DETROIT -- A look at the Tigers coming out of 2014 and going into 2015, starting with position players.
CATCHER: Thankfully for the Tigers and everyone involved, it looks like this position will be settled going into 2015. Tigers president and general manager Dave Dombrowski announced Tuesday that Alex Avila has passed an extensive battery of neurological tests and should be able to resume his normal offseason conditioning program as soon as next week.
Although Avila hit just .218 this season, his ability to draw walks, hit doubles and play high-level defense behind the plate will make him the starter in 2015 if he can stay healthy. His father and assistant Tigers GM, Al Avila, thinks that will be more possible now that both Alex and the team have a better understanding of his concussion issues.
"Unlike a boxer or a football player, who are taking big hits and many small hits in between, Alex is basically just taking a few big ones, so the doctors aren't concerned about long-term damage," Al Avila said. "The key is, as soon as he gets hits and feels the slightest bit of wooziness, he comes out, he sits for a week or 10 days and then, when he's cleared, he comes back. He won't be allowed to try to play through anything."
Talented prospect James McCann, who hit .295 with doubles power for Toledo, is expected to make the move to Detroit and serve as Avila's backup.
FIRST BASE: Unlike last year, when Miguel Cabrera was facing a significant core-muscle repair that cost him much of his offseason workouts, this year he will only need, at worst, a minor ankle procedure. That's very good news for the Tigers and bad news for the rest of the American League. Cabrera hasn't been fully healthy since the summer of 2013, but still hit .313 with 52 doubles, 25 homers and 109 RBIs this season.
Even with the ankle injury, Cabrera played 159 games, so he doesn't need a backup in the traditional sense. If Victor Martinez returns, he will play some first base, allowing Cabrera to DH, while Don Kelly or another utilityman will spell Cabrera in blowouts.
SECOND BASE: The Tigers know they will have a Gold Glove-caliber second baseman in Ian Kinsler. The only question is about his bat. As he has done often in his career, Kinsler started well, hitting .303 with 11 homers before playing in the All-Star Game, only to slump badly in July and August. He rebounded slightly in September -- something he's also done before -- and finished with 40 doubles and 100 runs. His biggest problem as Detroit's leadoff hitter going forward is that he rarely walks, drawing just 29 in 161 games.
Like Cabrera, Kinsler is in the lineup every day, so Detroit's backup shortstop, whether it be Andrew Romine or Eugenio Suarez, can easily handle the same job at second base.
SHORTSTOP: It's only October and Dombrowski is trying to avoid getting carried away, but it does look like Jose Iglesias will be at 100 percent for spring training. As Dombrowski said when he met with the media, a healthy Iglesias immediately solves Detroit's problem at shortstop. He might not be an All-Star -- there are questions about his long-term effectiveness at the plate, especially after a year off -- but he and Kinsler might be the best defensive double-play combination the Tigers have had since Whitaker and Trammell.
Even if Iglesias is healthy, the Tigers aren't going to try to push him to 155 games, so expect either Romine or Suarez to get significant playing time. Romine probably has the edge in the competition because of his superior defense.
THIRD BASE: This job still belongs to Nick Castellanos, but the Tigers are counting on him to take a step forward both offensively and defensively. He hit .259, but people were expecting more than 11 homers in a full season. And he was rated by Fangraphs as the worst defensive third baseman in baseball.
"Castellanos needs to improve defensively at third base," Dombrowski said. "We've discussed that with him already. But I also think you have to give the guy a break. He's a rookie that hasn't played third base in a year and a half. I think, under the circumstances, he's got good hands, his arm is solid, strong. But he has to improve his foot quickness over there."
If Kelly returns, he would serve as the backup at third and take over for Castellanos as a defensive replacement. If not, the Tigers will certainly sign someone who can fill the same role.
LEFT FIELD: This is the one settled spot in Detroit's outfield, thanks to the emergence of J.D. Martinez. There's some skepticism in the statistical world over Martinez's ability to repeat this season, considering he hit .389 on bases in play, but his numbers are strong enough that he could give some of that back and still be a productive part of the lineup.
Martinez's defense got better as the season progressed, but there's a chance that Rajai Davis could be inserted into close games to provide more range in a large outfield.
CENTER FIELD: Dombrowski listed this as one of his three biggest focuses going into the offseason because Davis made it clear with his play that he can't fill the job on a full-time basis. Ideally, the Tigers can also use center field to find the extra left-handed bat that the lineup needs. Colby Rasmus, a low-average, high-power, average-defense lefty is one possibility, but Dombrowski is nothing but creative.
If the Tigers get a player like Rasmus, Davis would start against left-handed pitchers and get work as a pinch hitter and possible defensive replacement in the corners.
RIGHT FIELD: The Tigers love Torii Hunter on the field, and even more off the field. He and Victor Martinez are the team's clubhouse leaders, and Hunter's still able to produce at the plate, hitting .286 with 17 homers. On the other hand, he's going to be 39 years old, and every television network in the country would love to have him in their booth or studio, so there's no guarantee that he'll be back
If Hunter does leave, the Tigers will take a long look at Steven Moya, who destroyed the Eastern League at the age of 22. Playing for Erie, he hit 33 doubles and 35 homers in only 133 games, and stole 16 bases for good measure. There's no guarantee that he's ready -- he hit just .276, struck out 161 times and had only 23 walks -- but he's certainly seen as Detroit's future right fielder.
Andy Dirks could be a key here, especially if Moya isn't ready. He's a left-handed bat who can play both corner outfield positions, but his health still remains a major question mark. He missed the entire 2013 season with a series of injuries, and Dombrowski said that he's still not healthy.
DESIGNATED HITTER: This job is Victor Martinez's if he wants it, and unless someone buries him in free-agency cash, it's likely that he'll be back. Even he had trouble believing the season he put up at the age of 35: He hit .335 with 32 homers, drove in 103 runs and led the American League with a .409 on-base percentage and a .974 OPS. He won't give the Tigers a fourth straight MVP, but he was the league's best hitter and will get some votes. Signing him to a free-agent deal will be one of the first things Dombrowski tries to do at the end of the World Series.
"We have not had those conversations yet because that's something you tackle once the players can officially enter free agency," Dombrowski said. "But we would love to have Victor Martinez back."
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