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Dombrowski said it could be as high as Lakeland when they break camp.
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The article also mentions Dontrelle Willis’s delivery and how Hernandez is in the process of studying it. That was one of my questions when they made the trade, how long does it take a pitching coach to get familiar with that delivery?
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Not a Tigers thing, but sharing the link love with another Detroit blogger. Natalie has the hook-up with a luxury suite for a Pistons game, and is holding a contest to fill it.
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Chris Shelton gets designated for assignment – again.
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Cool for Curtis
Yearly Archives: 2008
Take this Hall of Fame voters
Sure, Ozzie Smith can do back-flips and Cal Ripken had some kind of streak or something, and Ryne Sandberg might have been on WGN. But have any of them ever been on Magnum PI? Yeah, I didn’t think so…
Ed Note: This isn’t turning into a YouTube blog, merely coincidence with the back-to-back days. We’ll get back to talking about baseball shortly. And yes, I know I’ve posted this video before, but that was practically before YouTube.
Fictionalizing Jeter
I’m sure many of you have seen the Gatorade commercial featuring numerous dramatic stills. It came to my attention when Ian blogged about it recently. The commercial is below. In the spot it appears that Jeter notches a game winning hit off of Todd Jones with Carlos Guillen turning away in disappointment.
Through the wonder of Baseball Reference PI, we can see that such a hit never happened. Looking at each match-up between the two, there have been 16 in total, 12 while Jones was with the Tigers, and only 2 while Jones and Guillen were with the Tigers. As for the two at-bats in question Jeter had a ground out and a fly out.
So I guess I still have the same question Ian did…why the Tigers and why Jones? Here’s hoping that at least Jones got paid for it. And I guess the implication is that if Jones would have had Gatorade things would have turned out differently.
Message to Inge’s BFF
Dave Dombrowski has some advice for Brandon Inge’s best friend:
“If I was Brandon Inge’s best friend,” said Dombrowski, “I’d tell him ‘you should catch.’ I say that, not thinking he can’t play third, but because to me, this guy can be an All-Star catcher.
Pointed words to be sure and you can dispute his All Star candidacy as a catcher, the message is clear. If Brandon Inge wants to play, be it for the Tigers or anyone else, his willingness leverage his athleticism is what will get him that playing time. Dombrowski also reiterated that he felt that they “owed it to him” to try and make a trade, but short of a trade they are a better club with Inge moving around.
As for his absence at Tigerfest, that was the Tigers choice and not Inge’s. They recognized it would be an uncomfortable situation. Inge, who has been keeping quiet will make an appearance at a Grand Rapids Griffins game on January 18th. He’ll sign autographs starting at 6 p.m. and drop the puck. I’d have a hard time imagining he’d be able to duck the media. (As an aside, the Griffins and Whitecaps teamed up to offer a deal where you get 2 Griffins tickets and 2 Whitecaps tickets for $32. To get the deal go to griffinshockey.com/themenights and use username inge and password griffins0708).
Cabrera’s waistline
In other Inge news, Miguel Cabrera looks good and is excited that there were more people at Tigerfest (8500) than a typical Marlins game.
Sheffield’s rehab
I caught part of Dave Dombrowski’s interview from Tigerfest on 97.1 today and he said that Sheffield’s rehab was progressing nicely and that he should be able to swing a bat.
The Tigerfest Experience
If you were one of the 8,500 who went, I’d love to hear what you thought. The weather was certainly more favorable this year, but I was wondering if it seemed less crowded or better organized.
Tough Ticket
As someone who went through his formative season ticket buying years (defined as: the time period shortly after college when I had an income and little responsibility) in the late 90’s and early 00’s, getting Tigers season tickets was a breeze. Where do you want to sit? No problem. What package do you want? No problem. The programs were great with liberal ticket exchange policies and other bonuses. Entering into the 2008 season things have certainly changed.
Here we are on the day of Tigerfest, and today is the first day that the Tigers have promoted 27 game packages. The team had to wait on the mini-packages because ever since the Willis-Cabrera trade there has been so much demand for full season packages. The official word from the Tigers is that as of Wednesday they had sold 3,300 new full season equivalent (FSE) season ticket plans. And with the team just recently starting to sell the smaller packages, the bulk are probably actual full season packages.
When I called the week of that trade to put down a deposit on a 27 game package, I encountered hold times of 10-15 minutes because of increased demand. I did manage to secure a pair of seats for the 2008 season, but the package doesn’t include a seat for Opening Day. With the additional full season purchases, combined with a high renewal rate of the 19,500 FSE from last year, there just aren’t the physical seats available to offer to those buying season tickets for the first time. The team is offering up a Yankees or Red Sox game as an alternate, which is really about the best they can do. Still, I’ve been to every Opening Day for a decade and it was a prime reason for the decision to go for a plan so I can’t help but be disappointed.
The Tigers are encountering all kinds of challenges, but these are the kinds of problems you want. Much like Jim Leyland trying to figure out the best way to get 3 or 4 number 3 hitters fit into a lineup, the Tigers are challenged with cramming as many people into a park that now seems a little too small. Which is unfathomable for anyone who spent a September night with their own section back in 2003. The Tigers are at a point now where they have to:
- Balance the desire to sell more full season ticket packages while offering the customer friendly small packages
- Figure out how to allocate premium tickets like Opening Day and post-season to the tens of thousands of fans who have made a significant financial commitment to the team
- Continue to reward those loyal fans with smaller, less expensive packages, but that have had them for many years.
- Consider cutting off season ticket sales to allow for individual and group ticket sales
Again, all good problems to have but challenges nonetheless.
So if you’re on the fence about getting a package, you might not want to wait to long. Already, some packages are sold out for some areas and that was prior to the team even promoting them on the website.
As for my Opening Day dilemma. I decided not to wait around and went the StubHub route. I got a pair in the right field grand stand for $130 a piece. Clearly more than I wanted to spend, but that’s the going rate right now and I don’t see it getting any cheaper. But with over 300 listings at least there is a decent selection.
links for 2008-01-11
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John Brattain looks at all the Tigers from the 80’s who aren’t in the Hall of Fame
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If you like PMR, the charts are up!. Basically it allows you to see how players do on balls hit to different vectors (directions).
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Using retrosheet play-by-play to judge historical defense. From 56-86 Whitaker was the best defensive 2nd baseman using this method – and that was only a fraction of his career. Plus Al Kaline was tops in right field.
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Excellent work by Matt as he looks for trends in the Tigers preferences for pitchers.
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For those worried about the order of the rotation don’t be. Eddie shows that it all gets shuffled around.
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Lee is almost done with his comprehensive look at the Tigers defenders. Links to the whole series are here.
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Baseball Reference is doing a free trial of the Play Index. PI is wonderful and I highly, highly recommend it and use it on a daily basis during the season. You can use this free trial to try and win a free year subscription.
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Dan Fox looks at those individuals who are a good candidate for a shiift (like for Big Papi, Hafner, Thome, etc). Curtis shows up on the list, but his speed and bunting threat would probably be a deterrent.
Interviewing Curtis Granderson
Curtis Granderson had a heck of a 2007. He made baseball history accumulating 20 doubles, triples, homers, and stolen bases and becoming one of only 5 players to ever accomplish the feat. He had what was rated in many circles the defensive play of the year when he reached over the left-center field wall to pull back a Wily Mo Pena homer. He was a television analyst for two networks during the post-season. When all his work was done he served as an MLB ambassador in South Africa. Now he’s getting ready for the First Annual Curtis Granderson Celebrity Basketball Game to benefit the Grand Kids Foundation. Given his whirlwind tour I’m very appreciative that Granderson would take the time for an email interview with the Detroit Tigers Weblog.
Detroit Tigers Weblog: First off, congratulations on a tremendous, MVP-candidate type season. Do you have any personal goals for the 2008 season? The quad-25 perhaps?
Curtis Granderson: Thanks. For me personally, I never really have statistical goals before any season, because they can be looked at in so many different ways. I like to focus on improvements and percentages: hit lefties better, increase my walk to strike-out ratios, and fewer errors in the outfield. I also like goals such as: compete everyday, HAVE FUN!!!, KEEP IT FUN!!!, and continue to learn everyday.
Tigers announce Tigerfest 2008 lineup
There will be 23 Tigers players on hand at Saturday’s Tigerfest. They are: Jeremy Bonderman, Tim Byrdak, Miguel Cabrera, Curtis Granderson, Jacque Jones, Todd Jones, Macay McBride, Zach Miner, Magglio Ordonez, Placido Polanco, Rick Porcello, Ryan Raburn, Clay Rapada, Edgar Renteria, Nate Robertson, Ivan Rodriguez, Kenny Rogers, Bobby Seay, Jordan Tata, Marcus Thames, Justin Verlander, Dontrelle Willis and Vance Wilson.
Tigers President, CEO and General Manager David Dombrowski and Vice President, Assistant General Manager, Al Avila, will participate in activities around the park along with manager Jim Leyland and his entire coaching staff. Former Tigers expected to be on hand include Gates Brown, Barbaro Garbey, John Hiller, Mickey Lolich, Dan Petry, Dave Rozema, Jon Warden and Milt Wilcox. Tigers broadcasters Rod Allen, Dan Dickerson and Jim Price will also be on hand.
A quick check of the list reveals four prominent players who won’t be attendance. By my count Carlos Guillen, Joel Zumaya, Fernando Rodney, and Brandon Inge will not be there. I’m not going to read too much in to any of those that won’t be there, just pointing it out for those who are going. The event is a sellout, but there are tickets available on StubHub!
links for 2008-01-07
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Nice capsules of the AL Central
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John Walsh runs his annual analysis. Maggs was a hair below average and Curtis was a shade above average.
Third baseman for sale
The Brandon Inge situation has become all consuming for the Free Press and News. In all fairness, things have been pretty quiet on the Tigers beat with the Willis signing the only news since the Winter Meetings. In the first article of substance though, Lynn Henning gets in touch with Dave Dombrowski and it’s looking more and more like Inge maybe a Tiger in 2008. Given the market for Inge, this is probably best for all parties.
Dombrowski has shown a willingness in the past that when it’s time to move a player who has generally been a good citizen, he’ll try to do it in a favorable way. He found decent situations for both Craig Monroe and Mike Maroth last season. When he cut Pena he did it early in the spring to give him more time to find another job rather than stringing him along. I have to believe Dombrowski is doing his best to honor Inge’s wishes to be moved. But unlike those other situations, Inge could still fill a need on the Tigers and probably carries more value for Detroit than any other team. Part of that is Inge’s contract which nobody wants to eat. Part of that is Inge supressing his own value with an awful offensive season in 2007.
Thankfully Dombrowski doesn’t seem intent on dealing Inge for nothing. For Detroit they have nothing to gain by moving him right now. Best case scenario is that Inge can re-establish himself in 2008 and he can be dealt for something in 2009. Worst case scenario is that Inge struggles again and the Tigers end up eating his contract – which is pretty much where they are at right now.
I understand that Inge wants to be a full time player, but he also needs to realize how unlikely that is unless he can show that he can hit like he did in 2004 through 2006. Versatility and general athleticism is what kept him the league when Pudge Rodriguez was acquired and that same versatility is his best hope at finding a starting job at some point in the future. With a DH that hasn’t played a full season since 2005, and a first baseman with creaky knees, there is a decent chance that there will be significant playing time for Inge even as a reserve (not implying that he’d play those positions, but it would create other oppotunities). Not to mention the Tigers might be kind of good this year and even a bench role isn’t exactly a death sentence.
Inge has been staying silent, which I can’t really hold against him. What exactly is he supposed to say at this point? What will be interesting is if Inge still considers himself a member of the team and participates in next week’s Tigerfest and Caravans. A low profile will be hard to maintain starting a week from today for Inge, whether or not he comes North for the festivities.
Tigers: Inge trade tricky
Brandon Inge’s giving spirit connects with local fans
Trammell, grass, and the Hall of Fame
This year’s induction class for the Baseball Hall of Fame will be announced on Tuesday. And once again Alan Trammell will be on the outside looking in despite some compelling arguments that he should be in. I won’t make a case for him because quite frankly I’m fully aware of my bias. He was one of my favorite players growing up (behind only Lou Whitaker who was royally shafted) and so it’s probably best if more objective parties make their cases for Tram’s inclusion.
But I do want to briefly tackle one issue that Trammell dissenters have cited. And really it’s an argument that I’ve only seen from Joe Sheehan. Sheehan dismissed Trammell’s defense saying that he was helped by the notoriously long grass at Tiger Stadium. That’s premium content so I’ll just quote the most germane part of the article here for you:
I’m wary of the defensive numbers on him, as his home park was notorious for its high infield grass. With so much of Trammell’s statistical case built on very good defensive stats at his peak, the twinge of doubt I feel about their validity makes me nervous.
And to paint a fair picture, this was only of several reasons that Sheehan listed for doubting Trammell’s candidacy so this isn’t a make-or-break argument. It sounded reasonable enough to me that I didn’t think twice about this argument.
Rob Neyer called for further investigation of the point. Neyer stated:
Two, while I’m intrigued by the notion that Trammell’s solid defensive credentials — he won four Gold Gloves, and Bill James has him as a Grade B-minus shortstop over his entire career — are partly the result of the high grass in the Tiger Stadium infield, I’d sure like to see somebody do some actual work on this one. Yes, sinkerballer Walt Terrell’s home/road splits were massive when he pitched for the Tigers, particularly from 1985 through ’87. But did other sinkerball pitchers fare particularly well in Tiger Stadium during Trammell’s career? Were Trammell’s fielding stats significantly better at home than on the road? If the grass was long and did lead to more plays for Trammell, did it cost him anything as a hitter?
Inspired by Neyer I decided to at least take a very crude look at what effect the grass had on ground ball hit rates. This isn’t exactly answering Neyer’s question or refuting Sheehan’s claim, but at least it is another data point. My methodology was to look at all groundballs hit, and see at what rate they produced baserunners. I then converted those rates to park factors.
The park factors are over 7 seasons – from 1982-1988. Why those years? It was two fold. First, it corresponded reasonably well with the peak of Trammell’s career. Second, there was no change over in ballparks during that time making the analysis a little more convenient.
Here is the table with my results:
Team PF MIN 1.33 KCA 1.27 BOS 1.25 MON 1.21 DET 1.20 TEX 1.18 ATL 1.15 PHI 1.13 LAN 1.12 CHN 1.03 CIN 1.03 SDN 1.01 NYN 1.00 PIT 0.99 SLN 0.94 MIL 0.94 CHA 0.94 TOR 0.93 SEA 0.90 OAK 0.88 CAL 0.85 CLE 0.82 BAL 0.81 NYA 0.77 SFN 0.72 HOU 0.65
The higher values indicate parks where more grounders resulted in baserunners, and conversely the lower numbers would make the parks more favorable to the defenders. Tiger Stadium was one of the parks where more grounders resulted in baserunners – over 20% more – which would make Trammell’s defense more impressive, not less. Of course the same adjustment would have to be applied to Tram’s offense which could make his offensive numbers less impressive.
Explanations for this? Maybe the long grass slowed down balls too much meaning there were more infield hits. Perhaps the long grass, or bad infield dirt, led to more bad hops meaning more difficult plays or more errors. Or perhaps the grass wasn’t as long as it was reported, much like the 440ft dimension painted on the centerfield wall.
Caveats: I didn’t break it out and look at the impact by position. It could be that this is all the result of things being favorable down the lines. I don’t know. If Dan Fox continues working backward with SFR perhaps these types of issues can be uncovered. I have the data to do it, but the chances of me finishing it prior to Tuesday are slim. Maybe another day. Also, the Tigers had a great deal of stability at the time with their up the middle defenders meaning they are a large part of the sample. There was no regression or accounting for this – just straight arithmetic.
Still at a first glance it doesn’t appear that the long grass made the infielder’s jobs any easier at Tiger Stadium.
But this is all a moot point when it comes to Tram’s chances anyways. Tram has been hovering in the teens since being on the ballot and actually saw his numbers at their lowest in 2007 when he only had 13.4% of the vote. My hope was that with a weak ballot he could have maybe gained some steam and broken the 30% mark. However, Keith Law’s unofficial tally has him improving, but only to 22%.
I don’t view Tram’s exclusion as an egregious error. Even being a fan I don’t think it is a slam dunk case. Still, I don’t understand the voting disparity between Ozzie Smith and Trammell when you look at their entire body of work. That to me is the bigger injustice.
The information used here was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by Retrosheet. Interested parties may contact Retrosheet at 20 Sunset Rd., Newark, DE 19711.
Lunch with Tigers, support a cause
I received an email from Ashley Diersch who is with the Special Olympics. The Tigers North caravan bus will make two stops at luncheons that will benefit the Special Olympics. The details are below:
Lunch # 1
Sunday January 13, 2008
The Atrium Restaurant
Bay City, MI
Doors Open at 11:15 am
Program Begins at 11:45am
Tickets are $100/each
Lunch # 2
Monday January 14, 2008
Mountain Town Station
Mt. Pleasant, MI
Doors Open at 11:00 am
Program Begins at 11:30am
Tickets are $100/each
Limited Seating- First Come First Serve!
The ticket includes private lunch with the Detroit Tigers Personnel, pictures with the 2006 Championship Trophy and exclusive Tigers Souvenirs.
Portions of the ticket price are tax deductible.
Here are the caveats. First, the listing of players/coaches hasn’t been announced yet. Second, the caravan is a strict no autograph time, so those in attendance can not ask for autographs. The Tigers players are not working, and will not be ready to answer questions as if in an interview, it is designed more to be an opportunity to converse rather than question. My experience with these types of things is that these aren’t rules that the players are imposing so don’t be upset with the Tigers players about the lack of autographs. Typically it’s not because the organizers, or the team want to be jerks. It is usually a matter of logistics and crowd control. And really, a conversation would probably care more meaning than a hastily scribbled signature anyways. As for the lack of interview type questions, I’m not entirely sure what that means but I’m confident that the players would be receptive to typical fan-type questions.
But if you want to meet some Tigers, support Special Olympics of Michigan, get a meal, and a tax deduction this sounds pretty good. If you’re interested, here are the order forms for the Mt Pleasant Tickets and the Bay City tickets.