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Detroit Tigers
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| Projected Lineup |
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| CF |
Gene Kingsale |
| 2B |
Damion Easley |
| RF |
Bobby Higginson |
| 1B |
Carlos Pena |
| LF |
Dmitri Young |
| 3B |
Dean Palmer |
| DH |
Eric Munson |
| SS |
Omar Infante |
| C |
Brandon Inge |
| Projected Rotation |
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| RHP |
Steve Sparks |
| LHP |
Andy Van Hekken |
| LHP |
Mike Maroth |
| RHP |
Nate Cornejo |
| RHP |
Gary Knotts |
| CL |
Matt Anderson |
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By John Donovan, SI.com
With some teams, you know. You just know.
Still, Alan Trammell is trying to prove you wrong. The longtime Detroit icon is out to show people that these Tigers aren't what you think of them.
You know. Losers.
There's a lot to prove in Motown this year, and not much to prove it with. There is a dearth of talent on this team. Trammell, in fact, may be the most exciting name on the roster -- and he's the manager. The most thrilling thing you may see him do is make a trip to the mound.
Count on him doing that a lot.
The Tigers, who haven't had a winning season since 1993, lost 106 games last year, no better than the (gulp!) Devil Rays. Not one of those losses was by accident. The Tigers scored the fewest runs in the American League and had the second-worst batting average (.248). They hit only 124 homers, worst in the majors. They showed an appalling lack of discipline at the plate, walking a baseball-low 363 times.
But, hey, back to those trips to the mound. No staff in baseball gave up more hits or struck out fewer opponents than the Tigers did last year. Detroit opponents hit .285, the highest in the majors. The Tigers had the biggest differential between runs scored and runs given up in baseball. Their best pitcher last year, the guy who's liable to be the Opening Day pitcher of '03, was 8-16.
There are some changes in Detroit. After suffering with the original dimensions of spacious Comerica Park since its opening in 2000, the Tigers decided to move the fences in. That may help those power numbers for the Tigers hitters, but it can't be good news to the pitchers.
So it's up to Trammell, the ex-Tigers shortstop who spent 20 years with the team, to prove us wrong. It's up to him to pull together a rotation, put some fire in the few good players the Tigers have, find some hitting and win a few games.
It's possible. But, sometimes, you just know it's not going to happen.
Trammell never has managed a game at any level, so spring training in Lakeland, Fla., will be get-acquainted time. Like the Tigers have that kind of time.
Once he lays down the ground rules, Trammell has to cobble together a staff that probably will be led by 37-year-old knuckleballer Steve Sparks, 8-16 in 2002 with a 5.52 ERA. That's as good as it gets. After that, it's a wide-open competition. Anyone want to pitch?
Another decision-spot in spring training will be center field, where Gene Kingsale (who came over in a trade with the Padres) will fight with Hiram Bocachica, George Lombard and Andres Torres for a starting spot.
Bobby Higginson, now that All-Star free agent Robert Fick signed with the Braves, is one of the few recognizable names on the roster. But it's more because of a lack of names than what Higginson actually has done. With Juan Gonzalez in the lineup in 2000, Higginson hit .300 with 30 homers and 102 RBIs. Last year, playing in only 119 games, he hit .282 with 10 homers and 63 RBIs. His attitude has been terrible, too, probably not surprisingly. Trammell needs guys like Higginson to lead by both word and example. When the losing starts again, we'll see if the Tigers can count on Higginson.
With a team this young, there are plenty of rookies who could stick out. But instead of shortstop Omar Infante or reliever Franklyn German, we'll go with a late-season callup last season who is darned near assured of a spot in that shaky Detroit rotation. We're talking about Andy Van Hekken, a 6-foot-3 lefty who went 1-3 with a 3.00 ERA in five starts in '02. Like all rooks, his durability is in question. But his debut last season, when he scattered eight hits in a complete-game shutout of Cleveland, bodes well.
Arrivals: LHP Steve Avery (free agent), C Bill Haselman (free agent from Texas), OF Gene Kingsale (trade from San Diego), RHP Gary Knotts (trade from Florida).
Departures: RHP Juan Acevedo (free agent signed with New York Yankees), 1B-C Robert Fick (free agent signed by Atlanta), INF Damian Jackson (free agent signed by Boston), LHP Mark Redman (trade to Florida), C Michael Rivera (trade to San Diego), 1B Randall Simon (trade to Pittsburgh), 3B Chris Truby (free agent signed by Tampa Bay), RHP Jose Paniagua (free agent signed with Tampa Bay), OF Wendell Magee (free agent signed with Cleveland).
It's simple. With Van Hekken, lefty Mike Maroth (in his second year) and righties Nate Cornejo and Gary Knotts, the Tigers have a painfully young rotation. Sparks adds a little experience, but that's about it. Offensively, maybe first baseman Carlos Pena comes around, maybe he doesn't. Maybe Dean Palmer is healthy. Maybe Higginson gets better. With the Tigers, all those maybes would have to turn to absolutes just to get this team close to mediocrity. Forget the maybes. It's probably not going to happen.
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