2007 Detroit Tigers season

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2007 Detroit Tigers
Major League affiliations
Location
Results
Record88–74 (.543)
Divisional place2nd
Other information
Owner(s)Mike Ilitch
General manager(s)Dave Dombrowski
Manager(s)Jim Leyland
Local televisionFSN Detroit
WJBK
(Mario Impemba, Rod Allen)
Local radioThe Detroit Tigers Radio Network
(Dan Dickerson, Jim Price)
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The Detroit Tigers 2007 season ended with the 88-74 Tigers finishing runner-up in the AL Central Division, eight games in back of the AL Central Champion Cleveland Indians. They failed in winning the Wild Card, a task which they achieved in 2006, and going on to win the AL Pennant.

After a trip to the 2006 World Series that ended with a defeat to the St. Louis Cardinals, the Tigers started the offseason by trading pitchers Humberto Sánchez, Kevin Whelan, and Anthony Claggett to the New York Yankees for outfielder and designated hitter Gary Sheffield. Plus, they re-signed players from the previous season's team; first baseman Sean Casey, second baseman Omar Infante, outfielder Craig Monroe, left-handed starting pitcher Nate Robertson, and right-handed relief pitcher Fernando Rodney all returned with the Tigers for the 2007 season.

Regular season[]

As of July 18, the Tigers had sold 2,712,393 tickets at Comerica Park for the 2007 season, setting a new single-season home attendance record for the team. The previous record had been 2,704,794 customers at Tiger Stadium in 1984. At the end of the season, the Tigers had sold over 3,000,000 tickets for 2007.

Season standings[]

  • v
  • t
AL Central 		W L Pct. GB Home Road
Cleveland Indians 96 66 0.593 — 51–29 45–37
Detroit Tigers 88 74 0.543 8 45–36 43–38
Minnesota Twins 79 83 0.488 17 41–40 38–43
Chicago White Sox 72 90 0.444 24 38–43 34–47
Kansas City Royals 69 93 0.426 27 35–46 34–47


Record vs. opponents[]

2007 American League Records
  • v
  • t

Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]
Team BAL BOS CWS CLE DET KC LAA MIN NYY OAK SEA TB TEX TOR NL 
Baltimore — 6–12 5–3 3–4 1–5 7–0 3–7 0–7 9–9 4–4 2–7 11–7 4–6 8–10 6–12
Boston 12–6 — 7–1 5–2 3–4 3–3 6–4 4–3 8–10 4–4 4–5 13–5 6–4 9–9 12–6
Chicago 3–5 1–7 — 7–11 11–7 12–6 5–4 9–9 4–6 4–5 1–7 6–1 2–4 3–4 4–14
Cleveland 4–3 2–5 11–7 — 12–6 11–7 5–5 14–4 0–6 6–4 4–3 8–2 6–3 4–2 9–9
Detroit 5–1 4–3 7–11 6–12 — 11–7 3–5 12–6 4–4 4–6 6–4 3–4 5–4 4–3 14–4
Kansas City 0–7 3–3 6–12 7–11 7–11 — 5–2 9–9 1–9 6–4 3–6 4–3 5–4 3–4 10–8
Los Angeles 7–3 4–6 4–5 5–5 5–3 2–5 — 6–3 6–3 9–10 13–6 6–2 10–9 3–4 14–4
Minnesota 7–0 3–4 9–9 4–14 6–12 9–9 3–6 — 2–5 5–2 6–3 3–4 7–2 4–6 11–7
New York 9–9 10–8 6–4 6–0 4–4 9–1 3–6 5–2 — 2–4 5–5 10–8 5–1 10–8 10–8
Oakland 4–4 4–4 5–4 4–6 6–4 4–6 10–9 2–5 4–2 — 5–14 4–6 9–10 5–4 10–8
Seattle 7–2 5–4 7–1 3–4 4–6 6–3 6–13 3–6 5–5 14–5 — 4–3 11–8 4–5 9–9
Tampa Bay 7–11 5–13 1–6 2–8 4–3 3–4 2–6 4–3 8–10 6–4 3–4 — 5–4 9–9 7–11
Texas 6–4 4–6 4–2 3–6 4–5 4–5 9–10 2–7 1–5 10–9 8–11 4–5 — 5–5 11–7
Toronto 10–8 9–9 4–3 2–4 3–4 4–3 4–3 6–4 8–10 4–5 5–4 9–9 5–5 — 10–8


Roster[]

2007 Detroit Tigers
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders Manager
  • 10 Jim Leyland

Coaches

Season Highlights[]

  • On June 12, Pitcher Justin Verlander threw a no-hitter against the Milwaukee Brewers, winning the game 4-0. This was the first no-hitter by a Tiger since Jack Morris did it in 1984 and the first ever thrown at Comerica Park.
  • Five players, second only to Boston's six, represented Detroit in the 2007 MLB All-Star Game. Carlos Guillén, Magglio Ordóñez, Plácido Polanco, Iván Rodríguez and Justin Verlander joined American League manager Jim Leyland in the All-Star game.
  • On July 6, Neifi Pérez was suspended 25 games by MLB for a second positive test for a banned stimulant. He subsequently tested positive for a third time and was suspended on August 3 for 80 games.
  • On August 17, highly touted prospect Cameron Maybin made his major league debut in New York City against the Yankees playing left-field.[15]

Curtis Granderson[]

  • On August 7, 2007, Granderson became only the second player in franchise history to have at least 30 doubles, 15 triples, 15 home runs, and 10 stolen bases in a single season when he hit a double in a game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The other Tiger to accomplish this feat was Charlie Gehringer in 1930. Granderson hit his second inside-the-park home run in his first at bat against the Yankees on August 26, 2007.
  • On September 7, 2007, Granderson became the 6th member all-time of baseball's exclusive 20–20–20 club. Granderson joined the 20–20–20 club with Kansas City's George Brett (1979), Willie Mays of the New York Giants (1957), Cleveland's Jeff Heath (1941), St. Louis' Jim Bottomley (1928), and Frank Schulte of the Chicago Cubs (1911).
  • On September 9, 2007 Granderson stole his 20th base of the season and joined Willie Mays and Frank "Wildfire" Schulte as the only players in major league history to reach 20 doubles, 20 triples, 20 home runs, and 20 stolen bases in a season.[1] Schulte was the first to accomplish the feat in 1911 while playing for the Chicago Cubs and Mays did it in 1957 with the New York Giants. Jimmy Rollins of the Philadelphia Phillies would later that year accomplish the same feat.

[2]

Magglio Ordóñez[]

Magglio Ordóñez had one of the best season by a Detroit Tiger batter in the past 60 years.[citation needed] Magglio's records and accomplishments in 2007 include:

  • His .363 batting average was the highest in Major League Baseball. He finished the season as the AL batting champion, and is the first Tiger player to accomplish the feat since Norm Cash in 1961. The last Tiger to hit for a higher average was Charlie Gehringer in 1937.
  • His 54 doubles was the most in Major League Baseball. It is the most by a Tiger since George Kell hit 56 in 1950.
  • His 139 RBIs was the highest by a Tiger since Rocky Colavito had 140 in 1961. Colavito is the only Tiger batter with more RBIs than Ordóñez in the past 60 years.
  • On August 12, 2007, Magglio hit two home runs in an eight-run second-inning of an 11-6 win over the Oakland Athletics, becoming the second batter in Tigers' history to achieve this feat; Al Kaline had done so on April 17, 1955, in a 16-0 win over the then-Kansas City Athletics.
  • Ordóñez had an on-base percentage of .434. Only two other Tiger batters in the past 60 years have hit for a higher on-base percentage: Tony Phillips in 1993 (.443) and Norm Cash in 1961 (.487).
  • Only one Tiger in the past 60 years has had a higher slugging percentage than Magglio's .595: Norm Cash in 1961 had a slugging percentage of .662.

The one Tiger hitting season in the past 60 years that exceeds Ordonez's 2007 season is that of Norm Cash in 1961. In 1961, the AL MVP award was given to New York Yankee slugger Roger Maris who hit 61 home runs.

2007–08 offseason events[]

On October 9, 2007, the Tigers announced that they were picking up the $13 million, fifth-year option on Iván Rodríguez's contract, keeping him on the roster through at least the 2008 season. The Tigers could have bought out the option for $3 million and allowed him to become a free agent.

On October 10, the Tigers returned Rule 5 draftee to the Chicago Cubs. Campusano spent the entire 2007 season on the 60-day disabled list.

Relief pitcher Joel Zumaya was injured while at his off-season home in California. While moving boxes during the October 2007 California wildfires, a large box fell on Zumaya, separating his shoulder. Zumaya had surgery to correct the problem and is currently rehabilitating the shoulder.

On October 29, first baseman Sean Casey filed for free agency, on the first day players could do so. The team's management had already informed Casey that he would not return to the lineup the following season. The same day, the Tigers acquired shortstop Édgar Rentería from the Atlanta Braves, in exchange for pitching prospect Jair Jurrjens and outfielding prospect Gorkys Hernández. The move paves the way for current shortstop Carlos Guillén to move to the vacant spot at first base.

On October 30, utility infielder Neifi Pérez filed for free agency. He had not played since July 5 after being suspended for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy.

On November 12, veteran closer Todd Jones was re-signed to a one-year, $7 million contract. The same day, the Tigers received outfielder Jacque Jones in a trade with the Chicago Cubs for utility man Omar Infante.

On November 30, Kenny Rogers agreed to a one-year, 8-million contract to return to the Tigers. Rogers represented himself in contract negotiations after firing agent Scott Boras on November 17. The contract contains performance bonuses based on how many innings Rogers pitches in 2008. The team also signed free-agent pitcher Francisco Cruceta to a one-year deal.

On December 5, the Tigers pulled off a blockbuster trade with the Florida Marlins, with starting pitcher Dontrelle Willis and third-baseman Miguel Cabrera arriving from Florida. The Tigers send in exchange backup catcher Mike Rabelo, top outfielding prospect Cameron Maybin, top pitching prospect Andrew Miller, and three other minor leaguers. The same day, the Tigers swapped pitchers with the Colorado Rockies, acquiring Denny Bautista for prospect José Capellán. Also, the Tigers sent minor-league slugger Chris Shelton to Texas for outfielder Freddy Guzman.

The Cabrera trade would make current third-baseman Brandon Inge expendable. Inge asked management for a trade, but the team was unable to make a deal. Inge's four-year, $24 million contract, signed before the 2007 season, was partly to blame. Inge would eventually drop the matter and accept the role as a utilityman.

On December 6, the Tigers selected minor-league pitchers Juan Cedeño from the Washington organization and Ben Fritz from the Oakland organization in the Rule 5 draft. The Tigers lost minor-league pitchers Randor Bierd, and .

On December 29, the Tigers and Dontrelle Willis signed a three-year, $29 million contract extension.

On January 16, 2008, the Tigers avoided arbitration with Nate Robertson and signed him to a three-year, $21.25 million contract. He would have been a free agent after the 2009 season. The following day, the Tigers avoided arbitration with outfielder Marcus Thames, signing him to a one-year, $1,275,000 contract. On the 18th, the team was able to avoid arbitration with all of their eligible players by signing Miguel Cabrera to a one-year, $11.3 million contract. Reliever Bobby Seay was given a one-year, $780,000 contract.

On February 4, center fielder Curtis Granderson signed a 5-year, $30.25 million contract extension, keeping the speedy lead-off man on the roster through at least 2012. There is a team option for 2013.

On February 5, the Tigers completed another trade with the Texas Rangers, sending Class A Lakeland and Class AA outfielder Michael Hernandez in exchange for minor league right-hander Armando Galarraga.

On March 25, the Tigers finalized a long-term contract for Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera signed an eight-year, $152.3 million deal, which is the biggest in Detroit Tigers history.[3]

Game log[]

2007 Game Log
April
May
June
July
August
September

Player stats[]

Batting[]

Note: G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In

Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
Timo Pérez 29 90 35 .389 0 13
Magglio Ordóñez 157 595 216 .363 28 139
Plácido Polanco 142 587 200 .341 9 67
Ryan Raburn 49 138 42 .304 4 27
Curtis Granderson 158 612 185 .302 23 74
Carlos Guillén 151 564 167 .296 21 102
Sean Casey 143 453 134 .296 4 54
Ramón Santiago 32 67 19 .284 0 7
Iván Rodríguez 129 502 141 .281 11 63
Omar Infante 66 166 45 .271 2 17
Gary Sheffield 133 494 131 .265 25 75
Mike Rabelo 51 168 43 .256 1 18
Marcus Thames 86 269 65 .242 18 54
Brandon Inge 151 508 120 .236 14 71
Mike Hessman 17 51 12 .235 4 12
Craig Monroe* 99 343 76 .222 11 55
Neifi Pérez 33 64 11 .172 1 6
Cameron Maybin 24 49 7 .143 1 2
Brent Clevlen 13 10 1 .100 1 0

* Player released or traded. Stats only reflect games with Tigers.

Players in Bold qualify for Batting Title.

Pitching[]

Starting pitchers[]

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Yorman Bazardo 11 23.2 2 1 2.28 15
Justin Verlander 32 201.2 18 6 3.66 183
Kenny Rogers 11 63.0 3 4 4.43 36
Jair Jurrjens 7 30.2 3 1 4.70 13
Chad Durbin 36 127.2 8 7 4.72 66
Nate Robertson 30 177.2 9 13 4.76 119
Jeremy Bonderman 28 174.1 11 9 5.01 145
Mike Maroth * 13 78.1 5 2 5.06 28
Andrew Miller 12 64.0 5 5 5.63 56
Jordan Tata 3 14.0 1 1 7.71 8

* Player released or traded. Stats only reflect games with Tigers.

Relief pitchers[]

Note: G = Games pitched; W= Wins; L= Losses; SV = Saves; HLD = Holds; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G W L SV HLD ERA SO
Bobby Seay 58 3 0 1 10 2.33 38
Zach Miner 34 3 4 0 9 3.02 34
Tim Byrdak 39 3 0 1 8 3.20 49
Todd Jones 63 1 4 38 0 4.26 33
Fernando Rodney 48 2 6 1 12 4.26 54
Joel Zumaya 28 2 3 1 8 4.28 27
Jason Grilli 57 5 3 0 11 4.74 62
Wilfredo Ledezma * 23 3 1 0 2 4.79 24
Aquilino López 10 0 0 1 1 5.19 7
Macay McBride 20 0 1 0 4 6.11 13
José Capellán 10 0 1 0 1 6.43 12
Eulogio de la Cruz 6 0 0 0 0 6.75 5
Virgil Vasquez 5 0 1 0 0 8.64 7
Clay Rapada 4 0 0 0 0 11.57 4
José Mesa * 16 1 1 0 3 12.34 9

* Player released or traded. Stats only reflect games with Tigers.

Farm system[]

See also: Minor League Baseball
Level Team League Manager
AAA Toledo Mud Hens International League Larry Parrish
AA Erie SeaWolves Eastern League Matt Walbeck
A Lakeland Flying Tigers Florida State League
A West Michigan Whitecaps Midwest League Tom Brookens
A-Short Season Oneonta Tigers New York–Penn League Andy Barkett
Rookie GCL Tigers Gulf Coast League Benny Castillo

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: West Michigan[4]

References[]

  1. ^ Sports Illustrated, September 24, 2007, p. 51
  2. ^ Associated Press. "Granderson's 20th steal puts Tigers center fielder in select company", ESPN.com, September 9, 2007. Accessed September 9, 2007.
  3. ^ tigers.mlb.com. "Tigers Lock Up Cabrera for Eight Years."
  4. ^ MilB.com and Baseball America 2007 Directory
  • Game Logs:
1st Half: Detroit Tigers Game Log on ESPN.com
2nd Half: Detroit Tigers Game Log on ESPN.com
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