Detroit Tigers Evaluation

The Detroit Tigers have won three straight American League Central Division titles.

The Tigers lost in the ALCS twice and in the World Series once after those three division titles.

During the regular season, the loss of manager Jim Leyland and player, Prince Fielder, will be felt. Each certainly produced.

However, Fielder especially, and face it Leyland as well, have been big time post season failures.

Please check the many times Fielder has failed to produce in clutch hitting situations in the playoffs. I am not a “stats” person but surely his “numbers” are not good either.

Sadly, I will remember Leyland’s ridiculous decision not to have a left handed pitcher face David Ortiz in the bottom of the eighth inning of game 2 of last year’s ALCS.

Ortiz hit a tying grand slam home run which was the key to the ALCS.

The Red Sox went on to capture their third title in 10 seasons “outside at a ballpark,” in this case venerable Fenway Park, where such a thing had not happened in 95 years.

The Tigers, Leyland and Fielder got a “one way trip to” that sad, unfair position of playoff also ran, another reality in sports.