CapitalTigers
04-01-2007, 06:13 PM
Tigers will take it one step further
Stop looking for this year's surprise World Series winner.
The Tigers are the best team on paper. And, shocking as it might sound in this age of parity, the best team is going to win the Series.
Seven different clubs have won the last seven titles, many of them improbably. But at some point, reason must prevail.
The Tigers have the right manager, Jim Leyland. They boast a new slugger, Gary Sheffield. And they possess enough depth to withstand the various pitfalls that occur over 162 games starting with the loss of left-hander Kenny Rogers, who likely will be out until July after undergoing surgery to remove a blood clot in his left shoulder.
Truth is, the Tigers should have won the Series last season, but their six-day layoff after the American League Championship Series disrupted their rhythm.
A charmed revival ended in acute disappointment.
And the Tigers won't forget.
"The most important thing about last year was actually losing that World Series," Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge says.
"You can probably go around this clubhouse and ask anyone if he was satisfied with last year. And I'll guarantee you that every person says, without hesitation, Not even a chance.'"
Funny, but from a psychological standpoint, Leyland takes precisely the opposite view of 2006. Talking to his players on the first day of spring training, he delivered a clear message:
Last season is over. Forget it.
The Tigers, to a man, bought in.
Hey, Pudge Rodriguez, how different is it now that the team knows how to win?
"We don't know nothing," Rodriguez fires back. "We've got to play hard. We can not take anything for granted. We can not take any chances."
Hey, Gary Sheffield, what must the Tigers do to sustain their 2006 momentum?
"A lot of people think that teams that are supposed to win it all are built on force and intimidation," Sheffield says. "That's the last thing that is going to get it done.
"It's built on finesse, playing the game the right way, doing the little things, being capable of doing the big things. When you have all of that, it makes for a dangerous team."
Sheffield preaching finesse?
Rosenthal's picks
So how will the 2007 MLB season pan out? Here's Ken Rosenthal's take
AL EAST
Yankees: Shaky rotation could make for year of transition.
Red Sox: Must figure out how to get to Papelbon.
Blue Jays: Maybe higher if Halladay, Burnett stay healthy.
Orioles: Much riding on young starting pitchers.
Devil Rays: Weak bullpen will impede progress.
For all of Ken Rosenthal's team predictions, click here ...
Awards picks
NATIONAL LEAGUE
MVP: Albert Pujols, Cardinals. This time, there will be no debate.
Cy Young: Chris Carpenter, Cardinals. I pick him every year.
Rookie: Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies. The game's next outstanding shortstop.
For all of Ken Rosenthal's awards picks, click here ...
Maybe Leyland is practicing hypnosis.
Actually, Leyland need not remind the Tigers that two other clubs in the AL Central, the Twins and White Sox, won 90 games last season, and a third, the Indians, seems poised to rebound.
The strength of the Central alone will prevent the Tigers from being complacent. So will the threat of Leyland turning on them the way he did in April, when he punctured the team's losing culture with a memorable post-game rant.
The margin for error is small, and the Tigers know it. The injury to Rogers highlighted their biggest concern attrition to their starting rotation similar to what the White Sox experienced after winning the 2005 World Series.
Rogers worked a total of 227 innings last season at age 41, throwing harder in October than he had in years.
Right-hander Justin Verlander threw a combined 207 2/3 innings, 77 2/3 more than he did in his first year as a professional.
Righty Jeremy Bonderman exceeded his career high in innings by more than 45, lefty Nate Robertson by nearly 30.
Justin Verlander anchors a deep rotation that will have to survive without Kenny Rogers until July. (Eliot J. Schechter / Getty Images)
Meanwhile, lefty Mike Maroth is returning from elbow surgery, and righty Chad Durbin while impressive in Triple A last season has a 6.14 career ERA in 337 1/3 major-league innings.
As if all that isn't alarming enough, three Tigers position players with injury histories Rodriguez, shortstop Carlos Guillen and right fielder Magglio Ordonez played in 149, 166 and 168 games respectively last season, including playoffs.
On the surface, it appears as if the whole team might crumble, but general manager David Dombrowski made sure to keep the team's depth intact during the off-season, ensuring that the Tigers would be protected at most positions.
Durbin, the new No. 5 starter, is merely the first rotation option. Behind him are righties Zach Miner, Jordan Tata, Jair Jurrjens and most significantly lefty Andrew Miller, the team's No. 1 draft choice last June.
Outfielder Marcus Thames, who hit 26 homers in 348 at-bats last season, can substitute for Ordonez, Sheffield or left fielder Craig Monroe. Infielder Ramon Santiago and first baseman Chris Shelton, both of whom will open in Triple A, could play regularly, if necessary.
Not that the Tigers are perfect. Guillen is losing range at short. Closer Todd Jones turns 39 later this month. And right-handed setup man Joel Zumaya, for all his gifts, isn't necessarily ready to close if Jones falters.
While righties Zumaya and Fernando Rodney are effective against left-handed hitters, Wil Ledezma is the Tigers' only lefty reliever in a division that features the Indians' Travis Hafner, White Sox's Jim Thome and Twins' Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau.
And, while Sheffield brings a .398 career on-base percentage, Leyland doesn't want other Tigers mimicking his aggressive yet disciplined style, even though the team ranked 12th in the AL last season in OBP.
"He swings harder than anyone in baseball and he doesn't strike out much," Leyland says. "If I had other guys doing that, they wouldn't hit anything."
Sheffield adds a certain swagger to the Tigers' lineup "moxie," first-base coach Andy Van Slyke calls it. He also brings a certain toughness to a team that admittedly had it easy early last season.
The Tigers were the darlings of the sport as they rebounded from five consecutive seasons of 90 or more losses, including 119 in 2003.
"The first six weeks, everyone was really happy for us," Jones recalls. "There was always that pat on the back from the managers. When we'd go through different towns, everyone was like, Man, you guys are doing really well.'
"I don't think that's going to be the case this year. People are going to be gunning for us. They're going to want to beat our butts. We might have snuck in a couple of wins early last year that probably aren't going to be there this year. But the tradeoff is, your whole team is way more confident."
They're confident because they're good.
Good enough to win it all.
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/6628922?MSNHPHMA
Stop looking for this year's surprise World Series winner.
The Tigers are the best team on paper. And, shocking as it might sound in this age of parity, the best team is going to win the Series.
Seven different clubs have won the last seven titles, many of them improbably. But at some point, reason must prevail.
The Tigers have the right manager, Jim Leyland. They boast a new slugger, Gary Sheffield. And they possess enough depth to withstand the various pitfalls that occur over 162 games starting with the loss of left-hander Kenny Rogers, who likely will be out until July after undergoing surgery to remove a blood clot in his left shoulder.
Truth is, the Tigers should have won the Series last season, but their six-day layoff after the American League Championship Series disrupted their rhythm.
A charmed revival ended in acute disappointment.
And the Tigers won't forget.
"The most important thing about last year was actually losing that World Series," Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge says.
"You can probably go around this clubhouse and ask anyone if he was satisfied with last year. And I'll guarantee you that every person says, without hesitation, Not even a chance.'"
Funny, but from a psychological standpoint, Leyland takes precisely the opposite view of 2006. Talking to his players on the first day of spring training, he delivered a clear message:
Last season is over. Forget it.
The Tigers, to a man, bought in.
Hey, Pudge Rodriguez, how different is it now that the team knows how to win?
"We don't know nothing," Rodriguez fires back. "We've got to play hard. We can not take anything for granted. We can not take any chances."
Hey, Gary Sheffield, what must the Tigers do to sustain their 2006 momentum?
"A lot of people think that teams that are supposed to win it all are built on force and intimidation," Sheffield says. "That's the last thing that is going to get it done.
"It's built on finesse, playing the game the right way, doing the little things, being capable of doing the big things. When you have all of that, it makes for a dangerous team."
Sheffield preaching finesse?
Rosenthal's picks
So how will the 2007 MLB season pan out? Here's Ken Rosenthal's take
AL EAST
Yankees: Shaky rotation could make for year of transition.
Red Sox: Must figure out how to get to Papelbon.
Blue Jays: Maybe higher if Halladay, Burnett stay healthy.
Orioles: Much riding on young starting pitchers.
Devil Rays: Weak bullpen will impede progress.
For all of Ken Rosenthal's team predictions, click here ...
Awards picks
NATIONAL LEAGUE
MVP: Albert Pujols, Cardinals. This time, there will be no debate.
Cy Young: Chris Carpenter, Cardinals. I pick him every year.
Rookie: Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies. The game's next outstanding shortstop.
For all of Ken Rosenthal's awards picks, click here ...
Maybe Leyland is practicing hypnosis.
Actually, Leyland need not remind the Tigers that two other clubs in the AL Central, the Twins and White Sox, won 90 games last season, and a third, the Indians, seems poised to rebound.
The strength of the Central alone will prevent the Tigers from being complacent. So will the threat of Leyland turning on them the way he did in April, when he punctured the team's losing culture with a memorable post-game rant.
The margin for error is small, and the Tigers know it. The injury to Rogers highlighted their biggest concern attrition to their starting rotation similar to what the White Sox experienced after winning the 2005 World Series.
Rogers worked a total of 227 innings last season at age 41, throwing harder in October than he had in years.
Right-hander Justin Verlander threw a combined 207 2/3 innings, 77 2/3 more than he did in his first year as a professional.
Righty Jeremy Bonderman exceeded his career high in innings by more than 45, lefty Nate Robertson by nearly 30.
Justin Verlander anchors a deep rotation that will have to survive without Kenny Rogers until July. (Eliot J. Schechter / Getty Images)
Meanwhile, lefty Mike Maroth is returning from elbow surgery, and righty Chad Durbin while impressive in Triple A last season has a 6.14 career ERA in 337 1/3 major-league innings.
As if all that isn't alarming enough, three Tigers position players with injury histories Rodriguez, shortstop Carlos Guillen and right fielder Magglio Ordonez played in 149, 166 and 168 games respectively last season, including playoffs.
On the surface, it appears as if the whole team might crumble, but general manager David Dombrowski made sure to keep the team's depth intact during the off-season, ensuring that the Tigers would be protected at most positions.
Durbin, the new No. 5 starter, is merely the first rotation option. Behind him are righties Zach Miner, Jordan Tata, Jair Jurrjens and most significantly lefty Andrew Miller, the team's No. 1 draft choice last June.
Outfielder Marcus Thames, who hit 26 homers in 348 at-bats last season, can substitute for Ordonez, Sheffield or left fielder Craig Monroe. Infielder Ramon Santiago and first baseman Chris Shelton, both of whom will open in Triple A, could play regularly, if necessary.
Not that the Tigers are perfect. Guillen is losing range at short. Closer Todd Jones turns 39 later this month. And right-handed setup man Joel Zumaya, for all his gifts, isn't necessarily ready to close if Jones falters.
While righties Zumaya and Fernando Rodney are effective against left-handed hitters, Wil Ledezma is the Tigers' only lefty reliever in a division that features the Indians' Travis Hafner, White Sox's Jim Thome and Twins' Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau.
And, while Sheffield brings a .398 career on-base percentage, Leyland doesn't want other Tigers mimicking his aggressive yet disciplined style, even though the team ranked 12th in the AL last season in OBP.
"He swings harder than anyone in baseball and he doesn't strike out much," Leyland says. "If I had other guys doing that, they wouldn't hit anything."
Sheffield adds a certain swagger to the Tigers' lineup "moxie," first-base coach Andy Van Slyke calls it. He also brings a certain toughness to a team that admittedly had it easy early last season.
The Tigers were the darlings of the sport as they rebounded from five consecutive seasons of 90 or more losses, including 119 in 2003.
"The first six weeks, everyone was really happy for us," Jones recalls. "There was always that pat on the back from the managers. When we'd go through different towns, everyone was like, Man, you guys are doing really well.'
"I don't think that's going to be the case this year. People are going to be gunning for us. They're going to want to beat our butts. We might have snuck in a couple of wins early last year that probably aren't going to be there this year. But the tradeoff is, your whole team is way more confident."
They're confident because they're good.
Good enough to win it all.
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/6628922?MSNHPHMA