Detroit Tigers 2010 preview
Article By rfagan.tsn on 2nd March, 2010
The Tigers held a seven-game lead in the AL Central on Sept. 6 last season, but they went 11-16 down the stretch and lost a one-game playoff for the division title in Minnesota. Detroit entered spring training with the goal of erasing that memory, and the additions of several impact-type players -- Johnny Damon, Max Scherzer, Scott Sizemore and Austin Jackson -- should help the team do just that.
Three questions
Johnny Damon provides some answers, but also lots of questions, for the Tigers. 1. How does Damon change things?
Damon provides a leadoff alternative for manager Jim Leyland, who will give Jackson, the rookie center fielder, an opportunity to win that job this spring. However, Jackson never has played in a major league game, let alone while hitting in the pressure-packed leadoff spot. Damon isn't the spry leadoff man he once was. He still delivers a good on-base percentage, but he is more of an opportunistic basestealer now. Remember, the Yankees moved him to the No. 2 hole last season in favor of Derek Jeter.
Also up for debate: Damon's projected productivity at Comerica Park. Last season, Damon hit 17 homers with a .915 OPS at hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium and seven homers with a .795 OPS on the road. It might be a stretch to expect more than 15 homers, 10 stolen bases and a .275 average now that he is out of Yankees Stadium -- and out of that powerful Yankees lineup.
2. Can they get/stay healthy this season?
There is no shortage of health-related questions early this spring. Is Scott Sizemore, the rookie replacement for Placido Polanco at second base, 100 percent after breaking his ankle in the Arizona Fall League? When will third baseman Brandon Inge, who hit 27 homers last season, be fully recovered from offseason surgeries on both knees? Will Carlos Guillen, who has played in just 194 of Detroit's 325 games the past two seasons, be able to stay in the lineup now that he is a DH? Will Magglio...
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Three questions
Johnny Damon provides some answers, but also lots of questions, for the Tigers. 1. How does Damon change things?
Damon provides a leadoff alternative for manager Jim Leyland, who will give Jackson, the rookie center fielder, an opportunity to win that job this spring. However, Jackson never has played in a major league game, let alone while hitting in the pressure-packed leadoff spot. Damon isn't the spry leadoff man he once was. He still delivers a good on-base percentage, but he is more of an opportunistic basestealer now. Remember, the Yankees moved him to the No. 2 hole last season in favor of Derek Jeter.
Also up for debate: Damon's projected productivity at Comerica Park. Last season, Damon hit 17 homers with a .915 OPS at hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium and seven homers with a .795 OPS on the road. It might be a stretch to expect more than 15 homers, 10 stolen bases and a .275 average now that he is out of Yankees Stadium -- and out of that powerful Yankees lineup.
2. Can they get/stay healthy this season?
There is no shortage of health-related questions early this spring. Is Scott Sizemore, the rookie replacement for Placido Polanco at second base, 100 percent after breaking his ankle in the Arizona Fall League? When will third baseman Brandon Inge, who hit 27 homers last season, be fully recovered from offseason surgeries on both knees? Will Carlos Guillen, who has played in just 194 of Detroit's 325 games the past two seasons, be able to stay in the lineup now that he is a DH? Will Magglio...
Read Complete Article at Latest Sporting News Articles for MLB
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