Tiger Geist

Lynn Henning talks about a proposed move of putting Inge back at third, Guillen to DH, and Gary Sheffield to left field.  Boy howdy lets talk about this one.

Defensively, is Detroit a better team with Brandon Inge at third base?  Absolutely.  Offensively?  No.

Offensively, is Detroit a better team with Gary Sheffield in the lineup?  Absolutely.  Defensively at left?  No.

Where is the trade off?  Do you take some lumps with an infield of Guillen, Renteria, Polanco and Cabrera?  Or do you take the lumps of an outfield featuring Sheffield, Granderson, and Ordonez?  I’m not even sure Ordonez is actually a better outfielder then Sheffield, but I do know that a few games in the field last year was enough to put Sheffield’s season on ice.  This argument is lost on me when you figure the size of Comerica Park’s outfield.

It appears we can’t have it both ways.  And the media has gone back and forth as to the defensive value vs offensive value of a player… and a third baseman at that.  Which is it?  Is defense so important that maybe we should dump Renteria and move Ramon Santiago as a full time short stop?  Would that be a better infield — Guillen, Santiago, Polanco, Cabrera?  Defensively, probably.  Defensively and offensively, moving Jacque Jones to “left out” would improve the team with either Raburn or a return of Clete Thomas.

What is this all trying to solve?  The weak starting pitching.  And… no matter how many switches you make, no matter how many defensive replacements you make.. you will only go as far as your starting pitching will take you.  And right now, in a playoff series, the person playing third base is Mr. Irrelevant if the starting pitching doesn’t start safely getting into the seventh inning.

I do agree, however, that Sheffield should be doing his rehab in Toledo, not Detroit.