Bring on the Tigers

The Yankees snuck by the Orioles in what will be considered one of the best Divisional Series of all time. Up until the 6th inning of Game 5, there was only 1 inning out of 48 where the teams weren't either tied or one-run apart. The 2012 ALDS will always be remembered for Raul Ibanez hitting 2 home runs in Game 3, while pinch hitting for Alex Rodriguez (or CC Sabathia looking like an ace pitching two complete games). There will be plenty of time to look back after the season is over (hopefully with the Yankees completing their Quest for 28), but now let's look ahead to the series against the Tigers and a rematch from last season's ALDS.

After struggling through most of the first half of the season, the Detroit Tigers came on strong in the second half of the season to win the AL Central from the White Sox. Detroit is a dangerous team, led by the possible Cy Young/MVP duo of Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera. The Yankees won the season series 6-4, but everything changes in October.

Infield

First Base

Detroit spent a lot of money to bring in Prince Fielder and it has paid off so far. He hit 30 HR with 108 RBI and batted .313. When the Yankees signed Mark Teixeira in 2009, it was one of the three big free agent acquisitions that led them to World Series number 27. Tex was banged up, missing 39 games. He still has pop in his bat, but is no longer the high .290 hitter that the Yankees thought they were getting.

Second Base

Robbie Cano is one of the most dangerous hitters in the game, hitting .313 with 33 home runs this season. Omar Infante is a decent player that was brought in from the Marlins in a July trade. This is pretty much a no contest.

Third Base

Could this postseason get worse for Alex Rodriguez? After hitting under 20 home runs for the second time in his career (not including the 94-95 season where he played in 65 combined games), he was pinch hit for Raul Ibanez in the third game of the ALDS, and was benched for the decisive Game 5. Miguel Cabrera became the first Triple Crown winner since Carl Yastrzemski did it in 1967. At this stage in their careers, Cabrera is the much better player.

Shortstop

Derek Jeter is coming off one of the best seasons of his legendary career, and Mr. October always comes up big in the postseason. Jhonny Peralta's .239 average was his lowest since 2003.

Final Thought: The two best players on the infield are wearing Tigers jerseys, but is it enough to make up for the Yankees depth?

Outfield

Left Field

The 26-year old Andy Dirks has shown some promise batting .322 this season. Ichiro is back in the playoffs for the first time since 2001, and has played with a different intensity since being traded to the Yankees.

Centerfield

Ironically enough, the Yankees and Tigers and swapped Austin Jackson and Curtis Granderson in part of a three-team trade before the 2010 season. Jackson is a better all around hitter, but Granderson's power numbers give him a slight edge here. 

Right Field

Rookie Quintin Berry is their main right fielder, but they have platooned other players here during the season. Nick Swisher is a 20+ home run man for the Yankees, but is a career .165 hitter in the playoffs.

Final Thoughts: I think the Yankees have a big edge here.

DH/Catcher

Russell Martin got off to a slow start, but started to come around in the second half, finishing with 21 homers. The Yanks platoon Raul Ibanez, Eric Chavez, and Eduardo Nunez in the DH spot. Ibanez has proven that he can be relied on in clutch situations for the Yankees. Tigers' catcher Alex Avila took a step back from his All-Star season last year. Delmon Young provides nice pop in the DH spot, hitting 18 home runs this year.

Starting Pitching

Probable Starters:

Game 1: Andy Pettitte (5-4, 2.87 ERA) vs Doug Fister (10-10, 3.45 ERA)

Game 2: Hiroki Kuroda (16-11, 3.32 ERA) vs Annibal Sanchez (4-6, 3.74 ERA)

Game 3: Phil Hughes (16-13, 4.23 ERA) vs  Max Scherzer (16-7, 3.74 ERA)
Game 4: CC Sabathia (15-6, 3.38 ERA) vs Justin Verlander (17-8, 2.64 ERA)

Final Thoughts: The pitching staffs are pretty much evenly matched. The Yankees starters were phenomenal against the Orioles, but they'll have a harder time against the big bats in Detroit. Game 4 is a scheduled clash of the Titans between CC and Verlander.

Bullpen

Papa Grande, Jose Valverde, struggled this season after being one of the hottest closers in 2011. Valverde blew 5 saves, and his ERA ballooned up from 2.24 to 3.78. The Tigers were 18th in the majors with a bullpen ERA of 3.79. Against the A's, the Tigers 'pen gave up 5 runs in 9 innings for a 5.00 ERA. Rafael Soriano looked unhittable in the ALDS, and didn't make Yankee fans miss Mariano. Yankees relievers had a 0.79 ERA with 11.1 innings of work in the ALDS. 

Prediction

The Yankees big bats need to wake up and score some runs in this series. The Tigers offense is much more dangerous than the O's. I have faith that our veterans' come alive and carry us to the World Series.

Yankees in 6