2020 Turtle Ball Champions: Detroit Tigers
Dec 22, 2020 16:00:01 GMT
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Post by Baltimore Orioles (Vince) on Dec 22, 2020 16:00:01 GMT
Eye of the Tiger: Tigers Capture Back-to-Back Turtle Ball Championships
Tigers celebrate a walk off Eloy Jimenez grand slam during a late season game to cap off their championship defense
A wise man once said, in order to be the man you have to beat the man. Unfortunately for the rest of the Turtle Ball league in 2020, the Detroit Tigers would not relinquish their vice grip on their status as champions. The 2020 season was anything but normal but that did not deter Detroit from taking care of business. Smart decision making in their front office coupled with a balanced and lethally effective roster put the Tigers in a great position coming off their 2019 championship season. The Times breaks down the Tigers 2020 season of success which culminated in another championship trophy for their general manager’s trophy case.
In a game late in the season, as he completed a double play at second, thirty-five year old Asdrubal Cabrera showed raw emotion of completing the play. “I’m playing at a high level because that’s what this team demands of me” Cabrera said after the game. “We got a bunch of old ass men on this team but don’t tell us that, it’ll come back to bite you!” Nelson Cruz chimed in from behind his teammate heading to the dugout. That spirit embodies the 2020 Detroit Tigers and was contagious throughout their roster. A group of tough and gritty veterans who know how to take the reigns of any situation and use it to their advantage. “We don’t think anybody can stop us.” Adalberto Mondesi opined from short after a blow out Tigers win mid-season. “I know my teammates have my back and I know this organization has my back no matter what. We play as a unit. There’s nothing flashy about what we do. Unless the other team matches our passion and energy, it’s not gonna end well for them.” Mondesi explained. Mondesi was not a part of the end of last year’s campaign but made an instant impact once his health improved in 2020. For the most part, the Detroit Tigers were a healthy squad that made the most of their opportunities. Good in-season management was a staple of their 2019 campaign and that transferred over to success in 2020.
Success at the plate and on the mound made for a consistently dominant season for the Tigers. However, before any Detroit player took to the diamond in 2020, the front office put all the pieces together to make sure the team had a high likelihood of success. First and foremost, re-signing Nelson Cruz in restricted free agency was a major key (not a DJ Khaled reference) to the Tigers 2020 championship. At 40 years old, many teams were still interested in Cruz but the Tigers closed the doors on those negotiations quickly before the 2020 season commenced. The investment in Cruz returned major dividends for the Tigers who put up 16 home-runs, 33 RBIs on a .303 batting average. The rest of Detroit’s championship nucleus came up big again in 2020 once again. Paul Goldschmidt continued his winning brand of slugging in 2020 with a .301 average, 6 home-runs and 21 RBIs on the abridged season. The second year draft gem Eloy Jimenez followed up his stellar rookie season with a very solid second year campaign hitting .296 with 14 home-runs and 41 RBIs. Trusty veteran second-baseman Asdrubal Cabrera came through in the clutch once more in 2020 for Detroit batting .242 and driving in an impressive 31 RBIs and 8 home-runs. However, a new name emerged in Detroit’s offense was crucial to Detroit’s repeat campaign. Adalberto Mondesi, an early 2019 trade acquisition, stepped into the 2020 season with something to prove. A .256 batting average combined with 33 RBIs was critical to Detroit’s success but above all else was the 24 stolen bags Mondesi put under his belt in 2020. As a whole, Detroit’s offense was well balanced from start to finish of 2020. While nearly every other team scrambled to set their batting lineup each week, Detroit’s front office and coaching staff trusted in their roster and made minimal changes all season long. Every single Detroit batter had over a .700 OPS and at least a .250 batting average. No one slumped or fell out of rhythm with made a team with championship experience that much more dangerous. The bats were always going to be there for the Tigers but it was the aces that decided their season. The injury bug bit Detroit early, nabbing their part of their dup ace championship pair in Justin Verlander for the season. The Tigers steadied their ship early with balanced starting performances from the rubber with Yu Darvish and trade acquisition Kenta Maeda. 93 and 80 strikeouts and a 2.70 and 2.01 ERA from both respectively, the duo led the way for the Tigers neutralizing opposing batting lineups. Drew Pomeranz, usually a starter for the most part, had more than few saves and holds to chip in to Detroit’s relief pitching. The mainstay of Detroit’s starting rotation, Max Scherzer, put together a vintage campaign with 92 strikeouts on a 3.74 ERA. The starting rotation for the most part continued its winning ways even with Verlander going down early in the season. Credit Detroit’s ownership for having a steady hand and not allowing a bitter injury to derail their championship defense.
The 2020 Tigers will be remembered as a team that started the season strong and did not look back. Consistency was very key to their success from start to finish. “The bond this group has is special and I definitely hope we can keep it going.” remarked Paul Goldschmidt to a Times reporter while recovering from offseason surgery on his right elbow. “We wouldn’t want to play with anybody else or for anything else, I really can’t explain it. It's like when you go to war with guys like that you just can’t break that type of connection. There won’t be another group like this any time soon.” continued Goldschmidt. “I don’t know how much longer I can go but I know this team will be here long after I hang it up.” chimed in Justin Verlander with his arm in a sling. “Culture is everything and this organization has all of the stuff it takes to sustain success.” Verlander stated. Balance is what made the Tigers deadly in 2019 and 2020. Execution and attention to detail was put into every decision made. With 2021 fast approaching, the league waits to see what decisions the Tigers will make to their roster as they have quickly become the elite team of the league to watch. Until further notice, the heart of this team or their ceiling in 2021 cannot be questioned. The “eye of the tiger” mentality is hard to attain but Detroit seems to have harnessed its potential and their formula for winning has produced back to back championships which is no easy feat.