2005 summary:
The only good news for Detroit Tigers fans in 2005 came at the end of the season. In October it was announced that Jim Leyland was coming out of retirement and had accepted the Tigers manager’s job. Leyland looks to help turn around the team’s fortunes for 2006 and beyond, but he’ll have his work cut out for him. The Tigers managed to win only 71 games in total in 2005, posting a lackluster record of 71-91. Yet somehow Motown’s offense was able to score a total of 723 runs, which was only 18 fewer than the World Series champion Chicago White Sox. Of course, it didn’t help that the Tigers also allowed a total of 787 runs, mostly due to an inconsistent and underperforming pitching staff.
The 2005 offense was led primarily by outfielder Craig Monroe (.277 20 89) and DH Dmitri Young (.271 21 72). Rookie first baseman Chris Shelton (.299 18 59) also provided a much-needed offensive spark with veterans Iván Rodríguez (.276 14 50) and Rondell White (.313 12 53) posting respectable numbers. The rest of the 2005 offensive production was handled by third baseman Brandon Inge (.261 16 72) and second baseman Placido Polanco (.338 6 36), who was acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies in a midseason trade. .
The Tigers’ starting pitching in 2005 had very few bright spots. Starters Jeremy Bonderman (14-13 4.57) and Mike Maroth (14-14 4.74) managed to combine for a combined 25 wins, while the rest of the starters struggled for much of the season. Both starting pitcher Nate Robertson (7-16 4.48) and Jason Johnson (8-13 4.54) had forgettable performances in 2005. The Tigers used a combination of five different closers with Ugueth Urbina (1-3 2.63 9 saves) putting up the best , before being traded midseason to Philadelphia.
For Detroit Tigers fans, the season couldn’t be over soon enough.
Move out of season:
The Detroit Tigers signed free agent left-hander Kenny Rogers (14-8 3.46) to a 2-year, $16 million deal in hopes of providing better stability in the starting rotation. The Tigers also signed closer Todd Jones (1-5 2.10 40 saves) from Florida to help improve his bullpen. Jones, a 12-year veteran, experienced a renaissance year with the Florida Marlins by holding opposing hitters to a .230 batting average while saving a total of 40 games (his highest save total in five years). .
2006 analysis:
Rogers is an upgrade for the starting rotation, as he’s bringing Jim Leyland out of retirement to help out. Leyland has worked in similar settings before and has shown that he knows how to handle the challenge. The starting rotation is still missing. Detroit made a run on a few different free agents this winter, but little materialized. The Tigers have some hitting and can score runs. There’s some talent in the bullpen, too, but the rotation doesn’t appear to be much stronger than it was last season (4.85 ERA, 10th in the AL). Fans will have to be very patient as Leyland tries to rebuild from the inside.
