Archive for March, 2007

Billfer has a game thread going over at DTW.  If you’re watching the game, stop on by and take part.  It’s his first game thread of the year and it’s the first televised spring game of the year.

A&E is releasing a Tigers World Series DVD at the end of the month that will provide highlights of the 1945, 1968 and 1984 World Series.  It’s about two hours so you probably get about 40 minutes on each.  Looks pretty cool and for $15, I’ll probably pick it up.

What I’d really like is something like this but for the 1984 Tigers.  It looks like they’re hitting the 1987 Twins and the New York Yankees this year.

Alright, I’m picking this one up a little bit late but the Tigers and Indians are in the fourth inning.  C.C. Sabathia looked sharp for the Indians and he struck out three in his two innings while Kenny Rogers was knocked around.  He gave up two runs on three hits and a walk in two innings.  The Tigers cut the lead in half when Craig Monroe scored on Magglio Ordonez’s sac. fly.  Indians 2, Tigers 1. 

***UPDATE 1***

Alright, the Tigers bounced back with six runs in the fourth inning off of Chuck Lofgren with the big hit being a three run homerun off of Ramon Santiago.  Ordonez drew a bases loaded walk and he now has two RBIs without getting a single hit.  Then in the bottom half of the inning, the Indians got a run on a solo shot by David Delucci.  Tigers 7, Indians 3 heading into the fifth inning.

***UPDATE 2***

Things really calmed down after that fifth inning and only the Indians scored another run and that wasn’t until the ninth.  Kyle Sleeth looked sharp with two shutout innings and three strikeouts and Virgil Vazquez threw two shutout innings and struck out two.

Tomorrow, the Tigers are on ESPN against the Yankees at 1:05.  And if you have Gameday Audio, you can listen to the Diamondbacks versus the Rockies at 9:05.

Playoff hero Kenny Rogers gets his first spring start of the season today.  This’ll be an interesting season for Rogers because most everyone I talked to thinks Rogers will regress a bit in 2007 and that there’s little chance he’ll hit his 2006 numbers.  Then again, I never thought he’d hit his 2006 numbers when the Tigers signed him so he’s made a believer out of me before.  I haven’t gotten my press pass yet so I’m unsure as to who else is throwing for Detroit.  It would be nice if we returned the favor against the Indians today seeing as how they blew us out yesterday.  Game time is 1:05 and the game will be on the Indians network, WTAM 1100.

One and one third innings, eight hits, one hit batter and nine runs against (seven earned).  That was Tiger reliever Jason Grilli’s stat line today as he got pummelled by the Indians offense.  And I know I’ve been bashing Jose Mesa recently, but it looks like (I didn’t listen to the game nor do I have play by play, I’m surmising this from the box score) at least one of Grilli’s runs scored off of Jose Mesa, and then Mesa was tagged for two unearned runs in the fourth.  So if you’re selective, you can say he had two strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA in 1 2/3 innings when at least two, and probably three or more runs, scored on his watch.

I get the feeling the Tiger regulars just played this one out as they managed only two runs on six hits.  Craig Monroe hit a solo shot in the first inning, his first homerun of the spring and then Timo Perez drove home Marcus Thames with a sac.fly.  Thames played the entire game at first base and had two hits but he also had an error.

On a good note, Nate Robertson and Edward Campusano each threw two scoreless.  I really think Rule Five pick Edward Campusano is going to come out of camp as the last pitcher and do as good of a job as he can at replacing Jamie Walker.  At least I’m hoping he does because he really has a live arm.

A great new Tigers resource called the Tigers Corner should be out soon.  You get a ton of information headed into the 2007 season like an interview with Andrew Miller and a close look at Cameron Maybin as well as a ton of details on the 2006 season.  You’ll also get a ton of historical articles, one of which I wrote and one of which I helped with.  There’s a column called “Unlikely Heroes” which takes a look at some of the  unlikely stars on each of the four Tiger’s World Series teams and the 2006 team as well as some predictions as to who might be an unlikely hero in 2007.  I also wrote synopyses on the 1935, 1945 and 1968 seasons.  And 112 pages (it’a larger size book as well), you get a ton of other stuff as well.

About a week ago I discussed how Curtis Granderson could improve a bit just by striking out 20 fewer times, which kind of goes along with how important it can be to make contact.  You strike out, nothing happens.  If you put the ball in play, you never know how the ball could drop.  You also have the chance of moving runners over.

That’s why I found an interesting stat in this Baseball America column (sorry, sub. only) that lists the best and worst minor league players at certain things.  Near the very bottom of the “making contact” list was Cameron Maybin.  He made contact with the ball only 70%, and that was the second worst mark.  Cause for concern?  Maybe, but I’d feel more worried if Maybin wasn’t sandwiched between two other top prospects.  The worst contact percentage was Angels top prospect Brandon Wood at 68% and coming in at third is White Sox high end prospect Josh Fields at 71%.

Regardless, it’s definitely something Maybin can improve on.  With his speed, by cutting down on his strikeout total by say 10, he can probably pick up three more hits.

Cameron Maybin hit one of the Tiger’s four homeruns today and he was a perfect two for two with two RBIs and a run.  Ivan Rodriguez also had a big day once again hitting from the lead off spot.  He went three for three with a dinger, two RBIs and two runs.  Omar Infante and Brent Clevlen also went yard for the Tigers in the 13-8 win.  The Tigers scored some runs against some big names too.  They scored three against Roy Oswalt and four against Brad Lidge.

The pitching was kind of mixed.  Jeremy Bonderman gave up a run but struck out three in his two innings and Wil Ledezma also sounded sharp in two shutout innings.  Jordan Tata walked three and gave up two runs in 2/3’s of inning while Byrdak got knocked around for three runs in one inning. 

This is just one of those things I noticed in the box scored but the Astros put six balls in play against Ledezma (no strikeouts).  Five of the six of those were flyouts and only one was a ground out.  In 2006, his ground ball percentage was only 33.5% (so about two fly ball outs to every ground ball out).  Somehow he managed to keep his homeruns down but it’ll be interesting to see if whether they stay down if that fly ball trend continues.

Another good game though, and the Tigers are now 3-0.  I know it doesn’t mean much until late spring but I guess you’d always rather win then lose.

I remember hearing about this project with Eli Zaret a while ago and I’ve been waiting for it to come out since.  Now it looks like the wait is over Denny McLain’s new autobiography, I Told You I Wasn’t Perfect, is now out.  He has some choice comments for guys like Jim Price and Al Kaline.  It’s over 400 pages and you’re talking about one of the more colorful players in baseball so this will probably be a solid read.

And of course if you want to follow McLain and how he did in 1967, he plays a pretty big part in the 1967 AL Pennant Race site I started up.  I’ll work on a retro for him this week since it seems pretty timely.

I can’t think of any Tiger pitcher in a long time who’s had the expectations that Jeremy Bonderman has and he kicks off his spring season today.  It’s hard to believe just four years ago in the Spring of 2003 he was beginning his run to make the team as a 20 year old.  Now whenever someone talks about Bonderman, they sometime use Cy Young award in the same sentence.

Also getting some time on the mound will be Wil Ledezma, Joey Eischen, Tim Byrdak and Yorman Bazardo.  I’m particularly interested in seeing how Bazardo does this spring.  Roy Oswalt will get the start for the Astros so you’ll have both team’s aces going.  The game is at 1:05 and if you have MLBaudio, you can pick the game up because the Astros are broadcasting the game on their network.  I’ll probably get to tune in for the beginning of the game.  There’s also a night game (which I’ll probably also miss) between the Yankees and the Twins.

In an effort to provide even more information for free, the Hardball Times is making available a slew of fielding stats on their player cards.  Now you can check out each players’ basic fielding stats (like putouts and errors) by position as well as a new and improved Zone Rating developed by stat guru John Dewan and BIS and you can also find plays that the fielder made out of their zone.  There’s also some nice new information for catchers as well.

For an example, here’s a link to Brandon Inge’s page.

Good stuff.  And if you haven’t bought the book yet, what have you been waiting for.

Earlier today, I mentioned a Detroit News story that talked about how a big Michael Young contract extension would boost the cost of Carlos Guillen and I mentioned that Guillen and Young are pretty comparable.  I got a comment from Rangers blogger Joe Siegler that disagreed and I countered with some numbers.  He brings up some good points in Young’s favor on his blog but he also includes Guillen’s season from four years ago (ancient history) when he was a part timer with the Mariners.

My contention is, Carlos Guillen is as good as Michael Young.  Agree or disagree and why?  And taking it a step further, would you trade Guillen for Young straight up right now.  Leave a comment and let me know.

Check back throughout the afternoon as I’ll be providing details on the game as they happen.  Game time is less then an hour away and Jamie Moyer will get the start for the Phillies.

***UPDATE 1***

Interesting lineup.  Ivan Rodriguez is leading off.  I have a feeling we’ll be seeing this through out the season, especially against left handed hitters.

***UPDATE 2***

Maroth had a solid first inning.  Curtis Granderson robbed Jimmy Rollins of a single to lead things off then Maroth gave up a single but he then got a ground out double play to end the inning.  Jamie Moyer is the kind of pitcher who gave the Tigers fits last year (i.e. slow throwing lefty).  It’d be nice if we pushed him out of here early.

***UPDATE 3***

Tigers went down relatively easily.  Gary Sheffield ended up reaching base on Brian Daubach’s fielding error at first base but the two out error didn’t come back to haunt the Phillies.

***UPDATE 4***

Another easy inning for Maroth.  He walked one but other then that, he cruised through the second inning. 

***UPDATE 5***

The Tigers got on the board in the second inning.  Sean Casey started things up with a double and he later scored on Curtis Granderson’s sac. fly.  Craig Monroe’s singled moved Casey from second to third.  Tigers 1, Phillies 0.

***UPDATE 6***

Gary Sheffield just took Jamie Moyer deep with a three run shot to make it 4-0.  He took Moyer to eight pitches.  This is what we picked Shef up for.  He also knocked Jamie Moyer out of the game. Still nobody out.

Justin Verlander got into a jam in the top half of the third but he pitched out of it.  This could turn out to be a long game.  We’re already an hour into and we’re not even close to finished with the third inning.

***UPDATE 7***

Tankersley was roughed up in the fourth inning.  He gave up a homerun to Greg Dobbs and the Phillies cut the Tigers’ lead in half.  Tigers 4, Phillies 2 in the top of the fifth.

Spoke too soon.  Another double off of Tankersley by former Tiger Karim Garcia and it’s now 4-3.  Former Tiger Randal Simon was also in the Phillies lineup today.

***UPDATE 8***

The Phillies just took a 5-4 lead after scoring two runs off of pitching prospect Eulogio de la Cruz.  It’s been a tough inning for the pitching prospect here in the sixth and it’s not over yet.

***UPDATE 9***

Errors have cost the Phillies. The Tigers just took the lead back when Placido Polanco’s grounder was misplayed.  Then Timo Perez added an insurance run with an RBI infield single.  Tigers 7, Phillies 5.

***UPDATE 10***

Alright, I was asleep at the wheel.  I got a phone call and missed some of the action.  The Phillies tied it in the top of the seventh and then the Tigers took the lead back and they’re now up 9-7 in the bottom of the seventh.  The last run scored on a wild pitch.

***UPDATE 11***

The Tigers pulled out the win 9-7.  The last two innings were pretty quiet. Joel Zumaya struck out two in the eighth and Fernando Rodney gave up one hit in a shutout ninth.  Tomorrow the Tigers take on the Astros at 1:05.

It looks like the Texas Rangers are close to extending Michael Young’s contract to the tune of five years and $75 million.  Young is one year younger then Carlos Guillen and you can argue that both are pretty comparable players.  If the Rangers do work this deal, it means the market price for Guillen could sky rocket to the point that we might not be able to re-sign the All Star shortstop.

You only have to back to around 2000 when the Tigers played the matching game with Bobby Higginson.  Jeremy Burnitz, who was considered a comparable player to Higginson, signed a big deal with the Brewers that the Tigers eventually gave to Higginson.  I don’t remember the numbers but we were talking a multi-year deal worth somewhere between $8-10 million per.  Guillen is one of our best players, but the injuries concern me.  Also, you have to take into account that he could be finding his way to first base, which would drop his value a bit as well (and would mean maybe Michael Young isn’t as comparable as we thought).  Regardless, it’s a development that bears watching.

Just a couple of days go, I talked about how I wasn’t too keen on Jose Mesa being in the Tigers bullpen.  Apparantly, Mesa is a really hard worker as this story indicates.  Nice read and they also touch on the 1997 World Series which eventually led to Mesa’s longstanding feud with Omar Vizquel after he wrote some disparaging comments about Mesa in his book.

I’m sure Mesa is a great guy and at one time he was a very good relief pitcher.  I just get the feeling he’s being crammed down our throat.

Mike Maroth will get the nod for the Tigers in their spring game against the Phillies today.  This is an important spring for Maroth because of his elbow problems last year  I still think Maroth will be the fifth starter when we break camp but these spring games that Maroth throws probably mean more then any other Tiger regular on the club.

The Tigers also have some of their big guns going today.  Justin Verlander, Joel Zumaya, Fernando Rodney, Jordan Tata and Dennis Tankersley should all see some time on the mound.

There’s also some good news.  Monday’s game against the Yankees will be on one of the ESPN stations.  And today’s game will be the first radio broadcast by Dan Dickerson and Jim Price.

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