Tigers Mid-Season Hitting Report

With the All-Star break officially upon us, we'll continue our examination of the Tigers first half play by looking at the hitters.

Infielders:
 1B: Miguel Cabrera (.311, 18 HR, 59 RBI) has been Miguel Cabrera. He has been the Tigers most consistent hitter, has the most HR on the team, and is dominant in RBI situations. While his average is not the best it has ever been (although anybody would like a .311 hitter on their team), I expect that it will go up in the second half and he'll end up hitting about .330 with 35-40 HR.
 2B: Ryan Raburn (.213, 8 HR, 31 RBI) has some problems. He is constantly pulling the Tigers lineup down, and is not that great defensively. We have seen him have streaks where he is hitting with the best of them, but unless he can break out of the slump he is in, the Tigers have better options for second.
 3B: Brandon Inge (.184, 1 HR, 17 RBI) has had a terrible year, and should not be playing. He is hitless for the last five games and has not hit a home run since April. Granted, his mononucleosis is probably slowing him down, but unless he shows that he has something left in the tank, Don Kelly, Danny Worth, or even prospect Francisco Martinez are all better options at third.
 SS: Jhonny Peralta (.312, 14 HR, 50 RBI) has been the year's surprise at short. Acquired from the Indians last year in a trade, Peralta was expected to be let go at the end of the season. Instead, he played so well that the Tigers decided to sign him for this year. And has he ever played! Other than Cabrera and Martinez, Peralta has been the Tigers best hitter, and has really settled into the 6 and 7 spots in the lineup.
 C: Alex Avila (.286, 10 HR, 46 RBI) has had a breakout year at catcher, and was selected to start in the All-Star game. After hitting .300 for most of the year, Avila has cooled off a bit, but he should be a consistent .270-.300 hitter the rest of the season, and is a key part of the bottom of the lineup.
 DH: Splitting time with Avila at catcher, Victor Martinez (.316, 6 HR, 50 RBI) has made a huge impact in the Tigers lineup. Batting directly after Cabrera, Martinez has caused other pitchers to throw to Cabrera, and not intentionally walk him. Of all the "big" offseason pickups in the Majors, V-Mart is the only one who has played extremely well. He will be a big part of this team going forward.

Outfielders:
  CF: Austin Jackson (.245, 4 HR, 23 RBI) strikes out waaaaaay too much (100 already). Aside from that, he has the potential to be an amazing hitter, and when he gets on a streak, he is unstoppable. This is only his second year in the big leagues, but Jackson has piled up countless amazing catches in the outfield, with his amazing speed allowing him to take away numerous doubles and triples. Jackson hasn't been great at the plate, but he will get better, and if he gets on base, the Tigers usually score.
 LF/RF: Brennan Boesch (.306, 12 HR, 44 RBI) was sensational when he was called up last year, hitting well over .300 with a lot of bombs. Sadly, he was a disaster after the All-Star break. This year he has been much more consistent and is a valuable hitter in front of Cabrera. Barring another post All-Star slump, Boesch will be a great boost to the lineup, and should be a critical part of a run for the postseason.
 RF: Magglio Ordonez (.217, 3 HR, 14 RBI) has not been as bad has his numbers indicate. His ankle was hurt for the first part of the season, and the Tigers put him on the DL. After coming back, Ordonez has hit the ball hard everywhere, except that they were right towards defenders. Once the hits start dropping in, Maggs will be hitting up a storm, and could easily hit over .300 after the break.
OF: Andy Dirks (.254, 6 HR, 17 RBI) and Casper Wells (.259, 4 HR, 12 RBI) have shown that they can hit consistently. Wells can play anywhere in the outfield and has a great arm. Dirks is not as good defensively, but has the potential to be quite a hitter. These two are valuable off the bench, and when Boesch or Ordonez sit, Dirks and Wells pick up the slack, and have even shown that they could fill in for the rest of the season if needed.

Utility:
 Don Kelly (.245, 3 HR, 11 RBI) can play anywhere. Literally. He's played every position, including pitcher, during his career. When someone needs a rest, whether it be infield or outfield, Kelly is ready to play, and does a respectable job where ever he is. This year, he has obtained the majority of his playing time at third while Inge was injured. He played a lot better than Inge, and probably should start at third every day.
 Ramon Santiago (.225, 1 HR, 8 RBI) plays either second or short, and provides switch hitting at the plate. He has been valuable to the Tigers through the years, but is starting to show his age.
  Danny Worth (.300, 0 HR, 3 RBI) has spent most of the year in the Minors, but he has hit .300 in 30 AB, and is a better option than Raburn or Inge at their respective positions.

 There have been a couple other call-ups, but these players have been sent down after a few games. Will Rhymes is probably the closest to the Majors, hitting over .300 at Triple A.

  For the most part, the hitting has been pretty good (with 4 and at times 5 players all hitting over .300), but Raburn and Inge are holding the lineup back. Unless they start hitting consistently or someone else takes over for them, the Tigers can probably throw out any hope of making the playoffs.