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It's one thing to lose games, lots of games. The Tigers know a little something about that. It's another thing entirely when the battles move into the clubhouse, and suddenly there's nothing but griping and finger pointing. That's the level the Tigers sunk to in 2001. Roger Cedeno had words with manager Phil Garner in mid-September and found himself benched for the rest of the year. Likewise, Juan Encarnacion was banished from the lineup, as was Deivi Cruz. Jose Lima, who saw bad times in Detroit previously, described things to the Detroit Free Press once the season was over like this:
"I was here when we lost 109 games in 1996, but I've never seen a ballclub like this. This is the worst."
Best Pitcher: Amazingly Steve Sparks was the team's most successful pitcher in 2001. The veteran knuckleballer won 14 games and sported a shiny 3.65 ERA. Still, the team's best pitcher was Jeff Weaver. Weaver struck out 36 more batters and allowed fewer hits than did Sparks in three fewer innings. He slowly improves each year, and this year finished with a career-best 4.08 ERA and a career-high 13 wins. He joined the ranks of the dispossessed by the end of the year, but perhaps an offseason overhaul will get his attitude back to where it needs to be.
Best Position Player: Manager Phil Garner and GM Randy Smith may wish it weren't true, but Cedeno was clearly the team's sparkplug. The speedster hit .293 and swiped 55 bases before his benching. He won't be back in Detroit next year, and his production will be tough to replace. Surprisingly, Shane Halter (.284-12-65) was nearly as good. The utility infielder took over at third base early in the year for Dean Palmer and then successfully moved to short in place of the enigmatic Deivi Cruz. While his self-comparisons to A-Rod don't hold much weight, (teammates jokingly called him 'H-Rod' after he claimed that he could be one of the league's best shortstops with more playing time) he did show himself to be a viable major league infielder.
Grading The Manager: Players have said that they love playing for Phil Garner. C.J. Nitkowski, before he got fed up and finally waived, said that "Gar is a player's manager." That may be true, but the fact is that he hasn't been a successful manager to this point. After his surprisingly successful debut in Milwaukee in 1992, he has fielded a losing team for nine straight years. The constant losing appears to be wearing on him, and this offseason will be a challenge for him to refocus and regain his competitive edge.
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Tigers 2000-01 comparison
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2000
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2001
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W-L
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79-83
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66-96
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HR leader
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Higginson, 30
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Fick, 19
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BA leader
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Cruz, .302
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Cedeno, .293
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ERA
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Weaver, 4.32
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Sparks, 3.65
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Most Improved: Halter really made strides this season, showing surprising power as well as a solid glove on the left side of the infield. A late-season tailspin cost Robert Fick in terms of stats (.272-19-61), but he still showed he can pound major league pitching. On the hill, Matt Anderson overcame a tough start to the season (at one point Garner was quoted as saying of Anderson: "He needs to bring that pitch down a foot") to become a very good closer (22 saves in 24 opportunities) with a bright future.
Biggest Weakness: Power, or lack thereof, was the biggest weakness. Tony Clark, with his usual variety of ailments, was only able to hit 16 homers in 428 at-bats. Inexplicably, Bobby Higginson slumped to only 17 in over 500 ABs. What this team needs is a big bat in the middle of the lineup, and preferably one not like Juan Gonzalez, who stopped hitting once he got to Detroit. Of course, Comerica Park is not exactly the place most power hitters want to go to, as the team learned with Gonzalez. With that, and with the team continuing to cut payroll, it's hard to believe they'll find the right guy on the free agent market.
Gaining Momentum: It was a rapid rise to the majors for Nate Cornejo. He dominated at Double-A Erie, pitched well at Triple-A Toledo, and at the age of 21, made his major league debut. He struggled with the Tigers (4-4, 7.38, 28 walks in 42 2/3 IP) but he still has a bright future in Detroit.
Kicked Off The Island: Oh, where to begin... Cedeno, Encarnacion, Clark, and Cruz are all goners, for better or worse. That's quite a few holes to fill. The team would also consider getting rid of the underproducing Damion Easley (.250-11-65) but don't need any more holes in the lineup at this time. The Tigers probably will spend more time figuring out how to keep people on this island, than kick them off.
Bill Konigsberg is an assistant editor at ESPN.com.
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