Health of Cabrera, Martinez key for Tigers
The Tigers got a double dose of good news Sunday.
Their best two hitters - Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez - played their first exhibition games of the spring.
Cabrera and Martinez are both recovering from off-season surgeries. Cabrera had a bone chip removed from his right ankle and doctors also repaired a stress fracture in the 2012-13 American League MVP's right foot.
Martinez is coming back from surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee.
With the regular season starting in two weeks, a healthy Cabrera and Martinez are keys to the Tigers winning the AL Central for the fifth straight season.
"It's good that they're able to partake in the games," Detroit manager Brad Ausmus told reporters. "But this does not mean that come April 6, they'll be ready."
On April 6, the Tigers open the regular season at home against the Twins.
With Max Scherzer now pitching for the Nationals after exiting as a free agent, David Price has emerged as the No. 1 starter and the left-hander will pitch the opener.
Justin Verlander was Detroit's opening-day starter for seven straight years, but the right-hander struggled in 2014 while going 15-12 with a 4.54 ERA.
In addition to health issues with Cabrera and Martinez, the loss of Scherzer, Verlander's regression and a still shaky bullpen, the Tigers should also be concerned about a tougher schedule.
The White Sox look to be markedly improved, the Royals almost won the World Series last season and the Indians have been surprisingly competitive under manager Terry Francona.
But Detroit has ruled the AL Central for four years, and the Tigers can still hit.
Detroit led the majors with a .277 team batting average last season and ranked second with 757 runs scored.
Torii Hunter exited and is back with the Twins, so Detroit acquired Yoenis Cespedes in a trade from Boston. Cespedes drove in 100 runs with the A's and Red Sox last and has 71 home runs in 416 career games.
Right fielder J.D. Martinez returns after a surprising 2014 season. Released by the Astros last spring, Martinez signed with the Tigers and batted .315 with 23 homers and 76 RBI.
The rotation is still solid with Price, Verlander, Anibal Sanchez and newcomer Alfredo Simon, but the bullpen needs to improve if Detroit is hoping to finish in first place again.
Joe Nathan is the closer for now, but he's been shaky in the Grapefruit League and is in danger of losing his job to Joakim Soria.