Marcus Thames

Damn. I think Rod Allen put it best. “He is some kind of country strong.” Last eight hits have all been homeruns. Really takes me back to the days of Rob Deer. Good times. Seriously, I’m glad he’s getting a shot to play. Hopefully he will continue to get regular playing time, as his bat certainly is an asset.

Looking Ahead to 2009: Infield – Take 2

Six game winning streak is very nice, but I’ll still look ahead to next year. I really hope the Tigers keep this up, it’ll make the rest of the season much more enjoyable to watch. Hopefully the Tigers will at least be in contention into September, as this will greatly help attendance, which can only help the ball club as a whole.

First Base & Third Base

Read this post – http://oldenglishd.wordpress.com/2008/06/09/looking-ahead-to-2009-part-2-infield

Second Base

Placido Polanco. Done.

Shortstop

Edgar Renteria

Edgar has a $11 million club option for next season. This also has a $3 million buyout, which the Red Sox are on the hook for, as they were the team that gave Renteria the contract originally. Check out Cot’s Baseball Contracts – http://mlbcontracts.blogspot.com/2005/01/detroit-tigers_21.html. Can the Tigers do better? Internally, not really. Ramon Santiago has always been a favorite of mine, but aside from slick defense and some speed, he lacks skills of a major league shortstop in today’s game, i.e. power. But is it worth it to lose Renteria’s bat in favor of Santiago’s glove and speed. Well, the $10 million difference in salary needs to be considered. Renteria is a quality player who has won in the past, 1997 Marlins, and appears to have a few good years left. Externally, the free agent market provides some names. Check out MLBTradeRumors.com fo a complete list of free agents to be  this offseason. http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2007/12/2009-mlb-free-a.html. David Eckstein, Rafeal Furcal, and Orlando Cabrera look to be the biggest names on the list. Cabrera is looking like a lock to not return to the White Sox, being in Ozzie Guillen’s dog house, a place where Magglio once called home. So what will happen this offseason? I suspect Renteria will be back, or if not a comparable free agent such as Orlando Cabrera. So in theory, save the possible big trade this summer should the Tigs fall out of contention, th infield next year should look similar to this years. Cabrera is the first baseman for the foreseeable future. Polanco is solid. Renteria is good, and Guillen is by default the third baseman, unless Inge gets the third base job, instead of being the starting catcher next year as I predicted previously. So there it is. The team which entered this year as favorites, and a true box office draw, appear to be headed into next season with pretty much the same crew in the infield. These guys will certainly help to draw fans to the park and hopefully wins to the Tigers record. Cabrera, in particular, will do both for many years. The others might only have another year or two to contribute at a high level. The time to win are these next few years. Heck, why not this year?

Looking Ahead to 2009: Part 2 – Infield

Back-to-back wins over the Indians were nice, but with the White Sox on a tear after Ozzie Guillen’s latest rant, bleak is the word I’ll still use to describe the Tiger’s chances. So onward with looking ahead to next year.

First Base – Miguel Cabrera, Carlos Guillen, Marcus Thames, Jeff Larish, Gary Sheffield

Oh boy. First base has a storied history for the Tigers. Hank Greenberg, Norm Cash, Cecil Fielder are some of the big names to have played the position for the Tigers in the past. Currently, Miguel Cabrera, acquired months ago as a third baseman is playing the position. Unless he can use the offseason to get in better shape, he’ll be a first for the long term. And even if he was to lose some of his pudginess, first seems to be where he’ll be playing down the road. He certainly has the bat for the position. He’ll hit for power and average. The only thing stopping him, potentially, from being the first baseman is Carlos Guillen, the man without a position. Guillen doesn’t have the legs, nor the arm to play the left side of the infield. But Carlos can hit. So the question becomes how does Jim Leyland fit all of these bats into the same lineup, while not compromising the defense, which has been the case this year. Miguel Cabrera seems to be the better defensive first baseman, which I’m shocked to say, considering Guillen, a shortstop last year would seem to have plenty of range to play the position well. He just, in my opinion doesn’t look comfortable there, and doesn’t seem to position himself well when receiving throws. At third, his oft errant arm becomes a liability, and the wear on his knees is greater there than at first. If the Tigers had only these two players to play first and third, cases could be made for both sides as to which one should play either position, but the wild card is that the Tigers have one of the best defensive third basemen in the game in Brandon Inge. As I see it the ideal situation is playing Cabrera at first, Inge at third and Guillen at DH, unless Carlos could be traded for pieces to help this team win next year. Not prospects, but major league ready talent, preferably a pitcher, or catcher. As always in Dave we trust. He’ll right the ship for next season.

Looking Ahead to 2009: Part 1 – Catcher

Well, unfortunately, even as optimistic as I am, it doesn’t appear that this will be the year the Tigers will it all. A team that at the beginning of the year, on paper, looked unstoppable, has been anything but. I think its time to start to look over the team, position by position, and see where they need help, and where they will be solid for next season.

Catcher – Pudge Rodriguez

I have been pretty outspoken in my dislike of him, but he hasn’t played horribly this season. A free agent after this year, going into a very weak free agent market for catchers. It might take a salary similar to this seasons $13 million to hold on to Pudge. Is he worth it? From an on the field perspective, I don’t believe so. He is not the hitter he once was, and any gold gloves he’s received recently have been based mostly on reputation. On the other hand, he is still a draw, a fan favorite. A sure-fire first ballot future Hall-of-Famer, and one of the greatest players to play the position of catcher, is certainly going to help bring fans to the ballpark, at home and on the road. That said what other options do the Tigers have? James Skelton is the Tigers best catching prospect, but honestly is not ready to contribute at the big league level for at least a few more seasons. As I mentioned earlier, the free agent market looks grim. A few stopgap catchers will be available. Miguel Olivo, Michael Barrett, and the biggest name Jason Varitek, have all seen their best days. So if Pudge leave what will the Tigers do? Deplete the farm system further and trade for a catcher? Or do they try to get Brandon Inge, one of the finest third basemen in the game, to return, full-time behind the plate. We all know Inge wants to play third, and I believe that is where he has the most value, but the Tigers may not have any other options. Few can play catcher well, many can play a passable third base. It is something that should be considered at least.

Oh, where have you gone Vance Wilson?

Another Night of Channel Flipping

Once again tonight I will be forced to flip back and forth between the Wings, Pistons and Tigers games, all of which are occurring simultaneously across the country. In Boston, the Pistons face a ‘must win’ game five of the Eastern Conference Finals. A win, and a Finals trip looks like the likely outcome as they come back to the Palace for game six. A loss and it will require back-to-back wins against the Celtics to reach the finals. That would be a difficult task. The Wings are in good shape. A win tonight and it would mean a 3-0 lead, and most likely a parade early next week. A loss and it assures at least one more game at the Joe, and more money in the pocket of Mr. Ilitch. But should Mr. I pay more attention to his other sports venture, the Tigers? Could the Tigers game tonight be more meaningful than the Wings game? Could the Tigers game be the breaking point? A loss puts the Tigers at 21-32, and perhaps as far as 8.5 games back of the Sox. The possibility of another sweep, is not a pleasant one, and it might be enough to cause another blowup from Mr. Leyland. As it stands, even the most optimistic fans, myself included, are starting to think that perhaps this is going to be a lost season. The lifeboats are filling quickly, and are beginning to be lowered. It might be time to jump ship.

Matt Joyce!

Finally! The Messiah has arrived. That was a little blasphemous, true, but Matt Joyce has been exactly that. He came in the darkness, with no one knowing he was coming. He came of humble means, not a top prospect. And, Jesus, he can hit. Another big home run today, the game winner, and he is quickly becoming a fan favorite. He plays solid defense. Perhaps, most importantly, he hustles. He books it down the line on sure outs, at the same speed as if it would be a close play. I can only hope his hustle and solid play continue, as he could be key to a turnaround. Until pitchers figure out how to get him out, we have a Chris Shelton of early 2006 on our hands, a hot bat who could ignite the entire lineup. Do I expect the numbers to keep up, no. But if he can keep mashing for the time being, and others reach their potential, this season might not yet be over. So for now, put on the life preservers, but don’t jump ship quite yet. There’s still hope.

Other notes…

Alright I’ll admit it. That was a good heads up double play started by Pudge off Orlando Hudson’s bunt.

I see that I haven’t posted in over a week. I hope to post more regularly, but not perhaps as often as the pace I started this project with.

Finally a win in a game where the Tigs scored fewer than 4 runs.

Kevin Youkilis, You Kill Us

I submit to you the first member of the Hall of Tiger Killers, Kevin Youkilis. Four home runs in this series, which is still half a game from being complete, has cemented Youkilis’s name in the Hall of Tiger Killers. In 24 games, Youkilis has 10 homers, and a healthy batting average in the neighborhood of .350. It makes you cringe when he walks to the plate against a Tiger pitcher. It should also be noted that he looks like the stereotypical baseball thug from every baseball movie from the 80’s and 90’s. Congratulations Kevin!

Other notes…

That was a hell of a catch, Matt Joyce.

Rod Allen needs to shut up. Pure and simple. It used to be funny, but Rod, you’ve crossed over into distractingly annoying. I’m considering listening to to the radio. With Jim Price doing the radio broadcasts, that should say something Rod.

That Bat Died a Hero

Placido Polanco, one of my favorite Tigers, looks like he’s out of his slump. He had five hits today, including a broken bat single to win the game. When he’s hitting, he’s very dangerous. Great bat control makes him the perfect situational hitter, and he is the one player I, personally, like to see in key situations, because of his great ability to put the bat on the ball.

Other notes…

Sheffield had a good game ( 3 for 4, RBI, BB). Hopefully he is breaking out of his funk. I certainly hope the Tigers don’t give up on him, like many are calling for them to do. When he’s on, he’s one of the most dangerous hitters in the game. Even when struggling he can still get on base and make pitchers work.

The victory moves the Tigers to 15-20. I guess that’s better than 14-21.

In games where the Tigers score 5 or more runs they are 15-3. In game where they score fewer than 5, they are 0-17. Ouch.

Magglio had 3 hits after going 0 fer in the first two games of the four game set with the Red Sox.

Polanco was the first Tiger to have 5 hits in a game since July 27 of last season, when he had five hits against the Angels.

ESPN Gamecast

First off, I am writing this blog for a class assignment. So, its cool if I blog during class right? As I sit here in class, one eye on the presentation, one on ESPN’s GameCast, I noticed something funny. I’m not watching the game, but unless a rule change occurred overnight, I think they made a mistake. Swinging and fouling a ball off after ball four is a rare feat, Carlos. In all seriousness, for those of you who have depended on GameCast, or MLB.com’s equivalent Gameday, the technology is getting better every year. I can remember a time, only a few years ago where the GameCast page was at least an inning behind the real time action. Now, it is often only a pitch or two behind, and with updates for every pitch, rather than for each at-bat, my attention is kept, and not allowed to wander and start paying attention to class. What fun would that be?

Game Notes…

Armando Galarraga is pitching again. He has been a very pleasant surprise, and if he continues to allow very few runs, an interesting situation will arise when Dontrelle returns.

Matt Joyce is hitting behind Shef. I wonder if Shef will get anything to hit. Even with his poor hitting this year, he still has a great eye, and seems to invoke fear into opponents. He still gets on base more than other Tiger starters (Ahem…Pudge).

Pudge is hitting ninth. This is great.

May 7…Time to Jump Ship?

Too many people have already given up on the Tigers this season. Sure 14-20 is horrible, considering where they were “supposed to be” at this time. The lineup on paper looked great, but injuries and early struggles have hurt. The pitching staff has struggled. This is all true, but as it stands, the Tigers are 3.5 games out of first place. With 134 games left to play, this season is far from over. The Indians are a flawed team as well, at 15-17. The Tigers are very fortunate that the Indians have struggled as well. If they got out to a hot start, the hole the Tigers have dug would be much deeper. For now, the team the Tigers need to be concerned with, the Indians, are only two games up on them. The other teams in the Central are pretenders, and as the season plays out, this will be proven. The wild card, which prior to the season many baseball pundits were predicting the wild card to fall into the lap of either the Indians or Tigers, whichever did not win the Central Division. Can we all just agree to forget this wasted season talk for another month? By June 12, we should have a much better idea of where the team stands. With some big series upcoming, against good teams, this is the make or break point of the season. With wins over the Indians, White Sox in the first weeks of June, and strong play against strong teams in the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, Mariners, and Diamondbacks, the Tigers could hopefully shed the losing record, and have a better outlook looking into the remainder of the season when they can hopefully feast on teams not based in New York or Boston. Just give them time…just keep repeating…it will get better…it will get better. Hell, can it get much worse?