OT- Baseball is back!

Submitted by WMUgoblue on

If you're a seam-head like myself then today marks the beginning of spring as pitchers and catchers report today in Lakeland. 

I'd like to hear some predictions not only for the Tigers but for the rest of the league as well. I'm gonna put the Tigers at 90-72 and getting a WC birth, as KC takes the division.

2016 World Series: San Francisco GIants (it's an even numbered year) vs the KC Royals in a rematch of the '14 series.

 

Hotel Putingrad

February 18th, 2016 at 12:55 PM ^

Since spring training is cause for unbridled optimism, I predict 1000 ABs from Miggy and V-Mart, allowing us to win the division with a 94-68 mark. Come October, we shall triumph over a surprisingly pesky Diamondbacks squad in 7-game Fall Classic for the ages.

Jack Hammer

February 18th, 2016 at 1:26 PM ^

I love where your head (and heart) are at.  A few additional predictions:

AL-

East:  Toronto

Central:  (aforementioned) Tigers

West:  Houston

WC:  Seattle and Red Sox

ALCS:  Tigers over Houston

NL-

East:  Marlins

Central:  Cubs

West:  AZ

WC:  Mets and Cards

NLCS:  AZ over Cubs (sorry Chicago)

AL MVP:  George Springer

NL MVP:  Bryant

AL ROY:  Byron Buxton

NL ROY:  Seager

AL CY:  Taijuan Walker

NL CY:  Strausberg

Jack Hammer

February 18th, 2016 at 2:12 PM ^

I still think their offense is average.  Abreau is legit.  Frazier is lifetime .257 hitter with one season over 30 HRs and never has reached 90 RBI.  Eaton is solid.   Navarro is not really a difference-maker.  Adam Laroche is a 36 year old slated DH coming off a .205 year with 12HRs.  

I just don't see the ChiSox winning more than 82 games.

BuckNekked

February 18th, 2016 at 1:02 PM ^

If they played the game on paper I think Detroit has the best team in the division. Since they dont they have big questions regarding the health of some pretty important pieces in Sanchez, Miggy and Victor. If those guys stay healthy and Verlander has a good year, which I think he will, and Zimmerman gives us a #2s innings and quality this team can win it all. And the bullpen has to be at least league average, right? These are some huge question marks. Too big to make them a favorite but definately not a team Id want to meet in the playoffs or WS.

Hotel Putingrad

February 18th, 2016 at 1:05 PM ^

subscriptions are discounted this year because of the class action suit, so you can get a full year of full coverage to every team for $109.99 or just your favorite team for only $84.99 (which I did so I can see every Tigers game even tough I'm living in Twins territory). Good deal for die-hard baseball fans!

Sleepy

February 18th, 2016 at 1:11 PM ^

We are now offering a Single Team Package for the yearly price of $84.99. Subscribers to this package can watch local telecasts of a selected single team’s out-of-market regular season games LIVE in full HD. Note: this product will not allow you to view live games of any in-market team. 

 

You'll get blacked-out when they play the Twins.

Steves_Wolverines

February 18th, 2016 at 1:06 PM ^

March 10-12

4 Games @ Hawaii

I'll be there in my Maize and Blue for all 4 games!

Go Blue and Go Tigers!

Is it odd to already start thinking what trade deadline moves we'll make to try and make a 2nd half rally to win the division over KC?

WMUgoblue

February 18th, 2016 at 1:13 PM ^

Did you pay attention during the winter meetings? The Tigers traded for K-Rod, and Justin Wilson, and signed Mark Lowe and just inked Bobby Parnell to a minor leauge deal today. The bullpen was the first area Avila went after and he did a nice job to get some assets to an area that sorely lacked any.

Sleepy

February 18th, 2016 at 1:40 PM ^

...your grandfather's Cubs.  Or your father's Cubs.  Hell, depending on how old you are, these aren't even your Cubs.

What's the biggest mistake Epstein & Co. have made since taking over after the 2011 season?  Giving a couple bucks to Edwin Jackson?

I know nothing in sports is ever certain, but the Cubs are gonna be a juggernaut for the rest of the decade.  It's happening.

Wolverine In Iowa 68

February 18th, 2016 at 1:20 PM ^

When I was a kid, I loved baseball.  Some of my favorite memories were going to Tiger Stadium with my uncle and brother (he didn't have any boys then, so he took us as his surrogate sons).

It all changed in 1988.  The 88-89 squad was bad.  They had just gotten beat....not just beat, but embarassed...by the Toledo Mudhens.

The next day, Sparky Anderson went on TV.  Instead of being honest and saying  something along the lines of "we have a lot of work to do", he proclaimed that the squad was as good as (if not better than) the 84 Dream Team.

I swore off pro baseball then and there, and haven't been able to get back on the bandwagon since...

Jack Hammer

February 18th, 2016 at 5:01 PM ^

That was almost 30 years ago.  Give it another whirl.  With PEDs nearly gone the game is back to mostly normal looking people playing a better brand of baseball (in my opinion).

 

Sparky also said that Gibby was the next Micky Mantle and that Chris Pittaro was going to be an All Star.

 

Personally I loved when Sparky would say fantastical things.  I found it entertaining.

theytookourjobs

February 18th, 2016 at 1:49 PM ^

Should be a very interesting year in Detroit.  Not too stoked to have Ausmus on the bench, and who knows what we're going to get out of VMart and Verlander.  However, with Miggy and J.D. you always have a chance.  Excited to see what James McCann can do and if Castellanos can break through this year.  Wish they could have brought Cespedas back but no the end of the world.  Whether or not they make the post season this year is still gonna come down to the bullpen though.  LET'S GO TIGERS!

LSAClassOf2000

February 18th, 2016 at 2:12 PM ^

Season projections are little more than an exercise based on some evaluation of recent existing data at this point, but the FanGraphs AL Central projection is here - LINK

As you might expect, a projection of 162 game yet to be played puts the Tigers at 0.500, but part of me wants to believe that adding some better arms to the bullpen (or if you want to be dramatic, actually realizing we needed a bullpen) will help get 5-10 games more than that, if not more in the win column alone, all the other things that can happen in a game aside for a second. 

Formerly Yoda

February 18th, 2016 at 3:00 PM ^

i feel bad for non-baseball fans. nothing better to bridge hoops to football.

if everything clicks, the tigers will be in it til the end. big if, tho.

theytookourjobs

February 18th, 2016 at 3:28 PM ^

What scares me is that IMO there's a pretty solid chance that Brad Ausmus is not a good manager.  Also, they need some big contributions from some guys who aren't getting any younger.  Plus they've got some big pieces (VMart, Miggy, Iglesias) who are injury prone.  Also, Verlander can't wait until August to start pitching well.

rob f

February 18th, 2016 at 4:39 PM ^

However, Brad Ausmus is still there to screw up about a half-dozen otherwise winnable games, so my way too early prediction is 95-67, a game behind the Royals. Good enough for the wildcard play-in game, where about can happen.

Damn Ausmus!