The Boys are Back in Town
Detroit AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Granderson, CF 3 1 1 1 1 0 1 .364 Guillen, SS 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 .250 Santiago, SS 2 0 0 0 0 1 2 .281 Ordonez, RF 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 .222 Taylor, RF 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 .379 Young, D, DH 4 0 1 0 0 1 0 .429 Pena, 1B 3 0 2 0 1 0 0 .194 Inge, 3B 4 0 0 0 0 2 4 .308 Gomez, LF 4 1 2 1 0 0 1 .317 Wilson, C 3 1 2 1 0 0 0 .400 Peterson, B, C 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 Infante, 2B 3 0 1 0 0 1 1 .455
How about that lineup? It’s nice to see some regular names in there. Carlos Guillen and Magglio Ordonez saw their first action since Venezuela was eliminated from the World Baseball Classic. The game also marked Dmitri Young’s return to the lineup from his quadricep injury. Todd Jones should be on his way back, and we should also be seeing Pudge Rodriguez shortly. That leaves only Placido Polanco and Fernando Rodney MIA.
Cutting Carlos
There was quite a bit of speculation that Carlos Pena would be cut this week so that the Tigers would only have to pay a sixth of his $2.8 million salary. While the Thursday deadline has passed, there is still a cost saving opportunity for the Tigers. If Pena is released prior to the start of the season, the Tigers would only owe about $700,000 of his $2.8 million.
If Pena is eventually cut, I imagine it would come at the last possible moment after all attempts to trade him were exhausted. I’d also speculate that until Young convinces everyone he’s 100%, that Pena’s job is secure.
Nook’s in a cranny
Nook Logan entered spring training with a chance to battle for the centerfield job. After what can only be described as a horrendous spring, he’s probably battling for a spot on the 25 man roster now. Whether it was the game with 3 errors, the sub .200 batting average, or the bunts directly back to the pitcher, things weren’t looking good for Nook. Compounding Logan’s struggles is that several other players (Alexis Gomez, Marcus Thames) are making a strong case to be taken North in his place.
That’s why it was nice to see things finally go right for him yesterday. Logan had the game winning hit in the bottom of the ninth, two walks, and a stolen base. Even one of his outs was a well hit ball to centerfield.
Now one good game isn’t a reason to get excited. However, it is a reason for Logan to feel good about himself.
Knowledge is a tricky thing
Don Slaught brings a highly analytical approach to hitting. His use of extensive video analysis has been well detailed. While I certainly appreciate the scientific approach, I’m curious as to how Slaught gets the message across. We’ve heard before that sometimes our Tigers get too much in their heads, and do better when they stop thinking (Brandon Inge). Will Slaught be able to use his approach with players who do better with little knowledge? It already seems that Logan got a little too wrapped up in fixng things.
Uber Preview
Beyond the Boxscores has published it’s preview of the Tigers positional players and finds the lineup to be strong.
I feel like the team has a deep lineup. There doesn’t seem to be any real hole in it; the worst hitter in the lineup is Brandon Inge, which is certainly a good thing, but the best one is most likely Chris Shelton. It is a very balanced lineup, to be sure. This lineup would be expected to score 5.282 runs per game, or 856 on the season. Throw in the defensive skills of the team, and the pitching, which will be covered shortly most likely, and you have yourself a team capable of surprising a few people. To the same level that the White Sox surprised in 2005? Maybe not, but baseball is a funny game sometimes…my guess is that the division will be the bane of the Tigers’ playoff hopes and dreams. If they can beat up their own division, they can make a run at the playoffs. Easier said than done though.
The pitching portion should be up in the next day or so.