Tiger Surprises

OK, now it's your turn. Every year, there is a player or two who exceeds the expectations of most fans. Two years ago, it was Guillen. Last year it was Polanco and Shelton. Who will it be this year? Will Verlander or Granderson have a big break out season? Will Rodriguez make a big comeback? Maybe you think an obscure player like Grilli will shock us. Tell use your biggest Tiger surprise of 2006. Post your thoughts in the comment section below.

Tigers Make Final Cut

According to Danny Knobler, the Tigers have placed Franklin German on the waiver list. Any team that claims him has to place him on their 25 man roster. If he goes unclaimed, the Tigers can then send him to Toledo. The Tigers 25 man roster is now set including the 7 man bullpen: Todd Jones, Fernando Rodney, Jamie Walker, Chris Spurling, Joel Zumaya, Jason Grilli and Bobby Seay.

Predicted Batting Leaders

Today, I’ll present another non-Tiger (except for one guy) forecast. Here are my predicted American League batting leaders for 2006:

Player	Team	BA
Suzuki	Sea	.330
Guerrero	LA	.320
Young	Tex	.316
Hafner	Cle	.313
Castillo	Min	.312
Polanco	Det	.309
Mauer	Min	.308
Teixeira	Tex	.307
Crisp	Bos	.306
Loretta	Bos	.306

Player	Team	HR
Rodriguez	NY	45
Ortiz	Bos	43
Teixeira	Tex	42
Ramirez	Bos	40
Sexson	Sea	37
Hafner	Cle	34
Glaus	Tor	33
Morneau	Min	32
Konerko	Chi	32
Beltre	Sea	31

Player	Team	OBP
Hafner	Cle	.417
Giambi	NY	.410
Ortiz	Bos	.397
Guerrero	LA	.395
Rodriguez	NY	.392
Ramirez	Bos	.390
Castillo	Min	.388
Teixeira	Tex	.387
Suzuki	Sea	.380
Young	Tex	.378

Player	Team	SLG
Ortiz	Bos	.600
Hafner	Cle	.595
Teixeira	Tex	.590
Rodriguez	NY	.586
Guerrero	LA	.570
Ramirez	Bos	.566
Sexson	Sea	.542
Glaus	Tor	.534
Morneau	Min	.526
Tejada	Bal	.517

And One More Cut

In addition to the six cuts announced this morning, the Tigers also optioned Roman Colon to Toledo. This likely leaves Jason Grilli, Bobby Seay and Franklin German as three candidates for two spots. There has been some talk that Chris Spurling might not be a lock yet but I think he's pretty safe.

In another move, the Tigers claimed catcher Rob Bowen off waivers from the Minnesota Twins. The 25 year old Bowen is a marginal prospect but has a reputation as a good defender with a little power. He batted .267/.366/.401 in 262 at bats for AAA Rochester last year. If the Tigers can get him through waivers, he will likely start the season in Toledo. He might be a candidate to replace Vance Wilson if Wilson struggles again offensively this year. Bowen is a switch hitter.

Six More Cuts by Tigers

The Tigers cut six more players this morning which means they now have 29 players left in camp.
The latest round of cuts includes: Nook Logan, Alexis Gomez, Mike Hessman, Donald Kelly, Mark Woodyard and Hector Mercado. With Craig Dingman and Troy Percival headed for the 6o day disabled list shortly, this leaves two more cuts to be made by opening day and both will be pitchers.

The bench is now set: Vance Wilson, Omar Infante, Ramon Santiago and Marcus Thames. The bullpen is still unsettled. If we assume that Todd Jones, Fernando Rodney, Jamie Walker, Chris Spurling and Joel Zumaya are locks, that leaves Roman Colon, Jason Grilli, Bobby Seay and Franklin German to fight for the last two slots. There has also been some talk that Franklin may be traded before the season starts.

Forecasting the Final Standings

Today, I’ll predict the final standings in all the divisions:

American League

EAST	W	L	PCT	GB
Boston	93	69	0.574	---
New York	91	71	0.562	2
Toronto	85	77	0.525	8
Tampa Bay	73	89	0.451	20
Baltimore	71	91	0.438	22

CENTRAL	W	L	PCT	GB
Chicago	90	72	0.556	---
Cleveland	89	73	0.549	1
Minnesota	85	77	0.525	5
Detroit	81	81	0.500	9
Kansas City	62	100	0.383	28

WEST	W	L	PCT	GB
Oakland	90	72	0.556	---
Los Angeles	86	76	0.531	4
Texas	79	83	0.488	11
Seattle	78	84	0.481	12

National League

EAST	W	L	PCT	GB
Atlanta	89	73	0.549	---
New York	88	74	0.543	1
Philadelphia	85	77	0.525	4
Washington	73	89	0.451	16
Florida	70	92	0.432	19

CENTRAL	W	L	PCT	GB
St. Louis	93	69	0.574	---
Houston	84	78	0.519	9
Milwaukee	83	79	0.512	10
Chicago	78	84	0.481	15
Pittsburgh	76	86	0.469	17
Cincinnati	70	92	0.432	23

WEST	W	L	PCT	GB
San Francisco	84	78	0.519	---
Los Angeles	81	81	0.500	3
San Diego	78	84	0.481	6
Arizona	76	86	0.469	8
Colorado	69	93	0.426	15

Notes

AL East: The Blue Jays will make a run but the Red Sox and Yankees will finish on top again. The Red Sox will edge the Yankees with superior pitching.

AL Central: There won’t be a 99 win team in the division this year. The White Sox will not win as many close games and the Indians will not lead the league in pitching again. The Tigers will finish fourth again but will be much closer to the top than last year.

AL West: The young Athletics’ staff will beat out the Angels. The loss of Paul Byrd and Jarrod Washburn will hurt the Angels.

NL East: I’ll keep picking the Braves for first until they don’t finish first. The Mets and Phillies will give them a run for the money though.

NL Central: The Cardinals line-up is getting more vulnerable but Pujols and pitching will win it for them. Nobody else in the division is ready to challenge yet.

NL West: This will be the weakest division in baseball again this year. It’s also one of the most difficult to forecast because so much depends on Barry Bonds. If Bonds gets enough plate appearances, the Giants will win. If not, then the division is up for grabs.

Playoffs

Oakland beats New York
Boston beats Chicago
St. Louis beats New York
Atlanta beats San Francisco

Oakland beats Boston
St. Lous beats Atlanta

St. Louis beats Oakland