Brad Penner-US PRESSWIRE
Of course things look bleak now for Detroit Tigers fans, after getting swept in a World Series in which they were considered the favorites, despite having the additional time off necessary to position their starting rotation properly. But despite four straight losses and poor performances from their three top players, the Tigers do have some positives they can take away from this series.
Delmon Young’s Value is up
Delmon Young followed up his ALCS MVP award with a strong World Series, hitting .347/.400/.643 in the series with a home run. He’s still not a great player and is best suited for a platoon situation, but at least the Tigers know he’s not afraid of the big stage.
But perhaps best of all for the Tigers, he’s a free agent and just had a very strong showing on two very big stages. Hopefully, for the Tigers, someone will now overpay for his power, ignoring his inability to play defense or get on base the way they did this season, and he will no longer be an option for manager Jim Leyland to use.
After all, Young is nothing more than a right-handed hitting DH who doesn’t hit right handers all that well, has moderate power, no speed, and no on-base ability whatsoever, who cost them $6.75 million this season. Hopefully for the Tigers, Young’s strong post-season will turn into a multi-year deal from someone else.
Dave Dombrowski has still got it
You have to tip your cap to Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski. The team he put together in the off-season should have been good enough to win the AL Central without mid-season reinforcements, and it’s not his fault that they didn’t. But when it became clear that more help was needed, Dombrowski went out and got it, acquiring Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante at the trade deadline.
That pair actually had a good World Series, with Infante batting .333 and Sanchez throwing turning in a strong performance in game three, only to fall victim to no run support.
Sanchez is a free agent but could be back, while the team has one more year of Infante, who will help solidify what has been a revolving door at second base over the past few years.
Austin Jackson did his job
Maybe Austin Jackson wasn’t the spark he’s capable of being, but as the lead off man in front of weapons like Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder, Jackson’s first priority is to be on base when they come up.
Despite hitting .231 in the series, Jackson did just that, walking four times in four games for an on-base percentage of .412. All told, Jackson reached base safely seven times in two games, which would have provided some solid offense if anyone could have driven him in.
