It's September, which means it's time for anybody who isn't clinching a division to jam their way towards the top of the standings in the hope that they can squeeze into the playoffs, via the Wild Card spot.
The Tigers, at the moment, have a pretty nice shot. In the year since ending up in last, they've rebuilt, and reengineered their squad to be heavy in power and hits, as well as having three really nice arms mowing down batters. Miguel Cabrera, J.D. Martinez, Ian Kinsler and Victor Martinez are all surging at the same time. It's actually really nice to watch.
The Tigers have a shot at making it into the playoffs, but right now they're facing against the Mariners, who haven't lost a game in a week, and the Orioles and Blue Jays, in opposite directions in the AL East. The Yankees could factor into it, but...actually no, that's not happening. Not this year.
I think the Tigers have enough sheer power to wind up in a WC spot. They're obviously not to the level of Cleveland, but they have a lot going on, and a lot of great players that have improved since last year. Plus, Michael Fullmer's here and he's probably your AL Rookie of the Year.
I'm not going to say that they're a definite, but they have a better shot than most of their competitors to make an impact this postseason. In a perfect world, they play Baltimore for the WC spot.
Coming Tomorrow- Speaking of Wild Card contenders named Martinez, this one...has much less of a chance.
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