemore at 2nd. This new lineup leaves inexperience up the middle and that makes any baseball fan cringe just a bit 

C70: Who will be the team's MVP? 

MCB: Miguel Cabrera, no question about it. In an otherwise terrible lineup last year, Cabrera still put up MVP-type numbers, and he did it with few runners on base ahead of him, and no protection behind him. Having a healthy Carlos Guillen hitting fifth and adding Damon to the top of the order will only help Cabrera this year, and he's already the best right handed hitter in the AL.

SH: Hopefully, putting all of last seasons boozing and beating issues behind him now for good, Miguel Cabrera will have the standout season we all have been expecting him to have and that he is capable of having. 

C70: Will a rookie make a significant impact on the team in 2010, and if so, who? 

MCB: Actually two rookies figure to start for the Tigers this year. Austin Jackson is penciled in to the lead-off spot in centerfield and Scott Sizemore will play second, batting in the bottom half of the lineup. Jackson has all the tools, and hit better than .300 as a 21 year old in AAA last year. Sizemore has a decent amount of pop in his bat, and his glove work will be better than most expect. He was tearing up the AFL before breaking his ankle, but should be full strength in plenty of time for Opening Day. How these rookies fare will go along way toward determining the success of this year''s team.

SH: Jury is still out for me on this one. Praise abounds for the defensive skills of Jackson in Centerfield but rumor has it that his presence at the plate leaves something to be desired. Many great things have been said about Sizemore at second as well. I haven't seen enough of either of them to reach a solid conclusion on future performance but my hope is that if they are not ready for the big show the Tigers will leave them in Toledo to grow a bit. 

C70: Who will be the breakout player for the team? 

MCB: I expect a huge year from Magglio Ordonez in 2010. His struggles last year are well-chronicled, but he absolutely took off down the stretch. From August 1 on, he had an OPS of 1.017. His power even showed up a bit in the last few weeks of the year. He was dealing with a serious illness with his wife last season, and that played on his mind a great deal. She is apparently in the clear now, and Maggs seems to be in great shape. I wouldn't be surprised at all if he got back to his pre-2009 form and put up a .310 average with 20 or so homers and 100 RBI. I think we can expect a Todd Helton-like return from Maggs this year.

SH: After years and years of injuries and setbacks, I'm going to have to go with Joel Zumaya. If he can keep it together and keep off the DL he should have a year on par with his breakout season in 2006. Also, I can't write a synopsis blog without giving a shoutout to my boy Magglio. After a horrid first half last season, he has regained his form, looked fabulously fit at Tigerfest and will end the season with a .320 BA and 30 HR. 

C70: Which player will drop off the most from 2009? 

MCB: Honestly, I can't think of one guy I can expect to see a huge decline from. I suppose we can expect Damon to struggle to find the same success he had in New York last year, both because he's a year older, and the difference in ballparks, but either way, I still think he'll have a productive year. Apart from Cabrera, every single hitter in the order had a disappointing 2009 season from one standpoint or another. Granderson and Polanco both struggled to get on base, Ordonez was bad for much of the year, Inge and Guillen battled injuries, and Laird and Everett didn't produce much of anything all year. The fact of the matter is, this team was in first place from mid-May until the final day of the year, and did it with virtually no offense.

SH: It's hard to maintain the greatness that Justin Verlander demonstrated last year, but I'm going to have to go with Rick Porcello. He may not fall to the very bottom of the ravine, but he will definatley feel the effects of a sophomore slump. 

C70: Who is the most likely player to be dangled as trade bait? 

MCB: If Robertson fails to win the fifth starter''s job, the Tigers will look to trade him, but his $12 MM in salary will make it awfully tough. If the Tigers aren't in it at the deadline, Guillen could be dangled as well, but again, he is under contract for $13 MM next year. I wouldn't expect either player to be dealt just because their contracts will mean the Tigers would have to eat an awful lot of money. LH Bobby Seay is the more likely candidate for trade, as the Tigers have a surplus of LH relievers, all of whom are younger and cheaper than Seay.

SH: Oooh, that's tough seeing that no one really saw the Granderson/Jackson trade earlier this winter - anyone is really up for grabs. If had a gun to my head and was told to pick one, I would have to say Jeremy Bonderman. This will be a big return year for him and he may have a good enough record at the trade deadline to warrant the Tigers letting him go for possibly another power left handed bat. The Tigers talking heads also seem to have a love affair with Ryan Raburn but he may be on the block too come trade deadline. 

C70: What will be the team's final record and divisional standing? 

MCB: I think the Tigers are going to be in the thick of the race all year. The Twins look like the best team on paper, but they have lots of questions in the rotation. The White Sox have a great starting staff, but I wonder how they'll be able to score runs consistently. I'd expect the division winner to end up with about 90 wins, which is just three more than the Twins won the crown with last year. I'll pick the Twins again, with Detroit finishing second at 88-74.

SH: My heart and optimism say first in the division with a 96-66 record, but my realism is going to say 88-74 - second in the ALCS behind the Evil Empire (aka: Twins).

I appreciate John and Shelly taking a crack at these.  Detroit took a lot of gambles for a team that wasn't eliminated from the postseason until Game 163.  Time will show whether it was a risk worth taking.