Tigers Preview

A good Tigers preview from Fox Sports:

The Tigers had the best record in baseball on July 21 — the night one outfield collision changed their season.
Gary Sheffield, who was playing right field that night against Kansas City, tumbled into second baseman Placido Polanco as he pursued a fly ball. Sheffield injured his right shoulder on the play and did not return to full strength for the rest of the year.
Detroit went 30-37 in its remaining games. Sheffield did not play in 25 of them and batted an uncharacteristic .172 when he was in the lineup.
With a healthy Sheffield, it's quite possible that the Tigers would have reached the postseason for the second consecutive season. Instead, both Sheffield and the roster needed off-season repairs. Sheffield underwent arthroscopic surgery soon after the season. After that, president/general manager Dave Dombrowski went to work on the rest of the team.
Dombrowski was one of the most active GMs in baseball over the offseason, as he acquired shortstop Edgar Renteria and outfielder Jacque Jones from the Braves and Cubs, respectively. Then he landed All-Stars Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis in an eight-player blockbuster with the Florida Marlins. "We made this trade to win now," Dombrowski said, when the Cabrera-Willis deal was announced at the winter meetings. "It's obvious. We built our club to win."
Detroit's everyday lineup now boasts seven All-Stars — not including centerfielder Curtis Granderson, who could have easily made the American League team last year. Rightfielder Magglio Ordonez posted MVP-caliber numbers and won the batting title.
The Tigers will score enough runs, but they need to pitch, too. Willis will help the rotation, but veteran starters Kenny Rogers, Jeremy Bonderman and Nate Robertson will need to improve upon their 2007 performances in order for Detroit to unseat Cleveland atop the AL Central. The staff went from having the best ERA in baseball (3.84) in 2006 to the 18th-best last year, at 4.57.
Pitching
Justin Verlander cemented his place as the franchise's present and future ace with an 18-win season and a no-hitter against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 12. A strict adherence to shoulder exercises enabled him to remain strong throughout the second half, in contrast to his rookie year. The other three returning starters — Rogers, Bonderman and Robertson — all spent time on the disabled list in 2007, so their collective health will be crucial this year. Bonderman had a 5.01 ERA, his highest since 2003. Willis has thrown 200 or more innings in each of the past three seasons but is coming off his worst year as a bigleaguer. The bullpen has question marks, with Joel Zumaya (shoulder surgery) out for at least half the season. Todd Jones is back as the closer.
Justin Verlander — RHP 2007 line: 18-6, 3.66 ERA, 32 GS, 201.2 IP, 181 H, 67 BB, 183 SO, .233 BAA, 8.08 H/9, 2.99 BB/9, 8.17 SO/9. Significant stats/injuries: Went 8-1 with a 3.32 ERA in 12 daytime starts. His 35 victories are the most by a Tigers pitcher in his first two seasons since Frank Lary's 35 in 1955-56. Scouting report: Electric stuff. Long three-quarters arm angle. Adds and subtracts from an overpowering fastball (93-98 mph) with explosive late life; pitches inside with his fastball. Varies the speed and break on his plus curveball. Shorter to lefthanded hitters, bigger to righties. Displays excellent arm speed with a hard changeup that runs and sinks from lefthanders. Athletic. Grade: 4.0.
Jeremy Bonderman — RHP 2007 line: 11-9, 5.01 ERA, 28 GS, 174.1 IP, 193 H, 48 BB, 145 SO, .278 BAA, 9.96 H/9, 2.48 BB/9, 7.49 SO/9. Significant stats/injuries: Was shut down Sept. 5 with pinched cartilage in his right elbow. Had an 11.57 ERA in the first inning (36 ER in 28 IP). Scouting report: Power pitcher. Slinging three-quarters arm action. Features a fastball (90-95 mph) with good life down in the strike zone. Pushes hitters off the plate with his fastball. Gets sharp late bite and tilt with a deluxe slider; induces righthanders to chase it off the plate and breaks it in on lefthanded hitters' back foot. Keeps lefties off balance with a changeup that fades away. Tends to lose command and confidence in his change. Extremely competitive. Grade: 3.5.
Kenny Rogers — LHP 2007 line: 3-4, 4.43 ERA, 11 GS, 63.0 IP, 65 H, 25 BB, 36 SO, .264 BAA, 9.29 H/9, 3.57 BB/9, 5.14 SO/9. Significant stats/injuries: Limited to 11 starts by elbow and shoulder (blood clot) injuries. Had a 3.34 ERA at home compared to 5.79 on the road. Scouting report: Veteran lefty. Knows how to pitch. Tails his fastball (85-88 mph) away from righthanded hitters; cuts it in on them and away from lefties. Throws a plus changeup that looks like a fastball out of his hand; doubles up on it. Changes speeds on a big-breaking curveball. Pitches effectively to both lefthanded and righthanded hitters. Athletic fifth infielder. Grade: 3.0.
Dontrelle Willis — LHP 2007 line: 10-15, 5.17 ERA, 35 GS, 205.1 IP, 241 H, 87 BB, 146 SO, .294 BAA, 10.56 H/9, 3.81 BB/9, 6.40 SO/9. Significant stats/injuries: Was the first Marlin with three consecutive seasons with at least 200 IP. Is Florida's all-time leader with 757 Ks. Scouting report: Funky high leg kick. All arms and legs delivery. Low three-quarters arm slot. Adds and subtracts with his fastball (86-94 mph); rides it; sinks it; cuts it occasionally. Supplements his fastball with a big, sweeping slurve that he struggled to command last season and a changeup that looks like a BP fastball with light sink. Lacks a pitch to consistently get out righthanders. Outstanding athlete. Grade: 3.0.
Nate Robertson — LHP 2007 line: 9-13, 4.76 ERA, 30 GS, 177.2 IP, 199 H, 63 BB, 119 SO, .283 BAA, 10.08 H/9, 3.19 BB/9, 6.03 SO/9. Significant stats/injuries: Had a 4.25 ERA at home and 5.38 on the road. Had a 3.69 ERA during day games and 5.60 at night. Scouting report: Flyball pitcher. Quick worker. Throws his fastball (87-91 mph) with good tailing life down in the strike zone, a tight, late-breaking slider he uses to both sides of the plate and a changeup that fades away from right-handed bats. Inclined to have bouts of wildness. Can be distracted by base runners. Slow to the plate. Grade: 2.5.
Relievers
Todd Jones — RHP 2007 line: 1-4, 4.26 ERA, 63 G, 61.1 IP, 38 SV, 64 H, 23 BB, 33 SO, .267 BAA. Significant stats/injuries: Ranks 20th all-time with 301 career saves. Had a 2.88 ERA with 16 saves in 18 chances after the All-Star break. Scouting report: Ground-ball pitcher. Pounds his fastball (89-92 mph) down in the strike zone. Moves it side to side; cuts it to create late movement. Mixes in a soft, looping curveball and an occasional early-in-the-count changeup. Gets hurt up in the strike zone. Fearless competitor. Grade: 3.7.
Joel Zumaya — RHP 2007 line: 2-3, 4.28 ERA, 0 GS, 33.2 IP, 23 H, 17 BB, 27 SO, .189 BAA, 6.15 H/9, 4.54 BB/9, 7.22 SO/9. Significant stats/injuries: Underwent AC joint reconstruction surgery Oct. 31 following an Oct. 27 accident while moving boxes at his home. Missed May 2-Aug. 20 because of an injured middle finger. Scouting report: Herky-jerky delivery. Three-quarters arm slot. Jumps at hitters with a four-seam fastball (95-99 mph) that explodes late. Complements his fastball with a tight-biting curveball that buckles hitters' knees. Shows a rare changeup. Will eventually close. Grade: 3.5.
Fernando Rodney — RHP 2007 line: 2-6, 4.26 ERA, 48 G, 50.2 IP, 1 SV, 46 H, 21 BB, 54 SO, .238 BAA. Significant stats/injuries: Missed June 24-Aug. 4 with shoulder and forearm tendinitis and had another DL stint because of biceps tendinitis. Scouting report: Setup reliever. High three-quarters arm angle. Has excellent arm speed with a plus fastball (92-95 mph) that rides up in the strike zone. Complements his fastball with an outstanding changeup that drops off the table. Shows great motion with his change and throws it to both sides of the plate. Injury prone. Grade: 3.3.
Catching
Nine years removed from his AL Most Valuable Player season, Pudge Rodriguez is still one of the better catchers in baseball. The Tigers, at least, did not see many appealing alternatives on the market before picking up his $13-million contract option for this year. He has been an All-Star in each of his four seasons with the club. Vance Wilson, who missed all of last year while undergoing Tommy John surgery, will return as the backup if healthy.
Ivan Rodriguez — C 2007 line: .281 BA, 502 AB, 50 R, 141 H, 31 2B, 3 3B, 11 HR, 63 RBI, 9 BB, 96 SO, .294 OBP, .714 OPS. Significant stats/injuries: Threw out 30.9 percent of baserunners en route to extending his record to 13 Gold Gloves for a catcher. Third all-time with 2,061 games caught. Scouting report: Aggressive line-drive hitter. Uses the whole field. Lacks the bat speed and power of a few years back. Remarkably gifted receiver. Remains very agile behind the plate. Retains the quick setup and release to go with his rocket arm. Works well with the young pitchers. Gets a little lazy at times. Grade: 3.3.
Infield
The left side of the infield will be entirely new this year with Cabrera at third base and Renteria at shortstop. Last year's shortstop, the underrated Carlos Guillen, will shift to first base as he begins a four-year, $48-million contract extension. Placido Polanco, who did not commit an error all season and won the AL Gold Glove at second base, is the only player unaffected by the movement. All four have made at least one All-Star team in the last two seasons. Manager Jim Leyland has said that Cabrera, who has had more than 110 RBIs in each of the previous four seasons, will bat third, fourth or fifth.
Carlos Guillen — 1B 2007 line: .296 BA, 564 AB, 86 R, 167 H, 35 2B, 9 3B, 21 HR, 102 RBI, 55 BB, 93 SO, .357 OBP, .859 OPS. Significant stats/injuries: Broke Alan Trammell's (97) record for RBIs by a Tigers shortstop with 102. Hit .325 before the All-Star break, .267 after. Scouting report: Productive switchhitter. Quick, strong hands. Likes the ball down lefthanded, up righthanded. Stays back and causes damage all over the field from both sides. Converted SS. Moves to first base because of continuing knee problems. Shows soft hands at first, quick feet and excellent range, especially to the line. Very steady player. Grade: 3.5.
Placido Polanco — 2B 2007 line: .341 BA, 587 AB, 105 R, 200 H, 36 2B, 3 3B, 9 HR, 67 RBI, 37 BB, 30 SO, .388 OBP, .846 OPS. Significant stats/injuries: Has a streak of 181 errorless games, making him the first MLB 2B to go an entire season without an error. Scouting report: Prototypical No. 2 hitter. Short, inside-out stroke. Excellent bat handler. Consistently gets the fat part of the bat to the ball and uses the whole field. Can spin on the ball for power if he's looking inside. Runs the bases intelligently. Quality 2B. Has quick feet to go with soft hands. Always seems to be in position to catch the ball and make the throw. Turns the double play very well. Grade: 3.8.
Miguel Cabrera — 3B 2007 line: .320 BA, 588 AB, 91 R, 188 H, 38 2B, 2 3B, 34 HR, 119 RBI, 79 BB, 127 SO, .401 OBP, .965 OPS. Significant stats/injuries: Was second among MLB 3B with 23 errors with the Marlins. Had 34 HRs, second in Marlins franchise history for a single season (Gary Sheffield; 42, 1996). Scouting report: Middle-of-the-order bat. Short, quick stroke. Recognizes pitches early. Stays inside the ball and drives it to all fields. Shows serious power from right center on around. Can go in hard above his hands. Chases sliders with two strikes. Below-average 3B. Possesses a cannon for an arm, but moved sluggishly last year because of the extra weight he was carrying around. Can be difficult to handle. Grade: 4.0.
Edgar Renteria — SS 2007 line: .332 BA, 494 AB, 87 R, 164 H, 30 2B, 1 3B, 12 HR, 57 RBI, 46 BB, 77 SO, .390 OBP, .860 OPS. Significant stats/injuries: Went on the DL twice with an ankle sprain. Hit .333 (18-for-54) against the AL in '07 with Atlanta. Scouting report: Inside-out approach. Very good bat handler. Likes the ball up and shoots line drives to right, right center. Pulls for power if he's looking for the ball in or gets a mistake breaking ball. Delivers with runners in scoring position. Smooth SS. Has very good hands and instincts. Masks declining range with good jumps, especially to his left. Still shows a plus arm from the hole. Grade: 3.5.
Outfield
Ordonez was even better in 2007 than during his run-producing heyday with the Chicago White Sox. He batted .363 — becoming the first Tiger to win the batting title since Norm Cash in 1961 — and drove in 139 runs. Were it not for Alex Rodriguez, he would have been the AL MVP. Granderson, a budding star, was impressive in his own right. He became only the second player in big-league history to finish a season with 30 doubles, 20 triples, 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases. In many ways, though, the key to the offense is Sheffield, who seems likely to get most of his at-bats as the designated hitter.
Jacque Jones — LF 2007 line: .285 BA, 453 AB, 52 R, 129 H, 33 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 66 RBI, 34 BB, 70 SO, .335 OBP, .735 OPS. Significant stats/injuries: Hit .424 with 34 RBIs in 66 ABs with runners in scoring position and two out (with the Cubs). Hit .332 after the All-Star break. Scouting report: Big uppercut swing. Very aggressive. Gears up for fastballs and lets the bat fly. Hits the ball with authority to all fields. Suffered through a power outage last summer, but made more consistent contact. Tends to be streaky. Athletic OF. Shows good range side to side. Comes in better than he goes back. Throws fine in left, but takes a long time to get rid of the ball. Grade: 2.5.
Curtis Granderson — CF 2007 line: .302 BA, 612 AB, 122 R, 185 H, 38 2B, 23 3B, 23 HR, 74 RBI, 52 BB, 141 SO, .361 OBP, .913 OPS. Significant stats/injuries: Became the third MLB player with at least 20 HRs, 20 2Bs, 20 3Bs and 20 SBs in a season. His 23 3Bs were the most since Dale Mitchell's 23 for the Indians in 1949. Scouting report: Short, quick stroke. Aggressive line-drive hitter. Will shoot the pitch away to left, left center, but causes most of his damage to his pull side. Struggles against lefthanded pitching. Runs very well. Above-average CF. Continues to upgrade his jumps and routes. Accelerates to balls in the gaps and goes back with confidence. Displays a strong, accurate arm. Excellent makeup. Grade: 3.7.
Magglio Ordonez — RF 2007 line: .363 BA, 595 AB, 117 R, 216 H, 54 2B, 0 3B, 28 HR, 139 RBI, 76 BB, 79 SO, .434 OBP, 1.029 OPS. Significant stats/injuries: Led MLB with .363 BA and hit .429 with runners in scoring position. His 354 total bases were the most for a Tigers player since Norm Cash's 354 in 1961. Scouting report: Quick, strong hands. Excellent pitch recognition. Has the bat speed to turn on fastballs, yet trusts his hands enough to wait on breaking pitches. Hits the ball with authority to all fields. Makes quick adjustments at the plate. Comes through in the clutch. Sound RF. Doesn't run that well anymore, but gets quick jumps and takes good angles to the ball. Throws accurately. Grade: 4.2.
Gary Sheffield — DH/OF 2007 line: .265 BA, 494 AB, 107 R, 131 H, 20 2B, 1 3B, 25 HR, 75 RBI, 84 BB, 71 SO, .378 OBP, .839 OPS. Significant stats/injuries: Limited to 133 games by a torn labrum in his shoulder that required postseason surgery. Had more BBs (84) than Ks (71) for the 16th time in his career. Scouting report: Outstanding eye/hand coordination. Rare bat speed. Controls the strike zone and lets the bat fly when he gets a pitch he can drive. Hits fastballs, breaking balls; makes pitch-to-pitch adjustments. Looks to turn on the ball, but will give in and go the other way with two strikes. Capable RF. Lacks consistency with his jumps, but takes good angles to the ball. Still throws well. Grade: 3.5.
Organization/management
Afterthoughts no more, the Tigers are now one of the strongest organizations in baseball. Dombrowski is well-respected in the game, enjoys great authority in owner Mike Ilitch's leadership structure, and works with a payroll that could top $125 million this year. In addition to superstars, Ilitch has shown a recent willingness to spend big on the amateur draft. The team's current ace (Verlander), a future top-of-the-rotation starter (Rick Porcello) and the big-name prospects integral to the Florida trade (outfielder Cameron Maybin and lefthander Andrew Miller) represent Detroit's last four first-round picks. Leyland, meanwhile, is one of the best managers in baseball. He keptlast year's team afloat despite all the injuries and seemed reinvigorated by the big acquisitions over the winter. Leyland, who will be 63 on Opening Day, is under contract through 2009. He enjoys such strong support among the players, organization and community that he may manage the Tigers as long as he wishes.