2011 Detroit Tigers Report Card

Starting Pitching: Everyone knew that Justin Verlander was good, but I don’t think anyone thought he was going to be as good as he was in 2011. Verlander finished the season 24-5 with an ERA of 2.40, a WHIP of .920 and 251 innings pitched. With the addition Doug Fister at the deadline (1.79 ERA) the Tigers has a very solid one-two punch. However aside from Verlander and Fister the rest of the starting rotation ERA’s over four. Despite that the rotation was sustainable for the entire year.

Because of the dominance of Verlander and Fister, the Tigers rotation was solid in 2011.

Grade: A-

Relief Pitching: The Tigers’ bullpen was really a tale of the different seasons all wrapped into one. Jose Valverde was remarkable all year long remaining perfect on save opportunities with 49 however aside from Valverde there were plenty of question marks surrounding the bullpen in the first half. Joaquin Benoit lost his setup role for a short time, Ryan Perry was inconsistent, Daniel Schlereth wasn’t ready for the big leagues and their best left-hander out of the pen, Phil Coke was struggling in the rotation. Once the second half rolled around, Benoit turned his season around and was a very good setup man for Valverde, Perry and Schlereth spent some time in the minors to work on their game and Phil Coke returned to his comfort spot in the bullpen.

Grade: B

Offense: The key to the Tigers’ offense in 2011 wasn’t Miguel Cabrera, it was Victor Martinez. Because of the addition of V-Mart, Cabrera finally go the protection in the lineup that he needed on his way to batting .344 with 105 RBIs in 2011 and getting robbed of the Silver Slugger award. Aside from Cabrera and Martinez, Peralta was consistent pretty much all season long, Alex Avila provided a ton of production from the catching position and addition Delmon Young at the waiver deadline provided a much-needed offensive spark at the top of the lineup. In addition to this, Brennan Boesch had a nice rebound from a horrible second half in 2010 and Ryan Raburn had his usual second half turnarounds.

Grade: B+

Defense:Going into 2011, their wasn’t very high expectations for the Tigers’ defense as a whole. Peralta was considered a statue at short, no one knew exactly who was going to play second base on a given night, Inge’s defensive production was down and there were holes in the corner outfield positions. As the season progressed, Peralta played a very good defensive shortstop committing only 7 errors all season, Austin Jackson was solid at centerfield and the Magglio Ordonez wasn’t nearly as bad as everyone led him onto be in right field (in limited playing time of course). Aside from that, Miguel Cabrera has turned himself into a very nice defensive first baseman and despite the second base position providing most of the question marks, Ramon Santiago did an excellent job platooning at the position.

Grade: B-

Managing:All season long Tigers manager Jim Leyland was constantly criticized for his lineups, his in-game management and the way he conducted pre and post game interviews. Some fans got so ridiculous with their dislike of Leyland they were hoping that the Tigers would miss the playoffs just so Leyland and his staff would get fired at season’s end. However, Leyland and his staff did an excellent job managing injuries, the pitching staff and dare I say the starting lineup as the Tigers went on to win the AL Central comfortably while taking the Rangers to six games in the ALCS. Still Leyland bashers will say he got lucky in 2011 proving that they have no real argument against Leyland and his staff.

Grade: B+

General Manager:With the addition of Victor Martinez last offseason and Doug Fister and Delmon Young at the deadlines, Dave Dombrowski did an excellent job filling the holes that he could on the Tigers’ roster. Even the Benoit signing, although somewhat over priced, worked out in the end of 2011 for the Tigers.

Grade: A-

Overall:The Tigers turned a lot of heads in 2011 after many experts picked them coming in second or third in the American League Central. Justin Verlander was probably the best PLAYER in baseball this past season as the Tigers charged their way to the ALCS before falling to the defending American League Champions in six games. The addition of Doug Fister and Delmon Young enable the Tigers to head into the offseason with two areas already checked off in which they need to improve on for next year.

Overall Grade: B

2011-12 Offseason

Guaranteed Contracts

Arbitration Eligible Players (estimated salaries)

Contract Options

  • Jose Valverde, RP: $9MM club option, no buyout (Type A Elias ranking)(Tigers picked up $9 million club option on Valverde)

Free Agents

  • Magglio Ordonez (Type B OF): Dave Dombrowski said that Magglio Ordonez is likely done as a Tiger and I believe him. It doesn’t seem like the ankle can handle an entire MLB season and the Tigers seem ready to give the right field spot to Brennan Boesch full-time next season. There is however a very slim chance the Tigers bring him back next season as a backup to Boesch and a late inning pinch hitter but that probably wont happen since it’s my belief that Ordonez will call it a career in the offseason.
  •  Wilson Betemit (Type B 3B): When Betemit was bought over from Kansas City I’m sure many Tigers fans though they’d seen the last at Brandon Inge at third. However when Inge was brought back up from Triple-A Betemit shared the hot corner with Inge depending on who was pitching that day. Betemit could be an option for the Tigers next season since Dombrowski mentioned that the team could platoon at either third base or second in 2012.
  •  Carlos Guillen (unranked 2B): Like Magglio Ordonez, Guillen has shown that his body simply can’t handle an entire MLB season. Also like Ordonez, Dombrowski said that it’s unlikely that Guillen is back with the team next year. Unlike Ordonez who I believe there is a very slim chance the Tigers bring back, I think there is zero chance the Tigers bring back Guillen next year.
  •  Ramon Santiago (unranked SS): Santiago was a very nice platoon player for the Tigers in 2011 and because of that Dombrowski believes that he could get a better offer from another team during the offseason. Look for the Tigers to try to sign him during the offseason however don’t be surprised if Santiago is playing with a different team in 2012. Early word is the Minnesota Twins may be a destination for Santiago.
  • Joel Zumaya (Type B RP): Despite a career that has been plagued by injuries, I actually think there is a pretty good chance the Tigers bring back Zumaya next season. Look for him to be a non-roster invitee to spring training and be rewarded with a minor league deal.
  • Brad Penny (unranked SP): Brad Penny got plenty of criticism in 2011 but as a 5th starter he didn’t do too bad. Still, Dombrowski mentioned that because of the development of Tigers pitching the team likely wont bring back Penny in 2012. If the Tigers don’t fill the spot in the rotation with a left-handed free agent, look for the team to give a serious look at Jacob Turner or Andy Oliver to fill Penny’s 2011 role.

Offseason Shopping List

Second Base: The second base free agent market is relatively light this offseason. The biggest names include Jamey Carroll, Mark Ellis, Aaron Hill and Kelly Johnson. Because of the relatively light market the Tigers may opt to make a trade to fill their needs here. Some possible trade candidates include Blake DeWitt, Orlando Hudson, Maicer Izturis and Alberto Callaspo. Another possibility for the Tigers could be Michael Young of the Texas Rangers. Currently Michael Young doesn’t have a defensive position on the Rangers with Beltre, Andrus and Kinsler rounding out the infield. Now what could happen here is the Tigers strike a deal for Young enabling the Rangers to free up money to pursue the likes of Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols while the Tigers get a second baseman that can play some defensive and provide some offensive production. If the Tigers were to get someone of Young’s caliber, look for the team to platoon the third base position.

Third Base: Aramis Ramirez will be the biggest free agent target at third base this offseason. Ramirez can provide some offensive production from the position and keep Inge on the bench. Like the second base position though, the third base free agent class this offseason is relatively weak meaning that Ramirez would likely require a multi-year deal from any team that pursues him. If the Tigers choose to platoon this position they may opt to bring back a guy like Wilson Betemit and do exactly what they did in 2011.

Some other options for the Tigers would include signing a guy like Jose Reyes and moving Jhonny Peralta to third. Jose Reyes would require a huge commitment in terms of money and years which I don’t think the Tigers would be willing to do given the way Peralta played in 2011. The Tigers could also make a trade for a guy like David Wright of the New York Mets. If they were to do this though, the Tigers may have to say good-bye to guys like Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello or their top third base prospect Nick Castellanos.

Starting Pitcher: Not only do the Tigers need a starting pitcher to fill the spot that will probably be vacated by Brad Penny, but they need a left-handed starter after their rotation is exclusively right handers. The biggest left hander on the market will be C.J. Wilson of the Texas Rangers who will probably get an over priced contract. A more affordable option could be Mark Buehrle who is 33 years old and knows the division very well spending his time pitching for the Chicago White Sox.

If the Tigers choose to go with internal options, you would have to figure that Jacob Turner and Andy Oliver would be fighting for that fifth spot in spring training.

Backup Catcher: Alex Avila played an incredible amount of games during the season after Victor Martinez suffered a knee injury in the middle of the year. The Tigers will go into 2012 looking for a right-handed hitting catcher to back up Avila while keeping V-Mart primarily as a designated hitter.

Middle Reliever: Given the inconsistencies of Ryan Perry the Tigers may look to bring in a reliever to add some stability to the middle relief. Dombrowski may see how things go in spring training with Perry, Schlereth and Alburquerque before making any moves.

The too early 2012 prediction

Yeah it’s too early to make these predictions given the World Series just ended and free agency just started. But still it’s fun and why not look ahead to 2012 since spring training is ONLY 3 1/5 months away!

Final AL Central Standings

  1. Detroit Tigers
  2. Cleveland Indians
  3. Kansas City Royals
  4. Minnesota Twins
  5. Chicago White Sox

The Tigers once again will have the most talented roster in the AL Central on their way to their second consecutive division title. The Cleveland Indians will have nice year behind Manny Acta in his second year as manager and the Royals’ stacked farm system will begin to propel them upwards in the division. The Minnesota Twins will continue their struggles that they saw in 2011 while the Chicago White Sox will be in clear rebuilding mode.

Side note: The Indians will begin to feel the ill effects of the Ubaldo Jimenez trade in 2011 at the end of the 2012 season.

2012 Postseason Predictions

ALDS

Tigers def. Yankees in 4 games
Red Sox def. Rangers in 5 games

ALCS

Tigers def. Red Sox in 6 games

World Series

Phillies def. Tigers in 6 games

Ref: MLBTradeRumors.com, Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com, TheSportsHerald.com

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