Detroit Tigers

Detroit continue their trudge back from the back-to-back 100+ loss years in '02 and '03 but stuttered a bit on their way to a 71-91 record and will hope to improve under a new manager and with a host of blue chip prospects.

Pitching

Jeremy Bonderman almost lost 20 games as a rookie a few years back but he has slowly started to emerge as one of the leagues top performers and its almost bizarre to think he’s still just 23. Expect him to be amongst the leaders in a few categories this year.

Behind Bonderman will be workhorse lefties Mike Maroth and Kenny Rogers whose altercation with a cameraman before the All Star break put him under intense scrutiny in Texas and what started as an All Star season quickly went south with all the distractions. If he likes the new scenery Detroit could have stolen a great pitcher, if he continues to be dogged by controversy they might have gotten themselves an unwanted headache.

Spring Training will see the start of Detroit’s conveyor belt of quality young arms vying for roster slots and while Kyle Sleeth might have to head back to AAA after an injury plagued season in ‘05, Justin Verlander looks set to explode upon the scene.

Joel Zumaya is another rookie looking to crack the line-up but it is still unsure if he’ll be gunning for a place in the rotation or the pen. If he does go to the pen then Detroit should have a respectable and deep pen with flame thrower Franklyn German and lefty Kevin Walker setting up Fernando Rodney who seemed to win the game of musical chairs that was the closer position in Detroit. Troy Percival just never got started last year but is hoping to return this year and end his career on a high note.

Defence

We all know who Pudge Rodriguez is and what he offers on the field. He might not be as mobile as he used to be but he is still a presence out there.

The infield sees the under-rated Carlos Guillen returning to short (another guy better defensively than Jeter but less high profile). He will be surrounded by guys who would likely be utility players on better teams with Brandon Inge at third and Placido Polanco at second. Both are strong defensively at multiple positions but that versatility should be the thing that helps the club rather than tying them down to one position.

In the outfield the Tigers need to work out what they need to do with Nook Logan and Curtis Granderson as both are natural centerfielders and good ones at that. Chances are Granderson’s stronger arm could see him claim the position but they can’t really go wrong with either and we know Magglio Ordonez will play right as long as his legs keep working.

Offence

Logan offers great speed at the top of the line-up but needs to draw more walks to be effective to stay there and be a factor in the offence. If Logan gets on then Polanco becomes that much more effective as few handle the bat as well as he does and his situational nous makes him a great fit in the second spot.

The likes of Dmitri Young, Chris Shelton, Pudge and Carlos Pena should provide some depth to the line-up and Curtis Granderson looked very strong after a mid-season call up but the team needs Magglio Ordonez fit and producing if they are going to get anywhere.

The team doesn’t many people capable of picking up the slack if their starters get injured with Inge and Guillen fairly lightweight for everyday players.

Rookie Watch

Justin Verlander has an awesome fastball already, a great curveball and a good change. In a spot start Verlander got overexcited in the first inning against Cleveland and they put four runs against him but in the next four innings he settled down and shut them down even though he didn’t have control of his curveball. He could be special.

Joel Zumaya has been striking guys out for fun in the minors (199 in 151 innings last year) and can really dial it up with his fastball and regularly pitches in the high-90’s. When he’s got his curve going two he is even tougher. Some feel he is more likely to turn to the bullpen as his delivery puts too much strain on his body but having the downside of being the next Billy Wagner isn’t too bad a thing to settle for.

Management

Jim Leyland returns from the wilderness to take control of his first club in six years. He has been there, seen it and done it all with three division titles and a World Series mixed into his 1,069 career wins.

Dave Dombroski was very aggressive in his attempt to rebuild a team that lost 119 games in 2003 and spent more money than he should have to lure the likes of Rodriguez and Ordonez to the club. The main issue is rebuilding the clubs credibility and the young pitching staff they’ve assembled through the system should go a long way to doing that…shame only the overachieving Curtis Granderson will score runs for them. For a team looking to build you’d think more investment would have been put into the farm.

Outlook

There is so much potential in the pitching staff that you’d be a fool to dismiss them but their offence and guys like Granderson and Logan will really need to come up huge if Detroit are to compete in a strong AL Central.