The first half of the 2014 season for the Detroit Tigers was a roller coaster ride. There were significant winning AND losing streaks. They started the season off very dramatically with two walk-off wins in their first two games.
Never taking their foot off of the gas pedal, they raced out to an incredible record of 27-12. At this point in the season, most Tigers fans, including myself, were screaming World Series. They were #1 in almost all power ranking polls, had the best record in the majors, and looked invincible. However, immediately afterwards, they grew complacent and began a very ugly losing skid. In their next 29 games they would go 9-20, which put them at an extremely disappointing 36-32, which was good for 2nd place in the American League Central. This was the low point in the season so far, and what I believe to be the wake up call for this team. The past few years there has been little to no opposition to the Tigers for the division title, but seeing their names behind the Kansas City Royals in the standings got them back to contending form. After their losing skid the Tigers closed the first half out on a 17-6 stretch, including a dramatic sweep of the best team in the major leagues, the Oakland Athletics.
The entire first half of the Tigers' season can be seen in these three different periods. If not for that ugly losing streak in the middle of the season, the Tigers would be the undisputed best team in the major leagues. I believe that they still are, however that is more than disputed by the sports world. They finished the first half with the third best record in the AL and the majors, 53-38, behind the Oakland Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels. Maybe a more important note, they finished with a 6.5 game lead in the AL Central.
This lead in the division really gives the Tigers some wiggle room to sort out their bullpen situation. I believe that the Tigers are a few relievers away from being a truly complete team. During the first half of this season, we have seen MANY different relievers, most of whom were unknowns. The lone bright spot in the bullpen this year has been Joba Chamberlain who boasts the lowest ERA on the team at 2.63. The rest of the bullpen has been more than disappointing this year, specifically Joe Nathan. They paid the 39 year old veteran 9 million dollars to try and fill the closer spot this season, but as many Tigers fans know, no matter who tries to close for the Tigers, it usually doesn't end well. He has a 5.61 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP and 5 blown saves. However, many people have forgotten about Joel Hanrahan who has been on the DL all season long. He had a difficult season last year, however the two years prior he was dominant. When he is healthy, I expect him to give Joe Nathan a run for his money for the closing position. Once the closers position is settled, and the Tigers have found a solid 7th inning reliever to give the ball to Chamberlain, they will be serious World Series contenders.
The biggest disappointment of the first half of the season has been Justin Verlander. He is 8-8 with an ERA of 4.88. Now, that isn't exactly awful, it's just the fact that he is Justin Verlander. It's the fact that the Detroit Tigers pay him 20 million dollars a year to be one of the most dominant starters in the game of baseball, and quite frankly he hasn't even been close. His velocity on his fastball has been pathetically low, he is missing the corners consistently and leaving pitches out over the plate, and he has not been able to work his way out of jams like the vintage Justin Verlander that we all know and love. Jeff Jones is going to have to dedicate most of his attention to fixing him, because if Verlander is able to get back to his dominant self, this team is going to steam roll the American League.
The first half of this season has also seen some very good performances from quite a few players, much of the reason for the Tigers' success. The biggest contribution has been from Victor Martinez who is having the season of his life at 35 years old. He is hitting .328 and has 21 homeruns and 55 RBI. However, the biggest surprise of the season has been the other Martinez. J.D. Martinez was cut by the worst team in the league, the Houston Astros, during spring training. It doesn't get much worse than that. He was then picked up by the Tigers and hasn't looked back since. He became an everyday starter around the beginning of June, and since then has been the best hitter in the entire major leagues. He is hitting a ridiculous .346 and has 13 homeruns and 43 RBI. Other notables have been Rajai Davis, Ian Kinsler, Anibal Sanchez, Eugenio Suarez, and Rick Porcello. Suarez is not having as good of a year as some of those other players, however he has secured the shortstop position which was previously a huge problem for the Tigers and has adjusted to the major leagues in a very short amount of time. I left Cabrera and Scherzer out of that list because while they are both having good years, they are under performing to where they should be. However, Scherzer is turning it around, while Cabrera continues to struggle.
This year the Tigers had 4 All Stars. Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, Max Scherzer, and Ian Kinsler, who was Martinez's replacement for DH. Many people are talking about Rick Porcello being the biggest All Star snub (after Kinsler was picked for the replacement, he was previously the biggest snub), however I don't have a problem with him not being on the team. There's no doubt that he's having a great season with 12 wins and 2 consecutive shutouts, however he has been a bit inconsistent and has a relatively high ERA for an All Star at 3.39, however I do believe he has had a better season than Scherzer who was a questionable choice at best. I believe that the biggest All Star snub on the Tigers was not Rick Porcello, but J.D. Martinez. As I previously said, he has been the best hitter in all of baseball for almost two months. I understand that there is a precedent for people that have not played a majority of the first half to not be considered for an All Star selection, however I thought that this year was truly the year to change that. It isn't like he struggled at the beginning of the year and is just now coming on. He has been extremely consistent in his limited chances, and deserves it a lot more than some of the players that did make the team. The All Star Game is supposed to be about showcasing the best talent that the MLB has to offer, and I believe that Martinez has become one of the best hitters in the game of baseball this year.
Overall, the Tigers first half was a big success. There will always be bumps in the road, that's just the game of baseball. If they can fix their bullpen issues and get Verlander sorted out, then I truly believe that they have a legitimate shot to win the World Series.
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