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Detroit Tigers, Volume 2 - The Charlie Gehringer version

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Re: Detroit Tigers, Volume 2 - The Charlie Gehringer version

My WAG on the Opening Day Roster, barring injuries or trades:

SP: Verlander-Fister-Scherzer-Porcello-Smyly
BP: Valverde-Benoit-Dotel-Ballester-Below-Coke-Villareal

C: Avila, Gump
IF: Fielder, Santiago, Raburn, Peralta, Cabrera, Kelly, Worth
OF: Young, Dirks, Jackson, Boesch

Some thoughts:

Don Kelly gives them an extra option in the outfield, as does Raburn (gulp). With those two on board, another true outfield is not needed, so.....

Clete Thomas is out of options, and is thusly exposed to the waiver wire. He is also no longer a Tiger come Opening Day.

Brandon Inge's career is finished. No bat, no roster spot. It's over.

We still need a backup catcher. You think I was going to let that go?
 
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Re: Detroit Tigers, Volume 2 - The Charlie Gehringer version

Oh no. Inge is coming to Detroit. Today they backed off the "he has to hit to make the team" and now are saying "there's more to our decision on him then his batting average."

If he's on the roster, we will lose at least three games where Leyland goes full stupid and brings him in as a defensive replacement for Cabrera with a one run lead and when the lead is blown, we'll get to watch him blunder through check swings in extra innings while Cabrera debates re-starting his drinking habit in the clubhouse watching his inept replacement.
 
Re: Detroit Tigers, Volume 2 - The Charlie Gehringer version

Sure. But Inge is now hitting .159 this spring, and he's going to be 35 in May. This is after a .197 season where he slugged a whopping .283. He also no longer has a position, and is competing with two other guys that can also play more positions, and are much younger (Kelly and Worth).

I should know better by now, but I think this really could be it for him. This might be the time where there's too much smoke for there not to be a fire.
 
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Re: Detroit Tigers, Volume 2 - The Charlie Gehringer version

Tigers are on FSD as I type this. Homer Light is ready, since it's almost time to get our toys out. Scherzer ran into trouble in the 6th and did not finish the inning. I'm going to get my first look at Collin Balester.

Andy Oliver was sent to Toledo this morning. The #5 spot is down to Below and Smyly. I still think they both come north.
 
Re: Detroit Tigers, Volume 2 - The Charlie Gehringer version

And Inge GIDPs to end the game. Fitting.
 
Re: Detroit Tigers, Volume 2 - The Charlie Gehringer version

Smyly makes the club as the sacrific, err, 5th starter.

Okay, I have seen bits and pieces of this team and think that they are capable of winning 88 games which could be enough to win the division this season.
I am not confident that the pitching is as consistent as most think and the offense is going to be all or nothing.
The most glaring issue is the defense, particularly the infield. Plus, there is the Leyland Factor, good for a 5-10 game swing.
We'll find out just how long the Cabrera experiment will last and just how much VMart meant to this team a year ago.
And let's get the blown save out of the way early for the Big Taco so he can resume being a decent closer.

Prove me wrong, Tigers.
 
Re: Detroit Tigers, Volume 2 - The Charlie Gehringer version

Laird tweaked his leg, but said it's no big deal. I demand a second opinion from one of those Luck doctors.
 
Re: Detroit Tigers, Volume 2 - The Charlie Gehringer version

Tigers announced that Smiley will open in toledo first, and so that means another position player comes north for the first 10 days or so. I'm betting Inge is the guy and that they give him three weeks to hold the 2ed base job. if he is terrible after the first month, then I think he goes but he makes a pretty big salary to just dump.
 
Re: Detroit Tigers, Volume 2 - The Charlie Gehringer version

manurespreader said:
Tigers announced that Smiley will open in toledo first, and so that means another position player comes north for the first 10 days or so. I'm betting Inge is the guy and that they give him three weeks to hold the 2ed base job. if he is terrible after the first month, then I think he goes but he makes a pretty big salary to just dump.
Click to expand...
Its not Inge's glove that scares me so much, its his bat. Can't hit his weight, and when he does make contact with the ball, it seems like its going to be into an inning ending double play.
 
Re: Detroit Tigers, Volume 2 - The Charlie Gehringer version

Keep in mind we ate $13 million for 2 year's worth of Damian Easley's salary a few years ago, and we paid about that much for Gary Sheffield to stay home as well. Dave Dombrowski has shown that he is clearly not afraid to cut a player and deal with the dead money.

As for season predictions, this team clearly has deficiencies. The defense in general is below average, and both Verlander and Fister will have drop-offs from last year's performances. I do think Porcello and Scherzer will take a step forward, and the 5th starter will be a wash. I do not expect Peralta (and Avila, for that matter) to have the year he did last year, but that will be more than offset by having Delmon, Cabrera and Fielder in the heart of the order, assuming everyone stays reasonably healthy and Cabrera can prevent baseballs from bouncing off of his eye sockets on a regular basis.

Regarding the rest of the division, I think the Tigers win this by default. Cleveland gave away two starters that would have helped them in the near future, and I'm not sold that Ubaldo's elbow is healthy. I would have said that Kansas City, of all teams, could have finished 2nd, but Soria just had Tommy John, and I think they're still short on starting pitching. However, they're closer to contending than we all think. Minnesota will be improved, but that may only mean 75 wins. Chicago will finish last this year. Predicted order of finish:

Detroit
Cleveland
Kansas City
Minnesota
Chicago

94-88, we win the division by 8-12 games. Pray for Mike Ilitch's health, because this franchise is likely headed straight to hell on a rocket sled when he passes.
 
Re: Detroit Tigers, Volume 2 - The Charlie Gehringer version

Hammer said:
94-88, we win the division by 8-12 games. Pray for Mike Ilitch's health, because this franchise is likely headed straight to hell on a rocket sled when he passes.
Click to expand...
Them and the Wings as well. :(
 
Re: Detroit Tigers, Volume 2 - The Charlie Gehringer version

Well, at least some of the family cares about the Wings, especially his wife. When they signed Fielder, that was the first time Marian Ilitch had attended a Tiger presser. And Mr. I bought the team in 1992. This is the same lady that threw a hairy-assed fit and demanded that Mr. Ilitch match the absurd offer the Hurricanes made to Sergei Fedorov back in the spring of 1998.

Oh, and Brandon Inge may be headed to the DL. Getting rid of him is going to be harder than killing a cockroach.
 
Re: Detroit Tigers, Volume 2 - The Charlie Gehringer version

Hammer said:
Well, at least some of the family cares about the Wings, especially his wife. When they signed Fielder, that was the first time Marian Ilitch had attended a Tiger presser. And Mr. I bought the team in 1992. This is the same lady that threw a hairy-assed fit and demanded that Mr. Ilitch match the absurd offer the Hurricanes made to Sergei Fedorov back in the spring of 1998.

Oh, and Brandon Inge may be headed to the DL. Getting rid of him is going to be harder than killing a cockroach.
Click to expand...

Remember they released him last year and no one picked him up. I like him, I hoped he could hit better this year, but apparently not.
 
Re: Detroit Tigers, Volume 2 - The Charlie Gehringer version

I don't care one way or the other about Brandon Inge. If he had hit his way onto the team and earned it, straight up, I would be on board. But he didn't.

I didn't expect much out of a soon-to-be 35 year old who slugged .283 last year, when he has a career .388 SLG. That's downright anemic for a 3B, and probably below average for a 2B.

The guy had 76 total bases last season in 102 games, good for 13th on the team. Delmon Young played 40 games for us and had 77 total bases. The only guys below him on that list? Betemit, Wells, Guillen, Rhymes, Sizemore, Worth, Santos. None of whom had more than 133 at bats. Inge had 303.

Inge's OPS last season was .548. Only Omir Santos was lower. Omir Santos had 22 at bats last year.

So...he's virtually last on the team in total bases, with a bunch of guys who were only here for a month or two being the only ones below him. and he's next to last in OPS, with a 3rd string catcher with about a week's worth of AB below him.

All signs point to the guy being done. I do not see how they can justify having him on this roster any further.
 
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Re: Detroit Tigers, Volume 2 - The Charlie Gehringer version

Inge to the DL this morning effective retroactive to a few days ago. Gives them 10 days to decide what to do with him, or trade him which I hope they do.
 
Re: Detroit Tigers, Volume 2 - The Charlie Gehringer version

manurespreader said:
Inge to the DL this morning effective retroactive to a few days ago. Gives them 10 days to decide what to do with him, or trade him which I hope they do.
Click to expand...

Leyland announced today that Inge is the starting 2B against left-handed pitchers.
 
Re: Detroit Tigers, Volume 2 - The Charlie Gehringer version

The Colts cut one of the greatest QB's of all time for the good of their team.

The Tigers ownership can't make themselves get rid of a lifetime .230 hitter.
 
Re: Detroit Tigers, Volume 2 - The Charlie Gehringer version

They cannot justify this move. Just about the only think I can see is for them to try to showcase him for other teams. What other teams are going to do with him, I have no idea.

If Raburn shows anything whatsoever in the first two months of the season, I still think Inge is gone by Memorial Day.
 
Re: Detroit Tigers, Volume 2 - The Charlie Gehringer version

Oh, and Luis Marte is injured, leading to the return of Duane Below, who I don't think should have been sent down in the first place.
 
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