Detroit Tigers 5 First Half MVPs (VIDEOS)

Jun 28, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers catcher James McCann (right) is congratulated by teammates after he hits a game winning home run in the ninth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park. Detroit won 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

You really do not need us to tell you that the Detroit Tigers have horribly underachieved through the first-half of the 2015 season. With underacheiving comes disappointment, but it has not been all disappointment this season.

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Several Tigers are having excellent seasons and there are several candidates for team MVP, if not league MVP. This means that the team is not completely devoid of hope in the second half.

If they can finally get on a hot streak and roll through the second half to make up the nine-game divisional deficit (not unheard of if you remember 2009 Minnesota Twins, sorry for that memory) and a more modest 3.5-game deficit in the wild-card, it will probably be because of these five players that have had tremendous seasons to date.

So without further ado, the five best players for YOUR Detroit Tigers in the season’s first half…

Next: Cespedes

Jul 10, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Detroit Tigers left fielder Yoenis Cespedes (52) before playing against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

#5 Yoenis Cespedes

Detroit Tigers’ fans were largely split about the arrival of Yoenis Cespedes before this season. He is a flashy player with lots of potential, but he has not had a very productive season from start to finish since his first year stateside, in 2012.

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The more sabermetrically-inclined fans were not moved by the acquisition, but Cespedes put up an All-Star caliber first half despite not being selected in the MLB Final Vote.

Cespedes has been reliable at the plate, posting a .297 average and .821 OPS with 13 homers and 51 RBIs. He is leading the league with 27 homers. Some of us had been waiting for Yoenis’ signature moment as a Tiger, doing something positive that affects a game positively when that game was on the line.

He may have finally accomplished this last week when tying a game in the ninth inning against Seattle. Although the Tigers lost that game, he did give them a chance to win it.

Besides his solid season at the plate (if the numbers stand it would be his best showing since his rookie season), he has been a force in the outfield. His arm saves runs on one of the worst pitching staffs in the American League by holding runners to singles on gappers and preventing  runners from scoring in many cases.

Yoenis Cespedes’ Signature First-Half Moment:

Next: Iggy

Jul 14, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; American League shortstop Jose Iglesias (1) of the Detroit Tigers at bat against the National League during the sixth inning of the 2015 MLB All Star Game at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

#4: Jose Iglesias

We knew what we would get from Jose Iglesias heading into this season, after missing all of 2014 with shin injuries, dynamic, Gold Glove-caliber defense. And we have gotten it this year for sure.

Betsided

But his bat was the question mark. Although he came to the Tigers at the trading deadline of 2013 after hitting .330 with the Boston Red Sox, most said don’t expect that to last. And it did not with Detroit as his average slipped to .259 in 46 regular season games and .231 in two rounds of the postseason.

In Spring Training this year, he notched just 7 hits in 52 at-bats, so it seemed he would be a glove-only player during his career in Detroit, which would be fine considering his defense skills.

In the first two games of the season he notched six hits–and it was on from there. Iggy finished the first half with the impressive average of .314.

Back to his defense. It seems that it is notable when Jose cannot complete an incredible play than when he makes those incredible plays. For a Tigers’ team that has been incredibly frustrating to watch this season, Iglesias is always a reason to keep tuning in.

Although he has had quite a few incredible plays this season, like his most recent one with the most eyes, in Tuesday’s All-Star Game, this one may have been the best.

Jose Iglesias’ Signature First-Half Moment

Next: J.D. Mart

Jul 5, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers right fielder J.D. Martinez (28) celebrates after hitting a home run in the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

#3 J.D. Martinez

Remember when everyone was worried that J.D. Martinez would not live up to his 2014 performance, that he would regress, that he was a flash in the pan?

Yea, me neither.

For a month now, Martinez has been lights out at the plate, making his early season struggles a distant memory.

He had hit in the low to mid .200’s and wasn’t hitting with much power until the middle of June when he caught fire, hitting homers in three straight games from June 13 to 15, and clubbing three of them to help the Tigers avoid a sweep in New York against the Yankees on June 21.

J.D. rode the momentum into earning the first All-Star berth of his career, a remarkable development for a player that was cut at the end of Spring Training last year by the (at the time) worst team in baseball, Houston Astros.

It is hard to pick from the highlight reel moments that J.D. Mart has supplied this year for his best moment.

J.D. Martinez’s Signature First-Half Moment

Next: Miggy

Jun 26, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera (left) shares a laugh with first base coach Omar Vizquel (right) before the game against the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park. Tigers beat the White Sox 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

#2 Miguel Cabrera

The Detroit Tigers miss Miguel Cabrera, they will miss him until he gets back (hopefully) sometime in August.

Miggy is not really a natural leader, but he leads by his play on the field and even when the Tigers’ lineup was scuttling through a four to five-week period from mid-April to mid-May. His consistently eventually led his teammates out of their struggles, which is a characteristic of leadership.

Even now when Cabrera is injured and away from the team rehabbing his calf injury, he still roots on his teammate through live Tweeting games.

After a “down” year by Miguel Cabrera standards, he came back this season strong. Despite missing the last two week, he still leads baseball with a .350 batting average, .456 OBP, and an incredible 1.034 OPS. He has reached base 97 times via hits and another 53 times through walks, most of those coming as intentional free passes.

Defensively, Miggy continues to be a vastly underrated first basemen. You can see the drop-off from his skills at the bag and the revolving door of non-first basemen the Tigers have tried to plug-in there during his absence.

Like with J.D. Martinez, it is hard to pick the best moment for Miggy, but we think the sheer power of this homer fits the bill.

Miguel Cabrera’s Signature First-Half Moment

Next: Price