The Gun Of Bavaria Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 Now I know we're talking about one of the weakest divisions in baseball here, but I'm interested to hear what you non Tigers fans think of the Tigers chances of winning the AL Central. Their offense should be very good and if you can believe it is quietly being placed in the preseason top 5 amongst some sportswriters. Their defense should be very good, with their only suspect being Alex Sanchez in CF. The rotation: Bonderman, Robertson and Ledezma will do well I think. Maroth will allow the Tigers offense to win games and Jason Johnson.....well I hope Trammel has a remote control for his insulin pump. The Bullpen remainds the achilles heel of the Tigers. Percival and Farnsworth make a nice addition to the setup and closing roles, but long and middle relief remains scary. Former rotation guy Knotts will do ok as a long reliever and spot starter, while uncertainty faces Rodney, German, Walker and the unknowns who end up making the club. U may think I'm nuts, but I think the Tigers take the Central. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smizzy Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 It depends.... Can you kill all the opposing pitcher with your sniper rifle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
124 Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 It all depends if they can make a block buster trade of Magglio Ordonez for the entire Yankees starting lineup. :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Troll Posted February 25, 2005 Share Posted February 25, 2005 I think the AL Central is going to be a three team race between the Twins, Tigers, and Indians. If Santana keeps up what he did after last year's All Star Break, I don't think the other two teams are strong enough to overtake Minnesota. However, if Johan is proved human, the division should be up for grabs. The Twins should also benefit from a healthy Joe Mauer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faba Posted February 25, 2005 Share Posted February 25, 2005 To me the question marks remain in the pitching staff- can your young pitchers continue to improve like Maroth and Bonderman. In this case it might hurt not to have a steady but not spectacular guy that is a veteran in the rotation. Middle relief will still probably be a problem. Offensively it looks pretty solid lineup with Ordonez healthy. Twins have Mauer healthy - interested to see if he is as good as the hype he has gotten Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJ Posted February 25, 2005 Share Posted February 25, 2005 Maybe Farnsworth will be struck by lightning and have a psychic change - He certainly has the physical ability to throw lights out for you guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxman Posted February 25, 2005 Share Posted February 25, 2005 It can happen. And I hope it does. Minn really needs Johan to repeat what he did last year. Being that good again is going to be tough. The Tigers are probably another year away though even if the young kids pan out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFSIKH Posted February 25, 2005 Share Posted February 25, 2005 No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latinlawyer Posted February 25, 2005 Share Posted February 25, 2005 If bonderman and maroth can win 15+ games each, then I think the Tigers can win the AL Central. If they win 11+ games, then it will take another pitcher to step up and get 15+ wins for them to win. The rotation is key. Hitting will only win you so many games. LL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gun Of Bavaria Posted February 27, 2005 Author Share Posted February 27, 2005 Valid opinions by all. Smizzy I've researched the Sniper idea, not sure it would work. I think it's a stretch, don't get me wrong, that the Tigers can pull it off. I think the potential is there, but in the end it will take another year before we own Boston and NY at the same time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GimmeShelter Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 It can happen. And I hope it does. Minn really needs Johan to repeat what he did last year. Being that good again is going to be tough. The Tigers are probably another year away though even if the young kids pan out. Johan is that good. The Tigers and Indians can challenge for the division as the Twins let some players walk although they always seem to have a Major League ready replacement. Justin Morneau should have a monster year if he can shake off his off season illness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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