Detroit Tigers Off-Season Review

Arizona and Florida are the epicenters of baseball during the cold, dreary months of February and March that the rest of the country endures. All 30 MLB teams are now nestled comfortably into their respective Spring Training homes, and next week brings the first slate of games for many.

The Orioles additions of Ubaldo Jimenez and Nelson Cruz have left very few potential impact players on the free agent market. There remains intrigue surrounding where starting pitcher Ervin Santana will ultimately end, but it appears as if most teams are willing to bet his 3.24 ERA last year was a fluke. The compensation draft pick attached to Santana also means that whoever signs him will lose a first or second round pick in June’s amateur draft.

It seems fair to acknowledge that baseball’s hot stove has cooled off. That being said, I tend to find February predictions foolish. The month of March always brings at least one major injury, and a star player going down for the season can have a larger impact on a team than any free agent signing. Because of this fear of jumping the gun, I will assess the off-season changes made by the team that I would venture to guess is the overwhelming favorite in our JRN 492 class – the Detroit Tigers.

Detroit Tigers

Additions:
– Manager Brad Ausmus
– RP Joba Chamberlain (42 IP, 4.95 ERA in ’13)
– OF Rajai Davis (.260 BA, 24 RBI, 45 SB)
– 2B Ian Kinsler (.277 BA, 13 HR, 72 RBI)
– RP Ian Krol (27 IP, 3.95 ERA)
– IF Steve Lombardozzi (.259 BA, 2 HR, 22 RBI)
– RP Joe Nathan (1.39 ERA, 43 saves)
– SP Robbie Ray

Subtractions:
– Manager Jim Leyland
– RP Joaquin Benoit (2.01 ERA, 24 saves)
– 1B Prince Fielder (.279 BA, 25 HR, 106 RBI)
– SP Doug Fister (208 IP, 3.67 ERA, 1.30 WHIP)
– 2B Omar Infante (.318 BA, 10 HR, 51 RBI)
– C Brayan Pena (.297 BA, 4 HR, 22 RBI)
– SS Jhonny Peralta (.303 BA, 11 HR, 55 RBI)
– IF Ramon Santiago (.224 BA, 1 HR, 14 RBI)

Division champions for three years in a row, the Tigers underwent significant changes for a team that has at least made it to the ALCS every year since 2011. Never one to stand pat, General Manager David Dombrowski took this off-season to tweak the philosophy of a club that keeps falling just short of their ultimate goal – a World Series title. The retirement of beloved manager Jim Leyland meant there would be different clubhouse leadership in 2014, but a quick hiring of Brad Ausmus allowed the team to enter Winter Meetings with their new manager fixated in his position. The 44-year old former MLB catcher has been heralded for his open baseball mind and ability to connect with his players – many of which played with Ausmus.

Brad Ausmus will be handed the keys to a Tigers clubhouse fresh off three consecutive ALCS appearances. (Photo: Detroit Free Press)

Besides Alex Avila behind the plate, the Tigers will trot out a completely new infield from Opening Day 2013. Gone from first base is lumbering slugger Prince Fielder, traded away to the Texas Rangers for new starting second baseman Ian Kinsler. Detroit loses a marketable personality and his 100+ RBI, but also sheds most of his enormous contract – the real clincher in the deal. Prince’s departure will move two-time reigning AL MVP Miguel Cabrera back to first base, a position he is – very noticeably – more comfortable at. Replacing him at the hot corner will be rookie Nick Castellanos, usually regarded as the Tigers best hitting prospect. He will be expected to contribute in the starting lineup right away, but will undoubtedly go through prolonged slumps as almost any rookie hitter does.

The outfield will also undergo some changes. Speedster Rajai Davis was signed to platoon left field with incumbent Andy Dirks, and it will be interesting to watch this duo compete during Spring Training. Davis ranks second in stolen bases over the past five MLB seasons, promising news for a team that finished dead last in that category in 2013. Ausmus has already stated that he would like to run much more than the Tigers did in 2013, as the lack of agility on the base paths partially contributed to the team’s ALCS bow out to to the Boston Red Sox.

The much maligned defense of the Tigers should be significantly improved this season. Jose Iglesias will roam shortstop for a full season, which in itself should be beneficial. Iglesias has Ozzie Smith-like glove skills, and would be far and away the best defensive shortstop in the MLB if it weren’t for Andrelton Simmons in Atlanta. Kinsler brings another solid glove to second base. The flip-flopping at the corner bases should only prove to help the defense with the ironically named Fielder out of the equation. Shoring up the defense was clearly a top priority for Dombrowski this off-season, and the Tigers may win more games than they did in 2013 while also scoring fewer runs.

The pitching rotation was one area that Tigers fans probably expected to be left untouched this winter. Alas, Doug Fister was dealt to the Nationals in a still-puzzling trade that yielded two players with relatively low ceilings (backup infielder Lombardozzi, relief pitcher Krol), and another with a much higher one – left handed starting pitching prospect Robbie Ray. According to FIP, a measure of a pitcher’s success independent of his fielders, Fister has been one of the AL’s top 15 pitchers in the past three years. It seems puzzling as to why he would be dealt for a haul that brings little influence to the clubhouse right away, but Dombrowski’s track record is nearly impeccable. If he doesn’t “know something we don’t”, as has been often suggested, the partial dismantlement of the MLB’s best starting rotation could end up as a blemish on DD’s resume. The 22-year old Ray, considered a top 10 left-handed prospect, is arguably the key to how this deal will eventually be judged.

Closer Joe Nathan (left) hopes his addition will help give the city of Detroit, and GM Dave Dombrowski (right) the World Series title they’ve came so close to. (Photo: Detroit Free Press)

Since their reemergence in 2006, the Tigers have often struggled to find a consistent closer. This season should be different. Longtime Twins closer Joe Nathan returns to the AL Central at a ripe 38 years old, fresh off a sparkling 1.39 ERA and 43 saves for the Rangers. The hope is that by the time Nathan’s two year contract is up, a younger option will emerge in the bullpen to replace him at closer. Bruce Rondon is a strong candidate for exactly that, but will have to improve on last year’s performance to warrant the kind of hype that surrounds his 100+ MPH fastball. Krol is another, newer, option in the pen, and the Tigers expect him to contribute innings all season. A slimmer Chamberlain arrived at Spring Training focused on putting his past few seasons – shaky, at best – with the Yankees behind him. The back end of the Tigers bullpen is certainly improved, but Fister’s departure means that long relief man Drew Smyly will step into the rotation. Jose Alvarez likely will be groomed to cover the valuable innings Smyly provided.

It speaks volumes about Dombrowski’s will to win that he was so active the past few months. It is easy for contenders to stand pat in the midst of a successful run, yet the recent fall of the Philadelphia Phillies has proven what idleness can do to an aging team. Fielder’s unloading was a shrewd, unpredictable move that opens up the Tigers future in case this happens. Because of that foresight, I think the Tigers did well this off-season even if they end up a slightly worse team in 2014.

Off-Season Grade: B+

VIDEO: Lansing Everett defeats Holt on buzzer-beating layup

HOLT’S 28-POINT COMEBACK FALLS SHORT IN LAST-SECOND LOSS TO LANSING EVERETT

By Ethan Merrill
Holt Journal staff writer

(2/4/14)

HOLT, Mich. — The Holt Rams boys basketball team experienced a medley of emotions Tuesday night. Lansing Everett guard Devon Hudson hit the game-winning layup as time expired, negating the Rams’ furious 28-point comeback in the second half. The final score was 75-73.

A flurry of 3-pointers down the stretch for Holt was completed by Colin Jones’ shot from behind the arc with 30 seconds remaining in the game. The 6’3’’ senior led all scorers on the night, pouring in 28 points for the home team. Seventeen of those came in the fourth quarter.

For Everett, the scoring was more dispersed. Junior guards Deshae Doll and Devon Hudson, contributed 19 points each. Hudson’s identical twin Dequan scored 18.

The Rams (10-3) struggled early, and found themselves in an unfamiliar hole to the visiting Vikings (3-7). Everett led 43-15 in the second quarter, their largest lead of the night. Holt’s sloppy first-half play rendered the home crowd mute at many points, which allowed the Vikings’ crowd to supply the noise in the gymnasium.

“Missed free throws and turnovers were the main reason we were down so much at halftime,” said Rams assistant coach Russ Olcheske. “That was what we talked about fixing (in the locker room).”

The Rams immediately came charging back after halftime. The team with four senior starters began to display their experience, cutting the deficit to 15 about midway through the third quarter. This brought life back into the bench and the fans. However, the Vikings still managed to maintain a 21-point lead at the end of the third quarter.

Jones 3-pointer brought the Rams within 13 after a sluggish start to the fourth quarter, and again there was hope. The momentum was beginning to swing, and an increasingly confident Holt team cut the Vikings lead to 10 with 3:20 left. Lansing Everett head coach Desmond Ferguson was visibly upset on the sideline, calling two timeouts down the stretch to calm his team down.

Both teams scratched and clawed down the stretch, as the Everett lead was never surrendered – nor larger than three points. Two missed free throws for the Vikings with 49 seconds left proved vital for the completion of the Rams comeback. Jones final 3-ball promptly tied the game, and gave Everett the ball back with 30 seconds left.

The Vikings did not hold the ball for long, turning it over to Holt and again firing up most of the building. Senior guard Don’Quall Jackson hurriedly brought the ball up for the Rams with 12 seconds remaining, and drove to the left side of the key. The contact he drew on his layup attempt was ignored, his shot attempt was blocked, and the Vikings’ senior forward Xavier Couthen reclaimed the ball with 5 seconds left.

His timely outlet pass to Devon Hudson on the right side of the court would prove be to the dagger in the Rams’ heart. Hudson found no Holt defender on his path to the rim, dropping the ball into the basketball with ease as time expired.

Still, the Rams can take solace in such a large comeback. Their much-improved second-half play was instrumental to the dramatic flair this game provided on a cold February night.

“The biggest difference in the second half, for us, was playing with the sort of intensity we have been all year,” said Olcheske. “We played much harder, and that’s why we were in the position we were at the end.”

Holt remains in second place in the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue, with five games on the regular season schedule. They host East Lansing High School on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Lansing Everett will travel to Lansing Eastern on Friday, also scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.