For my first blog I'd like to focus on 4 simple things the Tigers need to fix in order to become a legitimate World Series contender in 2009. The fact is that they're only two years removed from being one of the best teams in baseball. Most of the necessary pieces are still in place, and if it weren't for some sloppy play and poor management decisions, I think 2008 could've been a playoff caliber season as well.
So here's what the Tigs need to fix (in no particular order)
1. Stop trying to be the Yankees!
This is one of the things that absolutely confused me about Dave Dombrowski. He has made some amazing moves for this team, but last year he decided to abandon most of Detroit's young talent in the farm system and tried to buy his way into another World Series. In 2006 Detroit depended on solid play from young players like Justin Verlander, Joel Zumaya, Curtis Granderson, and Zach Miner.
In 2008 the Tigers made some bold moves to attain Miguel Cabrera, Dontrelle Willis, and Edgar Renteria. It could be argued that none of those moves were for the better, although Cabrera did end up having a good season. The problem with these moves were that players like Jair Jurrjens, Andrew Miller, Cameron Maybin, and Gorkys Hernandez are exactly the type of young talent that the Tigers need to develop to become a powerhouse. It's been proven recently by teams like the Yankees that team salary doesn't always equal success.
Everyone knows that hindsight is 20/20, so I can't blame Dombrowski entirely. He didn't know how bad Renteria and Willis would play. At the same time though, he shouldn't have been so shortsighted in overlooking the tremendous talent he had in Jair Jurrjens, who became a rookie of the year candidate for the Atlanta Braves. After waiving Renteria, that trade has basically become Jurrjens for Willis, and unless Willis can manage to win 15 games in 2009, I think that's going to go down as one of the poorest trades in recent memory.
2. Todd Jones CANNOT be your closer in 2009
I like Todd Jones. I read his articles in The Detroit News and he's a smart, charismatic guy. The problem is that he just blows too many saves. If you take a look at the most successful teams in baseball, they almost always have a great closer to get them through all those close games, which the Tigers lost too many of the past few years. Now I will give Jim Leyland credit for trying Rodney and Zumaya in the closer spot, but with both of them being as injury prone as they are, they aren't a longterm solution either. I'll also throw Kerry Wood in the injury prone category, as rumor has it the Tigers are looking into him as well.
The organization did an excellent job of picking up two potential closers in the draft last year in Ryan Perry and Cody Satterwhite, who can both hit triple digits on a good day. They're not even close to ready for that kind of pressure though, so the real goal here is to find a temporary fix until after the all-star break. My suggestion is that you keep it in house and put someone like Nate Robertson or Dontrelle Willis in that closer spot. Robertson fits the mold of a younger Todd Jones, and let's be honest, he's just not getting it done as a starter.
I know there will be plenty of argument for Rodney and Zumaya to fight over the closer spot, and possibly even Freddy Dolci, but none of them showed me very much last year. All of them are having issues with control, which a closer absolutely cannot have. They all have tremendous speed, but that's it. At the major league level, a 100 mph fastball is very very hittable. Detroit needs to focus on an attribute other than a fastball when determining their closer for 2009, but my guess is that come opening day, Fernando Rodney is your closer, for better or worse.
3. Defense, Defense, Defense
The Tigers really played some horrible defense last year, and everyone's to blame, even perennial gold-glove contender Placido Polanco. Each and every player on the roster made too many errors last year, and that needs to be fixed. Dombrowski clearly built the team to be an offensive powerhouse, but good pitching will beat good hitting everyday, and that's when you need your defense to win you a game or two. The Tigers defense couldn't win a little league game. They bobbled routine ground balls, made horrible throws, and flat out made poor decisions.
With Edgar Renteria gone, there can be nothing but improvement at the shortstop position when it comes to defense. Renteria is out of his prime and he didn't have the range he once had. Ramon Santiago is a great defensive player with a decent bat, but the worry with him is that he won't hold up physically having to play 150 games. At the moment it sounds like the Tigers have their eyes on a few free agents to help him out though, including the Pirates Jack Wilson, who would be a solid pickup, but probably has too hefty a price tag. The other player in the mix is vetern Adam Everett, who is a solid defensive player who would likely fill in for Santiago on his off days. Michael Hollimon is another potential option, and he'll definitely get a chance to prove himself, although his lack of a bat might prevent him from getting a regular spot in the lineup. Again, this is mostly just a temporary fix until Cale Iorg or Danny Worth are ready to be brought up from the minors, something that probably won't happen until 2010.
Second base is set with Placido Polanco, and I'm confident he'll return to form in 2009. First base is going to be covered by Miguel Cabrera and Jeff Larish, who are both a bit shaky, although Cabrera made great strides during 2008, which was his first time playing the position, while Larish just needs more time to develop. Third base is going to be played by Brandon Inge, who is one of the better defensive infielders in the league. If his bat can become more consistent he can turn into a great player. Catcher is going to be a hit or miss position for the Tigers this year, as the only catchers on the roster currently are Dusty Ryan and Brandon Inge. Ryan should receive the majority of the starts, with Inge filling in on his off days. Mike Hessman or Ryan Raburn would be the best bets to fill in at third when Inge is catching.
In the outfield, the onliy bright spots are Curtis Granderson, who can pretty much do it all, and Brent Clevelen, who has one of the best cannon arms in the American League. The problem with Clevlen is that he can't hit, and he won't be a regular until he fixes that problem. Magglio Ordonez and newly appointed left fielder Carlos Guillen are there for their bats, and they will show it. I don't expect a ton of errors out of them, but they don't have the speed a team should have in their outfield. Guys like Clete Thomas and Marcus Thames should provide plenty of depth, however, if the team should choose to have Ordonez or Guillen DH.
Again, the pieces are there for a solid defensive team, but they'll have to sacrifice some of their hitting to get it done. I think it's going to be necessary in order to scrape out some of the closer games throughout the year though. Hitting alone just won't get it done.
4. More Quality Starts
Detroit doesn't have a great bullpen, in fact they have a terrible one. With Zumaya and Rodney not fully recovered, they are left with Macay McBride, Zach Miner, Clay Rapada, Freddy Dolci, Aquilino Lopez, and Bobby Seay. None of those names inspire much confidence, although Bobby Seay and Zach Miner have been relatively consistent performers. This means that Detroit needs their starters to get through AT LEAST 5 solid innings. There were way too many games when the Tigers turned to their bullpen as early as the 3rd inning. That bullpen is not capable of winning a game for 6 innings.
That brings me to the issue of the starting rotation. Who should be in the starting 5? Verlander and Bonderman are locks at one and two, but then who? Nate Robertson? After last year I think a move to the bullpen needs to be considered. Personally I'd have Armando Galaragga as my number three. Until he proves otherwise, he's the next best pitcher on the team. At four and five it's going to be a fight between Dontrelle Willis, Eddy Bonine, Zach Miner, and yes, Nate Robertson. Although before season's end, Rick Porcello will occupy one of those spots.
It's not a question of talent, the team has good pitching, and they've proved it before, they just need to do it again. They need to hit their spots, avoid giving up stupid walks, and stop trying to overthrow the ball. If they can focus on basics, and the defense plays solidly, there's no reason to think a Tigers starter can't make it to the 7th or 8th inning of their starts.
That's it for my first post, i'll try to post a few of these a week.
Keywords: Detroit Tigers, Major Leaue Baseball
