Detroit Tigers hope to earn postseason birth

The regular season is coming to an end and professional baseball teams’ hopes and dreams of a deep postseason run are becoming a reality or coming to a crushing halt. One of those teams that are deep in the hunt for a postseason run is the Detroit Tigers, whom many fans think are contenders for even a trip to the World Series. Some say their starting rotation won’t hold up for a push to the playoffs. After watching this team all season, it’s clear the Tigers have the potential for a deep playoff run as long as veterans like Justin Verlander or Miguel Cabrera push the youngsters of the team.

A few years back, the Tigers started a streak of 4 straight playoff appearances. It all started in 2011 when Justin Verlander won the last Triple Crown ( 24-5 record, 2.40 ERA, 250 SO) pushing his team to a AL Championship. Then, the Tigers won a pennant in 2012 with the best hitter in baseball Miguel Cabrera, who won an MVP award and a rare Triple Crown (.330 AVG., 44 HR, 139 RBI).

After going to the World Series in 2012 and losing, the Tigers former GM Dave Dombrowski got some really good starting pitching, with the likes of having a dominant rotation in 2013-1014. By having 3 Cy Young Award winners on one team with David Price, Max Scherzer , and Justin Verlander. But 2 of the 3 are now gone to free agency and trades.

After having one of the most dominant teams in the league with four straight AL Central Division titles, the Tigers fell off the table big time in 2015, falling to last place in their division at 74-87. The Tigers GM was forced to trade some of his key pieces like David Price (BOS) and Yoenis Cespedes (NYM) to strengthen the Tigers farm system. But trading these players was the key to the success of the  2016 Tigers.

In the trades of 2015, the Tigers found a gem in rising star pitcher Michael Fulmer (in the Yoenis Cespedes trade) who had never played in the Majors but only in the Minors with the New York Mets. Michael Fulmer is the front-runner for the American League ¨Rookie of the Year¨ with his 10 wins and 2.76 ERA stat line as of Sept. 20.

But, what about the rest of the Tigers team? The Tigers have a lot of question marks with the starting rotation. Will Verlander keep up his rejuvenated ace form from years back in the chase to the playoffs? Local Tigers fan Noah Poser said,” Justin Verlander will keep up his ace form ( 3.21 ERA, 15-8 record, and 234 SO) because he looks just like he was in 2011 when he won Cy Young and MVP with his old velocity coming back in his fastball.” 

Even with so many stars on the team, some people don’t really know if the Tiger’s are really postseason worthy.  “Our team made it this far into the chase and we are starting to get healthier so we should make it,” Poser said. Other Tigers fan such as Brian Gorny, who is 16 and a junior at MHS, said,” the Tigers are way to injury prone and don’t have the right pieces to be Postseason worthy.”

As of press time, the team is one game behind Baltimore and Toronto for two Wild Card spots with only 4 games to play.  The Tigers will need some help, but if they can sweep the Braves to end the season, it is likely they will return to the playoffs again.

After following the Tigers all year, they have the potential for a big playoff run. But they need some key players to step up like they’ve done in the past. As I’ve watched this team so far with all the heart and passion each player has for this team, I think the Detroit Tigers are World Series bound!