THE VALUE OF A CLOSER

The Tigers have discovered the importance of having a closer ready to come out of the bullpen to finish a game. I believe they knew all along that Todd Jones was not going to be an effective closer for them this year, but were counting on their potent offense to carry them into the playoffs. When you're expected to score 6-8 runs a game, there isn't a real need for a closer! This plan fell apart in the first half of the season as the potent offense struggled at the plate, and in the field. A mediocre offense, along with mediocre defense, and a bullpen that has a hard time finding the strike zone on a consistent basis, leads to a mediocre year. Unlike the Lions, the Tigers will again realize that they need to put a winner on the field if they want to continue to fill the seats.