Archive for the 'Uncategorized' Category

If the excitement of this season can be held as any sort of indicator, this promises to be a great postseason. In a season where a third player accomplished the feat of hitting 700 home runs and another broke a long standing record for the number of hits in a season. Hopefully, the best is yet to come.

In celebrating the great year, one has to feel for the Chicago Cub’s and Cub’s fans who witnessed their heavily favored team meltdown with a bad bullpen and Shakespearean back-biting amongst players, coaches and the media. They are a team who will probably take a couple of steps back next year in order to continue to move forward.

Most of all, this season gave me hope that the management of the Tiger’s organization do have a game plan that appears to be working. That plan, along with a little good luck mixed in will help the team to become legitimate contenders in the near future. It will be an incredibly intriguing offseason, to say the least.

Quick Predictions
Houston Over Braves in 5
Cards Over Dodgers in 4

Houston over Cards in 6

Yankees over Twins in 5
Red Sox over Angels in 4

Red Sox over Yankees in 7

Astros over Red Sox in 6

Series MVP: Craig Biggio

Their has been some preliminary discussion in the local media about the Tiger’s placing some priority upon acquiring a bonafide #1 starter. Mike Ilitch has intimated that he has enjoyed this season and would strongly consider allocating additional payroll funds to continue to upgrade the team’s personnel this offseason. Many rumors have associated a return of Dearborn native, Derek Lowe, to the fold. Others have suggested that the Tigers make the moves necessary to re-acquire John Smoltz and allow him the opportunity to finish off his career as a starter (which Smoltz seems to desire).

I looked at the performance of potential upcoming free agents to get an idea where the Tiger’s may want to turn. I did this with the assumption that Dave Dombrowski would be looking to add a legitimate #1 starter. Also I assumed that he would not be in the market for a left-handed starter because it appears (prematurely?) that they will feature a 5-man rotation that will include three lefties. Jeremy Bonderman, is also a lock as a starter, should he remain healthy. The puzzling matter to address will be what the utility of inconsistent and frustrating starter Jason Johnson?

The Creme de la Creme

Player W-L ERA IP QS% hr/9 H/9 bb/9 K/9 oppOPS .BA WHIP
P. Martinez 16-8 3.78 212 61 1.1 7.7 2.55 9.42 .688 .232 1.15

Radke 11-8 3.48 214.2 73 0.97 9.35 1.01 5.91 .684 .265 1.15

Pavano 17-8 3.05 215.1 73 0.67 8.57 2.05 5.68 .681 .252 1.18

Clement 9-13 3.68 181.0 60 1.14 7.71 3.83 9.45 .692 .229 1.28

The Next Tier

Ru.Ortiz 14-9 4.19 197.2 58 1.05 8.7 4.96 6.42 .752 .258 1.52

Benson 12-12 4.33 195.1 57 0.69 9.08 2.67 5.9 .721 .263 1.31

Morris 15-9 4.55 198. 52 1.50 9. 3.38 5.86 .766 .264 1.38

Are You Sure?

Lowe 14-12 5.25 178.1 39 0.76 10.75 3.43 5.2 .780 .293 1.58

Lidle 11-12 4.95 205.1 48 1.18 9.42 2.59 5.48 .771 .269 1.33

Tigers

Roberts. 12-9 4.80 185.2 53 1.36 9.4 3.15 7.03 .771 .270 1.39
Maroth 11-12 4.29 210. 53 1.03 10.16 2.49 4.46 .781 .289 1.41

The Tigers will be very fortunate to be in the running for one of the Top 4 I listed. As far as I am concerned, if they are serious about Derek Lowe, they will need to address their fielding. His success seems to be contingent upon excellent team defense.

If they’re not down when you’re reading this, they will be shortly, but I’m taking down the ability for readers to leave comments. I’ve gotten a bunch of what’s essentially spam left on my site, and for now the only option is to get rid of the option all together.

If you’d like a comment, just send me an email, and I’ll periodically include the best of my mail comments in a mailbag column.

I’m sorry if this causes any inconvenience. I really did enjoy the comments people left about their 1984 memories.

This is a pivotal week for the Lions as an organization. Overcoming adversity, or a big win for that matter have never been tendered among it’s strong suits. The Texans are a slowly developing expansion franchise who have accumulated some talented young skill players in their short history.

The Lions rush defense must be stout and contain Domanick Davis and his backup Tony Hollings. Davis fumbled twice last week so expect the Lions to be attempting to strip the ball whenever he gets carries. After a season where the Texans allowed the most sacks ever in the history of the game (2 yrs ago) they have gradually improved their O-Line so that David Carr has more time to make decisions in the passing game. The Lions will need to put some pressure on Carr and the Texans vertical passing game to compensate for their lack of depth in the secondary. In the Lions home opener, Kalimba Edwards must become a factor in the pass rush. I don’t believe the Lions will have the luxury of using many blitzes with the injuries to their linebackers and secondary. Andre Johnson and Corey Bradford are serious downfield threats to get big gains in this game.

On offense, the Lions will need to establish the run against Houston’s 3-4 defense. The 3-4 scheme features a lot of blitzing by the linebackers and the D-linemen must be fire hydrants in the trenches in order for the linebackers to flow to the ball carrier. This a week where the Lions experienced O-line must really step up, they have to get to the linebackers with their blocks. If Kevin Jones is capable of establishing the run the Lions will be more effective in the passing game. Harrington will have to be efficient and be prepared to make the right “Hot” reads to throw to their injury depleted receiving corps. This a big week in the development of receiver Roy Williams. With all of the blitzing the Lions should be able to stretch the secondary who were burnt more than once by the Drew Brees lead Chargers. Antonio Gates was particularly successful, so expect for Harrington to look to Casey FitzSimmons and Stephen Alexander to have some big catches. it will also be important that Artose Pinner and Kevin Jones do a good job in their blitz pick-ups. We are now familiar with the fact that Harrington rarely gets sacked, but when pressured he tends to throw the ball away taking the Lions out of their offense.

In the home opener coming of their first road victory in a long time I believe the Lions will win a close game 27-21.

With the injuries to “Pudge” Rodriguez and Carlos Guillen over the weekend coupled with the team’s performance while facing Minnesota one has to wonder if this season will prove to be one month too long. Until this point, the team was riding a crest of newfound hope and remained solidly competitive even if they were no longer a contender in the playoff picture.

It is important I think, for the Tigers to be able to end on a high note and continue to build from this season successes. If they begin to regress they could quite easily suffer from a similar fall to that Kansas City had to face this season.

An interesting component to the end of their season will be that Tiger fans will get a preview of some more players who figure into the teams’ future plans. Now that Erie’s been ousted from the playoffs, we will see more of Roberto Novoa (who looked plain awesome at times in particular versus Boston at home), Curtis Granderson and Ryan Raburn.

The Lions won the battle on Saturday, but it will be questionable as the season progresses whether or not they can win the war. Sunday’s victory, was a huge moral victory. Not winning a road game in over three seasons is nearly unfathomable.

Yet, heading into this season, if there were 5 players who needed to remain healthy and perform well in order to ensure Lions success. That list would include three who have already suffered serious injury(Dre Bly,Charles Rogers, Boss Bailey). Even more disappointingly, these players have major impact on any possible future successes the organization may hope to enjoy.

Charles Rogers loss in particular will hurt the team. He worked hard in the offseason to rehabilitate and prepare himself for a break-out season. He was very sensitive to being tagged as injury-proned and often walked out of interviews when questioned about his durability. Now, in what appears to be a season ending injury many questions have arisen about his future in the NFL.

In the meantime, this may represent the final chance for David Kirkus to become an NFL player. He has shown flashes, but will have to perform consistently when given the opportunity to play. The Lions success for the rest of the year will hinge upon keeping valuable players like Joey Harrington and Shaun “Big Baby” Rogers healthy. Otherwise, their interminable “rebuilding” process may have to start yet again.

Five Things that will need to happen in order for the Lions to have a successful season.

1.Joey Harrington must reduce his interceptions, be even more accurate and effecient as a passer, and assume his role as a team leader.

2. Kevin Jones and Artose Pinner need to combine for at least 1400 yards rushing or the Lions will again be in deep trouble offensively.

3. A pass rusher has to emerge from their defensive line. Kalimba Edwards where the Lions hopes lie, must remain healthy and begin to fulfill his potential as a pass rusher. Hopefully Robert Porcher in less plays will be able to concentrate his efforts and be overall more effective. In a defense that will not blitz often under new defensive coordinator, Dick Jauron, it is imperative that Jared Devries, James Hall and Corey Redding step up the pressure.

4.The Linebacking corps that is thin to begin with must remain healthy. Dirty Davis and Teddy Lehman have a lot to learn. Their continued development will make or break this defense.

5. The Lions offensive line will have to be effective enough so that Harrington will not rush to throw the ball away, provide the type of blocking that will lead to rushing success and pass block well enough so that the Lions will have the occasional luxury of having the time necessary to stretch the field with the deep ball. Otherwise NFL Corners will jam the younger Lions receivers constantly at the line of scrimmage and prevent them from running their routes.

The matchup with Chicago is an intriguing one. The Lions have a wonderful opportunity to get a monkey off of their backs by getting an early road win. The Chicago offense and defense will be quite different under the watch of 1st year head coach Lovie Smith. To be truthful, I have a hard time seeing where Chicago will get their points from. Rex Grossman is a very young Quarterback, who is learning a new system. In order to beef up their defense, Chicago traded it’s best receiver, Marty Booker for Defensive End, Adewale Ogunleye. They will now rely on David Terrell, Justin Gage and Bobby Wade. Terrell is in a do or die situation. Thus far he has been a major bust. The bears are also taking a risk by going to the still unproven first rounder, Thomas Jones, who has rarely lived up to expectations. They do have some depth here with an unhappy Anthony Thomas, riding the pine.

Their defense is also questionable with their lack of depth in the secondary. They are forced to use RW McQuarters, who is normally a a nickle back. They have invested a lot in their defensive line with high draft picks used on Michael Haynes and Tommie Harris in recent years. It also remains to be seen if Ogunleye will be effective with all the attention he will draw. (In recent years he would be one on one on the outside while Jason Taylor, the best DE in football drew all of the attention)

The Lions will have to play a very solid football game in order to win in Chicago. Paul Edinger always seem to get a lot of crucial field goals versus the Lions. I think that this will be a low scoring affair, even with all of the question marks on both defenses. Their always seems to be an unknown contributor who causes the Lions troubles ala Brock Forsey or Jerry Azumah or Marty Mornihnweg when the Lions face the Bears. The Lions can outmatch the Bears if they control the time of posession and don’t turn the ball over. I predict a 23-13 Lions victory.

UPDATE

Lionsblog can now be found at http://www.detroitlionsblog.com.

END OF UPDATE

With Brian’s encouragement I will have the great fortune of expanding the constellation of weblogs that orbit around this one in the upcoming weeks. I will be starting a Detroit Lions blog, with an extreme amount excitement on my part. I have been a lifelong Lions fan who has been drinking Honolulu Blue Kool Aid for my entire life. In the meantime, I will make some preliminary contributions here hopefully to everyone’s delight. I am open for any constructive suggestions on what you might like from a weblog of this nature.

I think that this weblog will be very fun, this might be the most exciting time in Detroit Lions franchise history. The Lions have remained one of the more inept teams in NFL history. What Lion’s fan doesn’t remember Eddie Murray’s missed field goal, Dave Williams 100 yd kickoff return and the playoff blowout by a Rodney Peete quarterbacked Eagles. Who will ever forget Billy Sims going ballistic on a table full of Gatorade, the Coin Flip in Chicago or Barry Sanders silently riding off into the sunset.

All of the Lion’s past disappointments have entered a newfound era of hope. The organization feels it has a credible coach in Mariucci. It still believes it has a franchise quarterback in Joey Harrington. The last two drafts have given the Lions even more hope because it’s recent lack of success has provided it’s roster with such potential stars as Roy Williams, Charles Rogers, Kevin Jones and Teddy Lehman. It is also a very critical year because the Lions have to make steps forward. The road losing streak MUST end this season and hopefully it will. Mooch must prove he is something more than Wayne Fontes with movie star looks. Joey Harrington must establish his role as team leader and become a more complete player. A franchise and city that will be hosting an upcoming Super Bowl must prove that it is truly first class.

Craig Monroe’s recent performance tells me he deserves a chance next year at being an everyday outfielder. Early in the year, many people wanted to write him off because he had become so ineffective against left-handed pitchers (a strength last season) and his power numbers had dropped so markedly. His recent tear gives him a decent opportunity to approach or match last years output and he now appears to be a more complete hitter overall.

I am also glad that the Tigers were unable to pull off the proposed Cliff Floyd for Bobby Higginson trade before the deadline. In essence, the Tigers would have 3 or 4 of the same player had they pulled the trigger on that trade. (Dmitri Young, Rondell White and Cliff Floyd are quite similar as players and you could argue that Monroe is very similar to them except for the fact that is he younger and more versatile)

By refraining from that trade, I think Monroe has a better shot at playing outfield next year full time while the Tigers will have to evaluate what they are going to do at 1st base, the entire outfield and 3rd base. I hate to suggest it, but they can’t exactly be pleased with this season’s offensive production by Dmitri Young, even considering his injury. He is a large man and we have seen many players who are big begin to break down more frequently from injury as the rigors of the sport and betrayal by their own body cause their careers to tail off. Do the Tigers at this point need an every day DH, when they have so many players they can use their? I really love Dmitri as a team leader and he had an excellent season last year. In the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world of professional sports the Tigers will be faced with some tough decisions this offseason.

Bobby Higginson has admittedly been an albatross in recent years. The fans have been quite merciless at games I have attended this season. In years past, when he was still in good favor with the local media these same fans would have supported him as the only recognizeable “Star” the Tigers possessed in their everyday line-up. I often grouseded at how overpaid he is (and still is). I have reverted to coming to his defense this year. Even with the low batting average and power numbers, I think he has been as valuable this year as in any previous just by understanding his role with the team, playing good defense (he leads the league in outfield assists), and by not striking out so much. That being said, I think the Tigers will officially be able to move on from the Randy Smith debacle when he is no longer brandishing the Old English “D”. They have already released Danny Patterson and in weeks Matt Anderson will be gone. It is time to make whatever trade possible to end his career in Motown. If there are no prospective trades, it may be advisable to eat that remaining year and use that roster spot next year for a developing player or an even more productive player.

I went to yesterday’s doubleheader. Did you ever wonder what it might be like to sit through a 26-5 Tiger loss. I had in recent years been present while the Tigers got shellacked by Anaheim (end of last year) and watched Oakland buzzsaw (during their 20+ game win streak) through Jose Lima in short work, but yet yesterday was a low point.

Jason Johnson, who recently complained about being pulled too early from a start because he was supposed to be the Tiger number one starter, had absolutely no command. Any pitch he threw near the strike zone Kansas City was able to hit. Jason Johnson’s recent performance may be opening the door for a return by Gary Knotts to the rotation before the year is out. I certainly do not have great confidence in the Tigers ability to win ballgames with the removal of Wil Ledezma from the rotation coupled with more appearances by Johnson. Jason had a nice stretch near the middle of the season but he seems to have proved what many experts have said that he is missing something that would allow him to be a more succesful pitcher through a complete season.

Yesterday gave me opportunity to think more about the Jeff Weaver trade. Hindsight is clearly 20/20 but is interesting to ponder that trade while watching Franklyn German struggle so mightily and Jeremy Bonderman pitch so well. Weav, who was very immature, has become a staff ace in Los Angeles. It appears that the Tigers have gained a very capable starter in Bonderman-who with any luck will peak as an ace starter to coincide with a more completely constructed Tiger line-up that will be able to benefit from his development. Franklyn German is an enigma. Even yesterday, there were moments where you could see how he could become a dominant reliever. He often was ahead in the count. Batters seemed to have trouble with his splitter. It will be a matter of just how much patience the Tigers can exhibit with him. I believe that the Tigers will ultimately have the better end of this deal, because Weaver is in his peak as a player and at this time the Tigers are just not quite good enough for him to be able to succeed in Detroit.

This offseason will be critical in Bonderman’s continued development and for Dave Dombrowski to make the tough personnel decisions necessary for this team to push closer to being a contender in their division. Yesterday I finally caught a foul ball at a Tiger game for the first time in my life. I was elated and very surprised when someone offered me $10 for it.

That last game versus Kansas City has been a major discomfort for me. I really didn’t like how they swung the bats and the overall malaise they seemed to exhibit in yet again losing another series to the Royals. At any rate, I had to question a Trammell decision in the 7th inning. When the first two batters got aboard with no outs, why bunt? Jaime Cerda had not been pitching anywhere near the plate so why give the Royals a sacrifice out in the inning when Cerda had yet to establish he might not walk Brandon Inge in that at bat. The inning fizzled from that point and I was disgusted. Nice pitching by Greinke, I don’t look forward to the Tigers facing him again this week. Our hearts and prayers should go out to all Floridians and the Tigers/D-Rays with the impending onset of the hurricane. I hope the Tigers remain safe.

I am practically speechless after last night’s performance. Their was a rising outcry that the Tigers screwed up by rushing him along. They still may have, but last evening’s performance was one for the ages. It adds to the building crescendo of hope to what may yet come with this organization and it’s young players. I am glad for young Jeremy because the media, who had high expectations fed to them, were starting to wonder if the emperor had any clothes. He had performed all right statistically but has suffered some hard luck and situationally had not pitched well. He has yet to arrive, but this gives us a clearer view of what many scouts, coaches, and scribes had suggested may develop.

It has been a wonderful season thus far and many players have had spectacular years. About this time of the season people begin to speculate who have been the best players for that particular season. This speculation precipitates an annual debate about determing the Most Valuable Player Award. In that debate, there is great divide over what determines who is the player who is most valuable and whether or not they should be a member of a winning team. I think there are 8 players whose performance stands out enough that they warrant consideration for this award.

AL MVP Frontrunners(as of 8/15)

Player G .BA .OPS HR RBI Runs RP(runs+RBI) %RP

Guerrero 113 .325 .941 25 89 89 178 15.5

Mora 94 .345 1.022 21 75 84 159 13.4

Ortiz 108 .311 .995 30 105 65 170 13.2

Hafner 108 .320 1.013 23 91 76 167 12.9

Guillen 115 .315 .926 17 83 83 166 13.8

Sheffield 113 .292 .928 27 85 91 176 13.8

Texeira 99 .265 .906 28 72 73 145 12.1

Ramirez 109 .317 1.024 30 87 73 160 12.4

The %RP is the percentage of the players runs + RBI/Team total of runs + RBI.

Runs Produced and the % of the teams total Runs Produced are a somewhat crude statistics but they are simple ways to make comparisons to the players values to their team. I believe the media would suggest Vlad Guerrero would be the frontrunner for the award and I would have to agree. I think Gary Sheffield is a very close 2nd. Unfortunately for Ortiz and Ramirez they sort of cancel each other out being from the same team. Guerrero has carried a team who has suffered from a number of injuries and has been very consistent all year. Sheffield is surrounded by a lot of good hitters but he has played through an injury all season and performed very well through it all. I like seeing Guillen’s stats in this, as a point of comparison. I think if the Tigers had a candidate, it would be Pudge but that would be based on sentiment and name recognition over actual performance. Melvin Mora continues to surprise people who doubted his talents and continues to prove he is among the best players in baseball.

Once again, I’m looking for writers looking for a showcase for their talents. Steve has done a nice job, but with my work on the 1984 diary, and a few other projects in the works, I’d like to add a few more hands to the mix.

Dan did a nice job doing game updates before he had to step down, and Kevin did as well before he lost interest. I’m just basically looking for people who can provide content. I have a few specific ideas people can write on, but a general column is also acceptable.

If you’re interested, feel free to drop me a line.

I have two spots left in my fantasy football league if anyone is interested. The draft is at my house, 1:30 pm, August 28th. $60 to play. Email me for details if you’re interested.

Tonight was the third time recently that Bobby Higginson has been benched in favor of Marcus Thames or Craig Monroe while a right handed pitcher is starting. According to a Yahoo.com article, Higgy had gone 9-16 with 2 Homers versus Ramon Ortiz in his career and Ortiz has had a poor season. If he is not hitting well enough to even platoon and Tram has apparently lost confidence in his abilities maybe he should go the way of other former Tigers Randall Simon and Robert Fick, and be released. He will have $8 Million in salary coming to him next season. Were he receiving a similar salary to that of Monroe or Thames this wouldn’t be an issue. Did the releases of Damion Easley and Tony Clark hurt the Tigers in the long run? Next to Juan Gonzalez, this just might be the most disappointing Tiger in the team’s history. Other than being a favorite of Mr. Ilitch I can see no reason he is still around.

I just heard on the news that Joe Falls has passed away. Truly a shame, as he was one of the best. My thoughts go out to his friends and family members.

UPDATE

For those of you asking for particulars, I’ll point you to Rob over at Bleacher Guy, who did an excellent write up, and has some nice links to just everything you need to know about Joe Falls. Be sure to check it out.

By all indications, Mark Mulder will probably be awarded the Al Cy Young this season. Mulder has pitched very well and deserves consideration especially since has a league leading 15 victories. Michigan State University baseball fans would be very excited in the event that this would occur due to Mulder having attended Moo U. I think another lefty may even be more deserving of the honor of CY Young in the AL due to his recent performance. He is a Venezuelan who said that he intended to be an engineer had he not made it as baseball player and the Tigers division rival, Johan Santana.

Player CG SH W-L ERA WHIP opp. OPS Team OPS AVG R/gm

Santana 1 1 11-6 3.34 0.99 .622 .747 4.71

Mulder 5 1 15-3 3.49 1.22 .681 .779 5.05

Schilling 3 0 13-5 3.38 1.13 .677 .824 5.61

Martinez 0 0 12-4 3.94 1.17 .698 .824 5.61

Johnson 1 1 8-9 4.40 1.28 .717 .789 5.20

These stats are as of 8/6. I included Jason Johnson’s stats as a point of comparison. Team .OPS and AVG Runs/Gm are measures of what kind of hitting and run support the pitcher is receiving. The significant difference in run support and hitting along with Santana’s absolutely stellar performance and his league leading 183 strikeouts, I think it would be a travesty if he didn’t receive the award. Furthermore, the Twins better lock him up long term and pay him so that he doesn’t become a free agent. Otherwise, Boss Steinbrenner will back the Brinks truck right to Santana’s door and he will be fitted for pinstripes.

Dave Dombrowski was briefly interviewed on the local sports talk station (WQTX 92.7/92.1) today by local jock/author Rich Kincaid (“Gods of Olympia Stadium”, a Red Wings book). It occurred at 11:00 A.M. and Dombrowski was very open about several topics. Kincaid started by indicating that he had mixed feelings in regards to this season. He felt that that D.D. had made some nice moves in the offseason to strengthen the team up the middle and if the Tigers were to reach .500 it would be a nice improvement, but Kincaid felt that the elements were there to contend and since the All-Star break they haven’t been playing like contenders. Dombrowski replied “that their had been dramatic improvements” and that he would continue to take steps this winter to make the team a contender. Kincaid mentioned that he thought the starting pitching had performed well and that it was a bit of a surprise. Dombrowski stated that he was happy with their young pitching and that he felt that they had a lot of upside. He also said that the young pitchers would have to continue to improve and get to that 15-17 win level in order for the Tigers to contend. Kincaid then mentioned that he felt Jason Johnson had been a little inconsistent and had had an up & down year. Dombrowski talked about Johnson’s early blister problems and about the recent 10 start stretch where he had been very good and that his last couple had been difficult. They started discussing the pressures on free agents and how Kincaid noticed that the free agents would often struggle in their first year with a new team. Dombrowski replied that free agents were competitive individuals who often place tough expectations on themselves and that they often just need to settle in and return to the standards of performance that made them desirable as free agents in the first place. Kincaid then stated that if they made the 38 game improvement from last season to this season and finished .500 that this season would possibly be the greatest in Tiger history. Dombrowski stated that he felt that they had made dramatic improvements but essentially said that this season could not be a greatest anything unless they had one a World Series. Kincaid then asked some questions that had been submitted by listeners. He first asked Dombrowski about the play of Bobby Higginson and whether or not Nook Logan or Marcus Thames will be playing more in right field? Dombrowski stated that Higginson had struggled recently and would never be the player he had once been. He also said that he felt Higginson had been a steady, everyday type of player but they would like better numbers from the position and that Alan (Trammell) may have to make the decision to play Monroe or Thames in right field down the road. He also said that there could not be a lineup with Nook Logan and Alex Sanchez together. Another caller wanted to know if Inge of Infante would possibly be used as trade bait to acquire some more pitching. Dombrowski said that Inge in particular was very valuable with his offense and his “maneuverability” that he was definitely in their plans. He also stated that they aren’t thinking about next year yet and that they have year-in-review meetings in October and that’s where they begin to address the changes that might occur in the offseason. I asked if it would be possible that the Tigers will feature three lefties in their starting rotation next season. Dombrowski stated that as long as they are pitching well he would have no problems using three lefties. He said that Oakland has used three lefty starters the last couple of years and that one team had even had four (?). Another caller wanted to know when and if the Tigers may recall Matt Anderson? Dombrowski said that Anderson was suffering from some tenderness (?) and had not had a very good year in Toledo and if they did not recall him he would be a free agent at the end of the year. (He all but said he’ll be gone. Another first rounder bites the dust, Matt Wheatland) Another caller asked about the status of Fernando Vina and Dombrowki stated that between the knee and hamstring, he had to make some tough decisions whether or not he wanted a surgery. The surgery provides no guarantees of full recovery.

The Tigers were very hopeful entering the season that Eric Munson and Carlos Pena would both emerge as consistent and productive contributors in their lineup and attain the stardom that scouts and “experts” projected that they might achieve. They both have had difficult and frustrating seasons. For every glimmer of hope that they are ready to meet expectations, they both seem to take a step or two backward. After reading Lynn Henning’s recent article in the Detroit News I decided to look at their output and gauge it as compared to the rest of the American League. In doing this, I selected the members of each team who played the most games at both 1st and 3rd base. In the process I eliminated Seattle, Minnesota and Boston from my comparisons because injuries, trades and other variables made it to difficult for my feeble brain to factor them into the comparisons. I also grabbed 3 high run producing 1st/3rd pairs from the NL just as another comparison. In all of this I didn’t factor in park effects. I also realized that the National League 1st/3rd pairs would be even more productive in their lineups due to the fact that the pitcher bats and the American 1st/3rd pairs would be less productive with the presence of a Designated Hitter in their lineups.

G HR RP(runs scored+RBI) RP%(RP/team RP) .OPS
1b Pena 87 13 97 9% .737
3b Munson 79 14 66 6% .751
166 27 163 15% (.OPS+.OPS)1.488

When compared to the eleven other AL teams in my comparison Munson/Pena were 7th in Homers, 10th in Runs Produced, 10th in .OPS+.OPS, and 11th in Runs Produced Percentage. The .OPS+.OPS number in itself is not all that meaningful,but it was another way to compare player production. When you consider that the Tigers have hit the ball very well this year and are 5th in the American League in Total Team Runs Produced, the performance of Pena and Munson can be seen as that they are less productive members of a very productive lineup and that they are at positions in the lineup where teams hope to obtain a good chunk of their production. Also effecting their offensive production would be the fact that they are both as of late part of a platoon and are losing a lot of opportunities to increase their production in the Tiger lineup.

Here are some of the gaudier pairings as a means of comparison:
Player G HR RP RP% .OPS
Texeira 86 25 129 12 .923
Blalock 103 24 138 13 .885
Team RP=1100 49 267 24 1.808

Pujols 99 29 164 15 1.038
Rolen 101 25 169 15 1.024
Team RP=1104 54 333 30 2.062

Also compare the Tampa Bay pair, who are playing on a team with an identical record to the Tigers and whose team produces less runs.

Tino 89 14 90 10 .845
Huff 104 19 129 14 .805
Team RP=896 33 219 24 1.750

If Dave Dombrowski chooses to keep both Munson and Pena as the primary players at their positions, they will need to contribute more or the Tiger’s will need for Carlos Guillen, Brandon Inge and Omar Infante to continue to surprise with their offensice production.

« Previous Entries | Next Entries »

Powered by
WordPress

Click to advertise

http://every1bets.com