Nearly half-way through spring, what do we know?
In a word: Nothing.
But what can we gather? Stats don’t mean a whole lot. Starting pitchers only facing the opposing lineup once doesn’t show us anything. But we can get a read on what the managers are thinking.
1) Don Kelly will be on the 25 man roster in April. He’s killing the ball, hits left handed, helps make up for Carlos Guillen not playing a position, is out of options… and appears to be getting a ton of playing time at third and second base. Detroit obviously feels Brandon Inge will play most of the year, but he just saw his first spring action. I’m not buying that Inge should play every game in April; recent surgery + bad weather conditions = Detroit needs a backup third baseman for the first month of the year. Kelly is hitting well, is athletic, has very good basepath speed… he’ll be on the team. Interesting how much playing time he’s getting at second base; Detroit seems a little nervous about either Scott Sizemore’s spring stats or (more likely) his ankle.
2) Alex Avila looks to make the team. While I think it makes perfect sense to let Avila catch every day in Toledo for a few months, Leyland was reluctant to have Avila catch certain pitchers upon his callup last year, citing Avila’s lack of familiarity with some of the staff. If this is the case, a mid-season callup doesn’t make sense. Just have Avila on the team in April.
3) Austin Jackson in center field seems to be a lock. The last position player may be down to Ryan Raburn and Clete Thomas. Thomas will probably join a now very crowded outfield in Toledo, barring a trade.
4) Speaking of trades, does anyone see one? There is a logjam in the outfield in Toledo, but left and possibly right field could be open for competition in 2011. Is Detroit sure they can trust the young outfielders (Wells, Ramirez, Thomas, Strieby, Boesch) enough to trade Ryan Raburn if they were blown away with an offer? Most likely, Detroit doesn’t get blown away with an offer, and Raburn’s use in the infield make him too valuable.
5) I found it interesting that Lynn Henning (back on Feb 25) thought Jeremy Bonderman might start the season in the bullpen, trying to gain arm strength. The more I think about it, the better that the trio of Bonderman / Willis / Robertson pitch, the greater chance Zach Miner gets squeezed off the roster.
6) I’m not getting too excited about Dontrelle Willis yet. In fact, i’m downright nervous. But he’s pitched well enough that he’ll make the team and he’ll be in the starting rotation. If he gets shelled after two outings in April, Detroit will make some form of move with him. I’m marking this one down.. Willis is on the team, barring a total meltdown or injury.
7) This goes for all of the recovering pitchers – Bonderman, Nate Robertson, and Willis — barring injury, they’ll be on the team in some role; they won’t be cut out of camp. I make no guarantees any of the three will continue to be on the team when I drive down to LA to see Detroit take on the Dodgers in late May.
8 ) I’m not positive that the best 25 man roster Detroit brings north has Ramon Santiago on it over Brent Dlugach. Santiago is actually just about average defensively. He’s kinda average (though a switch hitter) offensively. Three things will keep Dlugach in Toledo: 1) Fellow rookie Scott Sizemore — Leyland likes his vets, and two infield rookies might be too much to handle with the new state smoking ban, 2) Adam Everett’s expiring contract, and 3) Brandon Inge’s expiring contract. Dlugach will be groomed to replace one of the infield positions in 2011. I would suspect Detroit thinks about giving Inge an extension soon (maybe after his knees heal) and Dlugach is at short in Toledo. This also gives Detroit the option of a mid-season callup if Dlugach is hitting well to replace the expected .225 average of Everett.
9) I’m not positive the Lions don’t sign Jose Valverde to improve their pass rush. He could be in the two-deep rotation by Thanksgiving.
Last, I’ve buried this since I hate talking about it, but Lynn Henning just hates Curtis Granderson. I can’t figure out why. On March 10, with just over a week of games in, Henning had this to say about Austin Jackson:
He plays a better center field than Curtis Granderson and so far he has hit dramatically better than some of us imagined.
Dear Lynn: Please stop talking about Granderson. Or do what Buster Olney does for PEDs, have a special section at the end of your articles and just put a “Granderson Bashing Below” sign and go to town. I just don’t care anymore; you’re sucking the fun out of reading about Austin Jackson. And I’m not even a big Granderson fan.