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Detroit Tigers
Team Page | Roster | Spring Training Schedule | Regular Season Schedule
On this page: Arrivals | Departures | Spring Cleaning | Team Breakdown | Prospects | Predictions

Getting' Higgy with it: Bobby Higginson improved his batting average by 61 points last year. Allsport/Scott Halleran

By Marc Lancaster, CNNSI.com

When the Detroit Tigers have had a contending team in the past 30 years or so, they've followed a certain formula.

Look at the Tigers' past two world champions, in 1968 and '84:

The '68 Tigers got phenomenal seasons from Denny McLain and Mickey Lolich, but the lone Hall of Famer on the roster was Al Kaline, who played in only 102 games because of injury. Mickey Stanley, Norm Cash and Willie Horton were more important in the final equation.

The wire-to-wire '84 champs were led by the likes of Jack Morris, Kirk Gibson, Lance Parrish, Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell -- solid players all, but not a true superstar in the bunch.

So perhaps the Tigers were messing with a bit of Motor City karma last season, when they leveraged a good chunk of their future by trading the likes of Gabe Kapler and Francisco Cordero to the Rangers for Juan Gonzalez. It was as much a public-relations move as anything, a bold stroke to add a marketable star to the already considerable appeal of a sparkling new downtown stadium, Comerica Park, thus signaling the Tigers' intentions to contend once again.

After all that, a 79-83 finish wasn't quite what GM Randy Smith and first-year manager Phil Garner had in mind, even if it was an improvement from 1999's toothless 69-92 campaign. The Gonzalez fiasco only served to alienate fans that the Tigers don't exactly have in surplus, and the team exited the season with something of an identity crisis ... again.

Top Guns Tigers 2000 team leaders Avg.  Deivi Cruz  .302  HR  Bobby Higginson  30  RBIs  Higginson/Palmer  102  SB  Juan Encarnacion  16  Wins  Brian Moehler  12  ERA  Jeff Weaver  4.32  Ks  Hideo Nomo  181  Saves  Todd Jones  42    Go Figure 15 Number of times the Tigers were shut out in 2000. No other team reached double digits in that category.

That means 2001 is a do-over year in Detroit. It's back to relatively anonymous blue-collar guys in an attempt to make the team more of a focus than any one player.

The Tigers have tweaked their roster to better fit the airy dimensions of Comerica Park, where they hit 35 fewer homers last year than they did in the final season at Tiger Stadium but were 14 points better in batting average (.275 to .261).

In an annual Hot Stove League tradition, the Tigers worked a deal with Houston, this time bringing in Roger Cedeno to take over right field and fill the leadoff spot -- a major liability in 2000. His presence at the top of the order should ease the pressure on fellow outfielders Juan Encarnacion and Bobby Higginson to do it all, as was sometimes the case last season.

Also coming over from the Astros were right-hander Chris Holt, who will take the departed Hideo Nomo's spot in the rotation, and young catcher Mitch Meluskey, who steps in for Brad Ausmus.

The key losses in that deal, though, were bullpen stalwarts Doug Brocail and Nelson Cruz. Brocail's steadying presence as the primary setup man was a big reason the Tigers were able to cut their ERA from 5.17 in 1999 to 4.73 last year -- not to mention Todd Jones' ability to pick up his club-record 42 saves. Cruz led the team with a 3.00 ERA and had a 5-2 record in 28 appearances.

At least initially, Detroit will lean on 24-year-old fireballer Matt Anderson to replace Brocail. If he can hold his own and Jones comes close to duplicating his 2000 output, the bullpen seems set.

The Tigers still need to decide on a fifth starter, but they expect improvement from Jeff Weaver and Brian Moehler. If Holt's adjustment to pitcher-friendly Comerica goes as smoothly as club officials anticipate, Detroit should have three manageable arms at the top of the rotation.

Offensively, Detroit has some weapons to work with beyond its outfielders. Dean Palmer can be relied upon for power, a healthy Tony Clark (if he isn't traded) is still dangerous and Meluskey's bat will be a step up from Ausmus. The Tigers probably can't expect Deivi Cruz to repeat his .300 average and 82 RBIs from a year ago, but it would be nice if he could pick up the paltry .318 on-base percentage. Getting production out of the designated hitter-by-committee, led by Billy McMillon, will be a major concern.

Arrivals
Pos.	Player	From	Via
OF	Roger Cedeno	Astros	Trade
RHP	Chris Holt	Astros	Trade
C	Mitch Meluskey	Astros	Trade
LHP	Matt Perisho	Rangers	Trade
C	Scott Servais	Rockies	Free Agency

Departures
Pos.	Player	To	Via
C	Brad Ausmus	Astros	Trade
OF	Rich Becker	Marlins	Free Agency
RHP	Willie Blair	Indians	Free Agency
RHP	Doug Brocail	Astros	Trade
RHP	Nelson Cruz	Astros	Trade
RF	Juan Gonzalez	Indians	Free Agency
INF	Gregg Jefferies	None	Retired
RHP	Hideo Nomo	Red Sox	Free Agency

Spring Cleaning

Tony Clark Trade rumors will swirl around Clark throughout the spring, and the Tigers will have to decide quickly whether they want to commit another year to their oft-injured first baseman. A great athlete, Clark still has tons of potential, but the Tigers can't afford to wait much longer for him to get it together. The only major hole that needs to be filled during spring training is the fifth spot in the rotation. Knuckleballer Steve Sparks is the incumbent after starting 15 games (7-5, 4.07) a year ago. But he will be challenged by Adam Bernero, a late call-up in 2000, and perhaps lefty Matt Perisho, who came over in a trade after a nightmarish year (2-7, 7.37) with the Rangers. Detroit's most important work this spring probably will be done in the team's offices at Joker Marchant Stadium, rather than on the practice fields. Higginson will be a free agent after this year, and has said he won't negotiate during the season. As the player who not only led the team in every major offensive category last year, but also is the embodiment of that old-school, gritty Detroit style, the Tigers simply have to eliminate this potential distraction before it spills over into the season.

Team Breakdown
Projected Lineup		Projected Rotation
RF	Roger Cedeno	RHP	Jeff Weaver
2B	Damion Easley	RHP	Brian Moehler
LF	Bobby Higginson	RHP	Chris Holt
1B	Tony Clark	RHP	Dave Mlicki
3B	Dean Palmer	RHPs	Steve Sparks/Adam Bernero
C	Mitch Meluskey	Bullpen
CF	Juan Encarnacion	LHP	Todd Jones (closer)
DH	Billy McMillon	RHP	Matt Anderson
SS	Deivi Cruz	LHP	C.J. Nitkowski
Key Reserves		RHP	Dave Borkowski
C/1B	Robert Fick	RHP	Danny Patterson
INF	Shane Halter	LHP	Matt Perisho
INF	Jose Macias	LHP	Sean Runyan

Prospects to Watch
SS Ramon Santiago -- Santiago, who won't turn 20 until August, is on the fast track. As is usually the case, his defense is ahead of his offense at this point, but the switch-hitter still managed to hit .272 and steal 39 bases at Class A West Michigan last year before suffering a shoulder injury. 1B Eric Munson -- The Tigers' first-round pick in '99 out of USC, Munson has had some injury problems but still projects as the first baseman of the future. He hit .252 with 15 HR and 68 RBI last year in Class AA Jacksonville, but he had more strikeouts (96) than hits (92). He's still trying to find his way defensively after playing catcher in college. C Brandon Inge -- A converted shortstop, Inge is relatively tiny (5-11, 185) for a catcher, but has a good arm and moves well. He hit only .239 last year between Jacksonville and AAA Toledo, and he will probably be back in Toledo most of this season, with Meluskey and Servais in Detroit. RHP Shane Loux -- Loux had a great 2000 season in Jacksonville, going 12-9 with a 3.82 ERA and striking out 130 in 158 innings. He should be in Toledo, but if he performs well into the summer and the Tigers need some help, he might be the guy making the short drive up I-75 to Detroit. RHP Nate Cornejo -- Cornejo is a big guy at 6-foot-5, but isn't overpowering. He's only 21 years old and will probably be in Jacksonville this season after spending half of 2000 there and half in Class A Lakeland. His combined record was 10-12 overall, but he allowed three earned runs or less in 11 of his 12 starts in Lakeland.
Best-Case Scenario
Weaver and Moehler win at least 15 games each, giving the team a one-two punch that will pay dividends this season and down the road. Anderson harnesses his considerable potential, giving the Tigers a poor man's version of the old Rivera-to-Wetteland setup/closer tandem in New York. Higginson, already signed for the next four or five seasons, goes out and has a contract year anyway, hitting around .310 and topping 100 in runs and RBIs again. Encarnacion gets all five of his tools going at once and emerges as the team's franchise player for the next decade. Easley and Cruz combine for Whitaker and Trammell-type numbers in solidifying the middle of the infield. Clark stuns everyone by playing 150 games and hitting .290 with 30 homers, keeping the team in the wild-card race through mid-September.
Worst-Case Scenario
Perplexed by his Little Caesars pizza chain's troubles competing with the new Cinnastix at archrival Domino's, Tigers owner Mike Ilitch refuses to commit the necessary cash to lock up Higginson, thus starting a sort of downward spiral in the team's confidence. Clark goes belly-up again, leaving the Tigers with another punchless four-way platoon at first base. Cedeno and Encarnacion also suffer nagging injuries, making McMillon and Wendell Magee nearly everyday players in the outfield. Anderson goes Nuke LaLoosh, but there isn't an acceptable Susan Sarandon around to chip in with garters. The Tigers' bullpen implodes, leading to burnout in an unseasoned starting staff that can't afford the extra innings. Following another 90-loss season, Ilitch decides to make one last gasp at saving his franchise with a high-profile acquisition, trading six top prospects for Darryl Strawberry.
Bottom Line
The Tigers have too many ifs. But if the rotation continues to improve, if the bullpen holds steady and if the majority of the lineup plays to its potential, the Tigers could do some damage. The only problem is, they'll have to do it under the thumb of the White Sox, Indians and Royals, which won't make it easy to move up in the AL Central pecking order. Look for improvement, but another third- or fourth-place finish.

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