2016 Season Expectations | Detroit Tigers

With the countdown to Spring Training shrinking by the minute (less than a month, guys!), my hopes and dreams for the Tigers' 2016 season are growing. We have added players, subtracted players. We have pushed 2015 aside and forgotten the pain that it caused us - wait, have we? Either way, it all comes down to this: there are new games to be played. Here is what I hope will happen.


Reclaim the Division
Is it possible to go from worst-to-first for this team? I don't know. While I would definitely love to reclaim our AL Central division throne, I would be happy with finishing anywhere other than last; well, maybe not happy, necessarily, but it would be less heartbreaking than realizing that our reign is over. I think that the moves Al Avila and company have made this off-season (and the ones that Dave Dombrowski made before his time as GM ended, such as acquiring Daniel Norris) will certainly push our team in the right direction.

Rule the Rivalries
This goes hand-in-hand with my division hopes, as I consider the Tigers' main rivals (and these might change depending on who you ask) to be the Kansas City Royals and the Cleveland Indians, both members of the AL Central. Even though our season record as a whole was not the best last year, I was still really happy with the way we performed against the Indians. When it came to the Royals, well, we could have done better. This year, though, is a chance for redemption. Who cares if the Royals won the World Series? We can - and will - do better. Performing well against our rivalries always makes for a happy season series.

Stay Healthy
Of course, none of the above will be possible if this club can't stay off of the disabled list. Injuries last year had key members of the team out of action for weeks at a time, doing nothing to help win games. As of now, the Tigers will be healthy for Spring Training, but only time will tell if this good fortune lasts. Fingers crossed that it does.

And, because those three things were more hopes than expectations, I will now guess a few facts and figures and headlines about the 2016 Detroit Tigers season. Give me a drum roll:

Record: 85-77 (.525)
Place in Division: Second, behind the KC Royals. (3rd: White Sox, 4th: Indians, 5th: Twins)
Notable Headlines: "Tigers DH Victor Martinez Lands on the DL," "Tigers Sweep Tripe in Weekend Series," "Tigers Trade for a Starter at the Deadline"