Fourth Strike Studs and Duds of the Month

I have done away with the Power Rankings at least for now as it took more time than I wanted to spend debating who is better between the Rockies and the Astros. I still would like to name my studs and duds of the month of May.

Stud Hitter of the Month: C Joe Mauer, MIN
Stats: .414 11 HR 32 RBI .500 OBP
Honorable Mention: Mark Teixiera NYY, Justin Morneau MIN, Carl Crawford TB

Stud Pitcher of the Month: Zack Grienke, KC
Stats: 3-1 46 IP 1.57 ERA 44 K 3 CG
Honorable Mention: Justin Verlander DET, CC Sabathia NYY, Roy Halladay TOR

Dud Hitter of the Month: OF Jordan Schafer, ATL
Stats: .158 0 HR 5 RBI 40 SO in 101 AB
Dishonorable Mention: Garrett Atkins COL, Chris B. Young ARI, Mike Fontenot CHC

Dud Pitcher of the Month: Daniel Cabrera, WAS
Stats: 3 Starts 15.2 IP 8.04 ERA 7 K 18 BB 22 HA
Dishonorable Mention: Scott Kazmir TB, Ervin Santana LAA, Armando Galarraga DET

Are These Teams for Real?

As we draw a close to the second month of the baseball season, there are teams that are surprising the prognosticators who did not believe in them. I am going to look at these teams to see whether they have staying power or whether they will fade into the background.

Detroit Tigers
Record: 28-21 (1st in AL Central)
Expectations: Most had them finishing 3rd or 4th in the division and behind the Indians and Twins.
What Has Worked: Justin Verlander has been reminded that he has the stuff of a God. Edwin Jackson built off last year with the Rays and is putting up All-Star numbers. Rick Porcello has justified the Tigers who some thought were rushing the 20-year old stud. They also have a guy named Miguel Cabrera who is hitting like Miguel Cabrera going .355-10-37.
Future: The actually have room to improve. They are getting Jeremy Bonderman back soon and I would be willing to bet Magglio Ordonez is going to break out at some point and hit for power. This team was punished for last year's disappointment and not given enough credit for what they do have. It also helps that the AL Central is not really competitive at this point. Until a second team in the Central shows up they have to be the favorites to continue and win the division.

Texas Rangers
Record: 30-20 (1st in AL West)
Expectations: 2nd or 3rd in division and a distant one from the Angels.
What has Worked: The Angels have been struggling with injuries and tragedies and they have taken advantage. They have a ridiculous lineup with Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz leading the way. The biggest surprise is the pitching staff. They have never been able to get pitching in Texas. While it is not gangbusters the staff has allowed the 5th least runs in the AL.
Future: They do have some room for improvement with Josh Hamilton struggling to stay healthy but not much room as Nelson Cruz is a career .263 hitter hitting .299 and I still don't believe in a pitching rotation of Kevin Millwood, Brandon McCarthy, Matt Harrison and Scott Feldman. The Angels are getting healthy and are playing better. They may make it to the All-Star break but unless the Angels don't get it together they just don't have the pitching to keep it up.

Milwaukee Brewers
Record: 30-20 (1st in NL Central)
Expectations: 3rd in NL Central
What Has Worked: Yovanni Gallardo is an All-Star pitcher and has stayed healthy. The lineup has not missed a beat with Braun, Fielder, Cameron and Hardy. Most importantly though 41 year old Trevor Hoffman has yet to give up a run this season throwing 14 scoreless innings with 12 saves.
Future: This team was supposed to be left for dead with the departure of Ben Sheets and C.C. Sabathia. Problem no one told the Brewers. They finally have found a closer they haven't had since Coco Codero. The biggest thing is they look poised to again use their deep farm system to make an acquisition. Fans want them to make a run at Peavy but with Rickie Weeks out for the year they may address second base. At this point I still believe more in the talent of the Cubs and the Cardinals. It should be a three team race all summer long and if they make a move before the deadline they could easily win the division.

#17 Detroit Tigers

Detroit Tigers
Last Year: 74-88 Last in AL Central
This Year: 4th in AL Central




The Tigers went into 2008 with great expectations. There was talk of scoring 1000 runs and cruising to an World Series title. I for one was swept up in the hype. Then they had to start without sparkplug Granderson, Miguel Cabrera got off to a slow start, Sheffield and Pudge aged very quickly, Willis devolved into a AA pitcher, and Verlander and Bonderman were a disappointment. They got off to a brutal start and it all unraveled from there. While no one is predicting a World Series for the Tigers, there are a lot of people who were burned last year that are underrating this current edition.

Opening Day Lineup w/Projections
CF Curtis Granderson .284 24 HR 65 RBI 23 SB
2B Placido Polanco .298 6 HR 55 RBI
RF Magglio Ordonez .312 18 HR 94 RBI
1B Miguel Cabrera .313 36 HR 131 RBI
LF Carlos Guillen .283 12 HR 83 RBI
DH Gary Sheffield .237 15 HR 55 RBI
C Gerald Laird .259 6 HR 40 RBI
3B Brandon Inge .215 14 HR 54 RBI
SS Adam Everett .215 2 HR 26 RBI

Rotation
RHP Justin Verlander 13-13 3.79 ERA 174 K
RHP Armando Galarraga 14-9 3.43 ERA 139 K
RHP Jeremy Bonderman 11-13 4.14 ERA 187 K
RHP Edwin Jackson 9-12 4.73 ERA 118 K
LHP Nate Robertson 7-13 5.13 ERA 123 K

CP RHP Brandon Lyon 4.46 ERA 28 SV 49 K

Best Case Scenario: Verlander and Bonderman stay healthy and become All-Star aces. Cabrera wins the MVP and competes for the Triple Crown. Granderson burns holes in the basepaths all year. Lyon and Zumaya hold up the back-end of the bullpen. Sheffield, Ordonez, and Guillen stave off old age and retirement for one more year. The team finishes with around 90 wins and 2nd in Central.

Worst Case Scenario: Verlander and Bonderman can't get the ERA under 4.00. Zumaya pitches 5-10 innings this year. Polanco, Guillen, Ordonez and Guillen become completely irrelevant and get released. This team unloads parts for anyone who will take them. Cabrera and Granderson struggle. This team once again battles Kansas City for 4th place in the division.

Player Most Important to Success: Magglio Ordonez. This lineup is old with the exception of Cabrera and Granderson. Guillen is 33, Polanco is 33, Sheffield is 40, Everett is 32 and even Inge is 31. Out of all of them Ordonez is the one who can still contribute the most. He is 35 but still is a solid hitter. He went .317-21-103 last year. If he can equal that production it would greatly help the lineup. Not only would he be able to produce runs it will protect Miguel Cabrera and not let them just pitch around him.

Outlook: Any team with Adam Everett placed on the opening day lineup has issues. This team is full of players in the twilight of their career. However, they also have a few players in the prime of their career. Much was made of Miguel Cabrera's huge contract and early struggles but it went unnoticed that he ended up .292-37-127. He is a huge talent and is still only 26. Granderson is 28, Galarraga is 27, and Jackson is 25. Also despite seeming to be around for ever Verlander and Bonderman are only 26. This team still has young and big talent, the problem is that is not surrounded by a likewise supporting cast. This team can still score runs and has pitchers with ability but they have too many issues that were not addressed during the offseason and if they get off to another slow start I would look for a fire sale to happen.