VERO BEACH, FLORIDA –

The Detroit Tigers should thank their lucky stars they're still in the thick of the race for the American League Central title.

Umm, on second thought, scratch that.

The Tiger should NOT thank their lucky stars, i.e. standouts such as Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez and Justin Upton.

All three of those vets struggled uncharacteristically for much of the first two months of this season and cannot take any credit for Detroit staying in the AL Central hunt during that time span.

Instead, the Tigers should thank RISING star Nick Castellanos, their young third sacker, for keeping them from sinking into the also-ran abyss while their lucky, err, make that UNLUCKY stars were stumbling out of the gate.

Castellanos almost single-handedly carried the Tigers offensively.

For much of the first month and a half, Castellanos led the American League in batting average, topping out at .380 as late as May 10; this in addition to leading the Tigers in most offensive categories during the early going.

Suffice to say, the timing for the 24-year-old Castellanos' emergence, in his third full year as a starter, from supporting cast member to fellow big gun has been impeccable.

"I'd say it's just a matter of maturity," Castellanos told MAS. "Understanding the way they pitch me in the big leagues and being more patient."

Detroit batting coach Wally Joyner, the ex-Angels sweet swinger, echoed Nick's assessment, saying: "(Castellanos) has always been an aggressive hitter, but now he's aggressive in the hitting zone, controlling the strike zone better."

Thanks to Castellanos' hot and more discerning bat, the Tigers were able to stay within shouting distance of the Chicago White Sox, while the ChiSox roared out to a big early lead in the AL Central.

Finally in the second half of May, the rest of Detroit's power-packed batting order began to pick up the pace.

Combined with Castellano's' continued clutch hitting and the Tigers' standout starting pitchers living up to their reps (newcomer Jordan Zimmermann and resurgent Justin Verlander) Detroit then started to chip away at the lead of the suddenly slumping ChiSox.

The Tigers moved into second place and appeared poised to take over the division lead until they hit a bit of a bumpy patch while Cleveland was on a nine-game win streak enabling the Tribe, instead, to claim the top spot.

No matter, bottom line: halfway through the season, Detroit has clawed its way back into contention in the AL Central.

From here on out, you can look for a wide open four-team divisional race.

Cleveland has one of the best starting pitcher rotations in MLB and figures to stay in the chase.

The defending World Series champion Kansas City Royals have also managed to keep their repeat hopes alive despite some key injuries (including those suffered by sluggers Alex Gordon and Mike Moustakas).

And thanks to their strong start the White Sox are still in play as well.

Castellanos has cooled off somewhat of late (he's currently batting .295) but he is still on pace for a career year.

He has shown steady progress in average, home runs and RBIs the past three seasons but his numbers this year could represent his biggest jump yet.

His current batting average is well above his previous best mark (.259).

And with 13 homers and 40 RBIs, Nick has a good shot at surpassing his personal bests of 15 and 73 in those departments.

In addition to his maturation as a hitter, Castellanos feels adjustments in his pre-game routine have also helped him make his big leap.

"I've put less emphasis on studying tape this season," Nick explained. "I'm trusting my instincts more, not going to the plate with 100 things on my mind. Sort of preventing paralysis by analysis."

"You could call it the 'see ball, hit ball' approach," It also helps that Castellanos is settling in nicely as the Tigers regular third baseman.

Said Nick of his disconcerting MLB debut four seasons ago: "When I was jumping around early in my career (to get his bat in the lineup somewhere), it was difficult because I had to learn different positions.

"This is my third year at third, I feel more comfortable now."

To Tigers skipper Brad Ausmus, it was just a matter of time before his two biggest but aging bats, those of Miguel Cabrera, now 33, and 38-year old Victor Martinez, got started.

He never feared they had finally reached the point of diminishing returns.

"I'm not worried about either one of them losing it," Ausmus told MAS matter-of-factly, "I think they're hard-working and have tremendous skill and the combination will pay off for a couple more years."

Ausmus is more concerned with the performance of his second-line starting hurlers, Anibal Sanchez (4-8 win-loss mark) and Mike Pelfrey (1-7).

"Pitching is key in our division," offered Ausmus. "We need Anibal to bounce back fully from his midseason injury last year and Mike, who just had Tommy John surgery several years ago, to be solid.

"For 125 years now, they've been saying the same thing in baseball: pitching and defense wins championships."

Speaking of D, MAS forgot to mention that Joyner also stated "(Castellanos) is also much improved defensively."

With his myriad contributions this seasons, look for Castellanos, now making a mere $536,500, to move much closer to Cabrera ($28 million per annum) and V. Martinez ($18 million yearly) in the financial remuneration department.

He'll be up for salary arbitration at the end of this season.

Tigers management will then get an opportunity to thank RISING star Nick Castellanos properly.

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