Countdown to Opening Day: #16 Detroit Tigers

By Andrew Marcus

Sportswriter for Montgomery Media

Follow me on Twitter @amarcus515

To help pass the time between now and the start of the 2011 Major League Baseball season I am going to be examining a different team every day. Starting with the Pirates, working toward the Phillies. I will give you my projected starters, breakout and bust players, biggest spring training question and top prospect

PROJECTED LINEUP

CF Austin Jackson

2B Carlos Guillen

1B Miguel Cabrera

RF Magglio Ordonez

DH Victor Martinez

LF Brennan Boesch

SS Jhonny Peralta

C Alex Avila

3B Brandon Inge

PROJECTED ROTATION

Justin Verlander

Max Scherzer

Rick Porcello

Brady Penny

Phil Coke

PROJECTED BULLPEN
Closer - Jose Valverde
Set-up - Joaquin Benoit

Top Prospect - Jacob Turner (RHP)

Breakout

Max Scherzer - The potential has always been there, even in his Arizona days. Scherzer struggled with command and too many pitchers per at-bat prevented him from making it out of the fifth inning often. But something clicked in the second half of 2010. His 4.61 ERA before the break dropped to 2.47 in the second half and I full expect him to pitch more like the stud we saw at the end of the last year and approach 200 strikeouts.

Bust

Austin Jackson - The average BABIP (batting average of balls in play) is .299 in major league baseball. Jackson during his rookie season led the bigs with a .422 BABIP, 29 points higher than Josh Hamilton who finished second. The 170 strikeouts for the centerfielder all point to some regression in his sophomore season. I'd be uber-surprised if he reached the 180 hit mark again.

Biggest Spring Training Question

Blame it on the Alcohol - You will not be able to step foot in Lakeland without hearing the whispers of whiskey talk. Cabrera's ongoing idiotic behavior has set up for a month of off the field chatter. If Miggy has anything short of another MVP-type season, Motown is sure to   point fingers at the bottle.

LAST YEAR'S RECORD: 81-81

Booze you loose, homers you win

PROJECTED FINISH: 3rd in the American League Central

***THANKS FOR READING MY TEAM BY TEAM OUTLOOKS TO HELP PASS THE TIME
 

Check back tomorrow for the Oakland A's