ICYMI: MCB Digest–Detroit Tigers Week That Was

Sep 17, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Yoenis Cespedes (52) hits balls to infielders during batting practice before playing the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

#TBT (Throwback Thursday) returned after a holiday break and we profiled a player that was so popular in Detroit, he was mentioned as being traded on one of the biggest TV shows of the 1980’s.

#TBT Steve Kemp: A fan favorite during dark time for Detroit Tigers

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"Steve Kemp was the top overall pick in the 1976 Draft by the Tigers as the consultation prize for the team’s worst season to that point, 1975. Kemp came in with a championship pedigree after winning the 1974 College World Series with USC. The Tigers were at a crossroads. The competitive teams of the 1960’s were gone by the time Kemp came on scene. The aging core of the 1968 World Championship won a divisional crown in 1972 but failed to make it to the World Series. It was a gradual decline for the rest of the decade which saw the team lose 90 games in ’74 and 102 in ’75, the first time in franchise history they lost more than 100. In 1976 Detroit improved by 15 games and established a bona fide star in Mark “The Bird” Fidrych who set the baseball world on fire with his antics and success on the mound. The Tigers hoped that Kemp could provide the hitting version of what The Bird brought to the team. After spending just one season in the minor leagues, Kemp made the 1977 roster as a left fielder. READ MORE"

We’ve heard how the Tigers outfield defense will be better in 2014 with key additions and subtractions to the squad. Blair Tatrault reviews the situation…

Is The Detroit Tigers’ Outfield New And Improved?

"When the Detroit Tigers opened their season last year, the starting outfielders were Rajai Davis, Austin Jackson, and Torii Hunter. This year on April 6th in Detroit, when manager Brad Ausmus turns in his Opening Day line-up card to the home plate umpire, it’s very likely none of those names will be written on it. To begin with, Jackson and Hunter are no longer Detroit Tigers. Jackson, you recall, was wheeled to Seattle in late July as part of the three-way deal that landed David Price. Nor were the Tigers interested in retaining the services of Hunter following last season, who subsequently signed a contract to rejoin the Minnesota Twins. Davis returns to fulfill the second and final year of his contract, but (at least for now) is a minister without portfolio, and will probably see action mostly in a platoon capacity and as a pinch-hitter/runner. So let’s take a look at the three men who at this juncture are slotted to open the season as the Tigers’ starting outfielders. READ MORE"