Cleveland Indians: Learning more about the 2018 Tigers

The Cleveland Indians won’t have to worry about much competition from the Detroit Tigers in 2018, but we reached out to Motor City Bengals to learn more.

Cleveland Indians fans used to get nervous about games against the hated Detroit Tigers. Now, any sense of a rivalry is all but gone as the team up north is going through a rebuild.

We still wanted to learn more about the Tigers, so we reached out to Adam McIntosh of Motor City Bengals and asked a few questions.

1. What are your expectations for the Tigers this season?

AM: Stay under 100 losses. Hahah. The Tigers are in a weird spot this season. Well, for us Tigers fans it’s a spot we aren’t used to. We haven’t been in rebuild mode since about 2005. I’d expect the Tigers to trade away a couple more of the veterans which they have as well as continue the rebuild and hopefully not lose 100 games.

2. Who is one under-the-radar player Indians fans should know about?

AM: Matt Boyd. He might be a familiar name but he’s struggled in the majors as a starting pitcher. Last year though he seemed to figure things out, and I’d expect him to be a player to do well that would surprise people this season.

3. Who is the one player that will give Indians fans nightmares in 2018?

AM: Nicholas Castellanos. After being moved to the outfield at the end of last season his bat really heated up. During spring training he’s showing no signs of slowing down and I’d expect him to be the one batter that Indians fans won’t want to see.

4. Which new member of the Tigers will have the best season in 2018?

AM: This is a tough one. The Tigers have plenty of new players this season. Personally, I think Mike Fiers. He has struggled through spring training, but we have Chris Bosio, who helped Fiers become a solid pitcher in Milwaukee. Fiers should post a really solid pitching season with Bosio.

Another player of note is Leonys Martin. Reportedly, he’s going to be our leadoff hitter but I’m a little hesitant on how well he will actually do this season.

5. Where will the Tigers finish in the division and what will be their final record?

Next: Breaking down the 2018 Opening Day bullpen

AM: 72-90, second-to-last just ahead of the White Sox.