Feel Good

For Tiger fans, there hasn't been much to feel good about lately. Sure, they crawled back to the .500 mark recently (only to fall back behind), but they have stabilized the ship to a certain degree. With the injuries and slumping sluggers (Damon, Boesch, the catchers), the 2nd half "heroes" have to be the rookies. For the most part, the rookies and Mud Hen call-ups aren't setting the world on fire, but they have earned their Tiger stripes and led the team back to respectability.

Casper Wells and Will Rhymes appear to be keepers. Neither were highly touted, but they've shown that they deserve at least a shot to be on the roster next season - especially Rhymes. As a fielder, Rhymes is every bit as smooth as Polanco at second base, and he may even have more range. Leyland must've noticed the similarity as well, as he consistently bats Rhymes in Polanco's traditional 2-spot. In 32 games, Rhymes responded with a .310 average and a miniscule 7.8% strike-out percentage (Polanco's is currently 8.6%).

Also flying under the radar is the truly special season of Austin Jackson. During the first half, Jackson's successes were overshadowed by the towering power that was 1st-half Boesch. Since then, the Tiger's massive fall-from-grace took away any momentum Jackson had as a feel-good story. But the kid may have just wrapped up Rookie of the Year. Check out this stat, printed in mLive today:

Austin Jackson doubled and scored in the first inning to reach the 90-run and 160-hit marks this season. In doing so, he becomes the seventh rookie since 1960 to collect at least 90 runs, 160 hits, 30 doubles and 20 steals in the same season. Hanley Ramirez was the last rookie to accomplish the feat (2006).

Jackson does have one glaring flaw in his game (he leads the league in strikeouts), but otherwise the kid has been a revelation. Defensively, Jackson is a potential Gold Glover. We all thought Granderson was the cats-meow, prowling the Comerica outfield. Yet, Jackson showed an even wider range, and a true highlight-reel ability to race down line drives.

In any other year, Tiger fans would be ecstatic to have the American League Rookie of the Year. Perhaps as the season winds down, he'll get the acclaim he deserves.