Detroit Tigers: Some Have Had Amazing Years, Unfortunately It Didn’t Help

The 2015 Detroit Tigers are terrible. They are currently holding down last place in the AL Central having lost 9 of their last 10, and the upcoming forecast doesnt look much better.

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After getting embarrassed in Toronto over the weekend, they now head to Kansas City to face the first-place Royals and their ace Johnny Cueto. At this point, most Tigers fans are probably rooting for their team to get swept again, therefore making Manager Brad’s exit out of Detroit a bit more swift.

Its tough to see the positives with the awfulness of Victor Martinez‘s hitting, Shane Greene‘s pitching and Alex Avila all together, but a few guys made the best of 2015, and are having excellent seasons in different regards. Here are three brightest stars for the Tigers this season:

1. J.D. Martinez – For the second season in a row, there shouldn’t be much of a doubt for team MVP. Martinez not only out performed his breakout year in 2014, he’s destroying it. Proving many doubters wrong as he’s continued right where he left off last season, J.D. already has 11 more home runs than he did last year, and there’s still a month to play. He won the AL player of the month in June and hits with power to all sides of the field. Also improving from last year is his defense. At points last season he was a defensive liability, and now is second in the American League with 14 outfield assists on the season.
2. Miguel Cabrera – It’s impossible to have a Tigers “Top” list without naming the worlds greatest hitter in Cabrera. Although missing about a month hurt the Tigers, it allowed Miggy to be completely healthy down the stretch for the first time in years. Of course, it didnt matter this year, but the big first baseman still comes to work every day and dominates. Currently leading all of baseball in hitting at .358, the next nearest batting average is Michael Brantley of the Cleveland Indians at .322. Bryce Harper and Dee Gordon of the National League are batting .329, still almost 30 points behind Cabrera. Once he has enough at-bats to qualify in the batting categories, he will certainly take home another batting title.
3. Nick Castellanos – After a very below average first half, Castellanos has come on strong after the All-Star break. Hitting his ninth home run in his last 40 games, he’s proven he can be an every day player for the organization. He may never be a Gold Glove candidate at third base, but he has learned to hold his own at the position while improving at the plate. Expect his third season to be more impressive than 2015, as hopefully everything is more impressive next year when it comes to the Tigers.

Next: MCB Tiger Talk: Which players are mailing it in