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The Detroit Tigers came into the 2012 MLB season with expectations of World Series grandeur. Now nearing the 2012 MLB All-Star break, the Tigers are hovering just below .500. The team hasn’t been consistent all season, which leads to heavy trade talks amongst restless members of the media and fans. 

One name that has been brought up frequently in water cooler trade debates this season has been Delmon Young. Tigers fans have become suddenly spoiled by the team spending big bucks in free agency and tasting success since 2006. With over 80 games to be played, this is no time to hit the panic button. There’s plenty of time left in the season and the Tigers won’t be trading Young for multiple reasons. 

The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 MLB draft is only 26 years old and has yet to hit his prime. After being traded from the Minnesota Twins to the Tigers late last season, Young caught fire, knocking in 32 RBI in 40 regular season games.

If the Tigers are willing to hang onto Ryan Raburn for his second-half stats, then Young will stay in town. 

Another reason he’ll stay is that he’s had a few highly publicized incidents in his career that have tarnished his image, including one in New York earlier this season which led to a seven-game suspension.

What team is willing to trade for a player with his track record who is currently batting .269 with six homers and 29 RBI?

Young has made mistakes in the past, which he has publicly apologized for, but has to prove that he’s learned from them. Finishing the year by letting his bat do the talking will serve him best. 

He is set to become a free agent this offseason, and while he may not be a member of the Tigers in 2013, what could the team truly expect in return for him, a couple of mediocre prospects? Young is a player who has shown that he has the capability of being a top-tier hitter in the majors. Yes, he’s only hitting .269 this season, but he’s been making consistent, solid contact for nearly a month now.

Believe it or not, he’s the key to the Tigers’ success on offense the rest of the season.

Fans know that Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder will produce, but besides the team’s stars, a reliable bat has eluded the Tigers’ bottom-half of the lineup this season. Beyond all their struggles, the Tigers are still near .500 and find themselves only a handful of games out of the lead in the AL Central.

Practically giving Young away now wouldn’t bode well for a team in contention. 

Now is the time for Young to make his positive mark in the big leagues, and both player and organization realize it. He knocked in 112 RBI in the 2010 season, but the remainder of the 2012 season is where Young can legitimize himself as a former No. 1 pick. By Young becoming a constant threat at the plate, the Tigers will be a playoff team and true contender to win the World Series. 

Young won’t be traded by the Tigers this season and fans will be jubilant because of that decision come October.  

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Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers is the best pitcher in Major League Baseball, but that doesn’t mean he’s a complete player.

Yes, Verlander has a filthy menu of pitches that consistently makes opposing hitters look foolish, but it’s the mental aspect that continuously gets the best of him. 

With his ability, the physical aspect of the game comes easy, but his emotions get the best of him on too many occasions. 

The Tigers are struggling this season, and Verlander has put it upon himself to be perfect every time he takes the mound. While he’s truly dazzling to watch and is a once-in-a-generation type of player, he needs to calm down. 

Each time he takes his turn in the rotation, it’s not out of question that something special is going to happen. Fans have been spoiled by his wizardry on the hill as they’ve come to expect perfection every outing.

It’s evident that Verlander feels the pressure of putting his club on his back and taking them the distance. The only problem is that every time he allows a baserunner, his adrenaline kicks into hyperdrive, his fastball hits triple digits and he clearly becomes upset. 

When this occurs, Verlander becomes a loose cannon on the mound. His pitch count skyrockets, which isn’t of great concern considering that he has thrown 100-plus pitches in every start since July 22, 2010, but it’s still apparent and alarming that he’s distressed. The Tigers’ bullpen always seems to be exhausted by the time Verlander pitches as the team desperately needs him to go wire-to-wire. 

The pressure to perform on Verlander is always immense, but the organization must find a way to calm their ace down when this unnecessary stress takes place. In his AL MVP/Cy Young season of 2011, the biggest improvement in Verlander’s game was that he came out and didn’t throw 100 mph fastballs in the first inning. While that’s still noticeable in 2012, he’s still incomplete. 

Yes, the Tigers have yet to meet expectations this season, but they’re not to be left for dead. A number of injuries and untimely hitting has hurt the Tigers in 2012, but their record is bound to head north any day now.  

In order for the Tigers to do so, they’ll need the face of their franchise to pitch on an even keel. Verlander must learn to harness his emotions in order for the Tigers to accomplish their mission. He’s the guy whose teammates look to steer the ship, and when he’s off-kilter, the team seems to get out of sync a bit.  

He needs to realize that he’s human, and it’s nearly too impossible to pitch perfectly once, nonetheless every time. After all, he’s facing professional batters who would love to tell their grandchildren that they reached base against the great Verlander.

Only when the future Hall of Famer centers his Chi and finds mental stability on the mound will he become the perfect pitcher. 

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The Detroit Tigers continue to underachieve in 2012 and it’s time for manager Jim Leyland to mix things up in the clubhouse like Joe Maddon of the Tampa Bay Rays. 

While it’s true that the Tigers have looked better against the Minnesota Twins recently, the team is not out of the woods yet. After all, they’ve only won back-to-back games once since mid-April. Still floating around .500 heading into June, the team needs to change their routine in order to have some fun heading into the summer months. 

Baseball is a very superstitious game as clubs stick with what they know even when things are going bad. Tigers’ fans know Leyland is adamant about how he runs the ship in Detroit. He typically gets short with the media, can’t stand whiny fans and is loyal to his lineup. 

Leyland himself knows his lineup with either play themselves into contention or play him out of town. One admirable thing about the Tigers skipper is that he sticks to his guns, regardless of what his pundits think.

While Leyland’s attitude and philosophy is known to all, it’s time to become open to new ideas. He should study Maddon of the Rays and how he keeps his clubhouse loose. It may not be Leyland’s “style,” but it’s worth a shot. 

Maddon is a master at keeping a smile on his players’ faces no matter how bad things are going. He’s been known to have themed road trips, which spawns camaraderie and is just enough to take his guys’ minds off baseball a bit.

Recently, Maddon did the unthinkable when he placed slugger Carlos Pena in the leadoff role when he was struggling. Pena had never hit leadoff before, but he hit a homer that day. While Pena won’t remain as the Rays leadoff hitter, Maddon’s move brought a fresh breath of air to the clubhouse and sparked Pena. 

Before the trip to Minnesota, fans didn’t see many smiles in the Tigers’ dugout in quite some time. While it’s nice to see, keeping a smile on their faces is the key to success. 

Not many people see what goes on behind closed doors when Leyland speaks to his team. There’s no doubt that his players respect him, but do they still believe in what he’s saying? In order to ensure continuity, Leyland must come out of character and surprise his men with some unexpected spontaneity. 

A sudden juggle in the lineup or good laugh with his men may just send the Tigers on the tear that fans have been waiting for all season. 

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The Detroit Tigers continue to perform below expectations in 2012—they will undoubtedly become buyers at the MLB trade deadline. 

Sure, Justin Verlander put some life back in the clubhouse with his near no-hitter recently, but the team has to prove that they can ride that lightning. 

The Tigers were forecasted to be major contenders before the season began, but inconsistent play has begun to put serious doubt in the team’s faithful fans. 

The season is far from over, but the front office must plan on making deals by the deadline in order to put the Tigers back on track.

While another superstar is likely out of the question, the Tigers need to acquire a few established veterans that will bring instant energy and experience to a stagnant clubhouse.

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The Detroit Tigers continue to hover around the .500 mark as the time has come to replace batting coach Lloyd McClendon is here. 

Coming into the season, the Tigers were said to have one of the more potent lineups in all of baseball, but halfway through the month of May their bats are rather tame. This is a season where nothing less than a World Series ring is expected and the time to shake up the clubhouse is now.

While many fans may feel like manager Jim Leyland should be on his way out, that’s not going to happen. Instead, it will be his longtime friend and trusted companion McClendon that takes the fall. Sure, the Tigers currently rank fifth in the AL with a .254 team batting average, but most teams don’t have two premier power hitters like Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder.

In 2011, the Tigers fired pitching coach Rick Knapp on July 3 and things went upward from there. The Tigers were just 45-40 when they fired Knapp and finished the season an impressive 95-67. A similar move should be in store in regards to McClendon this season. 

To date, the only Tigers who have been impressive at the plate this season are Austin Jackson (.320 BA) and Andy Dirks, who’s hitting .381 in 19 games this season and currently riding a six-game hitting streak.

While Cabrera has 27 RBI, he’s batting just .291, which isn’t bad, but he appears to be pressing the issue, feeling the pressure beginning to take a stranglehold on his ball club. As for Fielder, he’s batting .286 at the moment, which is right around his .283 career batting average.

The bottom half of the Tigers lineup is where the hodgepodge of struggling hitters reside. No matter who cracks the lineup on that particular day, their batting performance is sub-par to say the least. What seemed like a slow start now seems like reality for these hitters. 

Last year’s confidence has turned into this year’s prayers for Tigers fans when it comes to these men at the plate. Timely hitting has escaped the Tigers this season and things must change if the team is to even contend for the AL Central. 

Look no further than former Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge for evidence that change is needed. Because Inge was 2-for-20 with the Tigers this season and many fans were relentlessly booing the former All-Star, he was released on April 26 by Detroit only to be nabbed by the Oakland Athletics on April 30. 

Since his move to Oakland, Inge has lit-up opposing pitching. In 10 games with the A’s, Inge is batting .244 with 17 RBI. While .244 may not seem scorching, he’s only a career .234 hitter. Most impressively, Inge is currently enjoying a six-game hitting streak in which he’s hit four home runs and has four RBI four times. Now that’s a way to win over your new teammates. 

Like Inge, his former teammates need some new guidance, a new voice to listen and learn from while trying to conquer the opposition at the plate. The Tigers need something to change, and it starts with McClendon.  

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The Detroit Tigers have one of the best prospects in all of baseball in pitcher Jacob Turner, but now is the time that the organization needs to trade the budding star. 

The Tigers came into the 2012 season with the highest of all expectations. After winning the AL Central in 2011 and signing slugger Prince Fielder in the offseason, there’s only one thing left to accomplish in 2012—winning the World Series. 

The Tigers haven’t necessarily gotten off to the dominant start many baseball enthusiasts expected, possessing just a 13-12 record thus far and having problems on the mound and at the plate. While it’s certainly not time to panic in Motown, the Tigers can’t play .500 baseball for too much longer before the pundits will come calling for change. 

Looking at the starting rotation going forward, the Tigers have a good problem on their hands—they have plenty of quality arms throughout their system.

Everyone knows what to expect when ace Justin Verlander takes the mound. Doug Fister has been on the DL since his first start of the season, which will be an added bonus when he returns.

Rick Porcello and Max Scherzer are the definition of hot and cold pitchers—fans never really know what to expect during their starts. Porcello is just 23 years old and will remain in the rotation while Scherzer seems to be constantly flirting with disaster and could easily pitch his way out of Detroit, but is here to stay for now.  

The debate over who the fifth starter of the future should be looms large in Tiger town. Turner is ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the organization and was expected to win the job out of camp, but has been hampered with a sore shoulder since the spring. 

While he appears to be just fine, the Tigers have found an unexpected gem to fill the spot in the rotation in lefty Drew Smyly. After all, the team needs a left-handed pitcher to keep their opponents off balance and Smyly has shined this season, striking out 29 batters in 28 innings pitched in five starts. 

With Turner regaining his confidence in the minors right now, the Tigers should groom him to be traded come late July. Yes, he’s the best prospect in the system, but not all prospects are meant to become fixtures on their original teams.

The Tigers will need a dependable arm in the rotation heading down the stretch if they’re to be considered a valid contender in the postseason. A veteran bat would be nice too. A second baseman who can hit around .280 and play solid defense would be just right. 

Both of these things can be procured by dealing Turner this season. If 2012 is truly to end in glory for the Tigers, GM Dave Dombrowski will pull the trigger on a blockbuster deal by the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. 

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The Arizona Diamondbacks have done it. The NL West title is theirs. The team that was 65-97 last year came out of nowhere to capture the crown. This year’s team is the true surprise of baseball and is now 91-66.

The D’Backs won the West in dramatic fashion, dethroning the defending World Series champion. The San Francisco Giants were done in by up-and-coming rookie first baseman Paul Goldschmidt on Friday night. The D’backs won the game, 3-1.

Capturing the NL West is something that the team hasn’t done since 2007. This year’s team looks to be a contender for years to come. Led by Justin Upton and Ian Kennedy, the Diamondbacks have two solid cornerstone players for the franchise.

If the playoffs started today, the team would travel to Philadelphia to face the Phillies. Philly has been the odds on favorite to win the World Series all season but have lost six straight games.

It’s not hard to figure out that they are resting their squad for the postseason, but there comes a point where losing becomes contagious. Not to say the Phillies have the bug, but anything is possible in October. 

To be honest, the Diamondbacks would prefer being the underdog. They want to go into that hostile environment with nothing to lose. Manager Kirk Gibson wouldn’t have it any other way.

He’s brought this club to where it’s at because of a tough mentality. He deserves to be the NL Manager of the Year at season’s end. Gibson has turned this franchise around seemingly overnight.  A team that was an afterthought going into the season in now one of its best.

The rest of league will get to see just how good this team in just a few short days when they travel into Philadelphia.

Maybe then, they will get the respect that they deserve.

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The Arizona Diamondbacks are quietly becoming a force to be reckoned with in the National League.

The team won yet again in the desert on Friday night, coming from behind to defeat the San Diego Padres, 3-2. 

These Diamondbacks are simply unstoppable at home right now, winners of 14 straight. Their last loss at Chase Field came on August 8.

The team now holds a 44-26 at home and an impressive 35-23 against the NL West. It now has a stronghold on the division with an 8.5-game lead.

Most importantly, the Diamondbacks are 84-61 on the season and are now just percentage points behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the second-best record in the NL. The Brewers are 85-61 but have lost four straight and are in danger of losing home field advantage to the Diamondbacks.

With the way the Diamondbacks are playing at home, home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs would be phenomenal. After the final two games of the weekend series against the Padres, the team takes to the road for six games before playing their final nine at home.

Even if the Diamondbacks don’t clinch home field for the NLDS, being at home for the final nine games will be comforting before the playoffs begin.

Arizona has a clubhouse of hot hitters at the moment.

They have five members with notable hitting streaks of five games or better. Catcher Miguel Montero leads the pack with a 17-game streak at the moment. He’s hitting .348 during that time.   

Along with Montero, second baseman Aaron Hill, utility-man Willie Bloomquist and right fielder Justin Upton are all streaking. Hill has hit in 12 straight and has batted .438, Bloomquist is at nine games with a .371 average and Upton is hitting .400 in his last five. He also has four homers in those five games, including one in three straight.

With the Brewers playing the mighty Philadelphia Phillies this weekend, the Diamondbacks could have home-field advantage in their grasp by the end of Sunday.

Maybe then they will get the respect they deserve.  

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The Arizona Diamondbacks send Ian Kennedy to the mound against San Francisco Giants ace Tim Lincecum Saturday night. This is a must see matchup for any baseball fan. 

The two men are both NL Cy Young candidates and this is easily the best battle in MLB this weekend. 

The Diamondbacks had their nine-game win streak snapped by the Giants Friday night, 6-2.

The Diamondbacks are now 78-60 on the season, with a five-game lead over the Giants in the NL West standings.

This is a make-or-break series for the Giants as they’re now playing out of desperation. The Diamondbacks have control of the NL West and don’t want to relinquish any ground to the Giants.

After all, the Giants are the defending World Series champions and they won’t go down without a fight. The Diamondbacks don’t want to give any momentum to the Giants and would really do themselves a lot of good by winning the remaining two games in the series.

Ian Kennedy looks to straighten things out for the Diamondbacks. The pitcher is an NL-best 17-4 with a 3.03 ERA on the season. His last start in San Francisco earned him a victory after eight solid innings. Kennedy is 9-1 in his last 10 starts and hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in any of those outings.

Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum has been the tough-luck pitcher of the year in MLB. He’s 12-11 on the season despite his 2.58 ERA, which is fourth-best in the National League.

A microcosm of Lincecum’s season has come against the Diamondbacks. In two starts against the divisional foe, Lincecum is 0-1 with a 1.20 ERA, a .80 WHIP and a .140 batting average against.

The Diamondbacks have their work cut out for them against the Tim Lincecum and the Giants Saturday night. A win tonight against San Francisco’s best could be the knockout blow that Arizona is looking for. 

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The 2011 MLB trade deadline has just over 24 hours remaining. All the speculation today has fans of teams buying and selling filled with anxiety.  

Questions that arise are: Who coming? Who’s going? I don’t know how I would feel if we made that move? Are we gonna go for it? 

While there are plenty of thoughts running through our sports-riddled minds, we will have a much clearer picture tomorrow at 4 p.m.(EST)

The next 24 hours will be very telling for the future of many franchises.

Here are the Top 5 players left to be dealt by the deadline. 

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