Tyger, Tyger, Burning Bright

I don't know why I get excited about this stuff, but I do...

When all of the baseball trade talk has been about Johan Santana lately, the Detroit Tigers and Florida Marlins made a big move that was under the rumor-radar until the trade was announced. The Marlins, a small-market team that was unable to get public funding for a new baseball stadium, unloaded their two biggest contracts, those of Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, to Detroit in exchange for six prospects.

While Detroit will not have the best pitching staff in the American League, or even within it's own division for that matter, they should still have a potential top-5 unit. They still have Justin Verlander as their ace, with Jeremy Bonderman, Kenny Rodgers, and now Dontrelle Willis as starters. As long as they can keep their ERAs under 4.5 or 5.0, they should still be picking up a lot of wins. Listen to this potential line-up.

1. Curtis Granderson (CF): .302 Batting/.361 On-base, 26HRs, 74 RBI, 26 SBs, 23 Triples!
2. Pacido Polanco (2B): .341 Batting/.388 On-base, 9 HRs, 67 RBI
3. Magglio Ordonez (RF): .363 Batting/.434 On-base, 28 HRs, 139 RBI
4. Miguel Cabrera (3B): .320 Batting/.401 On-base, 34 HRs, 119 RBI
5. Gary Sheffield (DH): .265 Batting/.378 On-base, 25 HRs, 75 RBI, 22 SBs
6. Carlos Guillen (SS): .296 Batting/.357 On base, 21 HRs, 102 RBI, 13 SBs
7. Edgar Renteria (1B?): .332 Batting/.390 On-base, 12 HRs, 57 RBI, 11 SBs
8. Ivan Rodriguez (C): .281 Batting/.294 On-base, 11 HRs, 63 RBI
9. Jacque Jones (LF): .285 Batting/.335 On-base, 5 HRs, 66 RBI

That is a very impressive line-up. Now, there will be some number drop-offs in RBI totals for some players as they get switched around and because Cabrera's came on a different team, but keep in mind that Sheffield played a fair amount of last year while injured.

The line-up includes 8 players with an on-base average above .335! It includes eight players hitting above .280, five players above .300, and four players above .320!!! Again, Sheffield was injured last year and hit .265, but is a career .296 hitter and has numerous seasons over .300. If he is healthy all year, he could see an increase in numbers across the board. In addition, he'd be a great No. 5 hitter because he has the power to knock in runs, but has great patience as a hitter. Notice his on-base average over 100 points better than his batting average, meaning he draws a lot of walks. If Sheffield walks, you still have Carlos Guillen behind him and Ivan Rodriguez behind him! Another note about Carlos Guillen. He hit .296 last year, but in the three previous years, he hit .318, .320, and .320. Ivan Rodriguez used to hit over .300 every year (career .303), but has oscillated between good years and average years recently. He hit under .300 in '03, '05, and '07, but over .300 in '02, '04, and '06. Next year is and even numbered year...

I suppose I should mention that Ordonez, Polanco, Granderson, and Rentaria all had career years, so their numbers may fall back to an extent, but there is no reason to believe that any will drop off substantially given their ages and where they are in their careers.

In addition to the skilled starters, there are some great substitute batsmen. Brandon Inge hit 14 HRs and had 71 RBI, Marcus Thames (OF) had 18 HRs and 54 RBI, Ryan Rayburn (IF) hit .304/.340, and even Dontrelle Willis hit .286/.348/+.500 slugging as a pitcher in the National League, and he's a lefty! Will Willis get called in as a designated hitter or as a lefty pinch-hitter?

If this team is well-coached and well-captained, this clubhouse could push the team into historic regions. Imagine an entire team hitting over .300! The do get to play the White Sox, Twins, and Royals a lot. Just think of all the times they get to bat against Boof Bonser!

Well, as I said, I get excited about these things. I really enjoy greatness in sports, at least recently. I never wanted to see the old Chicago Bulls win, I never liked Duke much, and I've never liked Tiger Woods. I do want to see the New England Patriots go undefeated, I don't mind the Red Sox although my favorite team is the New York Yankees, and I'm interested in seeing how the Tigers do next year.

Growing up in Iowa, I didn't have any local teams to cheer for, so in the case of baseball, I really grew up as a fan of the game, and not of any particular team. I have the same feeling about football now. There are some teams I like more than others, but I don't have a clear-cut favorite. So, I feel justified in following some teams more than others each year. Do I jump the bandwagon? Yeah, probably, but you know what Bill Simmons? I don't care, I grew up in Ames, Iowa.