The Detroit Tigers were already considered the favorites by most sportswriters to win the AL Central once again in 2012. Their line-up has been a dangerous force over the last couple of years and certainly Justin Verlander has proven to be one of the greatest pitchers of his generation. That said, the Tigers took a major blow with the announcement that Victor Martinez will be out for the entire 2012 season with a torn ACL injury.
Jon Heyman calls it a “big blow” and Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports says, “Before the Victor Martinez news, I thought Tigers were about the surest bet to win the division of any team in baseball this year.”
The Tigers are obviously talented at several positions and big bats like Miggy Cabrera remain. However, the loss of a player who had 101 RBI and hit .330 last season will definitely be missed. With the moves of other clubs like certain subtractions from the White Sox and the maturation of the Royals, things could get very interesting in the AL Central this year.