Detroit Tigers 2015 MLB season preview and predictions

3 Keys to Success

1. Aces being Aces – Detroit’s rotation is no longer considered to be “deep”. Yes, Alfredo Simon had a fine year in 2014, but he is certainly not an ultra-safe option as the fourth starter, and five spot is a wasteland. That places further emphasis on the top of the rotation, especially in the form of David Price and Justin Verlander. We’ve already touched on Verlander as a bounce-back candidate that the Tigers desperately need, but Detroit will also be heavily reliant on Price to be a top-10 pitcher in baseball (something he is, currently). The Tigers are a star-driven team, and that is especially evident here.
2. Can Victor Martinez repeat? – At the age of 35, Victor Martinez underwent a career renaissance in 2014. Martinez knocked the cover off the ball to the tune of a .335/.409/.565 slash line with 32 home runs in 151 games, and Detroit could certainly use a repeat showing. However, Martinez had not approached his 2014 production in a handful of years previous to that reemergence, and the veteran is battling an injury that could cost him a handful of at-bats at the beginning of the year. Victor Martinez will hit if he’s healthy, but there is a difference between star-level performance and superstar-level performance, and Martinez was the latter in 2014.
3. Bullpen – Joe Nathan is the centerpiece of the bullpen, and that is where everything begins and ends. Nathan is, without a doubt, a question mark heading into the season, and with Phil Coke gone, there is also some uncertainty in the setup roles. Al Alburquerque, Joba Chamberlain and Joakim Soria will see time in high-leverage spots, but the Tigers will need to post a solid record in close games, and that is often tied directly to bullpen performance.

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