2009 Spring Training thoughts: Infield
Now that most of the major moves (and probably all of Detroit’s major moves) are done, lets look at the stories going into Lakeland.
Infield — starting lineup
Right side:
This is obviously set. Or is it? Miguel Cabrera is settled in at first base, and he’ll hopefully be there for a long time. His hitting came on strong in the second half of last year, and even with the uneven first half he put up some monster numbers. Looking forward to a ‘more comfortable’ year at first with Miguel; I wonder how the backup situation will maybe give him some extra time off in the field.
Second base is all set up for Placido Polanco. He’s in the last year of his contract, paying around 4.6 million — compared to much of the team, one of the only players playing above his contract numbers. There will be a lot of speculation and contract extension talk; i’m fearful that he’s one of the most ‘tradeable’ players, and if Mike Illitch fears a cash flow problem, we’ll know it right away by trading Polanco.
The right side was together for the majority of 2008; Polanco is a gold glove winner, and everyone just wants Cabrera to be an ‘average’ fielding first baseman. No real concerns here, unless Polanco’s health is an issue, or any possible cash flow problems turn second base over to a rookie.
Left side:
Much has been made about the defensive upgrade on the left side of the infield. Interesting how Edgar Renteria’s weight issues weren’t brought up by anyone last year, but the media didn’t talk to much about it and the team dodged any questions about it (see Robertson, Nate and Willis, Dontrelle). So Renteria is gone, and Detroit moves in with a one-year deal to Adam Everett for about $1mil.
Everett is an all-glove no-hit shortstop coming off a shoulder injury that caused him to miss most of 2008. No need to re-hash his batting stats, there’s not much to talk about. He can field, assuming he’s healthy. Here’s my problem: He’s listed at 6′, 180. Detroit is on the record saying they didn’t think Ramon Santiago could handle the rigors of playing shortstop full time — though we will note Santiago’s 15 day DL trip in June. Santiago is sitting at 5′ 11″, 175 pounds… and did not have a major shoulder injury last year. I’m not sure if this is an indication on the readiness of the minor leaguers (possibly the unknown of Mike Hollimon’s recovery, the infielder most ready to contribute last year), or if the contract numbers were just too good to pass up. Its a one year deal, i’m not overly concerned, I’m just not sure you can compare these two guys and think one is an everyday player and the other might break down. I wonder if Leyland will do a better job of resting his players; maybe the switch hitting Santiago will give him some flexibility.
Third base belongs to Brandon Inge; what’s old is new again. We all know Inge, I dislike the man, whatever. Compared to Polanco, Inge makes another $2mil a year with great defense and little offense. This year, however, he’s showing up with an extra 15 – 17 pounds of muscle on his frame. Hopefully that will lead to more home runs when he’s not busy striking out. I feel Inge was a little immature going into last year, and i’m hoping that this might be the year he figures his swing out and lives up to that contract. They’re giving him back third base. My 2009 issue with Inge: why is this the year he decided to work out and get muscular? Seems a lot better to have that weight on LAST YEAR, when he was, you know, CATCHING. Granted, the Cabrera trade happened after the first of the year, and it appears that Inge just isn’t that great of a catcher anyway. But what’s the rush to suddenly put on weight?
I’d love for Inge to start hitting .275 with more power, but I’m not seeing it. Those types of jumps are usually reserved for guys indulging in chemistry, which apparently has been outlawed in recent years. His batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage have decreased each year since their peak in 2004. I think his unbearable .204 batting average in 2008 probably was related to catching, but he’s more likely to strike out then get a hit. He did walk more in 2008, which is surprising given his batting average.
Conclusion
Defensively, it _feels_ like this team is on par with the 2006 team (after the Sean Casey addition). Cabrera is still a wild card — as a former third baseman, it seems he could still move towards ‘above average’ if he wanted to. Inge and Polanco are still Inge and Polanco, and Everitt is probably better then Carlos Guillen (assuming health). These are encouraging signs for a struggling pitching staff.
Offensively, its a different story. Polanco is now an aging Polanco, his average was down and his strikeouts were up (neither significantly). Inge’s struggles were mentioned above. Everett is a wild card — he doesn’t bat well, he didn’t play much last year, and he’s moving to the American League, which generally the pitchers are better. Sounds like no one is expecting much… which would be fine, if no one was expecting much from Inge, or the catchers either. Miguel Cabrera should only get better as he hasn’t started entering his prime yet; hopefully last years numbers are only a starting point, and he can warm up in April.