Category Archives: 2007 Season

2007 Season, Managing & Strategy

Fun with line ups

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This week Lynn Henning wrote an article speculating on the Tigers lineup for next season.

Henning in addition to penning his own lineup, concluded the article with this:

Much of the manager’s disposition there is a matter of what you think about the computer-generated wisdom that it’s better for a team to load the front end of its order with its best hitters.

That, of course, can collide with a manager’s intuition, and even more, his experience.

“I know a guy who did that one game,” Leyland said of one manager who followed the best-hitters-at-the-top formula. “And his team got shut out on two hits.”

First of all, Jim Leyland citing that sample size of 1 is kind of nonsensical. On a day when your team manages 2 hits the order is irrelevant so it does nothing to refute the premise. Second, it almost makes it sound like Henning is on board with the intuition-over-science angle. But when you look at Henning’s line-up…
Continue reading Fun with line ups →

2007 Season, Minors

Tigers add to Toledo

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The Tigers signed 6 players to minor league contracts, including 2 past Mud Hens. Lance Davis and Jason Karnuth will both be back with Toledo. Joining them are pitchers Felix Heredia and Dennis Tankersley, outfielder Brandon Watson, and catcher Dane Sardinha.

It’s not that inspiring of a group, but minor league free agents rarely are. I don’t know much about Sardinha, but he must be a heck of a defender by the looks of his offensive numbers. Watson is a career 304 hitter in the minors, but with very little power. Watson is only 25 so he’s got that going for him.

Heredia will turn 31 next season. Other than 3 apperances for the Mets in 2005, he hasn’t played a role on a big league club since 2004. I’m guessing he has been injured the last 2 seasons based on stints in the Appalachian League and GCL – places that typically aren’t stops for 30 year olds.

Tankersley has posted some pretty good numbers in the PCL over his career. But in his limited stints in the Majors, he’s walked 6.4/9IP. At 27, he’s not a bad addition in terms of organizational depth.

2007 Season, Fan Experience

TigerFest Announced

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FanFest 2006 at Joe Louis ArenaThe 2007 edition of TigerFest will take place on January 20th from noon to 6:00pm. For the first time it will be held at Comerica Park. According to the release:

Most fan access areas within the event will be heated and covered – as the Tigers create the ultimate “summer time” experience in the middle of winter!

It will be interesting to see how this comes off. There are numerous areas under the stands where autograph tables could be set up as well as areas like the Tiger Club and Beer Hall. But it just seems like it could be pretty congested trying to get around.

The players who’ll be attending won’t be announced until January, but the event will feature the typical photo booths, seminars, tours, face painting, etc. One new item will be the opportunity to see the AL Championship Trophy.

Tickets go on sale at 10am Friday. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for kids.

2007 Season, Roster Management

Gomez is out

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To make room for Jose Mesa on the 40 man roster, the Tigers didn’t tender a contract to Alexis Gomez. The Tigers can still negotiate with Gomez, as can every other team because he is now a free agent. Dave Dombrowski indicated that the Tigers would like to keep him in the organization if possible.

As expected, Jeremy Bonderman, Craig Monroe, Omar Infante, Nate Robertson, and Fernando Rodney were all tendered contracts.

2007 Season, Contracts, Pitching, Roster Management

Tigers sign Jose Mesa

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Jerry Crasnick is reporting the Tigers have signed Jose Mesa to a 1 year $2.5 million deal. I for the life of me can’t figure out why. Not why Crasnick is reporting it, but why the Tigers would do it.

Mesa is 40 years old, and for the last 3 years he allows more than a hit an inning. He walks a batter every other inning, and he only strikes out a few more than he walks. He’s basically a 40 year old version of Jason Grilli at 6 times the cost.

One of my arguments for not keeping Jamie Walker was that he didn’t see enough high leverage situations for the Tigers to justify $4 million a year. I only hope that Mesa doesn’t see enough high leverage situations to justify his money. My fear is that like the Tigers other aging, $2.5 million bundle of joy, he will see significant time.

This one I just don’t get.

2007 Season, Managing & Strategy, Roster Management

Leyland gives us something to talk about

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Jason Beck has been all over the Winter Meetings. Today he’s got some Jim Leyland nuggets that warrant some discussion.

The leadoff spot

So the Tigers don’t have a prototypical leadoff hitter, or at least prototypicaly in the sense that most people think of leadoff hitters: fast guys who steal bases, bunt, and don’t strike out a lot and don’t hit for power. Many view Juan Pierre and his 330 OBP last year as perfect. But I digress. The point of this is that Jim Leyland is talking about Curtis Granderson, Placido Polanco, and Ivan Rodriguez to be the leadoff man.

Granderson is a logical choice because he held the post last year, and he’s the closest to that qualification for fast. Polanco is fine as that pesky guy who will always put the ball in play. The name that will raise eyebrows is Pudge Rodriguez. The same Pudge that more than doubled his walk total from 2005 by picking up 26 free passes.

But I don’t think this is a bad thing to try. Pudge led off in 3 games in 2006, and drew 3 walks. Three games is of course and insufficient sample, but when placed into that role he seemed to make a concerted effort to see more pitches. I don’t know how likely it is that he would be successful in the role, but if it helps him improve his plate discipline the Tigers will benefit.

Marcus Thames at first

Leyland wants to give Thames a shot at first base. I think this is a wonderful idea. After all, first base is often a last option for defensively challenged players. The upside is that Thames is passable defensively, and you have quite the platoon partner for Casey. You also keep Thames on the team. You also keep Santiago/Perez from being Casey’s injury replacement (by extension of course when Guillen moves from short to first). It certainly wouldn’t help Chris Shelton’s cause, but Shelton has an option year left. Thames doesn’t.

Omar in the outfield

Leyland also said that Omar Infante will most likely be the backup centerfielder barring a trade. Infante is athletic enough to pull it off, and any indication that Leyland sees a role for Infante is a positive.

2007 Season, Minors, Roster Management

Tigers Rule 5 Primer

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Scout.com has a Rule 5 Draft Preview. This is particularly helpful for those of us who can’t keep tabs on all other teams minor leagues.

In case you’re not familiar with the Rule 5 Draft, players who are typically 3 or 4 years removed from their signing(although due to the CBA it’s 4 years this year) either need to be protected on the 40 man roster or they’re left exposed for other teams to draft them. As compensation, teams that lose a player are compensated $50,000. In other words it’s a cheap way to add talent. The catch is that the player must remain on the 25 man roster of the drafting team the entire season, or they need to be returned to the original club. (Here’s a more complete breakdown of the Rule 5 draft.)

The Tigers have one spot open on their 40 man roster meaning they could participate. The most likely need they’d target is a replacement for Jamie Walker. There are 2 interesting names who the Tigers could pursue.

1. Charlie Manning-27

Manning is a left-handed reliever who has posted a career mark of 45-29 and has averaged over eight strikeouts per nine innings in his six-year career. He doesn’t throw particularly hard, sitting around 86 MPH with his fastball, but he has a very good cutter and the development of his slider has made him a devastating opponent for left-handed batters. He held Double-A lefties to a .163 and his strikeout ratio against them was over 11 batters per nine innings this past season. Manning could be well worth the small financial risk in the Rule 5 Draft and find a home as a left-handed specialist on a big league roster next season.

2. Dan Smith -23

Smith was a non-drafted free agent signed the summer of 2003 after he missed his senior season in high school with an injury. The lefty was extremely successful as a reliever in the minor leagues, but the Braves moved him into the Double-A rotation in Mississippi late last summer to allow him to work on his pitches. Smith’s performance over eight starts was scary: 2.27 ERA, 24 hits in 39.2 innings pitched, 16 walks, and 53 strikeouts. The Braves still believe he can be a big league reliever, but the work as a starter may get him another chance in that role. He’s a kid that some scouts may feel is worth sticking in a big league bullpen.

Of course if the Tigers were going to try and fill Walker’s spot they could have just protected one of their own in Cory Hamman. The Scout article lists Ryan Raburn as another possibility to get drafted while Baseball America says Sendy Vasquez could get snagged(premium content).

2007 Season, Contracts

Tigers sign Santiago

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Jon Paul Morosi reports that the Tigers reached agreement with Ramon Santiago on a one-year deal. The deal is for $500,000, or about $120,000 more than the league minimum. The Tigers probably could have signed him as a minor league free agent, but this is a low cost move that rewards Santiago for his contributions last year.

Santiago is quite good as a defensive replacement/pinch runner/designated bunter type of player. The thing is, the Tigers have 3 utility infielders. If this means Neifi Perez won’t be back I’m thrilled. Although with Perez being owed $2.5 million it will be nearly impossible to trade him so him going might mean an outright release. If this means there is no room for Omar Infante then I’ll be disappointed. Infante has the most talent offensively of the group and is competent defensively. At 24 years old he’s the youngest of the trio as well.

2007 Season, Fan Experience

Tigers announce 2007 Ticket Prices

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The Tigers announced their 2007 ticket prices, and as expected there were some increases. This only makes sense as the American League Champion Detroit Tigers are surely a better ticket than the xx consecutive losing season Detroit Tigers. And even though there were increases, they were modest.

Ticket prices for the entire upper level of the ballpark will remain the same in 2007 and have not changed since the ballpark opened in April of 2000. Total seating capacity at Comerica Park is 41,070 and over 11,000 of those seats are priced at $15 or less.

For the upcoming 2007 regular season, the On-Deck Circle ($65), Infield Box ($40), Outfield Box ($30), Right Field Grandstand ($20) and Pepsi Bleacher ($10) areas have all been increased.
The ten remaining seating price areas are unchanged for next season. Those seating areas include the Tiger Den ($60), Terrace ($35), Club Seats ($25), Upper Box Infield ($20), Upper Box RF ($20), Upper Box LF ($20), Pavilion ($15), Mezzanine ($15), Upper Reserved ($12) and Skyline ($5).

Fans with full and partial season ticket plans in 2007 will continue to see a discount of up to 40% off the regular ticket price, based on seat location. Season ticket packages of 81, 41 and 27 games will be available in 2007 and include Opening Day tickets, complimentary food vouchers and post-season ticket priority.

The areas that increased all appear to have increased by $5, with the exception of the Bleachers which increased by $2. Those seats that increased were a pretty good value for the most part. While I typically didn’t spring for the infield box or Tiger Den seats, I did enjoy the bargains on Outfield Box and the Grandstand. The Grandstand seats always seemed to sell quicker than the rest, and I have a feeling would have been increased regardless of the teams’ outcomes.

Also of note, the 21 game packages are gone in favor of 27 game packages.

I have to say I’m happy about this. Mike Ilitch gets additional revenue, yet it is still affordable for a family to head down for a game.

2007 Season, Minors

BA’s Top 10 Tiger Prospects for 2007

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Baseball America announced the Tigers top prospect list today. The top of the top 10 certainly looks promising, but the bottom half is full of question marks. Part of the thinning came from the promotions of Justin Verlander and Joel Zumaya while the Gary Sheffield trade pruned away 2 other top 10 prospects in Humberto Sanchez and Kevin Whelan.

Now most of this is premium content, but I will share the top 10. To get scouting reports and commentary you’ll need to subscribe.

1. Cameron Maybin, of
2. Andrew Miller, lhp
3. Brent Clevlen, of
4. Jair Jurrjens, rhp
5. Jordan Tata, rhp
6. Eulogio de la Cruz, rhp
7. Gorkys Hernandez, of
8. Dallas Trahern, rhp
9. Jeff Larish, 1b
10. Scott Sizemore, ss/2b

The problem with the list, and it isn’t so much the list but the players on it, is that there isn’t much in terms of immediate help. Only Jordan Tata, Jair Jurrjens, and Eulogio de la Cruz have had success above A ball. Brent Clevlen had a nice run of 39 at-bats at the Major League Level, but posted only a 670 OPS for Erie. He did show good on base skills drawing 18 walks in the AFL, but still fanned 35 times in 92 at-bats and only slugged 326.

I’d have ranked Larish higher, and de la Cruz lower (if at all) but otherwise the list is close to what I’d expect.

Gorkys Hernandez is a centerfielder who had a very strong season in the GCL at the age of 19. Scott Sizemore was a 2006 draftee who put together a nice season for Oneonta.

2007 Season, Roster Management

Roster Finalized

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The Tigers turned in their finalized roster to MLB with one final addition. Virgil Vasquez, who pitched 28 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings in the AFL, had his contract purchased today. The streak is particularly impressive given the hitter friendly nature of the league.

The roster is set at 39 which means the team will be able to participate in the Rule 5 draft at the upcoming winter meetings. If they choose to participate I’d guess they would be looking for a lefty reliever. Of course if are going that route, they could have just added one of their own lefty relievers, Cory Hamman. Continue reading Roster Finalized →