Commenter TIGERS RULE asks: What do we do now? We don’t have a major league ss anywhere on the team. Good question. Before Jose Iglesias’s shin splints made an unexpectedly early reappearance, I don’t think shortstop was on our list of spring issues. Now it is.
We worried about our new acrobat’s long-term health last season, but that gathered dust over the offseason. A full season of Iglesias’s defense sounded great, even if questions lingered about his hitting (minus the infield singles, it gets pretty light). Now we’re reminded of another Plan B to think about, one to go along with possible questions about Miguel Cabrera’s and Justin Verlander’s “core” recoveries.
Yes, there’s Hernan Perez and Steve Lombardozzi, neither of them true shortstops. There’s Eugenio Suarez and Dixon Machado, and by the way, what is the organizational status of Argenis Diaz? All of these could be considered as fill-ins, but long-term? I’m thinking that Danny Worth’s chances of making the team just got a lot better. If injuries become a chronic problem for Iglesias in 2014, I think it’s either Worth or go outside in trade or signing. What do you think?
In other news, injury news, Casey Crosby is battling soreness and Eduardo Sanchez is out indefinitely with something unpronounceable.
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Your New Tigers (3-2) are showing aggression on the base paths and working out the kinks. Not much in the HR department at this early stage. Pitching news seems mostly good. The most encouraging thing so far is seeing how it’s no longer “business as usual” with Ausmus at the helm. I think we’re gonna like that.
This just in from our correspondent jud in Lakeland, notes on Spring Training:
went to morning workouts. they might have been limited by a big rain on Thursday and it was still pretty wet. The thing that strikes you immediately is watching Ausmus vs Leyland is like watching Fallon vs Leno….Ausmus is physically active in most drills..either demonstrating or correcting..he looks like he could play today.
the other thing I really liked was coaches spread out over the fields. with Leyland …Lamont, Mac, Belliard, Leyland traveled around together. Jones was usually on a different field unless pitching drills…this year staff coaches were basically working different fields …now maybe that was the plan that day…lot more energy from place to place……more tomorrow
Good stuff, keep it coming. Mercifully free of too much about the weather. I shoveled snow this morning. My legs were cold.