Detroit Tigers 2007 Season Preview
Detroit Looks to Repeat as American League Champions, but Will the New York Yankees Get in Their Way?
Detroit was a young team. With the exception of a few older players, each Tiger should be as good or better than in last season. The Tigers added a big bat in Gary Sheffield. Detroit acquired Sheffield by trading Humberto Sánchez, a promising pitching prospect who has had some injury problems, along with two other pitching prospects.
With essentially the same team as last year, plus Sheffield, expect the 2007 Detroit Tigers to win 90+ games again, and to battle with the New York Yankees for the right to represent the American League in the World Series.
Starting Pitcher Detroit Tigers Preview
The Detroit Tigers pitching staff that had the best ERA in the MLB last season will again be the key to the Tigers success in 2007.
Jeremy Bonderman - One of the better pitchers in the league, people forget that Bonderman is only 24 years old. Bonderman won 14 games in 2006, and should improve on that in 2007.
Kenny Rogers - Kenny Rogers is getting older, and most likely he's running out of pine tar. Rogers won 17 games in 2006, but probably will be closer to 15 in 2007.
Justin Verlander - 24-year-old Justin Verlander won 17 games in 2006, his first season as a Major Leaguer. He throws the ball consistently over 100 miles per hour. Some are concerned whether Verlander will be able to handle 200 innings. If his durability holds up, Verlander could be even better in 2007.
Nate Robertson - Nate Robertson had a 3.84 ERA in 2006. He is strong for a #4 pitcher, despite going 13-13 last season.
Mike Maroth - Maroth was injured for much of 2006, pitching in only 13 games in the regular season. He's probably a better pitcher than Zach Miner, who was the #5 starter last season. The Tigers will enjoy having his arm back in the rotation.
Key Relief Pitcher Detroit Tigers Preview
Joel Zumaya - Zumaya established himself last year as one of the top relievers in the league. His 100 mph fast ball helps him tremendously, but he occasionally has trouble controlling it. Zumaya will be the set up man in 2007. But the 23 years old will likely be the Tigers closer in 2008.
Todd Jones - Jones isn't the most dominant closer in the league, but he gets the job done consistently. Jones earned 37 saves in 2006 while only racking up 6 losses. He'll be the closer again for Detroit.
Fielders Detroit Tigers Preview
Detroit's fielders look very similar to last year's team. The only change is adding Gary Sheffield as DH, a clear improvement from 2006.
DH - Gary Sheffield
C - Iván Rodríguez
1B - Sean Casey
2B - Placido Polanco
3B - Brandon Inge
SS - Carlos Guillen
LF - Craig Monroe & Marcus Thames
CF - Curtis Granderson
RF - Magglio Ordóñez
Minor League Detroit Tigers Preview
Outfielder Cameron Maybin is looking very promising, so promising that the Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski was not willing to trade Maybin straight up to acquire All Star outfielder Alfonso Soriano. Some say that Maybin is big league ready right now, but with a crowded outfield, I'm not sure Maybin will get to see much time with the Tigers in 2007. However, Maybin at least will play with the big club late in the season, adding important depth for the playoffs.
Published by Scott Schlimmer
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- Kenny Rogers is getting older, and most likely he's running out of pine tar.
- One of the better pitchers in the league, people forget that Bonderman is only 24 years old.
- Some are concerned whether Verlander will be able to handle 200 innings.
3 Comments
Post a CommentAgreed. Rogers will be out for awhile now, but I think the Tigers will be fine. There's just so much pitching to go around on that team.
No, you're right. I debated that actually. I chose not to because the lineup is so similar to last year's lineup, but I think you're right, I should have.
I wish you had gone into more depth with the Tigers batting lineup. Sheffield was a great addition but all Tigers fans know that the team needs it's "glue" players like Placido Polanco, who is always there for big hits, and Carlos Guillen, arguably our MVP last season, to stay healthy and preform big. This article really doesn't tell me anything an average fan wouldn't know about the team. Not to be overly critical, it is just a suggestion to build your season previews off of.