Kuzul

In recent memory, we’ve always heard about how the AL East is Major League Baseball’s toughest division, with the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays beating up on each other, along with the rest of the American League.

Some people make a case for the NL East, where the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves have a stronghold, combined with an over-acheiving Florida Marlins squad and an even more under-acheiving New York Mets team.

It’s easy to say one division is better than the other based on records alone, so I had an idea: What if we take the best player at each position, from each division and create separate “All-Star” teams?  Which division would have the most talented squad?

That’s exactly what we are going to do in hopes we can finally come to a realization of which division is MLB’s best.  You might be surprised at how good (or bad) some of the teams end up being.

The selection process is simple: It will be the best player at each position today. It won’t be based on future potential, and it won’t be based on a player having a monster season five years ago. 

This will be a seven part series over the next two weeks: one part for each of baseball’s six divisions, followed by a summary piece that will hopefully allow us to figure out and debate which division really is MLB’s best.

We begin with the AL Central.

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The December day the Detroit Tigers dealt Curtis Granderson to New York Yankees was a gloomy, winter day in Detroit matching the spirits of the Tigers fans.

Gone was a great ambassador for the Tigers, Detroit and baseball in general and few of the Old English D faithful wanted to see him gone.

A year and a half later, I doubt there is any Detroiter not in the same realm of existence as Charlie Sheen that wouldn’t do that trade again.

The Tigers acquired a leadoff hitter that Granderson never could be (Austin Jackson), a wily left-hander who’s transitioning to the rotation (Phil Coke), a young hurler expected to be the late-inning left-handed reliever (Daniel Schlereth) and, most importantly, right-handed starter Max Scherzer.

Scherzer did nothing to contribute to the second-half collapse by the Tigers last year.  After a terrible start to the season, Scherzer fixed his mechanics in Toledo and had a 2.46 ERA while striking out 158 in 153.2 innings after his recall to Detroit.

Despite an ERA close to seven for over a month of the season, Scherzer finished the season 13th in the AL with a 3.5 ERA.  This is the year for Scherzer to truly shine and be in the mix for an All-Star spot.

Tigers fans may not realize what they got when their team acquired Scherzer.  He was a top-level prospect and early draft pick who showed flashes in the majors before being acquired.  He’s got great stuff and is extremely intelligent and uses it to his advantage.  Maybe most importantly, he has the ability to be an ace on a team that already has an ace.

Scherzer was drafted 11th overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks and in 2008 was briefly rated as the top prospect in the minors by Baseball America when with the Diamondbacks. 

He struck out seven batters in his first appearance (in relief!) in 2008 and posted a sub-3.5 ERA until his last three starts of 2009.

He has basically pitched two bad months of baseball in his career and since they were consecutive baseball months (September of 2009 and April of 2010).  It appears to be that he momentarily regressed in his career and has straightened himself out.

Scherzer is a power pitcher but also has a good slider and changeup.  His fastball can hit mid-90s and his changeup is mid-80s, an optimal difference in speed as to confuse hitters. 

He’s also extremely intelligent (a 35 on his ACT?!?  He should have pitched for Harvard, not Missouri) and uses statistical analysis to his advantage. 

Based on the theory that he can’t control the percentage of fly balls that are hit for home runs, he started attacking the bottom of the strike zone to limit the number of fly balls that are hit off of him. 

His starts this spring have shown he’s inducing more ground balls and this statistical approach shows he’s a smart pitcher who’s always trying to improve himself.  Because of this, I like his chances to continue to improve.

Finally, Scherzer has the benefit of pitching behind a top-tier ace in Justin Verlander.  Even though he’ll be counted on heavily, Scherzer won’t have the pressure to carry the staff that Verlander will have on him.

Although they’re both power pitchers, Verlander and Scherzer are different types of pitchers.  Verlander’s style is more overpowering (with a wicked curveball) so there’s not a concern of hitters adapting to Scherzer after he follows Verlander in the rotation.

Max Scherzer isn’t a household name and not many Tiger fans were excited when the team traded for him.  I predict that those who aren’t excited about him now, will be when he pushes for an All-Star spot this July.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Alcohol is a problem that affects not only the richest of athletes and businessmen, but also the middle- and lower-class workers who need a “relief” from their everyday stress.

Most know of the consequences and repercussions of taking a sip, but does that stop most individuals?

Most of the time, no.

Without a doubt, Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera made a mistake. Anytime an individual mixes alcohol and operating a vehicle, he or she is gambling with their lives and the lives of other motorists. 

This writer does not condone or approve of mixing alcohol and driving while impaired, but he does defend a man who lives underneath a microscope because he makes millions of dollars and is on television every day. 

How many of you know an acquaintance, friend or family member who has either received a DUI or other alcohol-related offenses? How many of you have a friend or family member with a drinking problem that you only discuss privately?

That’s what I thought.

Humans are prone to making mistakes. Some of these mistakes are worse than others (of course) but I think people as a whole believe in forgiveness, second chances and even third chances when necessary.

Why can’t we give Miguel Cabrera a third chance?

Pundits and sports writers across the country are ready to bury Cabrera and label him as an abusive, egotistical drunk. They are looking for Cabrera to be another reason they can continue to write articles.

If Miguel Cabrera comes through this situation cleanly, the only thing us bloggers and sportswriters will have to write about is the dominance he displays on the field, right?

What’s the fun in that?

The lens that athletes are looked through is so microscopic, so high-definition, that fans can see every sneeze, swear or struggle an athlete goes through.

Before we crucify our favorite athletes, maybe we should look at ourselves and force our friends to look in a mirror.

Maybe we should ask ourselves the same questions that every athlete should ask: Should I have another? Am I good enough to drive?

For mainstream society, unfortunately, the answer to this question many times is “yes.” We believe we can be Superman or Wonder Woman. We believe that we are invincible from the wrath of the law and there is no way we will get caught like our friends, brothers and sisters.

Ladies and gentlemen, the truth is we will all get caught eventually.

Miguel Cabrera is no different than you and me. Yes, he might weigh 270 pounds and can hit a baseball farther than any human being should be able to, but think of all the things you provide for society.

Perhaps you are an all-star in your own way. Maybe you inspire others with your mastery of words or craftsmanship. Perhaps you preach to your children to always make the right decision, even in adversity. Or maybe you just make the right decision to call for a ride home after a night of fun.

Any way you cut it, you’re still important—just like the first baseman who amazes us with his strength.

The truth is, Miguel Cabrera deserves to face punishment from the law because he broke it.

However, Miguel Cabrera does not deserve to lose fans just because he’s rich and can afford more expensive Scotch than you.

Think about it, fans: Is it right for your family and friends to leave you when you’ve messed up?

Exactly.

The Tigers are doing nothing but caring for their first baseman, their MVP and, most importantly, their family.

Go ahead and doubt. We’ll see you all in Cooperstown.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

In a process facilitated by MLB, medical specialists have evaluated Miguel Cabrera and recommended an outpatient rehabilitation program to deal with his alcohol related issues which re-emergered following his arrest last week for a DUI. 

Cabrera was also charged with two misdemeanor resisting arrest charges without violence.

The evaluation by all accounts means that Cabrera will miss no significant time during spring training and baring any changes, Cabrera will be ready to start the season. 

Although no specific details of the program were available, it will not require Cabrera to leave baseball for any period of time.

Despite no penalty from the league and Tigers, Cabrera still faces legal issues going forward and is set to arraigned on March 16th.

Cabrera spoke to the media on his own and through the Detroit Tigers Assistant GM Al Avila as a Spanish interpreter.

A humbled looking Cabrera apologized to his fans, the organization, the owner, his teammates, family and the police.  He also thanked the arresting officers for how they handled the situation.

Cabrera will not be in the lineup for tomorrow’s exhibition opener but went though a light workout in Lakeland today.

Despite an apparent outcome to a largely frustrating situation by all involved, it appears that the extent of Cabrera’s alcohol use and dependency which led to this situation will not be disclosed now and possibly ever.

When asked if he considered himself an alcoholic by reporters, Cabrera avoided the question replying that that was better left answered by the doctors who evaluated him but that he is willing to follow all of their recommendations.

Unfortunately for Tigers fans, it appears that because of the non-disclosure of an immediate problem they will be left with the possibility that a future incident from their superstar may occur at anytime.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Opinions on Miguel Cabrera following his recent DUI arrest have varied widely. The media and fans have spun the situation as anything from a “boys will be boys” story to “take the season off for rehab.”

We all know that alcoholism isn’t something to laugh about and should be handled very delicately. What we don’t know is the extent that alcohol has had a grasp on Miguel Cabrera.

Cabrera is set to be evaluated by league doctors early this week in order to have a clearer understanding of how to proceed. Dave Dombrowski has relayed that this was the first time Cabrera “fell off the wagon” since his well-publicized encounter with the law in 2009.

Let me start off by saying I cannot think of a situation where I would do anything with Cabrera except help him through any problems he has. I also think it’s very unlikely that the team would consider trying to move Cabrera, but the topic has been brought up.

Miguel Cabrera is often considered the second best hitter in baseball behind Albert Pujols. He is also more than three years younger than Pujols. He’s the type of hitter that comes around a couple times in a decade. The Tigers recognize this despite his troubles.

That being said, if something happened that forced the Tigers to move Cabrera, I see several attractive landing spots. I don’t buy into the theory that Cabrera’s value has diminished much because of his problems. As opposed to drugs and steroids, alcohol seems to have been a part of the game, and several Hall of Famers were known to have an issue.

I’m not saying it’s right. I’m just saying it’s the truth. I think any team would take a chance on the best hitter in the game under 28.

Here are my 10 possible landing spots for Cabrera should the Tigers move him.

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Miguel Cabrera is coming off a monstrous year for the Detroit Tigers in which he batted .328 and added 126 RBI.

Cabrera appeared to have recovered from the alcohol incidents he had previously, including blowing a 0.26 BAC the night before an important game against the Minnesota Twins in 2009.

However, Cabrera’s career appears to be headed on a downward spiral due to alcoholism.  He apparently entered a rehab program that was supposed to turn his life around.  Cabrera was even quoted as saying, “I feel like a new man,” after completing the program.

It seems that Cabrera did feel like a new man late Wednesday night, when he was drinking from a bottle of Scotch in front of a police officer.  It is one thing for a player to go out to a social event and have a couple drinks, but it is a completely different thing to sit in your car, alone, drinking from a bottle of Scotch.

Maybe the Detroit Tigers just need to get Cabrera back into a rehab facility, or maybe there are bigger problems that rehab just won’t fix. The only person that really does know what is going on is Cabrera himself, and he probably won’t discuss it with the fans or the media.

Cabrera is the Tigers’ best player; there is no question about that. In fact, he is probably one of the best first basemen in the game, behind only Albert Pujols. However, is Cabrera really worth the trouble?

Maybe the Tigers should part ways with Cabrera. Maybe they should find someone willing to take on a very good player with a history of drinking problems, or maybe some GM thinks he can fix Cabrera’s problems.

Unfortunately, the Tigers would not get enough in return if they were to trade Miguel Cabrera. When the Tigers inked Cabrera to an eight-year, $153.3 million deal, he signed the fourth biggest contract in major league history. No MLB team is going to take on that contract with the problems that Cabrera has shown in the last two years.

What should the Tigers do? The answer is simple, as it is their only real option: The Tigers need to take Cabrera out of spring training and get him back into rehab.

It appeared rehab helped him out the first time, so why not try again? 

The Tigers are unfortunately stuck between a rock and a hard place with their best player. It is hard to fault the Tigers for signing Cabrera to the deal they did, as he was only 24 years old and appeared to make a solid impact on the locker room. Things change, though, and now the Tigers are on the hook for five more years.

Cabrera clearly has some serious issues, and the Tigers need to do their best to help their star player.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

This week, we take a look at the best hitter-pitcher combo in the American League.

I’m one who believes total value wins championships. Not pitching, not defense and not a power bat. If you have the overall balance and more total value, you’re the best.

So, then, it would be important to have both a solid bat (who can play defense, but that’s not factored in here) and an ace on the mound. A door slammer if you will.

There are a few things I valued highly when sorting these rankings. Some of them will be viewed as unconventional to some readers, and that’s fine. I welcome any and all comments below.

For batters, I used an advanced metric called Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+). The link can explain this to you far better than I can. In a nut shell, though, wRC+ is a park and league adjusted stat that combines everything a player does to contribute to runs scored.

Why is this better than conventional stats? It’s not Player A’s fault no one is ever in scoring position when he gets a hit, so RBI is kind of sneaky in that it doesn’t tell the whole story. Same with Player B who always gets stranded at third. His run total isn’t revealing everything.

For pitchers, I went with Fangraph’s version of WAR. Pretty much every way I looked at pitchers, they shook out in the same order. I put very little stock into stats like wins for pitchers, but having to defend that became a lot less likely now that Felix Hernandez won a Cy Young with such a low win total.

For both pitchers and hitters, I made some adjustments for expected regression due to age, luck etc.

Now that we have that stuff out of the way, let’s get to the results.

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With most of the top free agents now signed and teams starting to take shape as we approach spring training, I thought I would share my pre-pre-season perspective on the relative strengths, (and weaknesses), of all 30 major league teams.

I have broken the article down into three installments, and will publish one of the segments each day this weekend. Part I (yesterday) covered the three teams I view as the weakest in baseball… Part II (today) covers the teams in the middle of the pack… Part III (tomorrow, MLK Day) will preview the 10 best teams in baseball.

Without further ado, here is how I see things:

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A baseball source close to ESPN has confirmed that Magglio Ordonez and the Detroit Tigers have reached an agreement to a one-year, $10 million contract.  

Back in October, Detroit declined Ordonez’s $15 million option, but the team stated that they would want Magglio to return if he successfully recovered from a season-ending ankle injury that occurred in July of last year.

Earlier this offseason, the Tigers spent $66.5 million to sign catcher Victor Martinez and relief pitcher Joaquin Benoit.  Infielders Brandon Inge and Jhonny Peralta have also re-signed with Detroit, making this offseason quite successful so far.  

In 84 games last season, Magglio Ordonez hit .303 with 12 home runs, 59 RBIs, and 56 runs scored.  Throughout his 13-year MLB career, Ordonez has recorded 2,072 hits, 289 home runs, 1,204 RBIs, 92 stolen bases, and a batting average of .312.

It is expected for Magglio Ordonez to return to right field in the 2011 season for the Detroit Tigers. Ordonez’s agent, Scott Boras, told The Detroit News, “Magglio is very loyal to Mike Ilitch(Tigers owner) and very happy to be coming back to Detroit.  All parties came together to make this happen.”  

Boras could not reveal if Ordonez received multiple-year offers from other organizations, but he did confirm that there was some increased interest by other teams which were offering more money than Detroit.

With some extremely valuable and talented free agents still remaining, the Tigers may continue searching for more weapons to add to their already impressive roster.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Spring training may still be two months away, but the cold winter months have had little success subduing MLB’s offseason hot stove.

The fall of 2010 has been an eventful one in the baseball world, even with the free agent class being as thin as it is.

As always, there are some teams that have added tremendously to their chances of World Series title contention in 2011, and plenty more that have been set back further, whether by their own missteps or by the unexpected choices of those they pursued (cough…Cliff Lee…cough).

With the likes of Adrian Beltre and Vladimir Guerrero still on the market, the hot stove might very well stay that way right up until Opening Day at the end of March 2011.

With that in mind, here’s a mid-December look at the offseason’s biggest winners and losers thus far.

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