MLB Team Previews – Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers flabbergasted MLB betting fans last year; so much talent, such poor results. While the Tigers weren’t the only bust in last year’s MLB odds – the Diamondbacks and Indians come to mind – they may be the least likely to bounce back of all last year’s disappointments.The AL Central isn’t the pushover division it once was; even Kansas City had the majors’ best record last September. The Tigers will still bop the ball in 2009 but some of their best bats are getting long in the tooth. Pitching should be their Achilles heel again; their healthy pitchers are mostly ineffective and their best arms are brittle.
Detroit’s day-to-day lineup didn’t change too much from 2008 to 2009, meaning baseball betting fans can still pick them at the sportsbook with confidence when they have a lollipop matchup. Curtis Granderson is one of the best leadoff men in the game and his stellar center-field defense should keep him in the lineup every day; Miguel Cabrera, Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen, Venezuelan teammates in the WBC odds, do nothing but hit every year and that should continue. Catcher Gerald Laird joins a lineup that swings at everything but should do plenty of damage in 2009.
The good news ends there for the Tigers. While Justin Verlander and his nasty stuff still anchor the rotation, his 2008 was downright ugly and his velocity dropped. The rest of the staff – Armando Galarraga, Jeremy Bonderman, Nate Robertson, and either Edwin Jackson or Dontrelle Willis – features a corps of similar pitchers – guys with decent stuff who throw too many pitches and struggle to hit the plate. Even surprise rookie Galarraga was a bit lucky last year, as he put lots of guys on base.
The Tigers’ pen looks good on paper every year, but no one ever steps up and stays healthy. Both Fernando Rodney and Joel Zumaya have the talent to close – particularly Zumaya, who throws harder than anyone on the planet. However, they disappoint MLB betting fans every year by going on the shelf. Brandon Lyon joins the pen and should take over Todd Jones’ role as guy-who-gets-saves-without-overpowering-stuff.
In terms of raw talent, the Tigers may still be in the upper half of the league, and that’s what makes them so frustrating to online betting fans. The same problems plague them every year and there’s no reason to think anything will change in 2009. If the stars align, Detroit could surprise in the MLB odds and win 90 games, but 75 wins seems much more likely.
