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2015 AL Central Preview: Detroit Tigers

By Brett Pnazek |
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Sep 28, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers players celebrate after winning the Central Division Championship by defeating the Minnesota Twins 3-0 at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

This is the final of five AL Central Previews by Southside Showdown. Here is the preview on the reigning AL Central champions for the past four seasons, the Detroit Tigers.

Last Season: 90-72

Notable additions: OF Anthony Gose, SP Shane Greene, SP Alfredo Simon, OF Yoenis Cespedes, and RP Tom Gorzellany

Notable losses: SP Max Scherzer and SP Rick Porcello

The Detroit Tigers are the four-time defending AL Central champions and they are in prime position to make it five in a row.

However, the window on this team may be closing. Their superstars are aging and health is becoming an issue. The cost of winning has come at the expense of their farm system that has been depleted due to trades that have strengthened the big league club, but have also purged the overall depth of the farm system.

Here is a closer look at the Tigers before the start of the 2015 season.

Next: Projected Batting Order/Starting Rotation

Projected Batting Order

  1. Ian Kinsler
  2. Anthony Gose
  3. Miguel Cabrera
  4. Victor Martinez
  5. D. Martinez
  6. Yoenis Cespedes
  7. Nick Castellanos
  8. Alex Avila
  9. Jose Iglesias

Projected Starting Rotation

  1. David Price
  2. Justin Verlander
  3. Anibal Sanchez
  4. Alfredo Simon
  5. Shane Greene

Next: Manager/Position Players

Manager

Brad Ausmus – This is Ausmus’s second year at the helm of the Tigers the first team that he has ever managed. In his first year the team went 90-72, winning the division, and lost to the Baltimore Orioles 3-0 in the divisional round of the playoffs.

Catcher

Alex Avila – The incumbent starter. Has battled injuries behind the plate and has seen his batting average drop three consecutive seasons. Avila threw out 34-percent of attempted base stealers last year.

James McCann – Rookie who made his debut last year and only has 12 at-bats under his belt. Hit .295 at Triple-A and threw out 42-percent of attempted base stealers.

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First Base

Miguel Cabrera – One of the best hitters that the game has ever seen. Played through injuries last year and still managed to .313 and swat 25 home runs. Only downside to his stats last year was an increase in strikeouts from 94 to 117.

Soon to be 32 years old and has played in over 1,800 games which leads to questions whether health will start to become more of an issue.

Second Base

Ian Kinsler – The four-time All-Star had a good first year in Detroit after coming over in the Prince Fielder trade from Texas. He batted .275 and career high in hits as well as RBIs. He’ll be turning 33 in June and one has to wonder how long before a decline begins.

Shortstop

Jose Iglesias – Known as a defensive stalwart at shortstop Iglesias missed all of last year with a shin injury. He’ll look to remain healthy this year and provide stellar defense up the middle of the infield.

Third Base

Nick Castellanos – A former top prospect who had a solid rookie year last year batting .259 with 11 home runs and 66 RBIs. He’ll look to improve upon those numbers as well as the poor defensive numbers that he put up.

Left Field

Yoenis Cespedes – Cespedes is on his third team within a year after starting last year in Oakland and then being traded to Boston. There is no doubting his power or the strength of his arm, but he’s more often a boom or bust guy. With free agency pending he’ll look to cash in with a big year.

Center Field

Anthony Gose – Gose came over via a trade with Toronto in the off season. He’ll take over the center field duties from Rajai Davis who will be assuming a backup role. Gose will provide speed but in his limited playing time has not hit for much of an average.

Right Field

J.D. Martinez – Martinez was a top prospect with the Astros who could never put everything together. After being released by the Astros he was signed by the Tigers and lit the world on fire posting a .315/.358/.553 slash line.

Martinez has attributed his year to learning from the likes of Cabrera and Martinez. He should put up good numbers as he’ll still be hitting behind those two providing plenty of RBI opportunities.

Bench

Rajai Davis – Davis played in a 134 games last year and started 118 of them. He’ll be taking a secondary role this year as he lost his starting role to Gose. He’ll be making appearances as pinch runner late in games when the Tigers need runs.

Andrew Romine – Romine is the backup infielder. He played in 94 games last year but hit a paltry .227 for the season. He’ll be the guy who fills in when Kinsler and Iglesias need a day off.

Next: Pitching Staff

Mar 27, 2015; Dunedin, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander (35) throws a pitch in the first inning of the spring training game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Florida Auto Exchange Park. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

Starting Rotation

David Price – Price came over in a blockbuster trade at the trade deadline. He put up even better numbers after reaching Detroit posting a 2.44 era in 11 starts. Price like Cespedes is a pending free agent. His next contract should be somewhat similar to the deal Max Scherzer received with the exception of the deferred money. He’ll be the anchor of the rotation and look to garner his second Cy Young award.

Justin Verlander – Verlander once was a great pitcher albeit for a short time but in that time he won the Cy Young and the MVP and posted his only two years of a sub 3.00 ERA. He is no longer that guy and while the occasionally flashes are there he is learning how to pitch with diminished stuff. He’s still a workhorse as he has posted eight years of 200-plus innings in a row. He’ll provide some veteran leadership to the staff.

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Anibal Sanchez – Sanchez is the opposite of Verlander. He is not a workhorse. He’s extremely talented but has never posted a 200 inning season. He’s never been healthy for a full season so the Tigers will need to have a contingency plan for whenever his inevitable injury occurs. However, if healthy he will be a solid No. 3 and can even perform like an ace in short spurts.

Alfredo Simon – Simon is the third Tiger of note that is entering his final year of his contract. He was acquired in the off season from the Reds and was a NL All-Star last year. After starting his career in the American League a switch to the National League served as a boon for Simon. He posted two sub 3.00 ERA seasons in relief and in his one season of starting posted 3.44 ERA last year. The one thing to note is that his two halves of last year were polar opposites, posting a 2.70 ERA in the first and a 4.52 in the second half of the season.

Shane Greene – Greene is another new addition to the Tigers pitching staff. As a rookie last year he started 14 games with 12 of them coming the second half where he went three and four with a 4.29 ERA. He’s still a relative unknown but could be a stabilizer at the back end of the rotation.

Next: Bullpen/Season Outlook

Apr 3, 2015; Lakeland, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Joe Nathan (36) throws a pitch during the seventh inning of a spring training baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Bullpen

Joe Nathan – Nathan is the closer for now. He’s not having a very good spring this year and there is a possibility that he may be removed from the closer role and cut from the team. He’s an all-time great, but it may be time for him to hang it up and ride off into the sunset.

Joakim Soria – The backup plan in case Nathan flames out early. He’s had plenty of closing experience with over 170 saves in his career. However he’s had an issue staying healthy over the past few years so the Tigers would need a contingency plan.

Bruce Rondon – That contingency plan could be in the form of Rondon. He’s a flame thrower who spent last year recovering from Tommy John surgery. He could be the future closer for the Tigers.

Season Outlook

I believe the Tigers are one of four teams that should compete for the AL Central crown.

However this is the year they fall short as they’ll finish second in the division. Health will be the major concern as their two best players are coming off of injuries.

The bullpen was a major weakness last year and very little was done externally to fix that. The pitching staff has only one dependable starter and the back end is unproven.

Predicted overall record: 85-77

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