2008 Detroit Tigers Outlook
2007: (88-74), 2nd place
Manager: Jim Leyland (3rd season)
Key Additions -
3B Miguel Cabrera
SS Edgar Renteria
P Dontrelle Willis
OF Jacque Jones
Key Losses -
P Andrew Miller
P Mike Maroth
Projected Lineup -
C - Pudge Rodriguez
1B - Carlos Guillen
2B - Placido Polanco
SS - Edgar Renteria
3B - Miguel Cabrera
RF - Magglio Ordonez
CF - Curtis Granderson
LF - Jacque Jones
DH - Gary Sheffield
Projected Rotation -
1 - Justin Verlander (R)
2 - Jeremy Bonderman (R)
3 - Kenny Rogers (L)
4 - Nate Robertson (L)
5 - Dontrelle Willis (L)
CL: Todd Jones (R)
SU: Fernando Rodney (R), Joel Zumuya (R)
2008 Outlook:
The Detroit Tigers made their presence known at the 2008 Winter Meetings by making one of the biggest offseason moves of the year. They sent six players to Florida, including top-tier prospects Andrew Miller and Cameron Maybin, for superstars Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis. The move makes Detroit an immediate contender in the ever-so-strong American League, and also makes them favorites to dethrone Cleveland for the AL Central crown.
Scoring runs should not be a problem for the 2009 Tigers. In addition to landing Cabrera, the Tigers also acquired Edgar Renteria from the Braves. This move allows Carlos Guillen to man first base and allows Detroit to get more sticks in the lineup. Cabrera is one of the best pure hitters in the game. Last season for Florida, he poked 34 home runs, drove in 119 runs, and hit .320. He also has a career average of .313 and a .929 OPS.
Curtis Granderson and Placido Polanco will set the table for the middle of the order. Granderson posted a career year in 2008, by hitting 30+ doubles, 20+ triples, and 20+ homers. He also posted a ridiculous .913 OPS from the leadoff spot. Polanco is your ideal number 2 hitter. He struck out only 30 times in 587 at-bats, and hit .341 last season.
The meat of the Tigers order is scarry with veteran Gary Sheffield hitting in front of Magglio Ordonez and Cabrera. Sheffield is coming off an injury-plagued season, but always has the ability to hit 30+ homers and drive in 100+ runs. Ordonez is coming off a career year where he posted a line of .363/117 R/28 HR/139 RBI/4 SB/1.029 OPS. Throw in Carlos Guillen and his 20+ homer, 100+ RBI season plus Edgar Renteria and his consistency and the Detroit Tigers boast one of the best, if not the best, lineups in the game.
Pitching might be the Tigers’ main question mark as they embark on the 2008 campaign. Justin Verlander, possessing a 100 mph fastball and a nasty yellow hammer, is a bonafide ace who logged over 200 innings and won 18 games a
season ago. He posted a career best in WHIP and strikeouts as well.
Jeremy Bonderman looks to bounce back from a rocky ‘07 campaign that saw him make some trips to the disabled list and sport an ERA of 5.01. Bonderman has better stuff that his statistics, and could be a great candidate to bounce back to the 2006 form, where he struck out 200+ batters and won 14 games.
The Tigers hope Dontrelle Willis can also bounce back from a disappointing 2007 season that saw his WHIP balloon to 1.60 and have a losing record of 10 wins against 15 losses. Playing on a contender should motivate the flamboyant lefty, so expect him to have a solid ‘08 season in spacious Comerica Park.
Lefties Nate Robertson and veteran Kenny Rogers round out the rotation. Rogers is coming off an injury-riddled 2007 season that saw him only throw 61 innings. The bullpen took some blows with the injuries to flamethrowers Fernando Rodney and Joel Zumaya, so a collection of average arms (Jason Grilli, Bobby Seay, and Zach Minor) will try to get the ball to ageless closer Todd Jones, who despite high WHIP totals every year, seems to nail down the big saves closing out 38 games a year ago.
Even though the bullpen might be a weakness until all relievers are fully healthy, the Tigers are primed for a run at the World Series. Top to bottom, they have the most potent lineup in the game, and have solid starters all across the board. Detroit made a splash in the offseason by doing some fishing in south Florida, and their fans hope this equates into a 2008 World Series Banner.
Fantasy Impact:
The Tigers will have many hot commodities in this year’s fantasy baseball draft. Cabrera should be drafted in the first round of all formats. The big slugger is coming off a .320/91 R/34 HR/119 RBI/.965 OPS season, and, as one can
see, is one of the best hitters in the game. Granderson and Polanco are both solid fantasy plays as well. Granderson is truly a 5-tool player, and will be solid in every category as evident by his .302/122/23/74/26/.913 line. Polanco hit .341 a year ago, while scoring 105 runs, so he could be a solid play if your team has enough power to make up for his weak HR and RBI totals.
Sheffield is coming off a 20/20 season. He should be taken in the early-to-middle rounds. Ordonez was great last season, but it might be unrealistic to expect the same production again from Maggs; however, he is still likely to score 100 runs,
hit 25+ homers, drive in 110+ and hit around .312, and should be a round 3-5 pick.
Guillen is a pure hitter, but the move to first makes him less valuable to fantasy owners (unless he is still eligible as a SS), but playing in this lineup should allow him to score around 100 runs, hit 20+ homers, and drive in around 100 runs. This is still good production even if he isn’t eligible at short.
Renteria is coming off a season where he hit .332, and will have ample RBI opportunities as well. He is a solid round 9-11 pick for the shortstop position. Catcher Pudge Rodriguez could be a late round addition at catcher, but his power numbers have been on the decline. Any fantasy owner who owns some Tigers will enjoy watching this team score some runs.
On the mound, Verlander is on the brink of top-tier fantasy starters. His strikeout numbers increased to 7.8 K/9, and he is a candidate to win 20 games. If Verlander gets to the 200 K plateau and gets his WHIP around 1.10, he could finally reach that elite fantasy status he has been on the cusp of. Bonderman is a good value pick in the later rounds. He did strikeout 200+ batters two years ago, and struggled through injuries last year. Keep an eye on Bonderman if he falls in your draft.
Willis and Rogers will probably be available late in the draft and, once again, could be good value picks based on the offensive support they should get. Closer Todd Jones should be drafted but will make all owners nervous. Jones saved 38 but posted a WHIP of 1.42, ERA of 4.26, and struckout only 33 batters. He will probably only help you in the saves category, but if get a great middle reliever with solid ratios (i.e., Carlos, Marmol, Jon Broxton, etc), it could help offset Jones’s deficiencies.
2008 projection: (92-70), 2nd place
Team MVP: Miguel Cabrera
Shotgun Spratling
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