The Tigers' slide cannot be blamed on Magglio Ordonez, who put up MVP-like numbers in 2007.

What Went Right?

Fresh off the heels of their Cinderella season in 2006, the Detroit Tigers had plenty to prove to the league in 2007. Were they a one-hit wonder or had they put together a core ready to compete year in and year out? A 14-11 April record assuaged any immediate fears that they wouldn’t contend and that was without Kenny Rogers. Only the New York Yankees bested the Tigers offensively in the American League and the Philadelphia Phillies were the only National League team above them in runs scored (887).

On-base percentage was an Achilles heel for the Tigers in 2006, but they went from 24th in 2006 to t-4th in 2007 (.345). The uptick was due in large part to the addition of Gary Sheffield (.378) as well as the marked improvement from Curtis Granderson (+26 points) and Placido Polanco (+59) at the top of the lineup. Sheffield missed 29 games or else he might have posted a 30-30 season at the age of 38!

I would be remiss if I did not delve deeper into the season of Granderson. He became the fourth player in major league history to post a quadruple-20. What is a Q-20 you ask? It is 20 or more doubles, triples, home runs and stolen bases. Oddly enough, one of the three others achieved the mark last season with Granderson. Recently crowned National League MVP, Jimmy Rollins, performed the incredible feat for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2007, as well. Granderson’s .913 OPS was good enough to rank eighth in the American League and his 2007 season helped him establish himself as one of the true stars of the league and the catalyst for the Tigers for years to come.

All of that, while impressive, pales in comparison to what went most right for the Tigers in 2007 and that was simply Magglio Ordonez. Ordonez hit .278 in July and that was the only month during the year that he hit less than .344. His OPS was, predictably, also lowest in July at .767, but never below 1.037 beyond that. His 28 home runs was his highest total as a Tiger and highest since his 29 in 2003 with the Chicago White Sox. Though heavily team dependent, he also notched a career-high in runs batted in with 139, which was somewhat surprising when you consider he crushed 38 home runs in 2002. He also racked up career-bests in runs (117), hits (216), doubles (54), walks (76), batting average (he won his first title with .363), on base percentage (.434), slugging percentage (.595) and thus subsequently OPS (1.029).

Placido Polanco put together a great season at the dish as the #2 hitter with his highest home run total (9) since 2004 and a career-best batting average at .341. However, it was his leather that earned him an award during this postseason. He played 141 games at second base and did not make an error. In fact, his final 40 games in 2006 were also errorless giving him a record-setting streak of 181 games. During the streak, he has successfully turned 888 chances into outs.

Justin Verlander once again led Tigers starting pitchers in earned run average despite a 0.03 jump to 3.66, including his first career no-hitter. Four relievers were excellent out of the bullpen and registered averages below Verlander’s 3.66. Yorman Bazardo (2.28 in 23.2 IP), Bobby Seay (2.33 in 46.1 IP), Zach Miner (3.02 in 53.2 IP) and Tim Byrdak (3.20 in 45 IP) were the unsung heroes of an otherwise inconsistent bullpen.

What Went Wrong?

Notice how small the passage about pitching was in the section about 2007 positives? It was not the league’s worst pitching staff, but it certainly was not what the Tigers got in 2006. They went from a league-best 3.84 team earned run average to an 18th ranked 4.57 in 2007. So what went wrong there? Primarily it was the lack of a consistent starting rotation. During the World Series season of 2006, four starters made 30+ starts and only four others even toed the rubber in a starting capacity. During last year’s 88-74 campaign, only two showed up regularly with 30+ starts and 10 others made at least one start.

The utter collapse of Jeremy Bonderman likely had a lot to do with the Tigers being on the outside looking in on the postseason. Though he had just three fewer wins, his earned run average rose nearly a run from 4.08 to 5.01. The Tigers were 18-16 in Bonderman’s starts in 2006, but just 13-15 in his 2007 starts. The Tigers missed the playoffs by eight games, so Bonderman’s precipitous drop no doubt played a large part.

Nate Robertson also dropped off from his 2006 production. His earned run average went from 3.84 to 4.76 in 2007. He was just 9-13, four wins from his 2006 total. So while somewhat simplistic, it is not a complete reach to first look at Bonderman and Robertson when wondering why the Tigers did not even have a chance to defend their American League crown.

The offense did not hit on all cylinders in 2007. Brandon Inge sliced his home run production almost in half from 27 to 14, while dropping his already shaky batting average from .253 to .236. Craig Monroe was absolutely brutal in 99 games before finally being let go by the team. It was sad to see him jettisoned from the team given how important he seemed to be in the clubhouse, but if I had to see him do that one-handed helicopter swing one more time, I was going to scream. He struck out 94 times in the 99 games and posted a .222/.264/.373 line before being picked up by the Chicago Cubs. (Note: Things didn’t go much better over there in 23 games)

The Moves They Made

The other deadweight dumped from the team came in the form of Mike Maroth. He went from bad in Detroit (5.06) to worse in St. Louis (10.66). Minor moves to bring in the likes of Jose Capellan and Macay McBride barely registered in the grand scheme of things for the Tigers in 2007. Most of the moves came from within the organization.

Mike Rabelo served as Ivan Rodriguez’ backup after Vance Wilson was lost for the season and did a solid if unspectacular job in 51 games. Omar Infante, Timo Perez, Ryan Raburn, and Ramon Santiago all performed remarkably well in the field and at the dish during their respective call ups. Four of Mike Hessman’s 12 hits were home runs as he displayed astounding power.

Prized prospect Cameron Maybin was called up for 24 games, but gained little more than some valuable experience in his 49 at-bats. He looked overmatched at the plate and made key base running mistakes, but at age 20, it is hard to come down hard on the youngster.

Andrew Miller, the blue-chip prospect for the Detroit Tigers, showed signs of excellence in his 13 starts, but struggled overall with a 5.63 earned run average in 64 innings of work. Jair Jurrjens pitched well enough down the stretch to attract the Atlanta Braves into an off-season trade that netted the Tigers Edgar Renteria (future articles here at SG will cover that move in greater detail).

The Moves They Did Not Make (But Should Have)

Though some may disagree, there were not any glaring moves that the Tigers should have made to ensure a trip back to the playoffs in 2007. Aforementioned horrible performances from Jeremy Bonderman and Nate Robertson along with injuries to Fernando Rodney, Kenny Rogers, Gary Sheffield, and Joel Zumaya were the downfall of this team. Mortgaging the future for an Eric Gagne or a Milton Bradley probably would not have made up an eight game difference that split them from the Cleveland Indians.

Where Now?

As mentioned, the Tigers have already made a splash in the 2007 offseason by acquiring Edgar Renteria from the Atlanta Braves to play shortstop as Carlos Guillen moves to first base. Meanwhile, Ivan Rodriguez has been retained for his services behind the dish in Motown for another season. Closer Todd Jones will be back as the closer after it was announced that Joel Zumaya will once again miss significant time with an injury. He will be out until midseason. Kenny Rogers will likely be brought back for the 2008 season as well.

The Tigers’ two best prospects saw time in 2007 and will likely see varying degrees of time in 2008 as well. Andrew Miller may secure a spot in the rotation entering the season, but Cameron Maybin likely won’t get back into the fray until at least midseason.

Rest assured that the Tigers will once again be a true contender in the American League as play begins in 2008. They will once again have a complete lineup that will strike fear into the hearts of all other rotations and their level of success throughout the season will depend on the rotation’s return to prominence and whether or not they can avoid any other catastrophic injuries after being dealt Zumaya’s before the calendar even turned to 2008.