The Top Ten First Baseman Today

Today, I revive this blog out of yet another extended coma, although you could say I picked a good day to begin an extended rest (September 29, the day after the most insane night in baseball history). However, after a thrilling and entertaining postseason that culminated with the Cardinals capturing an unprecedented 11th championship, it's time to get this bad boy going again.

We sit just days away from a majority of teams reporting to Spring Training, including the White Sox, who just happen to be one of the last teams to have their pitchers and catchers report (February 23). Since baseball does not really begin for me until the Sox hit camp in Arizona, I figure I will fill in the time by providing you with my own lists of the top ten players at each position. MLB Network has been airing their top ten lists all winter, and there is not a better way to gear up for the start of Spring Training by examining the best players in baseball today, and who could be on the verge of breaking out! Today we begin with the best first basemen in the game. In order to remain consistent with the way MLB Network does their list, keep in mind that this is the top ten first baseman right now, which means what they did last year will heavily account for where each player is ranked on here. What they accomplished in 2004 will not carry much weight on this list. Defensive abilities will also be taken into account.

10.) Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves
2011 stats: .282 avg., 21 HRs, 76 RBI, .795 OPS
While there was not a great deal of hype surrounding Freeman when he debuted with Atlanta last year, many Braves fans still expected big things from the 22-year-old lefty. Freeman did not disappoint, finishing with rock-solid numbers in his rookie season. Look for him to climb higher on this list in the coming years.

9.) Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Philles
2011 stats: .253 avg., 33 HRs, 116 RBI, .835 OPS
It would be an understatement to say that the Phillies will miss having Howard's bat in the lineup to start the 2012 season due to injury. Until his unfortunate injury at the end of the division series where he tore his left achilles, Howard displayed his durability during the season, playing in 152 games while finishing third among NL first basemen in home runs and second in RBI. His strikeout total continues to be very high (172 last year) but as long as he produces those kind of numbers, that can and will be easily overlooked.

8.) Michael Morse, Washington Nationals
2011 stats: .303 avg., 31 HRs, 95 RBI, .910 OPS
Perhaps this is a bit of a surprise for some of you to see Morse on this list, however, he was a very underrated bat in Washington's lineup last year. With third baseman Ryan Zimmerman battling injuries throughout the season, Morse stepped up and became the offensive leader on the Nationals, leading the team in home runs, RBI, OPS and batting average. His OPS was also good enough to rank third among all NL third basemen, trailing only Joey Votto and Prince Fielder. We will find out this year if Morse's season was just a fluke, or if he is really here to stay as one of the best first basemen in the game.





7.) Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox
2011 stats: .300 avg., 31 HRs, 105 RBI, .906 OPS

In Lindy's Sports Baseball Preview Magazine this season, one of the adjectives they used to describe Konerko was "regal." It is a fitting sobriquet for the long-time first baseman of the White Sox, as he continues to be the silent and dignified leader of a team that has been known for being anything but quiet in the headlines the past several seasons. He lets his play do the talking for him, and he has been doing a lot of talking through his bat lately, as he put together another terrific season in spite of the team's dismal third-place finish. Konerko's 31 home runs were second among all AL first baseman, and his .906 OPS was third trailing only Adrian Gonzalez and Miguel Cabrera. The fact that he continues to put up great numbers in a pathetically underachieving lineup the last couple of seasons has been nothing short of remarkable, and it is a shame that it has not been noticed by more people. While his glove is not quite as good as Teixeira's, those who watch Konerko on a regular basis will see that he is a better fielder than many people give him credit for, sabermetricians included.



6.) Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees
2011 stats: .248 avg., 39 HRs, 111 RBI, .835 OPS
Despite the glacial atrophy of his batting average the last couple of seasons (it has dropped 44 points since 2009), Teixeira continues to rake and take advantage of the cozy dimensions inside of the new Yankee Stadium. His 39 homers led all AL first basemen and his 111 RBI was second only to Adrian Gonzalez. Perhaps the only reason why I gave Teixeira the edge over Konerko was because of his continued defensive excellence at first base.

5.) Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds
2011 stats: .309 avg., 29 HRs, 103 RBI, .947 OPS
While Votto's 2011 campaign was not nearly as spectacular as his MVP season of 2010, he still proved that he belongs in the discussion of the best first basemen in baseball with a terrific statistical year for the Reds. He led all NL first basemen in batting average, on-base percentage (.416) and OPS, while finishing third in RBI and fifth in homers. Along with this, he continues to display an underrated defensive prowess in the field.








4.) Prince Fielder, Detroit Tigers
2011 stats: .299 avg., 38 HRs, 120 RBI, .981 OPS
He was the second-biggest free agent available on the market, and that was only because some guy named Pujols was also a free agent. Fielder had another dominant season, showing why he is indeed one of the best first baseman in the game. Fielder finished third in the NL with a .981 OPS and he finished second in homers behind Matt Kemp's 39. One aspect that people tend to overlook with Fielder is his durability, as he played in 155 or more games every year of his career except his rookie campaign in 2005. He was part of a two-man wrecking crew in Milwaukee with Ryan Braun for several seasons, and now he will try to recreate that in Detroit with Miguel Cabrera while trying to bring the city its first World Series title since 1984.

3.) Adrian Gonzalez, Boston Red Sox
2011 stats: .338 avg., 27 HRs, 117 RBI, . 957 OPS, 45 doubles
It certainly is a shame that it took a trade to Boston before people began to recognize how great of a first baseman Gonzalez is on both sides of the ball. Before anyone suggests that it was only because he played in San Diego, remember he had a MVP-caliber season with them in 2010, hitting .298 with 31 homers, 101 RBI and a .904 OPS in a far weaker lineup that missed the playoffs by just one game. Nonetheless, he had a fantastic year for the Carmines, tying for second in the AL in batting average, while finishing sixth in doubles and third in OPS. Teammate Jacoby Ellsbury ended up receiving more accolades as the season progressed, but Gonzalez's efforts will not be ignored in baseball-mad Boston as long as he continues to have years like the one he had in 2011.

2.) Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
2011 stats: .344 avg., 30 HRs, 105 RBI, 1.033 OPS, 48 doubles
I was a bit reluctant to place Cabrera on this list, as he will no longer be a regular first baseman for the Tigers with the arrival of Prince Fielder. However, with the kind of season he put together last year, I simply could not ignore him. Cabrera was not only phenomenal, he was certainly capable of winning the AL MVP last year, as he was the anchor of Detroit's lineup. His 1.033 OPS was the best among AL first basemen last year and was also second overall in the Junior Circuit, trailing only Jose Bautista. His .344 average was tops in the AL as well. While he certainly is not a gold glove-caliber first baseman, he fields what comes to him, while coming up with the occasional great play.





1.) Albert Pujols, Los Angeles Angels
2011 stats: .299 avg., 37 HRs, 99 RBI, .906 OPS

It must be nice when you are so good, a year like the one above can be considered an "off-year." For Albert's standards, it certainly was. For the first time in his career, the mighty Pujols did not reach the century mark in RBI, nor did he achieve a .300 average. Nonetheless, his OPS still ranked in the top ten in the National League, and his 37 homers were good enough for third in the Senior Circuit. In addition to this, Pujols continues to flash an above-average glove at first base, proving that he is not just a good hitter who is thrown at first base just so he can have a position to play. Let's face it, Pujols would not have been the most coveted free agent during the past offseason if he was not the best hitter in the game today.

My Top Five AL MVP Candidates

Yesterday we looked at who I think should be the top five National League MVP candidates. Although Ryan Braun added to his credentials last night with a three-run homer that helped Milwaukee clinch the NL Central, my position still stands. Even if Matt Kemp does not achieve the Triple Crown, he will still finish close enough for me to garner the MVP.

Today, it's time to look at who I believe should be the top five candidates to win the American League MVP.

Fifth-place vote: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
Through September 24: .336 BA, 27 HRs, 100 RBIs, .443 OBP, .566 SLG
Cabrera is having another terrific year for the Detroit Tigers as the anchor in their lineup. He's currently third in the American League in batting average, second in on-base percentage and fourth in slugging. However, his home run total is lacking a bit this year (he's tied for 14th in the AL) and he put up better numbers last year on a team that finished with a worse record.

Fourth-place vote: Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston Red Sox
Through September 24: .319 BA, 28 HRs, 98 RBIs, .374 OBP, .539 SLG, 37 steals
Ellsbury has been a major catalyst in Boston's lineup this year, as he is on the brink becoming the first 30/30 player in Red Sox history. While his .319 average is impressive for a leadoff hitter, his 28 home runs and 37 stolen bases makes him an all-around threat, along with his defense in center field.

Third-place vote: Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays
Through September 24: .303 BA, 42 HRs, 101 RBIs, 128 BBs, .447 OBP, .611 SLG, 1.058 OPS
"Joey Bats" is proving that last year was no fluke, as his batting average is significantly higher than it was last year. He currently leads the AL in home runs, on-base percentage, slugging, OPS and walks. Oh, and he's also in the top ten in batting average. Make no mistake about it, Bautista looks like he's here to stay as one of the elite hitters in the American League. Only his team's sub-par performance will keep him from winning the award.

Second-place vote: Curtis Granderson, New York Yankees
Through September 24: .277 BA, 41 HRs, 119 RBIs, .372 OBP, .572 SLG, 24 steals
Granderson is having the kind of breakout season that Bautista had during 2010. While his average is lacking (.277), he easily makes up for it in home runs (second in the AL) and RBIs (first in the AL). Even though the Yankees would still be a very good team without Granderson, he is the guy that has them in first place instead of third in the AL East.





First-place vote: Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
Through September 24: 24-5 record, 2.29 ERA, 244 Ks, 244.0 IP, 0.91 WHIP
Throw out the fact that he is a pitcher and not a position player and think of him in terms of overall value to his team. The award is called the Most Valuable Player, right? Well, who has been more valuable to his team than Justin Verlander this year? Let's face it, the Tigers are a significantly weaker team without him, and the AL Central would be a race between the Indians and White Sox if it weren't for Verlander's outstanding season for Detroit. The fact that he goes deep into ballgames lessens the workload of the bullpen, and when you look at the other pitchers in Detroit's starting rotation (Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello, Brad Penny, etc.), this team would be lost without Verlander. Oh, and it doesn't hurt that he's leading the AL in wins, strikeouts, ERA, WHIP and innings pitched.

The 30 Team/30 Day Report Cards: Day 15- Detroit Tigers

Our 100th post on this blog takes us to Motown for the half-way point in our series. Today's team: the Detroit Tigers!

Detroit Tigers
Record: 81-81 (Third place in AL Central, 13 games behind Minnesota)

Batting Leaders
Batting Average: Miguel Cabrera (.328)
Home Runs: Miguel Cabrera (38)
RBIs: Miguel Cabrera (126)
On-base Percentage: Miguel Cabrera (.420)

Pitching Leaders
Wins: Justin Verlander (18)
Strikeouts: Justin Verlander (219)
Innings Pitched: Justin Verlander (224.1)
ERA: Justin Verlander (3.37). Bullpen- Jose Valverde (3.00)
WHIP: Justin Verlander (1.16). Bullpen- Jose Valverde (1.16)
Saves: Jose Valverde (26)

Highlight of the Season: On June 2, Armando Galarraga retired 26 consecutive Indians before finally surrendering a hit to Jason Donald. He would complete the one-hit shutout though, winning 3-0 on just 88 pitches.

Lowlight of the Season: Unfortunately for Galarraga, the way he lost the perfect game was due to a blown call at first base by umpire Jim Joyce, as Jason Donald was clearly out at the bag. Joyce was very contrite after the game, apologizing to Galarraga for his blown call, which the pitcher took in stride.

The Lowdown:
Four years removed from their AL Pennant run, the Tigers looked to return to the postseason with a retooled roster that included two rookies as part of their regular lineup. Outfielders Austin Jackson and Brennan Boesch were each plugged into the lineup not as fill-ins or platoon players, but as regular members of the everyday lineup, and both of them would live up to the challenge, as each player brought their own strengths to the team. Jackson would nearly take Rookie of the Year honors, hitting .293 with 27 steals and superb outfield defense, while Boesch showed a great capability to hit left-handed pitching, finishing with a batting average of .337 against southpaws.

Even though the Tigers hit well, their pitching (which was once one of their strengths) would ultimately be their downfall, as they received inconsistent performances behind number one starter Justin Verlander. Despite this, the team remained in contention until after the All-Star break, when the rug was finally pulled from underneath them, finishing with an unimpressive 13-16 record in August.

Offense:
The Tigers were among the best hitting teams in baseball in 2010, finishing 11th in runs scored (751), fifth in batting average (.268), 14th in home runs (152), eighth in on-base percentage (.335) and 11th in slugging (.415). They were led by one of the best hitters in the game, Miguel Cabrera, who placed himself in the discussion for AL MVP with his performance at the plate. Cabrera finished second in the American League in batting average at a clip of .328, while pounding 38 home runs and driving in a league-best 126. Surprisingly enough, despite the team-best batting average, he did not lead the team in hits, as rookie Austin Jackson stole the show with 181 of them this year. Jackson would also go on to lead the team in steals with 27, establishing himself as a capable lead-off hitter, and giving the Tigers’ lineup an extra dimension to it heading into 2011.

Even though the rest of the Tigers lineup featured either average or below average seasons from their hitters, this is a case of the whole simply being better than the sum of its parts.
Final Grade: B-

Pitching:
Collectively, the Tigers were below average pitching-wise, finishing 25th in ERA (4.30), 21st in “batting average against” (.262), 23rd in quality starts (79) and 20th in WHIP (1.37). Even though they were toward the bottom in many of the major pitching stats, they still featured one of the best arms in the game in Justin Verlander. He would finish with an 18-9 record, with a rock solid 219 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.37 in 224.1 innings, proving that in just his fifth big-league season, he is one of the best pitchers in baseball today.

Behind him, unfortunately was mostly mediocrity, as Jeremy Bonderman, Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello and Armando Galarraga put up largely unimpressive numbers. Galarraga outside of his stellar performance on June 2, was mostly mediocre the rest of the way, finishing with a 4-9 record with a 4.49 ERA. Righty Rick Porcello unfortunately could not follow up on his spectacular rookie performance from last year, finishing 10-12 with a 4.92 ERA in 162.2 innings. Bonderman was uncharacteristically bad this year, finishing with a 5.53 ERA in 171 innings, and Scherzer, despite striking out an average of eight hitters for every nine innings pitched, was often the victim of bad luck, finishing 12-11.

The bullpen was fair in the Motor City this year, finishing 14th in baseball with a 3.96 ERA. Phil Coke would make the most appearances out of the ‘pen with 73, and he was mostly average, finishing with a 3.57 ERA and 17 holds. Closer Jose Valverde was pretty solid in finishing out games this year, recording an ERA of 3.00, along with 26 saves. Ryan Perry, Brad Thomas and Joel Zumaya were all solid out of the ‘pen this year as well.

While the bullpen was average, the starting rotation could be better. If anything, the inconsistency in the starting rotation kept the Tigers out of the postseason this year.
Final Grade: C-

Wild Card: Rookies
It’s not too often where you find a team that features two rookies in their everyday lineup that produced like the aforementioned Austin Jackson and Brennan Boesch did this year. Even if a team did feature two rookies in their everyday lineup, they are usually on a very bad team, mostly because they cannot find anyone who can play the position any better. The Tigers however, not only featured two rookies who were legitimately good enough to be major leaguers, they were big contributors to a team who was in contention for at least half of the season.
Final Grade: A+

Overall:
A .500 season can mean different things for different teams. For one team, .500 can be a sign of progress, while for another, it can be a sign of underachievement. Unfortunately for the Tigers, the latter would ring true.
Final Grade: C

Check back soon for the report card on the Oakland Athletics!

AL MVP candidates: who gets your vote?

Well, the pennant races are finally hitting the home stretch, and it is at this time of year that we usually find out who the league MVPs are. Who are the players that put their team on their back throughout the season, and carried them through the thick of the pennant race? If you took that particular player off of a contender, would that team be in the position they are in? Those are the questions that voters usually look at when it comes to who deserves the recognition of the "Most Valuable Player." Tonight, we'll take a look at the top three candidates in the American League.

Stats are as of September 13.


3.) Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
.335 batting average, 34 home runs, 116 RBIs, .429 OBP

Cabrera is arguably having the best all-around season of the three players listed here this year. His 116 RBIs and .429 OBP both lead the American League, while his batting average and home runs rank second and third respectively. If the Tigers were having a better season, he would definitely be the runaway pick for the MVP. Unfortunately for him, and for the Tigers and their fans, this summer has not been kind to them, as their 72-72 record would attest. The fact that the Tigers are not in contention right now will be the only reason Miguel Cabrera won't win the MVP.



2.) Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox
.322 batting average, 36 home runs, 104 RBIs, .399 OBP

I know many of you out there may think this is a heavily biased pick, but just hear me out on this one. Konerko has been raking for the Sox all year, and this year is turning out to be a career one for "Paulie." He's currently fifth in the AL in batting average, second in home runs, tied for fourth in RBIs with Vladimir Guerrero, and is fifth in on-base percentage. Here's a potential dilemma with Konerko's case though: the Sox still have a very decent shot at missing the playoffs, and still finishing with a better record than the Texas Rangers (they're only one game worse than Texas right now). The thing that could hurt Konerko's MVP chances is similar to Miguel Cabrera's in nature, but at the same time more unfair. With the way the Twins are rolling right now, they still have an outside shot at finishing with the best record in the AL, something completely out of the control of Konerko and the Sox. Should Konerko get penalized by the voters only for the reason that the Sox have a much tougher divisional foe than Josh Hamilton's Rangers do? I don't think so, but that's what usually happens in cases like these. C'est la vie.



1.) Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers
.361 batting average, 31 home runs, 97 RBIs, .414 OBP

The only reason why I still think Hamilton deserves the MVP over Konerko is because his overall numbers are better. While he trails Konerko in home runs by five and in RBIs by seven, he is still outhitting him by 39 points, and has a higher OBP by 15 points. I also believe that defense should come into play when comparing the two, and while Konerko is very underrated as a defender at first base, Hamilton plays a much more demanding position in the outfield. He still excels defensively, while putting on a great performance at the plate, too. I don't want to compare the two team's positions in the standings, because that would be unfair to both Konerko and Hamilton. In a case like this, you just look at each individual player and what they bring to their team, and in this case, Hamilton edges Konerko, both offensively and defensively.

Check back soon for the NL MVP candidates!

The 30 Day/30 Team Report Cards: Day 18- Detroit Tigers

Hello everybody! I hope you are all enjoying your Christmas Eve, and I hope that you all have completed your Christmas shopping! Anyway, let's get to work. Here is today's report card on the Motor City Nine, the Detroit Tigers.

Detroit Tigers:
Record: 86-77 (Second place in the AL Central, one game behind Minnesota).

Batting Leaders:
Batting Average: Miguel Cabrera (.324)
Home Runs: Miguel Cabrera (34)
RBIs: Miguel Cabrera (103)
On-base Percentage: Miguel Cabrera (.396)

Pitching Leaders:
Wins: Justin Verlander (19)
ERA: Justin Verlander (3.45). Bullpen- Brandon Lyon (2.86).
Strikeouts: Justin Verlander (269)
Innings Pitched: Justin Verlander (240.0)
WHIP: Justin Verlander (1.18)
Saves: Fernando Rodney (38)

Highlight of the Season: Taking control of first place on May 16, after a 9-1 victory over Oakland. They would not fall out of first place until the very end of the season.

Lowlight of the Season: Losing to the Minnesota Twins in heartbreaking fashion in the one-game playoff, 6-5, on October 6. This was the culmination of a disastrous final month for Detroit, in which they blew a seven game lead as late as September 6.

The Lowdown:
Even though they won the Wild Card in 2006, Detroit was seeking to accomplish something that they have not done since 1987, and that was to finish in first place. It looked as if the Tigers would get it done though, as they took first place on May 16, and did not look back. The closest Detroit came to falling out of first (before September arrived) was on July 23, when they were tied with the White Sox after Buehrle's perfect game against Tampa. However, Detroit would face the Sox in a four-game series beginning on the very next day, and made their statement, as they took three out of four from Chicago. Once September rolled around, it seemed as if the Tigers could not be stopped, as they took a commanding seven game lead in the division on September 6.

If there is one thing that I have learned as a White Sox fan in the last decade, is to never, ever, ever count out the Twins until they are mathematically eliminated. The Twins put together a furious push in the final month, going 19-7, while the Tigers went a miserable 11-15 in that same time span, to force the one-game playoff in Minnesota. Even though Detroit put up a valiant fight in the one-game playoff, it was not enough to hold off a white-hot Minnesota team, as the Twins won 6-5 in 12 innings, to advance to the playoffs. A season that once seemed so promising, only ended in heartbreak for the Tigers.

Offense:
The Tigers featured a solid offensive attack in 2009, which was led by the hard-hitting trio of Miguel Cabrera, Curtis Granderson and Brandon Inge. Cabrera put together another typical "Miguel Cabrera" kind of season, which is outstanding more often than not. He hit well over .300 again (.324), and pounded 34 home runs to go along with 103 RBIs and a robust .396 on-base percentage. He has clearly shown that his numbers were not just a National League fluke, and that he is indeed one of the best hitters in baseball.

Granderson had a fine year at the plate power-wise, drilling 30 home runs himself, along with driving in 71. He also had 20 steals to his credit, as well. However, his abilities as a lead-off hitter are questionable, as he hit only .249 and had a dismal on-base percentage of only .327. His speed is obviously the biggest reason why manager Jim Leyland places him in the lead-off spot; however, you would certainly like for him to get on base more to set the table for Cabrera.

Brandon Inge had a great season power-wise at the plate, too, as he played in nearly every game for the Tigers this season (he played in 161 out of their 163 games this season). He clubbed 27 home runs, which tied his career-high, and he also drove in a career-best 84 runs. The only downside to his season was his dismal .230 average and .314 on-base percentage, but he has never really been a player who hit for average.

Three other guys who hit for a decent average were Magglio Ordonez (.310), left fielder Ryan Raburn (.291) and Placido Polanco (.285). Ordonez's decent average was the only silver lining to a horrendous season for him power-wise though, as he hit only nine home runs and drove in just 50. This is coming from someone who is usually capable of hitting 25-30 home runs a season, while driving in around 100. This power outage from him is certainly something that has to be alarming many Tigers fans, as he is supposed to be the "right-hand man" to Cabrera.

Overall, the Tigers scored 743 runs as a team, which was good enough for 15th in MLB. Along with this, they finished ninth in home runs (183), 19th in on-base percentage (.331), and tied for 17th in batting average (.260). When you put it all together, they weren't the most fearsome lineup in the bigs in '09, but they were pretty damn good nonetheless.
Final Grade: B

Pitching:
The Tigers featured fantastic pitching from their youthful starting trio of Justin Verlander, Edwin Jackson and 20-year-old rookie Rick Porcello in 2009. All three pitchers made over 30 starts, and all three were the biggest reason why Detroit stayed in the pennant chase for most of the season. Verlander led the way in the Tigers' rotation, as he rebounded from a miserable 2008 campaign in which he went 11-17 with a 4.84 ERA. This year was a much different story for him, as he went 19-9, with a 3.45 ERA and a major-league best 269 strikeouts. His 1.18 WHIP was also among the major-league's best as well.

Right behind him was Edwin Jackson, who put together a solid campaign, going 13-9, with a 3.62 ERA and 161 strikeouts. The 26-year-old basically picked up right where he left off in 2008 with Tampa Bay, when he went 14-10 for the eventual American League Champions. This year, though, he saw his ERA go down significantly from 4.42 in '08 to 3.62 this year.

The biggest surprise in the rotation had to be the performance of rookie Rick Porcello. Many people were somewhat surprised that the Tigers were placing him in the starting rotation right out of spring training, considering that he was only 20 years old. Many people feared that they were rushing him up to the big leagues, and that he might suffer as a result. However, Porcello and the Tigers proved everybody wrong, as he put together a spectacular rookie campaign, going 14-9, with a 3.96 ERA in 170.2 innings. In fact, the season he put together was good enough for him to earn the trust of manager Leyland, who let him start in the one-game playoff against the Twins. Even though Detroit would end up losing the game, Porcello put together an admirable performance, giving up only two runs in 5.2 innings, to go along with an impressive eight strikeouts to just two walks. The bright lights clearly did not faze the young man from Morristown, New Jersey, and it is that aspect about him that gives the Tigers, and their fans, a lot of excitement about him in 2010.

Detroit's bullpen was solid in 2009, but there can certainly be some room for improvement in 2010. Fernando Rodney had a pretty good season as a closer, going 37 for 38 in save opportunities this year. However, he had a hefty ERA of 4.40 in the closer's role, and he also had a conspicuously-high walk total of 41 in 75.2 innings pitched. Although he got the job done closing out games this year, he would often give Tigers fans and Jim Leyland a considerable amount of heartburn while he was closing them out. Brandon Lyon also did a solid job in the 'pen in '09, putting together a 2.86 ERA in 78.2 innings. Other than that, the bullpen only received a fair performance from Ryan Perry (3.79 ERA in 61.2 innings), along with a couple of mediocre performances from Bobby Seay (4.25 ERA in 48.2 innings) and Zach Miner (4.29 ERA in 92.1 innings). However, in Miner's defense, some of those numbers were put up in the midst of the five starts he made during the course of the season.

Compared to other teams in MLB, the Tigers' pitching stacked up pretty well. They finished 13th in ERA (4.29), 18th in runs allowed (745), and tied for 15th in "batting average against" (.263). The only negative aspect about this staff was their high walk total of 594, which was the eighth-highest in baseball. However, since their top three starters were in such great form throughout the season, I'll let it pass.
Final Grade: B

Wild Card: Rick Porcello
With Armando Galarraga falling back to earth after an impressive '08 campaign, Dontrelle Willis forgetting how to pitch altogether, and with and with Jeremy Bonderman battling injuries, Porcello's emergence could not have come at a better time for Detroit. His poise on the mound is something that is usually only seen out of veterans instead of 20-year-old rookies. Perhaps the presence of Justin Verlander was of big help to Porcello, since he essentially went through the same thing in 2006, albeit at a slightly older age of 23 at the time. Make no mistake about it though: having him come through for the team like this is much, much bigger than what it seems to be on paper.
Final Grade: A-

Overall:
While this team is not on the level of the Yankees, Red Sox, or Angels, they are still a pretty good team. They are also very fortunate that they play in baseball's weakest division, the AL Central. The only problem that bit the Tigers in '09 was their inability to "finish."
Final Grade: B+

Check back tomorrow for the report card on the Atlanta Braves!