Detroit Tigers: Breaking down and reconstructing for next year

Designated Hitter: Miguel Cabrera

Miggy makes the move out of the Detroit Tigers infield.  His progressing age makes him better in this role.  Plus it opens up the infield for flexibility.

Right now, V-Mart is here.  He will eventually drop off to become first off the bench to pinch hit.

While Martinez can still be productive, he can’t stop father time.  There is almost no chance he will  be able to beat out Miggy.

This does net set Cabrera as the only DH during the year, nor does it rule out the occasional start at first.  But it does mean he shold get most of the nods in this role.

Even if he is not the hitter of old, he is still producing with runners on base this year and that is key to the lineup.

Whoever is the manager next year, be it Brad Ausmus or his replacement, needs to consider this move.

When that happens, then the team will let Cabrera focus solely on hitting.  Which will help the team in the long run.

The hitting ability that Cabrera has makes him a very tough batter if his sole purpose is hitting the baseball.