Will 2013 Be Better Than 2012 For Detroit Tigers?

The under performance of the Detroit Tigers in the 2012 regular season — or perhaps rather the perceived underperformance — caused a great deal of angst and consternation among fans. A relatively large payroll and an abundance of superstar names (Justin Verlander, Prince Fielder, and Miguel Cabrera) lead many writers, bloggers, and fans to predict a runaway division title. That obviously didn’t happen; it took until the season’s final days for the Tigers to lock up the division.

But despite the roller coaster year, the “found themselves” in the fall and took us on a rather entertaining ride that lead all the way to the World Series. Detroit was unceremoniously swept from the Series by the San Francisco Giants, but it is tough for me to be too disappointed when looking back over the year. A division title and a league pennant is very nearly as much as we could have asked for — certainly as much as we could have demanded.

As we sit on the cusp of a new year (and new season), I can’t help but wonder (and hope) about the future. Will 2013 bring better things for the Tigers? And what exactly does ‘better’ mean? Would more regular season wins and a larger division margin be “better”? Would it take a World Series championship? It probably depends one’s views on the journey vs. the destination.

I’ll leave the interpretation up to you in the poll below (and the comment section). Will 2013 be better for the Detroit Tigers than 2012?