Tuesday, April 24, 2012

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.
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2 comments:

  1. Andy CooperApril 29, 2012 at 6:53 PM

    How does it feel to finally be Brandon Inge Free??? I was at the game Tuesday booing Inge every chance I had. I never thought the absence of Fister would mess the rotation up as much as it has. Smyly has been a nice surprise but Max is really killing me. After the loss today, this division may not be a runaway we all thought it'd be.

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  2. AndyMay 1, 2012 at 9:52 AM

    It is a good feeling. He just doesn't have much value anymore. This frees up playing time for guys like Worth, Santiago, and Raburn. I guess none of those guys strikes fear into the hearts of opposing pitchers, but I feel like they at least have a chance of contributing something offensively. And they won't be media distractions either.

    We need Fister back badly. Still think we'll be alright in the long run though.

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