Category Archives: Minors

Clarifying Luis Marte’s status

Earlier today I questioned the Tigers leaving Luis Marte off the 40 man roster and then exposing him to the rule 5 draft. Yeah, it turns out I was wrong.

Jon Paul Morosi noted in his Baseball America chat today ($) that Marte wasn’t eligible. On Beck’s blog he mentioned my article and then later edited his post to indicate that Marte wasn’t eligible.

This confused me because Marte, who was born on 8/28/1986 and signed on November 16th 2005, would have been a 19 year old signee entering his 4th Rule 5 draft (05/06/07/08). Nineteen year olds are normally afforded 3 years of protection and eighteen year olds get 4.

But there’s a catch I wasn’t aware of. From Baseball America

Players who were 18 or younger on June 5 preceding the signing of their first contract must be protected after four minor league seasons. Players 19 and older must be protected after three seasons.

So Marte was only considered an 18 year old, meaning he doesn’t need to be protected until next year.

That’s the story, and I apologize for the confusion.

Tigers Prospect Chat

If you’re into talking Tigers prospects, Mark Anderson of TigsTown.com will be fielding questions for several hours tomorrow at Motownsports.com. This would be a great time to check out a great Tigers message board/community as well as get you question about Tigers prospects answered by a true expert. Mark has contacts with scouts and coaches and recently attended part of the Instructional League. The chat will take place on Monday at 4 p.m.

Here is the direct link to the thread where the chat will take place: 2008 Mark Anderson/TigsTown.com Chat – Monday, 10.20.08 (4:00 pm EST) – MotownSports.com Message Board

News from the front office

While other teams are hanging on to World Series dreams, the Tigers are beginning to retool for next season. The last couple days have already seen a little action, but more on the front office side of things.

The Tigers today named Kevin Hooker as the Pacific Rim coordinator. Hooker comes from the Phillies where he had responsibility for Australia the last 6 years and Taiwan, Korea and Japan for the last two.

They also cut ties with Victor Trasoff-Jilg who was the minor league medical coordinator. That appears to be the only minor league staff move though as all the managers and coaches were invited to return. In the same article Jon Paul Morosi notes that the Tigers will interview 4 candidates for the pitching coach position this week. No names were revealed.

Finally, it looks like Al Avila will be back as assistant GM. The Mariners asked permission to interview Avila for their GM vacancy, and were denied. It wouldn’t surprise me if Dombrowski held the GM reigns for only another year or two before handing that job to Avila. Of course after this past season, his grip on the position probably isn’t as solid as it once was.

Tigers have nice fall debut

The Arizona Fall League kicked off and the Tigers representatives represented the Tigers well (how’s that for a sentence?). Wil Rhymes, Casper Wells,and Jeff Larish hit 2-3-4 and each picked up a hit. Wells was the only homer of the game and he knocked in 2. On the pitching side, Rudy Darrow pitched a perfect inning with 2 K’s and Casey Fien allowed 2 hits with 4 K’s in 2 innings of work.

Things are off to a decent start for the Tigers Hawaiian contingent. Andrew Hess has made 3 outings in relief has fanned 8 with only 1 walk in 8 innings with only one walk allowed. James Skelton is posting his customary high OBP at .500 in his first 6 games. Kyle Peter has struggled somewhat posting just a .579 OPS while still looking for his first extra base hit.

Alex Avila - cr Roger DeWitt
Alex Avila - cr Roger DeWitt

Things are also busy in Tigertown. Mark Anderson of Tigstown.com was on hand to take in some of the Instructional League action and filed daily reports. It’s premium content, but today he looked at the catchers and first baseman and the report on Alex Avila was glowing.

The good news is the daily reports don’t appear to be premium content, so you can read some of it for yourself. And if you want to see for yourself, our friend Roger DeWitt has captured quite a few images of the action.

Tigers heading to Arizona

The Tigers announced the bulk of their Arizona Fall League representatives. They are sending Luis Marte, Rudy Darrow, Casey Fien, Zach Simons, Jeff Larish, and Clete Thomas.

Luis Marte is a nice selection. He emerged earlier this year as a rising prospect, but lost a chunk of the year to injury. This gives him some additional innings to build a full season’s workload. Also, he and Zach Simons are eligible for the Rule 5 draft if they aren’t protected on the 40 man roster. This gives the team a little more time to evaluate.

The Tigers will be sending one more position player who has yet to be determined. Teams are only allowed to send one player below AA, and Simons fills that quota meaning the player will be someone from Erie or Toledo. And that player would need to have been to Erie or Toledo no later than August 1st meaning James Skelton wouldn’t be eligible.

Jeff Larish, Clete Thomas among prospects headed for Arizona Fall League | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press

UPDATE: The freep updated their story and catcher Dusty Ryan will be the 7th guy sent.

One less inefficiency to exploit

When the Tigers pulled off the Cabrera/Willis trade, Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller were the two key pieces. They had something in common – they slipped to the Tigers due to signability issues. The same thing happened in 2007 with Rick Porcello and the Tigers hungrily snapped him up, and like with the aforementioned players, were willing to go above slot to sign him. When the Tigers made the trade it was assumed that they would be able to replenish quickly due to Mike Ilitich’s willingness to spend for premium talent in the draft – but it appears that there will be less talent slips.

Peter Gammons notes that the small market teams have realized that the draft is the best chance to be on a level (or at least level-ish) playing field with the big spending teams. They can’t get the same free agents, but they can get the same quality of entry player. Gammons lists the top 10 teams in terms of signing bonuses to top 10 picks:

Royals, Rays, Red Sox, Giants, Pirates, Brewers, Rangers, Twins, Orioles and Astros

Many of these teams are the ones that were passing on the Maybins, and Millers, and Porcellos in past years.

This was a concern I had when the deal was initially made. That the league would see the Tigers were able to make the trade by spending big on the draft, and big on the draft is much more affordable than big on the free agent market.

As for the Tigers, they ranked in the bottom 7 in draft bonuses (or is it bonii?) in 2008. At the time I wondered if it was a matter of them saving money for international signings, which haven’t been formally announced by the team to the best of my knowledge but TigsTown notes that there had been 7 as of August 1st. I have no idea how much they spent, or how it compares to past years. It’s possible that the organization felt this wasn’t the draft to invest in, and that the players didn’t warrant the slot busting bonuses. Or because so much depth had been traded away, they wanted to avoid the risky picks for a year to get a quick infusion. Or the worst case scenario, the spending at the big league level may have taken a chunk out of David Chadd’s budget.

Regardless, and I don’t say this to diminish the work that Chadd and his staff do, the Tigers probably can’t rely on other teams passing on talent at the same rate they did in 2005 through 2007. Then again, the Tigers performance this year is dictating that they’ll have a chance at a pretty good player as they move down the standings and up the draft order.

Tigers Minor League Wrap 8-19-08

Toledo 2 Norfolk 1 (11 innings)
Freddy Guzman was 2 for 4 with a walk. Clete Thomas walked twice. Mike Hollimon singled and walked. Chris Lambert pitched 7 innings and allowed 1 run on 5 hits, a walk, and 5 K’s. Clay Rapada, Casey Fien, and Francisco Cruceta went 1.1, 1.2, 1 innings respectively with each allowing a lone hit, no walks, and combining for 5 K’s.

Erie 5 New Britain 6
James Skelton went 3 for 4 with a walk and has pushed his average to .298 at Erie. Wilkin Ramirez doubled and singled. Josh Rainwater allowed 4 runs on 6 hits, 3 walks and 5 K’s. Rudy Darrow allowed 2 runs on 2 hits and 3 walks while recording only 1 out and took the loss.

West Michigan 10 South Bend 9
Justin Henry, Chris Carlson, Ronnie Bourquin, and Kody Kaiser all had 2 hits. Alex Avila singled twice, doubled, and drove in 4 runs. The pitching was hurt by 4 errors. Lauren Gagnier allowed 6 runs in 4 innings on 8 hits, 2 walks and 3 K’s. Brett Jacobson pitched a scoreless inning allowing a hit and a walk while fanning 1.

NY Penn All Star Game
Mike Gosse went 2 for 2 with a walk. Brandon Douglass was 0 for 1. Tyler Stohr blew the save and took the loss allowing 3 runs on 3 hits and a walk in .2 innings.

GCL Tigers PPD

Tigers Minor League Wrap 8-18-08

Toledo 0 Richmond 3
Timo Perez went 2 for 2 with 2 walks. Derek Wathan had the other hit. Anastacio Martinez went 7 innings and allowed 3 runs on 2 walks, 4 K’s, and 2 homers.

Erie DNP

Lakeland – Cancelled

West Michigan 0 South Bend 3
Joe Tucker had 2 hits. Mauricio Robles allowed just 1 run on 1 walk, 3 K’s and 4 hits in 7 innings. Orlando Perdomo allowed 2 runs in 1 inning of work.

Oneonta DNP

GCL Tigers 6 GCL Braves 9
Derek Lehrman was 2 for 3 including a homer and a walk. Luis Palacios doubled and singled. Casey Crosby, returning from Tommy John surgery, pitched a scoreless inning allowing 1 hit. But everybody else allowed runs.

Junkballing: Booing, Injuries, Waivers and Minors

A hodgepodge of all the stuff that went down this week that just didn’t fit anywhere else:

Much ado about a boo

A lot of disgruntled fans did a lot of booing this week. Gary Sheffield received his share when culmination about frustration with his production collided with Sheff being Sheff. That was noisy, but not too surprising. Sheffield responded somewhat, and was still a little misguided.

“Compare me to me,” Sheffield said. “If you’re looking for .300, 30 [home runs] and 100 [RBIs], then I look pretty awful right now. I ain’t the only .220 hitter in this game. I ain’t the last one to hit .220, but it’s never a big deal when a lot of guys that play everyday, hit in the same spot everyday, and hit .220 and nobody says a thing.”

But Gary, you’re getting paid to be you and that’s the problem. You’re not being paid to be a .220 hitter.

But there was more booing. Joel Zumaya bore the brunt of it when he and Bobby Seay blew a 3 run lead. Zumaya, who said it felt like his shoulder exploded, wasn’t a fan saying

“I think it’s pretty lame,” Zumaya said. “I give it everything I’ve got.”

Bobby Seay didn’t appreciate it either.

I’m not a fan of booing. I understand it, but it’s not something I do. That said I don’t know that the booing was directed specifically at Zumaya and specifically at the outing. But it was general frustration with the bullpen crapping the bed again.

Oww, my aching…

The medical staff has been busy, but it seems like everything has been reactive. Todd Jones hits the DL after getting destroyed repeatedly. Joel Zumaya hits the DL after blowing up. It’s reminiscent of Jeremy Bonderman’s situation last year. I understand players wanting to play through things, but how many times once the team suffer for a player trying to gut it out.

But then you’ve got the other side where in that previously linked Sheffield article he said he was hurting, his trainer said he’s doing too much, but the organization said he was fine.

“I’m just going to give it to you straight,” he said. “When the organization tells you that you’re fine, I can’t say I’m not fine. I have to be on the same page as the organization. That’s just the way it goes.

“I talked to my trainer, and he said, basically, what I’m doing is unrealistic. That’s what he said. I said, ‘Why won’t anyone say that on my behalf? Why do I always have to come up here and defend me?’ And he just said, ‘Be realistic with yourself.’ That’s all I needed to hear. After that, I felt good about walking on the field. I have no extra incentives to play hurt.

I don’t understand it.

Jeremy Bonderman will be rejoining the team this weekend, but to rehab and likely not play.

And speaking of injuries, Marcus Thames is expected back in a day or two, as is Carlos Guillen who is dealing with a pinched nerve in his back. And Freddy Dolsi was optioned out to Toledo to make room for Todd Jones who is back. Though his role hasn’t been decided. Dolsi will likely be back when rosters expand.

Waivering

Gary Sheffield cleared waivers. Shocking. The bigger news is that the Tigers put in a claim on Raul Ibanez. Corner outfield/DH doesn’t appear to be a need for the Tigers so I can’t figure out the intent unless they hoped to get him for free, and then take the draft picks when he walks. Luckily they didn’t work out a trade that would have had the Tigers sending the Mariners anything of value.

Minor interest

The Tigers have had some good news in their farm system this year from some unexpected sources. And it’s getting some press. Wilkin Ramirez is a high ceiling guy that has had his progression and production limited by injuries. But he’s putting it all together this year earning this assessment from a scout:

“He has power, on-base skills, and don’t forget that he’s a 60 [on the 20-to-80 scouting scale] runner as well. His defense is adequate, but I think he’s the kind of guy who is an everyday corner outfielder on a first-division team—he could be pretty special.”

Also in the same article are some kind words for James Skelton, though scouts still can’t decide if his slight frame is an issue.

Another catcher making noise is Dusty Ryan. Tigs Town recently profiled him.

With the Tigers concerns at the catching position heading into 2009, Ryan will have a wonderful opportunity to enter Spring Training with a chance to impress and earn a big league job.

Finally, Ryan Strieby has been destroying the Florida State League.

Dontrelle movin’ on up

Dontrelle Willis has completed the Lakeland portion of his program and will start for Toledo on Friday night. Willis worked deep into his last 2 games and only allowed 2 walks.

Dombrowski said the move was made because Tigers minor league pitching coordinator Jon Matlack, minor league performance enhancement instructor Brian Peterson and Lakeland pitching coach Joe Coleman agreed he was ready.

I thought it’s interesting that the Tigers have a performance enhancement instructor, or in other words a roving head coach. I like it.

Willis will take Eddie Bonine’s spot in the rotation as Bonine is experiencing dreaded shoulder problems.

Tigers Minor League Wrap 8-10-08

Norfolk 7 Toledo 6
Kody Kirkland was 2 for 3. Timo Perez doubled and walked 3 times. Brent Clevlen had a 0 for 5, 3 K night. Eddie Bonine allowed 5 runs on 5 hits and no walks in 4.1 innings. Francisco Cruceta fanned 3 in 1.1 innings allowing a walk and no hits. He now has a 49:18 K:BB ratio in 32 innings and he hasn’t allowed a homer.

Erie 3 Reading 2
Wilkin Ramirez went 3 for 4 with a homer. Wil Rhymes added 3 hits. James Skelton was 0 for 5 with 3 strike outs. Lucas French only last 4.1 innings and allowed 2 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks.

Dunedin 5 Lakeland 1
Dontrelle Willis’s final line wasn’t too impressive: 7.1 IP, 6 hits, 4 runs, 2 walks, 6 K’s. But it looked better before he came out for that 8th inning when he allowed a walk and a homer. The long outing is encouraging, as is the walk/strikeout ratio. I know it’s A ball, but his last two outings have been pretty good. We’ll see if he’s done in Lakeland, or if he’ll continue to work down there. Justin Justice homered and singled.

South Bend 2 West Michigan 8
Justin Henry went 3 for 5 and Ronnie Bourquin, Alex Avila, and Joe Tucker all had 2 hit games. Avila is now sitting at a .289 batting average with a .364 OBP, but without much power with only 8 of his 44 hits going for extra bases. Jon Kibler went 6 innings and allowed 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks with 5 K’s. Orlando Perdomo pitched 2 scoreless innings and Brett Jacobson one scoreless inning.

Oneonta PPD

GCL Tigers DNP

Tigers Minor League Wrap August 6th

Toledo 8 Louisville 10
Jeff Larish homered twice. Brent Clevlen had 4 hits and was a triple short of the cycle. Dusty Ryan homered picking up his 5th XBH in 4 games at Toledo. But Eddie Bonine allowed 6 runs in 6.1 innings while Clay Rapada and Brian Rogers were each tagged for a pair of runs in relief.

Harrisburg 2 Erie 11
Casper Wells had a day with 3 homers and 5 RBI. James Skelton homered and walked twice. Deik Scram and Pedro Cotto also homered. Lucas French fanned 8 and walked 1 in 7 innings.

Clearwater 5 Lakeland 1
Dontrelle Willis made the start. He allowed 3 singles and 2 wild pitches in the first inning, but then retired the next 12 hitters. In his 6th inning he allowed 2 singles, but then struck out the side. In the 7th he was touched up for a triple, a double, an error and two singles. His final line was a non-inspiring 6.1 innings, 10 hits, 5 runs, no walks and 6 strike outs. But from the game log it definitely seems encouraging.

West Michigan 5 Great Lakes 0
Joe Tucker had 3 hits and Ronnie Bourquin had 3 walks. Kody Kaiser homered and drove in 3. Jon Kibler pitched the complete game 2 hit shut out with no walks and 9 K’s.

Oneonta DNP

GCL Tigers 7 GCL Braves 5
Luis Salas homered, walked and singled. Luis Palacios and Chao Ting Tang each doubled twice. Luis Sanz allowed 2 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks while fanning 5 in 6 innings.