Detroit Tigers 2010: What Went Wrong and How It Could Have Been Avoided

Entering the 2010 season there were quite a few questions facing the Detroit Tigers. Could the Tigers win with rookies at second base and center field? Could Jose Valverde fill the closer role? Would Jeremy Bonderman finally come into his own and become the pitcher that we had been promised since 2004?

Some of the offseason moves were also heavily scrutinized. The Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson trades brought Austin Jackson, Max Scherzer, Phil Coke and Daniel Schlereth to Detroit, but fortunately all four players would make contributions to the organization during the season. The Tigers also re-signed shortstop Adam Everett and released second-baseman Placido Polanco.

No one can predict injuries, and the Tigers were absolutely devastated by injuries this season, but the way the organization reacted to to situation was questionable at best. At times this season the Tigers looked like the Toledo Mud Hens with a few major leaguers sprinkles in for good measure.

Somewhere along the line a move should have been made from outside the organization. Boston and Philadelphia had similar problems this season, but the Phillies got through it by virtue of a minor league system that wasn't nearly as depleted as the Tigers'.

Carlos Guillen made his first trip to the disabled list in the second half of April, clearing the way for Brennan Boesch to have a great first half. But when Magglio Ordonez was lost for the season with a fractured ankle, the Tigers responded by signing Jhonny Peralta at the trade deadline in a move that was reminiscent of the Jarrod Washburn disaster in 2009. While Peralta has produced at times it wasn't the move that Tigers fans were looking for to make a serious run at the pennant.

The defense up the middle was a question mark from day one. With Gerald Laird behind the plate, rookie Scott Sizemore at second, sure-handed but light-hitting Everett at short, and unproven rookie Austin Jackson in center, the fans had reason to worry. And by June Sizemore was back in AAA and Everett was released, making the failure to re-sign Polanco look that much worse, as Polanco was thriving in Philadelphia.

Jose Valverde has lights-out in the first half of the season but developed a sore arm, making the release of Fernando Rodney look like a good move, while Phil Coke, who was a quiet part of the Granderson trade, has been brilliant at times, stepping into the closer role now that Valverde is out.

The release of Nate Robertson came to no surprise to anyone, but the fact that the Tigers were on the hook for 9.6 million of his 10 million dollar salary while with Florida (and one horrible outing with Philadelphia) is absurd. A career 57-77 pitcher getting the contract that he got in 2007 was insane to begin with.

The Dontrelle Willis project also came to a close on May 30th when Willis was released after posting 43 innings of a 4.98 ERA. Joel Zumaya was re-signed in January, and after showing signs of his old self, he once again landed on the disabled list in June, lost for the season once again.

I have always been a fan of both Dave Dombrowski and Jim Leyland, but Dombrowski's moves this season have demonstrated a lack of interest. It's quite possible that Dombrowski's hands were tied from ownership because of the spending spree following the 2006 trip to the World Series, but with Robertson's money off the books now, and the probable exit of Bonderman, hopefully that money will be used to secure a shortstop.

While Leyland is old school, and a pleasure to watch, he is a slave to the pitch count and that has been a problem for years. It's understandable that he can only work with the personnel that he is given, but to see games decided by pitch counts is infuriating to Tigers fans.

No one imagined the impact that the Austin Jackson deal would make, with Coke being icing on the cake. Valverde, Boesch and Johnny Damon did their part, Ordonez was playing solid ball before the fractured ankle, and Will Rhymes has been a great surprise.

But injuries played a big role in the lack of success of the Tigers this season, and Bonderman looks totally disinterested in playing in Detroit, having said as much earlier this year when he contemplated retiring after this season. The Tigers lead the majors with over 2000 at bats by rookies this season, with the next closest team being the New York Mets with over 500 less.

All of this help from AAA wasn't supposed to happen this season, but it did.

The Tigers front office will have to make some moves this upcoming off season, with starting pitching and shortstop being high priority. Injuries are unavoidable but the difference between good teams and great teams is the way that the organization reacts to injuries, and the Tigers passive reaction to these situations this season shows in the won-lost column.