Tiger Geist

Everyone’s done a preview, I’ll save you the trouble:The tigers will hit very well.  Pitching and injuries will decide the season.Isn’t that the story with every team in every year?  Here’s what we think we know about the tigers in 2008:

1. Their defense should be improved overall. 
2. Their bullpen may/will struggle until they either trade for help or Zumaya returns to form
3. Miguel Cabrera will sell a lot of jerseys this year.
4. Jimmy Leyland will smoke 42,872 packs of cigarettes.

What is most interesting is how “baby faced” Miguel looks on the screen, vs how muscular and massive he looks from the stands.

This is probably the biggest issue going into the season. The more I think about it, the more this worries me. It could be fine But there are too many concerns for opening day… namely:

Health: Are we healthy enough to compete without dipping into AAA?

Fernando Rodney is a decent (I actually like him, but i may be in the minority) pitcher when healthy. He’s not. Joel Zumaya is a great pitcher when healthy; he’s not, and may never return to form — truth be told, even if he never throws 100 mph again, he can be an effective pitcher with his devastating curve ball. But he’s out for a number of months. Todd Jones is an effective closer when he’s on; he’s not on. Even worse, he doesn’t have the arm strength yet.. something of a concern at age 39. Those are serious health concerns about our end of the year projected 7th, 8th, and 9th guys. Can the team hit well enough, and can the starters pitch deep enough in the early part of the season to keep these pitchers from rushing back? Can hitting keep a big enough gap to allow Jones to get on track?

Middle relief: How long can we survive with Jason Grilli? Who else is there?

Grilli’s just not that good. Sorry. Zach Minor? Getting shelled. Who else do we have? Bobby Seay and Tim Byrdak are left handed specialists that make me dream of Jaime Walker. Danny Bautista is throwing lights out, but has a history of not finding the strike zone. Francisco Cruceta is a made up person who was invented strictly as a way for the Tiger organization to deflect questions about Brandon Inge. Actually, from now on I’m calling him San Francisco Cruceta. A made up name for a made up player. Yorman Bazardo seems to be the likely candidate filling the “Chad Durbin” role this year; not enough information to make too much of a decision yet. But doesn’t that sound like the rest of the bullpen?

AAA Depth: Do we have anyone ready to be called up in case of injury?

Enough said… who gets the call if someone gets hurt? With so many questions about the bullpen currently, is there any chance that said minor leaguer is any good?

Are there any values on the trade market: How deep do we have to go in order to get a quality relief pitcher?

This is the most troubling question… hopefully we could get some reinforcements without going too deep into our farm system. This is why a trade for Inge or Thames looks so appealing…

Not as much of a concern to me, since it seems Detroit is really above average in many defensive positions.

Outfield (vs Left Handed pitching): What combination will they go with?

Magglio and Thames are average at best. Depending on what type of lineup Jim Leyland wants to field against a left hander, you have the opportunity of watching Curtis Granderson trying to make up for the corner outfield deficiencies. What if Curtis needs a day off? How will Gary Sheffield get at-bats on the road during inter-league play this year, after injuring his shoulder in the field last year?

Corner infield: Do some of the poor fielding pitchers increase the concerns at the corners?

Enough has been said about the Cabrera downgrade. Enough was talked about during the 2006 World Series in terms of fielding woes for our pitchers (The Gambler excluded). Concerns about Guillen’s move to first, coupled with Thames as the backup first baseman might be an issue. Personally, I think Guillen will be fine and Thames gets moved (or a better option at first is used).

Catcher: How will Wilson respond as the backup?

Honestly I think that no matter who catches, defense will not be an issue. But Wilson’s arm is a concern, and how often will it be tested early in the season? How will this affect his health for the year if he over-does it?

I’ll start with my 2008 concerns and later move onto how things could go right for a successful 2008 playoff run. I’ll update as the roster outlook becomes more clear in the coming weeks. Today we discuss concerns with hitting.

Rightfully, most will say “this is detroit’s strength”… and thats why i’m starting here. Its the easiest to write. However, there are a few ares that do concern me.

Jacque Jones: Were last year’s power numbers a fluke?

Jones owns a career .280, but prior to last year he averaged over 21 home runs as a full time player. In 2006 he hit a mere 5 home runs. Jones struggled in the first half of the year, but by the end most of his stats (sans home runs) were in line with his career averages (he even matched his career high in doubles). His 2006 stats were solid, so we can’t blame a league switch as the culprit. Even in a platoon with a right handed power hitter (Thames at the moment), Jacque should get at least 2/3 of the at bats in left field. Corner outfield positions usually put power numbers at a premium, and Detroit could use some more left handed ‘pop’ in the lineup.

Edgar Rentaria: Was 2005 an anomaly, or is the American League kryptonite?

Not much else needs to be said here; Edgar had an awful year in the Boston spotlight in 2005. Detroit has a much more forgiving media, but expectations are pretty high for Tiger fans these days. He doesn’t hit many home runs, and his double numbers are on a downward trend.

Miguel Cabrera: New guy on the block

Similar with Edgar Rentaria, how will he handle the pressure of switching to a much stronger pitching league, AND deal with the expectations of winning now? I don’t care if he leads the league in errors this year, he will be judged on his offensive numbers by the fans.

Catcher (pick one): How do deal with the #8 hitter?

Pudge worries me; his power numbers are non-existent. My only hope is he has a great contract year. He’s been solid in recent grapefruit league games, so I imagine he still has something left in the tank. I do imagine that whomever is the backup, they will need to play quite a bit to get an optimal year out of Pudge. My suggestion? Try to walk more… and Pudge will save some energy, instead of swinging at everything thrown at him. About the backup? It doesn’t matter, none of them can hit (Please sign Piazza!) anyway. Even if Vance Wilson does return to form, he’s a 35 year old career .250 hitter who hasn’t played in a year.

DH: Who do they trot out at the DH spot if Sheffield only plays in 120 games?

I’m not sold on Thames being an everyday DH. Sheffield’s age and injury issues the past few years (wrist, shoulder, leg cramps) indicates he can only realistically be counted on for 120 – 130 games / year. Sheffield changes the entire lineup with his ability to work counts; what is the plan when he can’t play?

Strikeouts vs Walks: How fast can we get to the opposing bullpen?

I still think the team strikes out too much, though we are in the middle of the American League. The Tigers were second to last in walks last year, and that needs improving to be a great team. Our batting order should murder opposing relief pitching, especially the stopgap middle relievers. Inge & Granderson were in the top 10 last year in AL strikeouts; we replace Inge with Cabrera, who struck out 127 last year AND is changing leagues (to be fair, he’ll have better protection this year). Great teams work the count and get on base any way possible.