Tigers/Yankees/Dodgers

The 2015 MLB season is underway. Although only a week and a half has passed, there are already interesting stories brewing around the league.

Detroit Tigers:


The Detroit Tigers have been one of the best teams in baseball over the last decade, but they have not been able to win a title despite making two trips. They have been known for great hitting and pitching, but lackluster fielding has hurt them in the past. The Tigers led the league in batting average last year (.277), and were second in runs scored (757). The hitting is still stellar, led by current hits leader Miguel Cabrera. The pitching, however, may be problematic. Last year, they allowed 4.01 runs a game (24th in the league). Justin Verlander took a huge step back after his MVP season two years ago, and he's starting this season on the 15-day DL. The Tigers traded for David Price at last years’ deadline, but they lost Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello over the offseason. In his last start, Anibal Sanchez allowed eight hits, five earned runs, and three homers in 6.1 innings. Kyle Lobstein is Verlander's replacement, and he is unproven. This team has been underachieving for many years, so it is hard to say if they will finally get over the hump this year.



New York Yankees:


The Yankees' pitching staff struggled last year. They are switching closers for the second straight year in Dellin Betances, and he has struggled. Masahiro Tanaka was one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball last year until he was sidelined with an elbow injury. Tanaka refrained from Tommy John surgery, in line with Japanese culture. Early this season, his velocity is down. He is still pitching decently, but it will be interesting to see how his elbow compares to the numerous pitchers who have had the surgery. With CC Sabathia's evident decline continuing, the team will look to unproven commodities in Michael Pineda and Nathan Eovaldi to shore up the rotation.

The offense has looked better than last year so far. The team never dropped Derek Jeter in the lineup last year, which may have been to their detriment. Their .245 batting average was 20th in the league last year. The average has not spiked yet, but their twelve homers is tied with Baltimore for the league lead. Stephen Drew and Chase Headley have looked solid over the past couple games. Drew could very well become the everyday shortstop, since Didi Gregorius' first week as a Yankee was marred by baserunning blunders. Jacoby Ellsbury was a bright spot for this offense last year, and he has been so far this year too. He is batting. 296, although he amazingly does not have a homerun or RBI yet. They Yankees are not used to being a middle of the road team, but they should be better than last year.



LA Dodgers:


The Dodgers traded longtime outfielder Matt Kemp to the Padres for catcher Yasmani Grandal, with rookie Joc Pederson waiting in the wings. They also completely overhauled their middle infield. They got rid of Hanley Ramirez and Dee Gordon, and replaced them with Jimmy Rollins and Howie Kendrick. These are huge moves considering that the Dodgers were a legitimate contender last year, but they are trying to improve on defense. The Dodgers hit for a .265 average last year, which was third in the league. The offense will be fine most likely, because Adrian Gonzales and Yasiel Puig are two of the most dynamic hitters in baseball. After roughly a week, Gonzalez is hitting .556 with five homers and seven RBIs. Offense is big for this team, because they do not have stellar pitching. Clayton Kershaw is the reigning Cy Young winner, and Zack Greinke is a great nimbler two, but the rotation drops off after that. Hyun-Jin Ryu did a good job as the third starter last year, but he is starting the season on the DL with a shoulder injury. The front office clearly felt a new approach was necessary, but it will be interesting to see if the team loses too much offense.