I noticed dopers are looking for the Tigers to fade this year. I look at their starting pitching, middle relief and batting lineup and can not see how they can be dismissed so easily. If it is because the division is tough ,I can understand. But I do not see any real weaknesses. Maybe defense is not the best but it certainly is not bad.
Defending the crown is tough but I think they have a good chance to do it.
Please explain why I am not just a homer.
Losing Kenny Rogers for at least half the season is going to hurt a lot. Yes, the rest of the staff is good, but Rogers was the professor of this class. I think Shefield is going to hurt more than he helps. A lot of team success is chemistry, and I don’t see Shefield as being a team player. In 2006, they got a lot of breaks and managed to catch a lot of teams when they weren’t on their game. How many huge hits did Monroe get late in the game? Take away some of those and that team might miss the playoffs.
I can accept that the division is tough. To win it will require luck and injury freedom. The Tigers are a team that can absorb Rogers injury. The pitching is deep and more are in the minors fighting to get in.
I’d like to know why I’ve heard about 20 guys pickgin the Brewers to win the NL central this year!!!
Because Ben Sheets is going to carry your whole team?
Not all predict the Yankees.
Even though my beloved White Sox are getting shelled right now as I type, I think they might eventually pull it out of the Central. This is the toughest division in baseball right now (even the crap-ass Royals can manage to hurt teams). I’m not hating on the Tigers, and they have almost an equal chance of taking the division as do the White Sox (and the Indians – I would go Sox, Tribe, and then Tigers.)
Rogers is hurt and won’t be back until July. The dude is old, too, so that means more rehab and more pride to get out early and compete. Sheffield is old and I think he hurts chemistry. I think Curtis Granderson is overrated and had a career year last year, but he’ll probably be good again this year, though not as effective – think Sammy Sosa. The outfield is weak and, Craig Monroe and Brandon Inge are going to be exploitable in the line up. I also think the pitching won’t be there as the rest of the American League gets used to Verlander and Bonderman (and, one of those two showed a lot of weakness late, I think it was Verlander, hmmm…maybe both). Except for Kenny, none of those guys go deep into counts or deep into the innings. I do like Zumaya, but he doesn’t have the arm strength to go deep into games, or across multiple games.