5 Detroit Tigers that MUST succeed in 2015

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Aug 19, 2014; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers left fielder J.D. Martinez (28) reacts at home plate after he hit the go ahead home run during the eighth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

A lot went wrong for the Detroit Tigers in 2014.

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Injuries hit them hard, particularly in Spring Training with starters Jose Iglesias and Andy Dirks, as well as projected setup man Bruce Rondon all going out for the season. Some players, such as Alex Avila and Justin Verlander, suffered through arguable the worst seasons of their careers.

Despite these issues, injuries and maladies, the Tigers still won the AL Central for a fourth straight year. In 2015, if they suffer many of the same issues, they might not be so fortunate with the rest of the division steadily improving.

Certainly the Tigers will need big seasons from their core of star players to compete. This list includes Verlander, Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez and David Price. It is the second-tier players that need to put last year’s struggles behind them and excel in 2015 to make the Detroit Tigers a true World Series Contender.

So without any further ado, let’s get to #5

#5: J.D. Martinez

What you say? J.D. Martinez shouldn’t be on this list since he had a career year in 2014! But J.D. Mart is on here for a simple reason, he needs to repeat that success.

We are well aware of Martinez’s struggles with the Houston Astros, but after a slow start with Detroit he became one of the most valuable players for the team. He finished the season with a .315 average, which is astonishing considering his career batting average through his first three seasons was .255. He launched 23 homers, many of them in very clutch situations, and finished with an OPS of .912.

But we understand flashes in the pan in Detroit, Brennan Boesch and Andy Dirks immediately come to mind, so J.D.’s goal for 2015 is just to keep on doing what he did last season. This is why I would advocate that, despite the presence of Yoenis Cespedes, not breaking up the 3-4-5 in the Tigers’ lineup from last season. V-Mart clearly benefited from hitting behind Miggy and J.D. Mart clearly benefited from hitting behind Victor. Why mess with success?

I think of J.D. Martinez as more of a Jose Bautista-type rather than a Boesch-type. Bautista came out of nowhere and established himself as a premier hitter in the American League after one season where he finally put everything together. I am hoping (and predicting) similar sustained success for J.D.

Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

#4: Anibal Sanchez

When Anibal Sanchez was healthy, he was the Tigers’ most consistent starter in 2014, even more so than Max Scherzer. The problem was he wasn’t healthy enough. He did not get off to a great start, allowing eight earned runs through his first four starts (going 2-2 in that span).

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In his fourth start against Minnesota, he made it through the first two innings of scoreless, hitless ball but left with two outs in the second inning because of a blister on his right middle finger. That injury pushed him to the disabled list, and when he came back on May 18, he was lights out for a two-month stretch before getting bombed for seven runs on July 5 against Tampa Bay.

That game began struggles for Sanchez which included a stretch of allowing 4, 5, 4, 0 and 3 runs. It was clear with his performance that his health might have been an issue. On August 8 he left a game in Toronto with an apparent injury and would effectively miss the rest of the regular season with a strained pectoral muscle.

He pitched an inning in the second from last game of the year in mop-up duty and, of course, pitched two effective innings in ALDS Game 2 at Baltimore before being removed in favor of a bullpen meltdown.

A healthy and effective Sanchez is really the key to the Tigers’ rotation. They are hoping Verlander will be back to form and Price will finally be comfortable and back to himself in 2015, but with Scherzer likely gone, it means Sanchez is that much more vital. Especially with a back-end rotation that features Shane Greene with a limited window of success and Alfredo Simon who is a large question mark.

Jun 30, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler (3) hits a single in the third inning against the Oakland Athletics at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

#3 Ian Kinsler

Through much of the first half of last season, Ian Kinsler might have been in contention for the team MVP. He was especially appreciated because whenever a trade happens, the players are often stacked against each other to see who “won the trade.” With Prince Fielder‘s early struggles, and eventual injury that cost him the season, it appeared the Tigers had gotten the better of the blockbuster deal of last offseason.

His always stellar defense was matched by a potent offense that kept his average north of .300 and earned him an All-Star nod. But his second-half was a disaster at the plate to the tune of a line of .239/.270/.357. But if you were familiar with Kinsler during his Texas days, fast starts and slow finishes were nothing new. In 2013 he had a high water mark of .342 on May 2, was still in the .300s in June but finished with a .277 average. Each of the two previous years also followed this pattern.

Kinsler seemed to be at the best of his game when hitting leadoff, but then Brad Ausmus installed Austin Jackson back at that spot and Kinsler struggled in the two-hole. When Jackson was traded, Kinsler inherited most of the leadoff responsibilities, but could not answer the bell as he had in the beginning of the season.

Kinsler’s glove will always be there and, despite his struggles at the plate, he was robbed of the Gold Glove award. The problem is the Tigers already have one glove-first player in the infield in Iglesias. Kinsler needs to be more two-dimensional from April through October, not just April through July.

May 9, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers third baseman Nick Castellanos (9) hits a single in the fourth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

#2 Nick Castellanos

Speaking of one-dimensional players, Nick Castellanos had the opposite problem of Kinsler. While he was decent at the plate (for a rookie) in 2014, his defense was decidedly not decent.

Castellanos ranked at the bottom of the third basemen in the American League that were eligible for the Gold Glove and achieved a -18.8 ranking from SABR’s defensive index rankings.

I was willing to cut Casty more slack than other Tigers’ fans last year. The 22-year old is not a native third basemen, though he did play shortstop which are somewhat similar positions. When he was drafted in 2010, the organization shifted him to third base where he spent one full-year learning the new position in the low minor leagues. Then, when Fielder was brought in shifting Cabrera to third, he was moved to the outfield for two seasons, playing just a couple games at third base in those two years.

As a full-time rookie, it was a lot to ask for Castellanos to be perfect at a position he was rusty/unfamiliar with, however this year those excuses are no longer valid. While he will never be Gold Glove-caliber, if he is just average it will be a lift for the Tigers that appear stronger at nearly every defensive position on the diamond heading into 2015.

For what its worth, Nick has been spending the offseason in a conditioning program with a focus on improving his first-step and increasing reaction time.

May 29, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Joe Nathan (36) reacts during the ninth inning against the Oakland Athletics at O.co Coliseum. The Tigers defeated the Athletics 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

#1 Joe Nathan

Remember how excited we all were when the Tigers signed Joe Nathan? Despite his advanced age, he has shown throughout his career that he can get the job done and was coming off arguably a career year with the Texas Rangers in 2013. It all had the recipe for success. No more roller coasters, no more nail biting in the ninth, no more blown or almost blown saves.

Those smiles and excitement quickly melted away when Nathan began struggling late in Spring Training and cumulated with a blown save in the second game of the season.

Despite his struggles, Ausmus refused to pull him from that role. Even when Joakim Soria was brought in with no clearly defined role, and Nathan continued to struggle, he was not removed.

I have a feeling that it will be different in 2015 if the closer struggles. The Tigers won’t wait around for him to “find it.” But as a Tigers’ fan, even if you detest Nathan (and his relationship with the fans was contentious at times), you have to hope for his success in 2015.

If the Tigers go into 2015 with their current bullpen makeup, removing Nathan from closer would be catastrophic. If Nathan, in the final year of his two-year deal, can’t cut it again, I don’t see him being moved anywhere else in the pen, he will likely be released as Oakland did with Jim Johnson last year.

It would mean Soria and Rondon would need to slide down and reduce the depth (what little depth there currently is) of that unit.

Joe Nathan needs to reach back and channel his previous success. Anything other than that, including a repeat of 2014, would be a nightmare for the 2015 Detroit Tigers.

Next: Tigers Spring Training TV schedule, Daily Scherzer rumors and more

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