An excellent article by Lynn Henning. Lynn advocates keeping Sanchez out of the leadoff spot, keeping Chris Shelton, and here’s the kicker:
Keep it simple. Keep it statistical. Trammell is intuitive, but he must be careful about playing too many hunches. This game is a science dependent upon statistical precedence. It doesn
3 thoughts on “Lynn Henning’s Tiger Analysis”
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Any advocate of keeping Sanchez out or down in the lineup will get my props, so a “Job Well Done” for Henning. Tram freaked me out something fierce last season when he kept talking about Sanchez as the “speedy centerfielder that can mix things up at the top of the lineup.” You dont have to buy into Sabermetrics or any other kind of stat-heavy analysis to understand that guys with atrocious on-base average’s should not occupy the leadoff spot in your lineup.
Henning earned even more props for promoting Shelton, but I felt the real kicker was going ahead and omitting Inge from future plans beyond the end of this month. No need to find a position for a guy that is clearly overmatched with the stick. Inge simply does not deserve a roster spot, and Henning notes this clearly and with conviction.
I must say this article was an eye-opener as far as my perception of the Detroit media. I live in NC and read the News (and the Free Press) online as much as possible to keep up with the Tigers. While I appreciate the consistent quality of many of the writers, this is the first time I can remember actually agreeing with every point made in a given piece.
Maybe Henning can start having Rob Parker over for dinner and explain this reasoned approach to baseball analysis.
Henning gets it. Hopefully Trammell will, with a better lineup, give up on some of the small ball strategies he used last year. Sanchez definitely belongs in the 9 spot. Higginson, Vina and/or Guillen all make better lead-off choices. I’m still expecting Sanchez. If Inge takes Shelton’s spot I’m going to be sick.
I’m a long time lurker, but I just wanted to point something out. I have been an Inge fan for a few years, but I don’t think anyone would seriously believe that we should find a spot for him in the lineup so he can contribute to the offense, but I think what they’re hoping is that he can have a decent month or two and increase his trade value. His defense is top notch, but his offense is so poor that nobody wants him. All we need to do is give him enough looks for him to show he’s capable of progressing at the plate and we might just get someone to part with a pitcher for him.