You can lay your uncertainty to rest.
***
In a busy off-season that has lead to the acquisition of veteran power hitter Gary Sheffield (Traded from the N.Y. Yankees) and the re-signing of four of Detroit's top hitters and fielders (Monroe, Infante, Inge, Casey) the Tigers may have just written the "to be concluded" chapter to their feel good story - ending in a return trip to the World Series.
The Tigers entire starting pitching rotation will be back for another season. A talented, youthful lineup that includes Justin Verlander (2006 American League rookie of the year) and the timeless veteran "King Tiger" Kenny Rogers (3.84 Earned Run Average in 2006) re-creates one of the most feared rotations in the Majors - with or without starting pitcher Nate Robertson's amusing "rally chew."
The Tigers feverish pitching finished 1st in the League in ERA (3.84) and shutouts (16) in 2006.
The Tigers bullpen, however, will have to adjust.
The Loss of Jamie Walker (2.81 ERA in '06) will hurt, as good left handed pitchers are hard to come by, but the Tigers are bringing in a couple of young lefties that should complement the remaining staff. With Fernando Rodney (3.52 ERA in '06), Todd Jones (37 Saves in '06), and Joel Zumaya (1.94 ERA in '06, not to mention his 103 mph fastball!) coming back after noteworthy seasons, the Tigers can smooth out their adjustments in spring training - maturing the bullpen for the regular season.
The Tigers batting was very streaky throughout the year. Detroit opened the season outscoring their opponents 39-12 in the first five games. They would continue their scoring dominance, finishing eighth in the league in runs scored (822).
The Tigers projected '07 starting lineup had a combined batting average of .283 in '06. That's an impressive stat on its own, but the team average was a few steps down at .273, 8th overall in the American League. If the Tigers are going to make some strides this off-season it will have to come with an improvement in hitting.
The Tigers were 2nd in the AL in strikeouts and 8th in on-base-percentage - two statistics that help explain why the Tigers were shutout 8 times during the season. Though the Tigers lost only 67 games, 20 of those losses were decided by just one run. Detroit scored a dismal average of 3.1 runs per loss.
With the addition of Sheffield, and some quality batters sitting in the dugout (Clevlen, Shelton, Infante, Thames, Wilson), the Tigers should be primed to improve upon last year's statistics and bring down the number of close losses.
The Tigers fielding is adequate, leading the American League in stolen bases (only 49 bases stolen in 06') and also picking off attempted stolen bases (9 pick offs in 06').
Good defense aside, the Tigers were far from excellent.
Detroit's fielding woes can be rooted to their numerous errors. They finished 4th in the American League in errors (106) a disappointing 40 more than the Boston Red Sox (66).
In the World Series alone the Tigers made 8 errors, setting a new Series record for errors committed by pitchers (5).
With a trip to the World Series in the books, and the stern antics of Team Manager Jim Leyland keeping the players on their toes, a solid spring training should be enough to mold the tigers fielding into one of the better units in the Majors.
The Tigers can satisfy the desires of their fans by making it back to the World Series, but more importantly, winning the American League Central to get there. The Tigers lost the last 5 games of the 2006 season to finish one game shy of winning the division. The last time the Tigers won the ALC was in 1987.
The Tigers will face slightly weaker opponents in the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins this season. Both teams are looking to fill big holes in the pitching staff, and lack the team chemistry that the tigers continue to display. The real competition will come out of the American League East.
The Yankees had but only a few changes to make, with none to the batting order. Last season they lead the league in wins (97) and runs scored (930). The Yankees have parted ways with "The Big Unit" Randy Johnson, in exchange for a plethora of young talent. What the Yankees lack in pitching, they will make up for in scoring. This should fare well for the Tigers however, as Detroit's pitching rotation should be able to calm the power hitting of the Yankees. If Detroit can improve their hitting, they will have the advantage over the youthful pitching of the Yankees.
The Red Sox are still searching for answers. The addition of Daisuke Matsuzaka will guarantee at least 15 wins, but that makes for only 3 potential pitchers on the roster who will reach double digits in the win column. The projected 2007 batting order had a 2006 batting average of .269. Combined with its questionable pitching staff, the Red Sox will have to get to work this year to even think about contending with the likes of the Tigers and Yanks.
As far as the American League West is concerned, the Wild Card won't be coming out of it, and no team poses too dangerous of a threat to the Tigers. The Angels need help fielding. The Rangers need better pitchers. And the Athletics stand out as the only returning contender for the playoffs. They have a very complete team. A little more run support and they could make a splash in 2007.
The Tigers have the best chance of any team to take home the American League Championship once again - returning to a second consecutive World Series. A more mature, talented Tigers team will show that last year was no fluke. This franchise is on its way to restoring itself to glory, and will prove its worth by heading back to the World Series in 2007.
Who they will play? Now that's another story...
(1) Detroit Pistons
(4) Chicago Bulls
(19-11) Detroit Tigers
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