Mid-Season Report: Detroit Tigers

With just over an hour left before the craziness of free agency starts for the NBA, I wanted to take a second or 1,000 and talk about my favorite sport, baseball. Now, before I go into my rant about deals that the Detroit Tigers need to make, let me say that I am going to go through the entire American League Central Division, and break down the positions, starters and needs that they need to sure up via trades before the trade deadline next month. I am going to start with the division leading Detroit Tigers tonight though.

Lets start out with the pitching.
SP - Justin Verlander
SP - Edwin Jackson
SP - Rick Porcello
SP - Armando Galarraga
SP - rotation (Luke French makes the next start, but Alfredo Figaro has made starts this season along with Jeremy Bonderman and Dontrelle Willis)
RP - Freddy Dolsi
RP - Brandon Lyon
RP - Zach Miner
RP - Fu-Te Ni
RP - Joel Zumaya
SU - Bobby Seay
CL - Fernando Rodney

----- All in all, the Tigers on paper have a solid staff in place, but it doesn't seem quite good enough to make it through the playoffs should they get there. Their top 3 starters are quality pitchers who can get you a win when you need it. Galarraga seems to be on the way back to the way Tigers fan's know him winning in his last start and off to a solid start in Oakland tonight. It probably wouldn't hurt to possibly get a solid starter in the trade market. They don't need an ace, but they do need someone in the minors to step it up or get a quality innings eater. Dolsi and Ni were recently called up from the minors. If Dolsi can do the same thing that he did during 2007, which was come in and stop the bleeding or hold a lead to get it to the late inning guys, he will be in the bullpen for the rest of the year. This is Ni's first call up to a big league club, so the verdict is out still. Lyon and Seay both have been the most consistent in the 'pen in recent weeks, but Joel Zumaya has been erratic to say the least. He either needs to dial down the speed and through it over the plate, or get sent down to work on his command at that speed. Miner is a strong middle to long reliever if your starter doesn't get you far in the game. And Rodney, though shaky in non-save situations, have been perfect this year in save opportunities for the Tigers. If Dolsi can do what he has shown in the past, and Seay, Lyon, and Rodney keep it going, the Tigers should be fine in the bullpen.

---Catcher---
Gerald Laird has been a very good battery mate for most of the Tigers pitchers this year, and he catches almost everyday. Manager Jim Leyland may want to get Laird some rest at some point though, because if he is going at the current rate, Laird may show signs of fatigue in September.

Dusty Ryan since coming up to the big club well, hasn't played much. But in the games he has gotten in, he has showed some promise calling pitches and at the plate he has showed some pop in his bat. The average isn't going to be where you would want it to be, but for catching once every 2 weeks, he will do fine.

---It seems like Detroit is fine with the catching tandem that they currently are running out there on a nightly basis. I don't see a need for a change or upgrade here.

---Infield---
Miguel Cabrera at first base has been hampered with a couple of minor injuries so far this season, but has been able to avoid the big one. His average numbers are great, and with Leyland moving him up to third in the batting order, he has responded with some power lately. You can pretty much count on him hitting .300, 30 homers and 100 RBI's in a season. And can I mention his defensive play at first is stellar this year. Really looking like a major league 1st baseman.

Placido Polanco again is one other the most consistent fielders at second base in the league this year, so no worries there. But the cause for concern is his plate appearances. Polanco has been striking out more this year, and his average well below his career average. The power numbers are up, but for someone batting in the second position in the lineup, stop trying to hit homers, and go with some base hits.

Brandon Inge is Brandon finally living up to his potential? I think he is. Look, everyone who watches baseball know that Inge has been one of the best defensive third baseman in the game today. The complaint is that his average at the plate has always been below .250. Now with Inge hitting for power, comfortably at third, and hitting above .250 on the year, he should be recognized with a gold glove at least. An injury may have crept up on him, so stay tuned.

Adam Everett has been hitting this season for more of an average than he ever has, but his defense has seemed to slip a little with the new found success at the plate. Never the less, with a backup that is just as a solid defender through his career, he should start to defend better.

Ramon Santiago I don't know what I can say about this guy. Throughout his career, he was never big enough, never hit well enough, made too many errors, but it seems like this year, he has turned everything around and is a great utility man for the Tigers this year.

---This year, defensively the Tigers have been one of the best in fielding percentage, third in the AL to be exact. A large improvement from last year when they were near the bottom of the AL in fielding.

---Outfield---

Curtis Granderson is possibly the most exciting player in baseball to watch on a nightly basis. He can lead a game off with a home run, make a diving catch to preserve a lead, or even pull a Ken Griffey Jr. and make an over the wall catch to save a Verlander win. The average is down this year, but the power is up, and the defense is a joy to watch on a nightly basis.

Josh Anderson could be an everyday outfielder at some point in his career. But most likely he will be the fourth guy on a depth chart. The guy has legit speed, but his average and on base percentage aren't good enough to be a threat in the lead off spot. But the speed does help in the spacious outfield at Comerica Park.

Magglio Ordonez isnt what he used to be unfortunately for the Tigers this year. They were counting him to provide the same protection that he did last year for Miguel Cabrera, but the average is way down, the power is almost non existent, and he is slow in the outfield. Ordonez is probably at the end of a great major league career, and needs a little help deciding when it is time to hang 'em up.

Ryan Raburn has been a consistent backup for the Tigers in recent years providing adequate defense and some power off of the bench for Detroit. But, unless the average comes up, he is just going to be a backup.

Don Kelly seems to be handling the big leagues OK, but when Clete Thomas came up for Detroit, he was the same way, and cooled off. Time will tell with Kelly.

---I could see the Tigers going after an outfield before the trading deadline comes and goes. Magglio just isn't an everyday player in right field anymore. Until he figures it out at the plate he is just an out in the middle of the lineup. Could look for the White Sox to try to trade Jermaine Dye, but probably not to a central division foe in Detroit. Dye is attractive to trade though with one year left on his contract, and will probably command anywhere from $12 to $15 million a year this off season in free agency.

---Designated Hitter---

Marcus Thames came off the disabled list early in June, and provided a spark in the lineup. He has a dangerous bat in the middle of lineups, but inconsistent. A dead pull hitter, he shoots everything to left field and pitchers have found out how to deal with him.

---No extra explaining here, Detroit wont go out to find a DH, if they are going to make a move, it will be a position player and possibly rotate Ordonez and Thames in the DH spot.