Crown Their Asses

Prince Fielder, shown above at age 8, 
returns to Detroit all grown up.

If it was not a forgone conclusion already, the Detroit Tigers have won the American League Central.

Detroit's signing of free-agent Prince Fielder is the second trade since their 2006 World Series appearance that they have made an offseason move that made them the consensus favorite in their division.  

In December of 2007, the Tigers sent six prospects to the Florida Marlins for an electric pitcher who was coming off of a bad season in Dontrelle Willis and a slugger in Miguel Cabrera who some thought would eat himself out of the league.  Willis, of course, floundered.  He was hurt in the first month of the 2008 season and has not been the same since.  He is no longer a Tiger.  As for the extra-large slugger, he flourished.  Cabrera has slugged 139 Home Runs in his four seasons as a Tiger, also hitting over .300 in 3 of those seasons.  As for what they gave up, Cameron Maybin is in San Diego, Andrew Miller is in Boston, Mike Rabelo is back in the Tigers' organization as a hitting coach for their Gulf Coast League affiliate, Frankie de la Cruz is in Milwaukee and Burke Badenhop is a Tampa Bay Ray.  Dallas Trahern, the only player left in the Marlins' system from that trade, has not made his major league debut, and underwent Tommy John surgery in 2009.  

In short, Detroit won that trade.  However, that 2008 season saw them finishing 74-88.  Good enough for a last place finish and 14.5 games behind the AL Central Champion Chicago White Sox.

This offseason, the Tigers took another gamble on a slugger who can light up the baseball as well as he can the scale.  However, this Detroit team is head a shoulders above the competition.  Granted, there was no excuse for finishing behind Kansas City over the last 10 years, but the 2008 team had a lot of disappointing and undeveloped players.  

This team is different.  They bring back the reigning MVP and Cy Young winner.  The scary part is that both of those adjectives describe the same guy, Justin Brooks Verlander.  They bring back a team that was two wins away from the World Series last season.  Granted, they lost Victor Martinez, but the positions you can put him at are filled by Prince Fielder, Brandon Inge and Alex Avila.  They bring back a bullpen full of a recognizable names.  They bring back their mid-season pennant-push loot in Delmon Young and Doug Fister.  They have as good a starting 4 in their rotation as you can find in baseball.  They have one of the best managers in the league in Jim Leyland.  They have holdovers from their 2006 pennant-winner.  

The most important thing, however, is that they will not own the spotlight.  

These Tigers won't have the pressure that teams like the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Heat have had in recent memory.  They'll get press, but they wont operate under pressure like Albert Pujols and the Angels.  Ozzie Guillen will be grabbing headlines in Miami.  The Yankees will grab headlines because they're the Yankees.  

The addition of Prince Fielder puts the Tigers over the top.  They are one of the most complete teams in baseball, if not the most.  Operating without the whole spotlight in Motown is a relief, because like all teams, there will be adversity that needs to be overcome.  As a result, I am crowning the Tigers as the team to beat in Major League Baseball.  This team has the potential to be the best team since the 1998 Yankees.

Prince Fielder has the potential do what his father never did.  Win the big one for Motown.