Posted: Oct. 3, 2010 | Updated: 3:02 a.m. today
Which Tigers topped, met and fell below expectationsBY MATTHEW CAMMARATA
FREE PRESS SPECIAL WRITER
Exceeded ExpectationsPhil CokeHad a career year, setting individual highs in games, innings, wins and strikeouts. Coke struggled some after the All-Star break, mirroring most of the Tigers' bullpen, but has a 3.57 ERA and is second in the American League in appearances.
Miguel CabreraStayed in the hunt for the Triple Crown until Jose Bautista's homer explosion and his ankle injury this past week. Cabrera set a career high with 38 homers, is in the AL's top five in homers, batting average and RBIs, and is first in on-base percentage. Could win MVP.
Austin JacksonShowed remarkable maturity for a rookie leading off. Jackson is in the AL's top 10 in runs (102), hits (181) and triples (10). His average has been at or above .295 all year, he is 26-for-32 in steals and should finish first or second in rookie of the year voting.
Casper WellsHas batted .353 in 33 games, with four homers and six doubles in fewer than 100 at-bats. Wells never has put a full season together in the minors and never hit above .290, so fans shouldn't expect him to keep that pace if he makes the team next year as a fourth or fifth outfielder.
Will RhymesFinally made it to the majors at 27 and seized the opportunity, hitting an impressive .292 and playing quality defense. After Scott Sizemore's poor start and Carlos Guillen's injury, Rhymes' play came at a time when the team needed someone to fill the vacancy at second.
Met ExpectationsJeremy BondermanPitched his first full season since 2007, giving the team 28 starts and eight wins. However, Bonderman finished with a 5.18 ERA. He may never be a top-of-the-rotation starter again, but he has proven that he can eat innings and could be a No. 4 or 5 starter for years to come.
Armando GalarragaStruggled after the All-Star break, going 1-6 with an ERA of 4.74 after starting the year with a 3-2 record and his infamous one-hitter against the Indians. Galarraga shows glimpses of being a productive starter but gives up too many hits and doesn't strike enough.
Ryan PerryThe rare bullpen member who improved on his first-half numbers. In 30 games after the break, Perry had a 2.55 ERA and held batters to a .219 average. His ERA (3.75) is similar to last season's (3.79), but his second-half improvement could be the proof that he could one day be the closer.
Max Scherzer
Struggled at the start of the season, then exceeded expectations. Following a minor league stint in May, he has gone 11-7 with a 2.46 ERA, pitching at least five innings in every start. Scherzer, 26, should be the Tigers' No. 2 starter for years to come.
Daniel SchlerethIn limited action, the lefty showed the potential that made him a first-rounder in 2008. Schlereth improved his control, nearly cutting his walks in half from 2009, but still struck out one per inning. Should be a full-time bullpen member next season.
Jose ValverdeFor the first four months, Valverde was arguably the AL's most dominant closer. Had a subpar August followed by an elbow injury in September. Since July 30, his ERA has been 6.23. Getting Valverde healthy and back to his dominating self in 2011 is a huge priority.
Justin VerlanderAce of the staff as expected, finishing with 18 wins and more than 200 strikeouts for the second-straight season. He is one of the most talented starters in the majors, but continues to struggle in the first inning (6.00 ERA). He struggled at season's start.
Brandon IngeHis production at the plate was mediocre but his defense was, as usual, above average. His power numbers were down from last year, when he battled knee injuries. Batting below .250 for the fourth consecutive season, but was valuable thanks to his clubhouse presence and dependable defense.
Jhonny PeraltaSince coming to the Tigers in a rare interdivision trade with the Indians, Peralta has batted .263 and has almost as many homers (eight) and RBIs (37) in 54 games as he had with the Indians in 91 games (seven and 43). Peralta filled an immediate need at shortstop and has played well defensively.
Ramon SantiagoServed as the Tigers' utility middle infielder and has played in 109 games, the most since 2003. Santiago certainly doesn't overwhelm anyone at the plate (.268, three HRs) but he is dependable at second base or shortstop.
Ryan RaburnIt has been a tale of two halves for Raburn this season: In the first half, he hit .208 with two homers and 16 RBIs. Since the All-Star break, he has batted .319, with 13 home runs and 45 RBIs.
Don KellyCan play all outfield positions, first base and third base effectively and finally hit his first major league home run at the age of 30. Kelly added six more homers and drove in 24 runs in limited playing time.
Brad ThomasReturned to the majors for the first time since 2004. Thomas responded from a rough stretch at the beginning of the year. In August and September, Thomas' ERA was 3.09 and he has been one of the Tigers' best.
Below Expectations
Eddie BonineWith an ERA near 5.00 and opposing batters hitting .307 against him, Bonine took a step back this year. His versatility as either a reliever or a starter helps, but he will have to fight in spring training to keep his bullpen spot.
Alfredo FigaroA success in the minors that has not translated to major league success. Figaro has been ineffective since getting called up in mid-August. He has given up at least a run in five of his seven appearances and has an astronomical WHIP of 1.89.
Rick PorcelloA year after finishing third in rookie of the year voting, Porcello has gone 10-11 with a 5.01 ERA. Similar to Scherzer, Porcello was demoted to Toledo and came back much improved, going 6-4 since then.
Alex AvilaStruggled with the bat and behind the plate in the beginning of the year. Started to look comfortable as the season progressed. Avila's best month was September, where he showcased the power he provided down the stretch in 2009.
Gerald LairdEasily one of the biggest disappointments. Laird struggled to keep his batting average above .200 all season, and has thrown out only 34% of baserunners this year, compared to 42% last year, with five passed balls in 75 starts at catcher.
Scott SizemoreExpected to replace Placido Polanco at second base, Sizemore looked overmatched at the plate and didn't impress in the field. Sizemore's poor play earned him a demotion to Toledo two months into the season. Sizemore has looked better at the plate since his recall in September, hitting .400.
Brennan BoeschAfter a sizzling start to his career, Boesch brought back memories of Chris Shelton in the second half. After hitting .342 in the first half, Boesch hit .167 in the second half, not hitting higher than .209 in any of the last three months.
Johnny DamonDamon brought a great attitude to the clubhouse and has been a team player all season, but his play has not justified an $8-million salary.
Robbie WeinhardtHis ERA of 6.35 and 39 hits allowed in 28 1/3 innings belies an improved September (1.69 ERA).
InjuredMagglio OrdoƱezWas exceeding expectations before a broken ankle ended his season in July. Ordonez was having a bounce-back year (.303, 12 HRs, 59 RBIs) from his power outage in 2009 (nine HRs, 50 RBIs). The injury allows the Tigers to avoid his $15-million contract extension for 2011.
Carlos GuillenFor the third consecutive season, Guillen missed a substantial amount of time on the disabled list, going on the DL three times. When healthy, Guillen hit a very pedestrian .273, with only six home runs in 68 games. Guillen may not be fully recovered by the spring.
Joel ZumayaWas having his best season since 2006 until he suffered a fractured arm after throwing a pitch. Zumaya had an impressive 3:1 strikeout ratio, the best of his career, and a 2.58 ERA in 31 games. Zumaya's rehab has been progressing well, and he is expected to be ready for spring training.
Danny WorthThe Tigers' 2007 second-round draft pick was filling in nicely at shortstop before he suffered a heel injury Aug. 3. Worth never hit above .265 in the minors, so it is still unclear whether he can hit at the big league level.
Note: All statistics are entering Friday.
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