Note to Detroit: Stacking sluggers in your lineup can backfire in the playoffs

Terrors at the plate, statues in the field

Cabrera
(Image credit: (Jamie Squire/Getty Images))

The Detroit Tigers are great at hitting baseballs. What they do outside that, though, is oftentimes ugly.

The Tigers management built a lineup around hulking sluggers with glacial speed, sacrificing defense and base-running in exchange for more firepower in the batter's box. That tradeoff has come back to bite Detroit in the American League Championship Series, costing the team several runs and, potentially, a couple of series-changing wins.

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Jon Terbush

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.