Detroit Tigers a Team on the Rise in 2009

After nearly a full decade of losing, the Detroit Tigers had finally rebuilt their team and saw all the hard work pay off with a trip to the 2006 World Series where they lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in five games. Most people around baseball thought that this was just the beginning for a young club with incredible young pitching that had not yet reached it's potential. Then, after a 2007 season that, according to MLB.com, saw the team finish in second place to the 96 win Cleveland Indians, the Tigers decided that they needed to open up the pocketbook and spend some money on power - something that they felt was lacking in 07.

During the 07-08 offseason, Detroit completed several deals that made them a preseason pick to win the World Series. First, according to ESPN.com, the Tigers made a trade with the Florida Marlins to get third baseman Miguel Cabrera and pitcher Dontrelle Willis in exchange for six prospects, three of which are now on the Marlins big league roster. The Tigers were not done with just trade however; they also traded for shortstop Edgar Renteria from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for pitcher Jair Jurrgens - now a starter for the Braves, according to About.com. Finally, to top things off the Tigers also made a deal with the Chicago Cubs to bring in right fielder Jacque Jones.

All of these moves made the Tigers runaway favorites to win the AL Central, favorites to win the World Series, and favorites to break the all-time single season scoring record by a single team. With a lineup that featured the likes of Miguel Cabrera, Magglio Ordonez, Placido Palanco, Ivan Rodriguez, and a young pitching staff with plenty of flamethrowers; on paper the Tigers looked to be unbeatable. However, the 2008 regular season rolled around and the baseball world soon found out that the tigers were, indeed, beatable. According to MLB.com, an 0-7 start kicked off what would be a very painful season in Detroit as the Tigers finished 14.5 games out in last place, never coming near battling for a playoff spot, much less a World Series title.

So, in the offseason, the Tigers front office went to work once again to try and repair the damage done by the previous season. Instead of going after power in the lineup, the Tigers decided to go after pitching and solid defense. They let Edgar Renteria leave for San Francisco and brought in shortstop Adam Everett to fill his spot. That, plus the addition of Gerald Laird as catcher and release of Jacque Jones were really the only moves made by the team in the offseason. Instead of going after headlines, the Tigers went after developing their young talent, especially the talent on their pitching staff.

Without the big moves in the offseason, Sports Illustrated picked the Tigers to finish fourth in the AL Central, eight games off the pace. However, Detroit got off to a much better start and now leads the division at the All-Star break. Much of the turnaround has been thanks to a much improved defense and pitching staff. Starting with ace Justin Verlander, who came off a 2008 season where he finished with an 11-17 record and a 4.84 ERA according to Yahoo! Sports. This season he has come back to already have ten wins and a 3.38 ERA. Along with Verlander, the bullpen has come together as pitchers Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney continue to develop as pitchers.

Now the key for the Tigers will be to continue playing strong defense, getting good pitching, and timely hitting to remain atop the AL Central. After a turbulent couple of years after appearing in the World Series, the Detroit Tigers look to finally be back in their winning ways and pointed in a direction that could lead them deep into October. The talent has been there all along, now it is finally getting a chance to shine.

"Regular Season Standings." MLB.com.

"Tigers send top prospects to Marlins for Cabrera, Willis." ESPN.com.

"Detroit Tigers 2008 Preview." About.com.

"Justin Verlander - Stats." YahooSports.com.