Stoney's Blog: Fielder Of Dreams Not Just For Now
The Tigers signing of Prince Fielder sent shock waves throughout both the Detroit sports scene and the national baseball world, and why wouldn't it? Who could have predicted a team that already has Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander making over $20 million would add another high-priced star? Fielder fills the offensive void left with the season ending injury to Victor Martinez, but his reported nine-year, $214 million contract has baseball pundits predicting only short-term success for the Tigers. I don't see it that way. Yes, there is no guarantee the team wins a World Series. The Texas Rangers arguably have a better lineup, but I believe the arrival of Fielder does mean that Detroit will be good for a long time and here is why.
Look at the age of the Tigers nucleus. For starters, Cabrera will be 29 in April and Fielder 28 in May. The rest of the lineup are mostly guys heading into their prime. Austin Jackson and Alex Avila are 25.Brennan Boesch and Delmon Young are 27 Jhonny Peralta and Ryan Raburn are 30. The only non-pitchers right now over 30 are Victor Martinez 33, Ramon Santiago 32 , Brandon Inge, 35, Don Kelly, 32, and Gerald Laird, 32.
On the mound the starters are also guys who can be counted on in the future as well. Justin Verlander, 29, Doug Fister and Max Scherzer are 28 and Rick Porcello is 23. The back-end of the bullpen is the only unit that you can say is somewhat aged with Jose Valverde, Joaquin Benoit,and Octavio Dotel at 34, 35, and 39 respectively.
The point is, barring major injury or a sudden decline in performance, the Tigers are set up to be a major player for at least the next five years or longer. And that is something to be excited about.
