Fantasy Baseball: Top 5 Detroit Tigers for 2010.

Now, I move on to the losers of one of the best games I've seen in my lifetime. 2009 game 163, the Detroit Tigers.

1. Miguel Cabrera- Miggy's recent stay in alcohol rehabilitation has really got me concerned about taking him in the first round. You'll likely have to draft Cabrera with a top ten pick. Chances are pretty decent that Teixeira and Ryan Howard will both be available after that and if you're drafting Cabrera, you're hoping for a bounce back year from 2009 where he drove in quite a bit fewer runs. 

2. Justin Verlander- The 26-year old Verlander had easily his best season in 2009 and I wouldn't be shocked to see him put up equal numbers for 2010. He had a fairly unexplainable dip in performance in 2008 and early 2009, but I don't think that will be a huge factor again this year. Verlander posted career highs in K/9 and a career low in BB.9 while keeping his whip at 1.18. I wouldn't expect a season from Verlander where he posts a K/9 over 10 again and I wouldn't expect an ERA below 3.00, but I do think Verlander can be an excellent choice.

3. Jose Valverde- While I'm personally not a fan of the signing for Detroit, I do think Valverde can be a successful fantasy closer. He'll likely be drafted in a the late rounds and has the ability to post 40+ saves in one season with a low 3.00 ERA and at least a K per inning. While he could be a front line closer, he could also get hurt pretty easily as he is turning 32 in March and struggled to stay healthy in 2009.

4. Max Scherzer- One of my favorite young pitchers in the game right now is Max Scherzer. Scherzer endured his first full season as a starter in 2009 and posted a respectable 4.12 ERA and a 9.19 K/9. While he is still an injury concern and may be throughout his career, Scherzer has the tools to be a great sleeper pick this year.

5. Rick Porcello- Ranking number 6 in the league in GB%, Porcello has the ability and makeup to be a Roy Halladay type of pitcher and he's only 20-years old. I don't think Porcello will bring much to the table regarding Ks, but he could be able to keep his ERA at a manageable level and not kill you in the process.

Sleeper Alert. Austin Jackson- I was trying to avoid using Jackson as my sleeper due to him being overrated by New York media as is, but the Tigers don't have much in the way of talent worthy gracing this list. There's a very good chance Jackson will start in center field for the Tigers at some point this season and could put up a .280 season with 15-20 stolen bases.