Kuzul

The American League Central is one of the most interesting divisions in all of baseball this season.The Detroit Tigers once again entered the year as runaway favorites to take the division crown, and are once again struggling at the first quarter mark, trailing the Cleveland Indians by 2.5 games.The Indians, who finished 20 games back in the division last year with only 68 wins, are on pace to reach close to 100 wins this season, and are the hottest team in baseball, winning 18 of their last 22 games.But unlike the Tigers, the Indians aren't doing it with star power.The Tigers lead the AL in runs, average and on-base percentage, but have struggled lately, going 4-6 in their last 10 games, with two of those wins coming against the dreadful Houston Astros.Yet, most of the players on this list are donning the Old English D.It has been a fun first ...

Torii Hunter, Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder have been tearing the cover off the ball so far this baseball season, and they don't look to be slowing down anytime soon.The Detroit Tigers' 2-3-4 hitters are leading the team in batting average in their same respective lineup order to help the struggling Tigers keep their heads above water.For most of the first month of the season, the Tigers' top three hitters led boasted the best batting average and on-base percentage in the American League.Detroit has struggled over the past week, losing its last four games to fall to fourth in AL team batting average, but the Tigers' stars are doing their jobs.Here is why the Tigers' three best hitters will continue their torrid pace for the rest of the season:Begin Slideshow

Topps unveiled the world's largest baseball card on Tuesday, measuring 90 feet by 60 feet. MLB.com tweeted pictures of the card, which showcases Detroit Tigers first baseman Prince Fielder:As if the 5'11", 275-pound behemoth could get any bigger. In all likelihood, no one is going to be collecting or trading these cards. Then again, I've seen people do stranger things.Topps, a Brooklyn-based company, has been around since 1938. The company made its first sets of cards in 1951. Since then, Topps has been looking for new ways to spice up its products, from new designs to different materials.The latest move by Topps is just another means to attract publicity. Judging by the overall reaction to the unveiling on Tuesday, it appears the company did a fine job.Little is known regarding the future of these jumbo-sized cards. Will there be a running series of them, ranging from Fielder to the smallest players of ...

We all remember musical chairs. It was a simple numbers game—there was no other way to look at it, unless you grew up spittin' game like me and always lined up behind the cute girl in class so that as soon as the music stopped you swooped right underneath her so her backside conveniently landed right in your lap—but that's neither here nor there. There weren't enough chairs to go around.A baseball roster has only 25 spots on it, and the Detroit Tigers have a problem similar to the level of suaveness of Arthur Fonzarelli: something we call a surplus.The Tigers just re-signed RHP Anibal Sanchez to a reported five-year, $80 million contract. There's a lot to like in Anibal's game, but shelling out $80 million on a guy without a "stellar" year to his credit is a lot like handing the role of Superman to Brandon Routh. Let's hope ...

After watching the San Francisco Giants do a little bit of everything and a lot well to take a 2-0 series lead, the Detroit Tigers take solace in returning to their home field. Though history suggests a comeback is not in the offing, the club remains confident. To win the vital Game 3 though, Detroit has to improve in a few vital areas. First and foremost, they aren't hitting. Give the Giants credit, they have played brilliantly at times. But the vital organs of their potentially explosive offense have not been functioning. Hitting just .167 in the series so far, Detroit must start producing at the plate or the Major League Baseball season could be done before the weekend ends. But in all fairness, the problems have not just been limited to the Tigers' woes at the plate. With an ERA of 5.63 thus far, the pitching hasn't been playoff-caliber either. And ...

Of the four Division Series matchups, this one probably featured the most different teams.The Athletics exceeded almost everyone's expectations with rookies and other youngsters, while the Tigers were on the outside looking in for most of the season despite their high expectations with superstars like Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder on the roster.In Game 1, pitching ruled the day. Justin Verlander bounced back from a shaky beginning to strike out 11 in seven innings and Jarrod Parker gave up three runs in six and a third in his first career postseason start.Both bullpens were effective and the Tigers earned a nail-biting 3-1 victory in the first game of the best-of-five Division Series. Here are Game 1 grades for each team.Begin Slideshow

Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder and Jose Valverde account for $73 million of the Tigers' payroll this year.And nearly thirty games in, General Manager David Dombrowski might well be asking himself if the Tigers are seeing the type of returns expected from such a large investment.It's true that 28 games isn't enough to gauge a ball club, but it's enough of a sample size to start making some observations about the Tigers' performance in 2012. Not considering inadequate contributions from the bottom of Detroit's lineup and so-so bullpen, many Tigers fans are also asking themselves, “Should we have put all these eggs in the same basket?” With the Tigers sitting in the middle of pack in the AL Central, now is a good time to take a look at the production numbers of Detroit's highest-paid players: Prince Fielder ($23 million)In terms of power, Fielder is off to a slow start, ...

After a tumultuous offseason, Ryan Braun is shutting up his critics so far in 2012.In early October, Braun tested positive for a banned substance. He appealed the findings and was eventually exonerated due to a chain of custody issue. Because of this, the majority of fans believe that Braun got off on a technicality and have labeled him a cheater.Many thought that the hatred from the fans during road games would distract Braun and his level of play would decrease. Critics of Braun also pointed out that, with Prince Fielder's departure, teams would pitch around Braun more often, and he wouldn't see as many good pitches as he did with Fielder behind him.Braun claims that he tunes out opposing fans and doesn't let it affect his play. He must be telling the truth.For the season, Braun is hitting .357 with one home run and four runs batted in. In four games on the ...

Technically, I may be a little late with these "preseason" predictions because the regular season officially started early Wednesday morning in Japan...but honestly who watched the games in Japan anyways?This past offseason has been one for the ages as we saw names like Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, and Jose Reyes all switching teams. This regular season shapes up to be even more exciting and interesting, especially with the addition of a second Wild Card. Division titles now mean even more, and there is a chance that we could see someone completely unexpected make the playoffs.How will everything shape up after October? Here is my opinion.Begin Slideshow

The Detroit Tigers will be the best team in baseball in 2012, so if you're looking for fantasy baseball sleepers, they are probably a good roster to check out.Superstars like Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder are given fantasy studs, but they aren't the only players on this roster that put up big numbers.Catcher Alex Avila had a breakout year last season with a .295 batting average, 19 home runs, 82 RBI and .389 OBP, so he's going to be a fantasy favorite.And then there are the pitchers. With Justin Verlander, Doug Fister and Jose Valverde being the big-name arms, the Tigers pitching staff is obviously jam packed with must-have arms.Who will be the sleepers on this year's team, though?Once you get to the later rounds of your draft, you will need to have player or two that can produce big numbers at a good value.I'd keep an eye on these ...