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After the great selloff of 2017, most of the positional predictions for the 2018 Tigers have been understandably bleak. You don’t move four perennial All-Stars and expect to compete. But even with the departure of Justin Verlander, one area looks relatively OK: the starting pitching.
Jason Beck took a look at the starting group as a whole, and I’ve gotta say, it could be a lot worse. Michael Fulmer is a bonafide number one starter. And sure, basically everyone behind him is a question mark. But if you squint really hard, you could realistically call each of Jordan Zimmermann, Mike Fiers, Daniel Norris, and Matt Boyd number three starters.
This is a necessarily optimistic outlook with all of the team’s other shortcomings, but Zimmermann and Fiers have shown their ability to eat innings before. And with no depth behind them, this is the year that Boyd and Norris must step up. It’s hopeful, but the starting rotation could be the strength for next year’s Tigers.
Michael Fulmer’s worth
With a lot of people — specifically Yankees fans — scoffing at Fulmer’s perceived worth, our own Kurt Mensching lays out the case for a patient and demanding Al Avila. A proven commodity like Fulmer requires the unproven prospect haul to be massive.
Gotta have it
Jason Beck also took a look at the Tigers lineup and came up with the same conclusion everyone else has made: A healthy Miguel Cabrera is a must. If Miggy has anything close to his 2017, this team is going to score the least amount of runs in the league.
Fig Newtons for everyone
If the Tigers are going to be bad next year, they might as well bring back the fan favorites. This site has already advocated for the Tigers to bring back Phil Coke, and on Tuesday, the Tigers brought back another familiar face in Brayan Pena. It’s unlikely that he will provide much output for the team, but he’s a good locker room guy. Who knows, he could follow in Gerald Laird’s footsteps of managing one day. But mostly, this is just an opportunity for me to post one of my favorite GIFs of all time...
Speaking of GIFs
Did you know the MLB created a GIF and video database for your searching pleasure? If this is news to you, you should definitely check it out. While it appears to be missing the above newtons, there are plenty of terrific Tigers memories enshrined within.
Around the horn
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