Top Five Tigers So Far

After dropping tonight's game against the Mariners, Detroit falls to 10-7 and is now tied with the Indians and 1/2 game behind the White Sox, who are playing in Oakland tonight.  This still puts them on pace to win 95 games, which would probably be good enough for a playoff spot, but is not as impressive as the 112 wins I half-jokingly predicted in my last post.


Courtesy of ESPN.com

The Tigers have now lost 4 of their last 5 and are struggling to find any semblance of that dynamic offense we saw in the season-opening series against the Red Sox.  Nevertheless, I'll try to stay on the positive side tonight and point out who I believe have been the top 5 performers for the Tigers so far in the early-going.

5. Duane Below
The 26 year-old left hander has been a pleasant surprise out of the bullpen.  He has yet to give up a run in 10 innings of work while striking out 7 and walking none.

4. Austin Jackson
Jackson has cooled off after his hot start but is still third on the team with a .355 OBP.  His 10 walks lead the team, and his defense in center field is as valuable as ever on a roster otherwise filled with less-than-stellar defenders.

3. Drew Smyly
Smyly has been just what the doctor ordered pitching out of the 5th spot in the Tigers starting rotation.  He's struck out 15 in 16 innings of work, has looked better with every start, and his 1.13 ERA leads the American League.

2. Miguel Cabrera
Leads all Tigers hitters in HRs, RBIs, and OPS, yet there is still the feeling that he hasn't even broken out yet.  No surprise to find Miggy here at #2.

1. Justin Verlander
It's also no surprise to find Verlander at #1. The 2011 AL MVP seems to have broken his history of poor Aprils, as he finds himself third in the AL in Innings Pitched, ERA, and WHIP, and 1st in Strikeouts. 

Honorable Mention: Alex Avila, Prince Fielder, Octavio Dotel

The Tigers now face Seattle Wednesday and Thursday before heading to New York for a weekend series against the Yankees.

Mark my words...the Tigers will win 112 games.

Alright, maybe 112 wins is a bit of a stretch...but after starting the season 7-3, the Tigers are on pace to finish 112-50.  So far, the team has swept the Red Sox, taken two of three from the Rays, salvaged a road win against the White Sox in Chicago, and taken the first from a three-game set against the Royals.  Can't really complain about that. 


Ed Zurga/Getty Images



Justin Verlander has picked up right where he left off in his MVP season last year, notching his first win of the season Monday night and pitching at least 8 innings in each of his three starts.  There's no reason to believe JV can't win another Cy Young this season, and he has the potential to toss a no-hitter every time he takes the mound.  Detroit fans shouldn't take for granted that they get to watch this guy pitch every 5th day; he truly is a once-in-a-generation talent. 



Could this be the year Rick Porcello lives up to the promise he showed in his 2009 season, when he finished 3rd in AL Rookie of the Year voting?  So far, that seems to be the case.  "Kid Rick" has gone 7+ innings in both of his starts, giving up only 3 earned runs in the process.  Though the season is still quite young, Porcello looks to be benefiting from mixing in 4-seam fastballs with his trademark sinker.  It's a good thing too, because Doug Fister hit the DL after only throwing 3.2 innings, and Max Scherzer currently sports a 10.38 ERA.  Also helping to cushion the blow are rookie left-handers Doug Smyly and Adam Wilk, who have been solid making their first ever MLB starts.

As far as the bullpen goes...well, if you're analyzing relief pitchers only 10 games into the season, you're looking at a very small sample size, so there aren't many insightful conclusions that can be gleaned...though Jose Valverde's shaky start is at least worth keeping an eye on.

The lineup, on the other hand, has pretty much lived up to its billing, as the Tigers are 3rd in the AL with 51 runs scored.  Prince Fielder is batting .324, Alex Avila has a .996 OPS, and Miguel Cabrera, despite a current 0-19 slide, is tied for 4th in the AL with 9 RBIs.  Yet it's Austin Jackson, coming off a season in which he struck out 181 times, who has been the best offensive performer for the Tigers so far.  A-Jax already has 2 homeruns on the season to go with a .405 average, and most importantly in my eyes, has walked 8 times versus 11 strikeouts.  Jackson clearly is benefiting from eliminating his leg kick in the offseason, and if he can continue to get on base and work pitch counts, this Tigers offense is going to wreak a lot of havoc on opposing pitching staffs.

Tonight, the Tigers send Smyly to the mound against Kansas City Royals left-hander Bruce Chen.  After finishing the series Wednesday night, the team will have a tough 4-game homestand against the Texas Rangers.  Here's to the Tigers maintaining (or improving upon!) their 112-win pace!