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#1
Detroit Tigers Over 77.5 Wins
Starting Pitching
OK, so Kenny the Gambler is 80 years old, so what? The guy has proven in the past that when he is not beating up camera men that he can be a solid Pitcher. But surprisingly, I don't think the Tigers will need a huge season from Mr. Rogers for this starting staff to perform. Bonderman, Robertson, Maroth, and Verlander may be the most underrated starting staff in the MLB IMO. All 4 are under 30 years old and should stay relatively healthy throughout the season. Bonderman, Robertson, and Maroth have reached a point where they should start to showcase the ability they have. They all have a few years under their belt and I think they will surprise a few people. Verlander the 23-year old was one of the top-100 prospective players last year and should have a solid season if the Detroit Bats can support him.
Relief / Closing
Todd Jones is back in Detroit after 5 years. Last year in Florida he converted 40 of 45 Save opps. and boasted a 2.10 ERA in 60 games, the lowest ERA of his 12 year career. Detroit needs to get this guy run support to give him the save opportunities he had last year. I think the biggest question mark on the team is the middle relievers, Jamie Walker and Ramon Colon from Atlanta could both have solid seasons, but the rest of the bullpen is going to have to step up.
Hitting
Rodriguez, Ordonez, Guillen, Polanco are top notch MLB players and Brandon Inge at 3rd and Chris Shelton at 1st have shown the ability to get hot throughout the season. Both are young, and both might be ready to surprise a few people. Logan/Granderson are both blazers and will have to get on base to give the big bats the RBI opps they need. Craig Monroe, Dimitri Young and Carlos Pena round out the hitters, if Dimitri can stay healthy he can hit the ball a long way. Craig Monroe drove in 89 runs hit .277 and had 20 dingers last year. Another solid season on tap for him hopefully. Pena had a horrendous start to the season last year, but after coming back from AAA was one of the hottest hitters on the staff. Carlos will be sharing time in the lineup. A few more guys like Omar Infante/Vance Wilson/and Marcus Thames will see limited playing time and nothing more.
Solid Defense
Not much has changed defensively this season. Guillen at short and Polanco playing 2b is a very good combo. Inge is a solid 3rd baseman, he might be the only question mark on Defense, but he is maturing and should continue to improve. Shelton/Young are both fine at first. Monroe and Ordonez are strong in left and right and both Granderson/Logan are lightning quick in center. Don't forget about Pudge behind the plate, he has one of the quickest snap throws in the league.
The Hometown Team
This gives me a real good reason to keep track of the hometown team this year. Most years I am very excited at the beginning of the season, but that excitement wears off around the time of the all-star break. Hopefully this year we will be .500 or better at the break and I can look forward to a good second half.
It also seems to me that the gambling public which see's this 77.5 (it's actually higher at most books around 78.5, I played it at BODOG) may think that this is the same shitty Tiger team that has played in the past and the under is too good to be true. The movement from 77.5 to 78.5 at msost books is kinda nice, maybe a few of the sharper future players see something in this Tiger team.
If I fucked up any of the logic or situations when referring to the Tigers staff please feel free to correct me, I have been watching baseball for a long time, but I don't claim to be a diamond guru.
Good Luck to you guys this MLB season and GO TIGERS ||win.gif' border=0>
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