Season Opener Tomorrow!

Yes Spring Training is over and the Tigers have broken camp headed north to take on the Yankees in the opener.  So how did they do?  Who had a good spring and who struggled?  Are there any surprises, any concerns?

The Tigers had one of the best Spring Training records they have had in a long time (20-14), but as we well know Spring Training numbers don't matter much in the regular season.  So how did they do?  One highlight has been the pitching this spring.  Even after facing tougher players in the last two weeks of camp, the Tigers still managed to have the second best team ERA (3.03) of every Major League team breaking camp, bested only by Atlanta (2.75).  If they can carry this performance into the regular season, it could be a very good year for the Tigers.

Justin Verlander dialed in.

How did the pitching staff do? Who had a good spring?  Who didn't?  Justin Verlander came to camp focused on wiping out his April slump, and worked hard to be in May-June form for the start of the season, and by all accounts..he is.  On the other side of the coin, starter Max Scherzer had a very rough spring, and it may be hard for him to shake it off and focus on being in regular-season form.  Expected to be one of the top pitchers for the Tigers, he may still have some work to do to live up to that expectation.  Look for some early season issues from Scherzer while he finds his groove.  Off season relief pitching acquisition Joaquin Benoit was a highlight this spring showing the same strong stuff he displayed in the playoff run for the Tampa Bay Rays last Fall.  In addition the Tigers highlighted several pitchers of the future who could very well find themselves filling in if called up from the Minors.  Lefties Adam Wilk and Charlie Furbush had decent spring camps.  Wilk in particular was very close to coming north with the team.  Top prospect right-handed starter Jacob Turner looked good as did left-handed starter Andrew Oliver.  So one of the highlights this spring was the depth at all levels of the pitching staff.

Concerns?  The only concern for the pitching staff appears to be middle relief, with newcomer Brayan Villarreal as yet untested in the big leagues.  Another unknown is how lefty Daniel Schlereth will perform with only 39 Major League regular season games under his belt.  Will Ryan Perry choose this year to become his breakout year?  Stay tuned, and we will see.  The Tigers haven't seemed to be able to keep all three phases of their pitching game (starting, middle relief, closing) together in recent years.  They have the talent to do it this year, and if they can manage it, they should win a LOT of games.

To win games, it's not enough to pitch well.  The team has to hit and field.  So how was it this spring?  Spring Training is a hard time to gauge hitting, since there are so many Minor League pitchers as well as hitters in camp for all of the teams.  What we can track however is improvement over time.  Most professional hitters like Miguel Cabrerra, Magglio Ordonez and Victor Martinez are expected to  improve each day closer to the end of Spring Training, and for the most part this is what we saw.  (See Hitter Trends page.)  Magglio got a slow start, mostly due to the Tigers playing it safe with his off-season healed broken ankle, but he turned on the hitting right at the end of camp.  Cabrerra started slow then hit at a high level all camp and stayed there, slipping a bit in mid-camp, but turning it on again in the last week.  Victor Martinez dialed it up gradually and hit his spring peak 2-3 days before the end of camp.  All three are ready, and they will be a potent force in the 3-4-5 spots of the lineup and should be tough hitters for opposing starting pitchers to face.  One surprise this spring was the hitting of outfield Minor League prospect Andy Dirks, who lead the team in hitting through most of the spring, tailing off only in the last few days before missing the cut.  Another pleasant surprise was the resurgence of lefty Brennan Boesch as a hitter.  Boesch managed to keep pace with the more experienced hitters Martinez and Cabrerra, finding his stroke and being ready for Opening Day right along with them, even surpassing Cabrerra by the end of camp.  Look for Boesch to get more at-bats than most reserve outfielders usually get during the regular season.

Austin Jackson

Concerns?  Several.. mostly at the bottom of the order.  Peralta and Inge had less than stellar Spring Training sessions in the batter's box.  Both players hovered just above .200 all camp and both tailed off during the last week of camp.  Another perhaps more serious concern is the leadoff hitter.  Austin Jackson did not end the spring in Florida on a high note.  "A-Jax" showed a constant downward trend in his hitting from the 21st of March until the last game on the 29th. (See Hitter Trends page.)  This may not bode well for the top of the batting order, however semi-regular number two hitter Will Rhymes' trend was in the exact opposite direction getting consistently better behind the plate as the last week wound down to a close.  Expect Rhymes to continue strong as the season opens, and don't be surprised if Austin Jackson is not very sharp right out of the box.  One other concern will be how well utility outfielder Casper Wells will hit when called upon.  Casper ended camp on a serious down-swing on the hitting side of the equation.. even striking out 4 times in one late-camp spring game.  Casper is a valuable fielder making only 1 error in 22 spring games (compared to 2 errors in 17 for Ryan Raburn), but don't expect his hitting to be stellar at the start of the season.

Galarraga starts with Arizona.

One quick note on former Tigers.  Dontrelle Willis missed the cut with Cincinnati and will be stretched out in the Minor Leagues as a starter.  As mentioned below Armando Galarraga made the cut with the Arizona Diamondbacks and will be their 5th starter.  Adam Everett also made the cut with Cleveland and we will see him as a utility infielder for the Tribe when we play them this season.  As mentioned before Gerald Laird is the backup catcher for St.Louis as well.  Both Laird and Everett ended their spring camps having hitting issues.  (See WATN Trends page.)

That's the Rob Hall Report Spring Training wrap-up.

The regular season is finally here!  Spring and Summer are right around the corner.  Now it's time for the "Boys of Summer" take the field and PLAY BALL!!

GO TIGERS!    ---Rob


Photo Credits:
Austin Jackson by Robin Buckson - Detroit News
Armando Galarrage by Sancya - Associated Press
All others by Rob Hall - Rob Hall Report

Spring Training Final Numbers Posted

The Final spreadsheets and trends sheets for Spring Training have been posted.  Stay tuned for an update tonight wrapping up Spring Training.  One quick note on former players:  Armando Galarraga has made the team as Arizona's 5th starter.

In the meantime take a final look at the Tigers Spring Training stats, Pitcher Spring Training Trend page (Scherzer is in trouble, so is Austin Jackson), Hitter Spring Training Trend page, and the "Where Are They Now?" player and Spring Training Trend pages.  This will be the last chance to see the Spring Training trends on players.  Regular Season trending and stats will start with opening day tomorrow.

Enjoy.. GO TIGERS!   ---Rob

Former Tigers Show Stripes with New Teams

Dontrelle Willis

As Spring Training winds down to a close it may be interesting to note that a few former Tiger pitchers are showing their new teams some of the more frustrating aspects of their pitching game that we came to know all too well here in Detroit.  Former Tiger Dontrelle Willis stumbled in his bid for a bullpen spot with the Reds.  He only managed 1/3 of an inning giving up 3 walks and 3 hits, only retiring 1 of the batters he faced in his most recent outing with Cincinnati.  In similar fashion LA-Angels closer Fernando Rodney gave up 2 walks and 2 hits only retiring 1 as well lasting only 1/3 of an inning in his most recent spring outing.  A third former Tiger pitcher, reliever/closer Brandon Lyon has been more consistent than the other two former Tigers.  Even so he has given up 4 hits and 3 runs and hit one batter in his last 2 innings of relief for the Houston Astros.  The Tigers face Brandon Lyon's Astros this afternoon.

It's also been a rough Spring injury-wise for most of the former Tigers we have been following on this blog.  So much so, one has to wonder if simply making the blog is a bad omen.  Of the 18 former Tiger players we are still following 9 of them have had injury issues this Spring.

The lastest reports show that Nate Robertson will be able to throw again 4 weeks after his surgery, but most likely will not be able to play with the Mariners any sooner than June of this year.  Two other pitchers make the list this week as well.  Jair Jurrjens the Altlanta ace experienced some pain in his side and went for an MRI on March 25th.  Kyle Farnsworth hyperextended his knee while pitching a spring relief inning for Tampa Bay on March 21st, but is back pitching and expected to be available for the start of the season.

Infielders and outfielders have not been immune to the "blog-injury" effect either.

Shortly after the last former Tigers update, Adam Everett sprained his left thumb stealing 2nd.  Everett is hitting .325 with the Tribe this spring and recently returned to action in his attempt to make the team as a utility infielder.  Gerald Laird, hitting .407 this spring with St.Louis also had the injury bug going down with a hamstring issue on March 17th, returning to action on March 21st.  Recovering from injury also is Placido Polanco, back in the lineup for the Phillies at 3rd base after resting his hyper-extended elbow. 

Granderson - Strained oblique.

Outfield centerfielders Cameron Maybin and Curtis Granderson have had issues as well.  Maybin is resting a right quadricep due to tightness he experienced on March 24th, and Curtis Granderson experienced a right abdominal oblique strain during batting practice on March 22nd.  He is 50-50 for opening day against his former Tigers just getting back to batting and base running practice this weekend.

In other news another former Tiger misses the cut.  Andrew Miller is being sent down to AAA to get extended innings so he will be ready should the Red Sox need to call him up to fill a starting pitcher role.

That's it for the "Where are they now?" Tigers for this week, stay tuned.  Remember to check the "WATN Trends" page to see which way these guys are headed, with full numbers on each former Tiger on the "Where Are They Now? (2011)" page.


GO TIGERS!   ---Rob




Photo Credits:
Curtis Granderson Photo by Gene J. Puskar - Associated Press
Dontrelle Willis Photo by John T. Greilick - Detroit News

Tiger Hitters Slumping

A day before the final cuts heading into the last 4 games of Spring Training and the Tigers have been hitting against big league roster starting pitchers for the last 10 days.  One troubling sign heading into the regular season are several players on the hitters list trending in the wrong direction.  Getting worse.  On the other hand there are a couple getting better.  Lefty Brennan Boesch appears to be finding his swing heading into the regular season, as is Miguel Cabrerra. (See Hitter Trends page.)

Ryan Raburn slumping.

In the "concern" category are some of the starting hitters who just seem to be hitting a bad patch heading into the last week of Spring Training.  Ryan Rayburn has gone 6 for 25 (.240) over the last 6 Spring games as a hitter.  Austin Jackson has had difficulties over the last 9 games hitting only 4 for 26 (.154) during his slump.  These numbers are particularly troubling since the last few days of Spring Training the Tigers have been facing the top starting regular season pitchers on the opposing teams.  Let's hope these "slumping" Tigers find their respective grooves in the last 4 Spring games and start hitting regular-season pitching before the season starts next week.  Even newcomer Andy Dirks has had his hitting trail off after his phenomenal start, hitting only 5 for 25 or .200 since March 13th, leading us to wonder if he can hit the big-leagers.  Look for him to get some more chances IF he makes the cut, which doesn't look likely based on his last 2 weeks of hitting. (See Hitter Trends and Spring Training pages.)

Speaking of making the cut, Danny Worth has done nothing but HIT over a similar time span showing that he certainly CAN hit regular-season pitchers.  He has had 17 at-bats since March 13th getting 9 hits for a .529 average.  Let's hope the Tigers decide to hold on to an extra infielder and Worth gets his shot at the big leagues.  He certainly is a versatile utility infielder playing 3rd, Short, and 2nd.  He's lost the 2nd base job to Rhymes, but he's certainly earned a chance to make the team.

The Tigers have 3 players left to cut.  One will be a pitcher (probably Enrique Gonzalez).  Two will (or should be) outfielders now that Magglio Ordonez has shown he is healthy.  So look for Dirks (unfortunately) and Casper Wells to be cut.  Although if the Tigers do NOT keep Worth, Casper Wells will make the team.  (He's hit .300 this Spring, and gotten 7 hits over his 21 most recent at-bats.)

Watch the team closely in the next few days, because now we'll see what we have for the regular season.  Wednesday will be the final Spring Training summary.  Next weekend will be the first post of the regular season.  Look for new pages and new charts!


GO TIGERS!    ---Rob



Photo by Robin Buckson - Detroit News
 

Tiger Players Hoping (and Hitting) to Make the Team

Will Rhymes

After this week's 5-player cut 3 players are left fighting to stay and head north with the team next week.  (Click to see Spring Roster, and Pitcher/Hitter trends.) 

The surprise cuts this week were 2nd baseman Scott Sizemore heading back to Toledo and right-handed ground ball reliever Robbie Weinhardt both of whom had decent outings in Spring camp.  Sizemore was a victim of a 3-player log-jam at 2nd and Weinhardt a victim of the already strong right-handed bullpen and Brayan Villarreal's outstanding Spring in right-handed relief.

Three players, 1 pitcher and 2 fielders are expected to be the last to head to Toledo.  The 2 position players will come from the outfield and most probably 1 of the 2 players left hitting their way onto the team for the temporary job at 2nd base covering while Guillen is on the disabled list.  In both outfield and infield the guys left are hitting up a storm in their bids to make the team.  The decision on who stays will most likely be made by the weekend before the Tigers hit the road for the last 3 Spring Training games.

Until then right-handed hitting versatile infielder Danny Worth and the flashy left-handed hitting Will Rhymes are in a dogfight to see who can hit and field better to win the job at 2nd.  Worth is out-hitting Rhymes, but another left-handed bat in the lineup could land Rhymes the job.  In the outfield the best hitter on the team for the entire Spring camp has been lefty-hitting non-roster invitee Andy Dirks and he has shown no signs of slowing down.  Center fielder Casper Wells has hit well too, as well as has Brennan Boesch.  Wells has been slumping lately in camp, and with the Tigers loaded with right-handed power and Austin Jackson starting at Center, look for the Tigers to pick up Andy Dirks' contract and give him a shot while Casper heads to Toledo.

Ryan Perry struggling.

The last player to miss the cut will most likely come from the bullpen.  Ryan Perry has had a lot of trouble getting hit hard in camp, and even though he is on the Tigers roster, I would not be surprised to see him start the season in Toledo.  If not, then the last player cut is likely to be non-roster invitee Enrique Gonzalez.  Gonzalez has had a decent Spring, but probably not good enough for the Tigers to pick up his contract.

There is one non-roster invitee who is very likely to make the team.  Left-handed side-arm throwing Adam Wilk.  Just as position player non-roster guy Andy Dirks has led the hitters so has Adam Wilk led all relievers in the pen this Spring.  He has walked only 2 batters in 12 and 2/3 innings of relief while striking out 5, and has let only 20% of batters faced get on base.  That means 8 of 10 guys he's faced simply can't hit him.  He's a keeper.

That's it for a quick mid-week update.  Stay tuned for the final Spring Training weekend report this weekend and one more to completely wrap up Spring Training after the Tigers finish on March 29th.


GO TIGERS!   ---Rob




Photo Credits:
Will Ryhmes by Mark Cunningham - MLB Photos via Getty Images
Ryan Perry by John T. Greilick - Detroit News 

Opening Day in 10 Days!

The Official start of Spring for Baseball and Tigers fans is March 31st this year.. Opening Day!

So how are the Tigers looking?  Who's made it so far?  Who are the new faces? How is the pitching? Who will make the team?

Joel Zumaya on the DL

We'll start with some of the moves last week.  First-baseman Ryan Strieby was not kept in camp as predicted but first-baseman Scott Thorman was given a longer look instead.  Both are now no longer in camp.  Second-baseman Will Rhymes is still in camp, as is infielder Danny Worth whose hitting has picked up as he tries to make the team.  Outfielders Casper Wells and Clete Thomas are still in camp along with the competing lefties Brennan Boesch and surprise non-roster invitee Andy Dirks.  On the mound there have been moves as Joel Zumaya was put on the disabled list (DL) and Aussie Chris Oxspring was released to minor league camp as anticipated.  Adam Wilk and Charlie Furbush were given longer looks as well.  Furbush was sent to Toledo where he will be available along with Andy Oliver should a lefty starter be needed during the season.  The side-arm throwing Adam Wilk has made an impression in camp and is another non-roster invitee on the brink of making the team.  Hard-throwing right-hander Al Alburquerque was given a longer look and then sent down to Toledo as predicted to work on his control.  All told the team is down to 33 players in camp with both Zumaya and Guillen starting the season on the DL.

There are 8 more players who will not be coming north, 3 pitchers and 5 positions players.  The last week of Spring Training will determine who these players are as the Spring Training roster reduces to the required 25 for opening day.  (See "shaded" areas of the pitcher and hitter "trends" pages for a look at the top 12 pitchers and 13 hitters in camp.)

Robbie Weinhardt

Still competing for spots on the Pitching roster are non-roster lefties Adam Wilk mentioned above and Fu Te Ni along with the right-hander Enrique Gonzalez.  Adam Wilk has the inside track among the 3 and it will probably come down to the wire between he and Fu Te Ni who are both showing great stuff this Spring.  With only 7 spots in the bullpen there should be room for only 3 left-handers and 3 right-handers besides the closer Valverde.  With Benoit and Valverde already in the pen there's not a lot of room on the staff for a righty so it is likely Gonzalez won't make the cut and right-hander Brian Villarreal may suffer the same fate, although the Tigers like him a lot.  Right-hander Robbie Wienhardt has pitched well and looks to be a lock for the 3rd right-hander on the team.  With Joaquin Benoit, Ryan Perry and Weinhardt as right-handers it leaves Villarreal and Gonzalez out in the cold unless both non-roster lefties don't make the team or Weinhardt falls apart in the last 9 games.  Brad Thomas will be one of three left-handers leaving Fu Te Ni, Adam Wilk and Daniel Schlereth to fill in the last 2 spots.  Leyland really likes Wilk, and Schlereth exhibited some control problems walking 4 straight batters in an early Spring game, so it's likely to come down to the wire in the last 9 games of camp for the relief staff.  The good news is that the Tigers are leading all American League Teams in team Pitching ERA this Spring which bodes well for the Pitching staff once the season starts.

In the "concern" area of the Pitching staff are a couple of Pitchers the Tigers will be relying on at the start of the season.  Max Scherzer has had problems both getting innings in to be ready for the home opener on April 8th and in getting hit hard this spring while walking batters as he experimented with some new approaches.  The Tigers have him pitching a Minor League game to work on his stuff.  We'll have to watch Scherzer, he may be starting the season with some issues to resolve.  The other pitcher with issues so far this Spring is Ryan Perry.  Perry hasn't yet found a rhythm giving up 8 hits and 5 walks in only 8 innings to date.  Look for him to get some more work.  He'll need to improve in the last few games of Spring to be ready for the season or Villarreal could be taking his spot.

Worth out-hitting Sizemore and Rhymes

The competition in camp while the Tigers try to decide which 5 fielders won't make the trip north is just as tight as that for the lefty relievers.  Max St.Pierre is still in camp catching so look for him to be the first to head back to Toledo.  That leaves 4 players who will be disappointed.  Up for grabs is the one spot at 2nd while Guillen is out, and two reserve outfielders.  Don Kelly is already assured a spot as a super utility infielder at the corners who also plays outfield (and is an emergency catcher).  Competing for the spot at 2nd base are Danny Worth, Will Rhymes, and Scott Sizemore.  Only one will come north.  Danny Worth is out-hitting both Sizemore and Rhymes in camp and he plays 2nd, Short, and 3rd base.   I like him to make the team, but the Tigers are vested pretty heavily in Sizemore who is also out-hitting Rhymes.  Look for Rhymes to make the trip down soon as the second of the 5 out of camp, and hopefully the Tigers will give Worth another look before deciding on a 2nd-baseman.  In the outfield the competition is just as tight between non-roster phenom Andy Dirks whom the club thinks highly of and Brennan Boesch, Casper Wells and Clete Thomas.  Two of these guys won't make the team, and two will.  This one is a toss-up.  Clete Thomas and Wells are primarily center-fielders while Boesch and Dirks are corner outfield guys.  Boesch's hitting is improving, Dirks is still out hitting him, and I'd like to see both make the team.  Casper Wells suffers from being a right-handed hitter on a team with right-handed power already.  Clete is the weakest hitter of the bunch so I'll go out on a limb and say he'll be going down with Wells.

In the "concern" department for hitters there are two players as well.  Thank god for Brandon Inge's defense because he is hitting no where near even his regular season average yet while in camp.  Inge is hitting .221 while another regular player Magglio Ordonez is improving but still only hitting .211 himself.  Look for concern over these two hitters should they not find a hitting rhythm by opening day.

Other than that the Tigers should have a pretty good hitting team this season.  We'll see for real in 10 days! 

As always see the "Spring Training (2011)" page for the details and check the "trends" pages for some updated graphs. (Pitcher Trends - Hitter Trends)


That's it for this week...  GO TIGERS!    ---Rob






Photo Credits:
Joel Zumaya by John T. Greilick- The Detroit News
Robbie Weinhardt by Robin Buckson- The Detroit News
Danny Worth by John T. Greilick- The Detroit News

Elbows and Ankles, Old Tigers, Oh My!

Placido Polanco - elbow.

Indeed, checking in on our old Tiger players we see elbow issues, and an ankle issue.  Nate Robertson will be missing his shot to get a roster spot in the Seattle Mariners starting rotation as he recovers from elbow surgery to have "three loose bodies" removed from his elbow.  Not as serious is Placido Polanco's elbow injury causing him to miss several Spring Training games with the Philadelphia Phillies.  The normal sure-handed "Polly" has made some uncharacteristic errors this Spring with the Phillies and hyperextended his elbow on March 15th, but expects to start with the team on opening day.  Dontrelle Willis on the other hand missed several games in his bid to be on the Cincinnati Reds pitching staff after spraining his ankle stepping on a bat while backing up a play at the plate on March 12th.  Dontrelle has pitched well in his return to pitching this week.  See the "Where Are They Now (2011)" page for the current numbers on the old Tigers and the "WATN Player Trends" page to see what direction they are headed this Spring.

In other news, as predicted last week former power-hitting lefty 1st baseman Jeff Larish was cut from the Phillies Spring Training camp following former Tiger Eddie Bonine in being released to the Phillies Minor League camp.

Gerald Laird hitting .364

Hitters who are still in Major League Spring camps include a pair of former Tiger center fielders and a pair of old Tiger infielders who are making statements.  The first pair are no surprise to Tiger fans, Curtis Granderson is hitting .361 this Spring with the Yankees, and former Tiger Cameron Maybin is lighting the Padres Spring camp up hitting a whopping .394 so far.  The second pair ARE a surprise to those of us who saw them hit with the Tigers last year.  Spring has done something to the bats of former Tigers Adam Everett and Gerald Laird.  Everett is hitting .355 in Cleveland's Spring camp and Laird is hitting .364 in the St.Louis camp.  Can it last for these former Tiger hitters?  Watch the "WATN Player Trends" page to see what happens in the last 10 days of Spring Training.

Opening day for the Tigers is on the road March 31st against Curtis Granderson and the Yankees, only 2 days after the Tigers play their last Spring Training game against those very same Yankees.  It should make for an interesting week to start the season.  Stay tuned, and..


GO TIGERS!   ---Rob






Photo Credits:
Placido Polanco by Mark Cunningham - MLB Photos via Getty Images
Gerald Laird by Marc Serota - Getty Images

Spring Roster - Training and Trimming

Yes Sports fans.. Spring Training is at the mid-point.  Now it gets exciting and we will see from here on out more of the starters and what they are actually bringing back to the game this season.  Will Magglio's ankle bother him?  Will Guillen get time in with the team or will he be out the rest of Spring Training?  How ABOUT the big three hitters.. Cabrerra, Ordonez and Martinez?  Are they ready to show up?  How is Phil Coke looking as a starter?

The team from here on out, starting with Jim Leyland's cuts on Tuesday, will be focusing on getting into fighting-form as we look forward to the start of the regular season on March 31st..only 17 days away.  Cuts are coming up and the Tigers certainly won't be carrying the 58 players they currently have in camp.  Look for quite of few of the Minor-Leaguers to be gone from camp by Tuesday with not much more than the basic 40-man roster left.  I'll fill you in on who I predict will be leaving for the Minor Leagues and who I think has won a longer look at the Major League level.  By March 31st the team will have been pared down to the 25 starters heading north, and the rest will be heading to the Minors... with the lucky ones heading to Toledo, just one phone call away from the Big Leagues.  Check the "Spring Training (2011)" page for the latest on each player.

Tiger prospect Andy Dirks

We'll start with everyone's favorites.. the hitters.  A few Tigers are doing better than you would expect, and there is definitely one guy who may have played his way into a job north with the club.  Andy Dirks, the left-handed non-roster invitee outfielder who started last season in AA Erie and ended it in AAA with the Mudhens has been lighting up Spring Training with his hitting.  There is a strong chance he will replace Brennan Boesch as one of the extra outfielders coming north in 17 days.  Andy has the most at-bats of any player on the team this Spring, starting 13 of 20 games and still managing to hit .417 with 15 hits in 36 plate appearances posting 4 doubles, 2 triples and 6 walks against only 4 strikeouts.  Look for a new Tiger in town come opening day!

Ryan Raburn

Other notable hitters in the Spring have been Ryan Raburn still hitting well, not losing a step of his end-of-season surge last year.  Surprisingly Alex Avila has started strong too, hitting .304 to this point posting 10 games in the Spring session which bodes well for the Tigers every day catcher.  The second base job still in the air during Carlos Guillen's absence looks to be going to Scott Sizemore who is hitting and fielding better than Danny Worth or Will Rhymes who are both having trouble at the plate.  Expect Rhymes to be announced as one of the early retirees to AAA camp.  In the outfield right-handed hitting Casper Wells is making a statement with 2 home runs, even though not likely to come north due to the team being loaded with righty-hitting power, he might make the first round of cuts.  Clete Thomas has shown he's back from injury, but the super-utility left-hitting Don Kelly will likely be coming north with the team as an infielder/outfielder in place of an extra outfielder.

Scott Sizemore

In the struggling category are some guys who should be hitting their stride in the last 17 days of camp, but have yet to show it.  Most notably both Ordonez and Martinez have started camp very slow, only hitting near .200 to date, but starting to show they are getting their stroke back.  Cabrerra as predicted has already gotten his bat in hitting shape in the last two games he's played.  Magglio hitting only .148 so far will be the one to watch as we see how he has recovered from his broken ankle.

So who are the hitters staying in camp and who are being cut?  The big surprise will be Andy Dirks making the team, and as predicted above I see Will Rhymes being sent down. The starters will all be staying, of course, but if you want to look at a possible surprise it may be Brennan Boesch not making the cut either. We will have to see how he does in the last few weeks of camp if he makes it past the Tuesday cuts. Shortstop prospect Cale Iorg just hit well last weekend going 3 for 4 and scoring 2 runs, but he won't make the cut.  Nor will the promising first base prospect Ryan Strieby, although he may stay in camp getting a longer look as part of the 40-man roster.  Look for the Tigers to take a longer look at Danny Worth as well before they send him down to Toledo since he plays all the infield positions except first base.  All of the non-roster invitee catchers and other fielders except Dirks will probably be going, starting with Jim Leyland's son Patrick and including first base prospect Scott Thorman.  After Tuesday the Tigers are going to look like a much leaner group of hitters and the next two weeks will show what they are really made of... from where I am sitting, it doesn't look too bad... not too bad at all.  Click Here and take a look at the "Hitters" section of the Spring Training report to see for yourself...and remember to watch the Hitter Trends page to see the graph showing which way the hitters are going.

Phil Coke

Now..how about the pitching staff?  Is the off-season hype about Verlander, Scherzer, and Porcello warranted?  How will Phil Coke do as a starter?  How's the new guy Brad (don't call me "Bad") Penny working out?  Any surprises this Spring? 

Brad Penny

Let's start at the "start" with..of course.. starters!  Surprises?  Yes, the good kind.  Phil Coke and Brad Penny.  First and Second in Spring Training by my numbers, with 1 walk each in 13 and 10.3 innings respectively.  Both of these guys are looking strong already.  Let's see how they fair against the other slimmed down teams the Tigers are going to play from here on out.  Other nice surprises this Spring are rookies Andy Oliver and Jacob Turner.  They have both turned some heads, and although they will be sent to Toledo, it's not because they can't play at this level.  These two should be ready to compete and should be able to fill in if any of the starting five pitchers falter during the season.

Adam Wilk

A couple of other young pitchers also making a name for themselves are lefties Charlie Furbush and Adam Wilk.  Furbush turned some heads in his last Spring Training game when he and Wilk combined for 6 innings of 3-hit baseball against a Baltimore team loaded with starters last Sunday.  Furbush's 9 outs in his 3 innings even included 5 strikeouts showing a small sampling of the pitching that led to 183 strikeouts over 159 Minor-League innings last season.  Adam Wilk was just as sharp, and this side-arm throwing non-roster invitee only gave up 1 hit in 3 innings, and has only walked one batter in 9 innings of Spring ball.  It'll be a tough call to let these two go to Minor League camp early.  I honestly couldn't make the call if I were in charge.  I think I'd want to give them another week.  Let's see if Jim Leyland agrees with me.

It's not all good news this Spring as far as Pitchers are concerned.  Starter Max Scherzer has had two decidedly awful outings his last two times on the mound as he tries a few new things.  As a result I have him dead-last on the starting staff with 14 hits and 6 walks over 10 and 2/3 innings this Spring.  Let's hope he's got it sorted out.  Joel Zumaya as most people know is still sufferring from soreness in his surgically-repaired elbow, and may not get enough innings in to start with the club.  Promising lefty-reliever Daniel Schlereth is also recovering from a strained hamstring and trying to get in season-ready form.  Reliever Ryan Perry is not in season form yet either despite 6 innings of preparation giving up 6 hits and 3 walks against only 2 strikeouts so far.

Fu Te Ni

The relief staff does have a surprise for us this year as well.  Fu Te Ni has come to camp as a non-roster invitee this year after coming close to being released by the team last year after struggling with control problems.  The good news is so far this Spring Fu Te Ni is showing few signs of control problems and making a serious bid to being added to the bullpen.  Currently I have him listed second behind a resurgent Brad Thomas on the relief staff list as Fu Te posts continuous improvement each outing (see pitcher trends page).  Look for the Tigers to keep him in camp.

The good news so far for the relievers is that most of the starting relievers are looking good with the exception of Perry mentioned above.  Weinhart is making a bid to stay one of the right-handed pitchers in the pen alongside Benoit and Valverde. The Tigers have taken a long look at Al Alburquerque this Spring as well and like this hard-throwing right-hander, but he is showing consistency problems striking out 10 yet giving up 8 hits and 4 walks in 5 and 2/3 innings. He will likely not make the trip north with the team, but finish refining his game in Toledo.  Look for a late call up if the Tigers need right-handed relief.  Also not likely to make the cut are non-roster relievers Enrique Gonzalez and "Aussie" Chris Oxspring.

Overall the team is looking very strong.  We have 5 solid starters. Verlander is already getting past some of his "April" issues in March.  Should any of the starters falter, there are at least 3 capable guys in camp now who will be in Toledo ready to fill in and make a name for themselves.  Adding Benoit to the relief staff fills out the bullpen nicely and if there are any weaknesses it will be in relief.  Hitters are no problem this year, and I look for the Tigers to have a banner year in hitting with the addition of .300 career switch-hitter Victor Martinez.


Tomorrow the real training for the season opening begins when Jim Leyland trims down the Spring Roster... 17 days to go!


GO TIGERS!   ---Rob




Photo Credits:
Andy Dirks by Robin Buckson- The Detroit News
Ryan Raburn by Robin Buckson- The Detroit News
Scott Sizemore by Robin Buckson- The Detroit News
Phil Coke by Robin Buckson- The Detroit News
Brad Penny by John T. Greilick- The Detroit News
Adam Wilk by Derick E Hingle- US Presswire
Fu Te Ni by Jed Jacobsohn- Getty Images

Where are they now, and will they play?

Curtis Granderson

Yes folks, time to look at our former Tigers and ask..  will they play this year?  For some the answer is easy.. Curtis Granderson?  Absolutely.. he is doing for the Yankees what he did for us as an everyday center fielder and key part of the Yankee offense and defense. So far he is showing no signs of weakness in Spring Training with 3 home runs for the Yanks.  For others the question may not be so straight forward.  There are 8 former Tigers who are non-roster invitees for whom only a very strong Spring Training will ensure they stay in the Majors this year.  One (Zach Miner) was given a Minor League contract and hasn't pitched an inning in Spring Training.  See the "Where Are They Now?(2011)" page for the Spring Stats on these guys so far.  Another notable player, Jeremy Bonderman, after 8 years with the Tigers is still a Free Agent unsigned by ANY team with 18 days left before the start of the season.  Is his career over, or will someone pick him up?

Dontrelle Willis

Lets look at some of the surprises so far and then I'll take my shot at who will not make it on a team.  In the "surprise" category we'll have to put Dontrelle Willis' 5 and 1/3 innings so far with Cincinnati.  Striking out 6 and only walking 3.. he has managed to improve upon a shaky start with the Reds.  He's one of the 8 former Tigers trying to make a team, and will be a guy to watch.  Will he have another good outing before the cuts come next week and make a team in need of starting pitching, or will the Dontrelle control issues we are so familiar with recur and send him to the Minors?

Everett tagging Asdrubal Cabrera.

Another pair of surprises so far are Adam Everett and Gerald Laird.  Both are hitting near .400 in training so far with their respective clubs.  Laird has a job with St.Louis and not likely to be cut in the Spring, however Everett is fighting for a Major League roster spot as a shortstop with Cleveland.  He may very well make the team as a backup to Asdrubal Cabrera if he continues his unmarred fielding and torrid hitting pace this Spring.

You may also remember Andrew Miller from the 2007 Tigers, and be a happy to note he is in camp with the Red Sox this Spring.  Although not a surprise, it is nice to see this non-roster invitee to Boston doing well in his outings so far posting 5 strikeouts and no walks in 5 and 1/3 innings with the Red "Stockings" as they were formerly known.  Boston is a tough team to break into the rotation or bullpen with so we will wish him well.  If he improves upon his innings so far, although not likely to begin the season with the team, we could see him called upon later as an experienced left-handed Major Leaguer who could easily replace a faltering starter.

Nate Robinson

Are there former Tigers who are struggling?  You betcha.. judging by the Spring outings so far, there are definitely some former Tigers who are making the decision let them go look like a pretty good one.  On the mound some former struggling Tigers are Nate Robinson, Armando Galarraga, and Fernando Rodney.  All three have gotten worse as Spring training progresses.  Fortunately two of these players, Galarraga and Rodney, have Major League deals as part of the 40-man rosters of Arizona and the Los Angeles Angels respectively.  Nate Robinson, however is a non-roster invitee to Seattle competing with 4 other pitchers for 2 open spots in the Mariner's rotation and will have to get better or miss the cut next week.  Watch the "Player Trends" page for these former Tigers and see if they trend up/down or out of the picture.

Along with pitchers struggling some former Tiger hitters are getting a slow start in Spring.  Notable are fielding errors in training games by Johnny Damon, the sure-handed Placido Polanco, and even the aging Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez.  Polanco is in no danger of losing his 3rd basemen's job with Philadelphia nor is Pudge his catching job with the Nationals.  They are both hitting in the .200's so far but that will change in the 2nd half of Spring Training.  One Philly who probably will not make the cut is lefty first baseman Jeff Larish who is only hitting .143 in Spring.  Although he is hitting for power, he will not likely be starting out the season on the active roster for Philadelphia unless he starts hitting for average too.

Bonine assigned to Minors.

So who else is not going to make the cut?  As mentioned above, I wouldn't be surprised to see Nate Robinson start in the Minors for Seattle.  Zach Miner as well will start next season in the Minor leagues for Kansas City.  Galarraga will have to put together some good innings to make the cut for 1 of the 2 open starting rotation slots with Arizona, or we'll see him start in the Minor Leagues as well. Arizona is in the cellar in Spring Training, and in desperate need of starting pitching, so it won't take a lot for him to make the team.  As yet unmentioned so far are former Tigers Eddie Bonine with Philadelphia alongside Polanco and Larish, and former Mudhen Casey Fien vying for a spot with Houston.  Bonine suffered at the hands of his former team during one of his Spring outings when the Tigers roughed him up, and Philadelphia has already reassinged him to Minor League camp.  Casey Fien, a non-roster invitee with Houston, will not likely start the season in the Majors either.

Remember to keep an eye on the "Where Are They Now?" pages to watch these and other former Tigers both now and as the season unfolds.

After today's split squad games I will post the latest on the current Tigers as well as my predictions for who makes the cut and who doesn't ahead of the team announcement on Tuesday.  As always...


GO TIGERS!   ---Rob








Photo Credits:
Curtis Granderson Photo by Gene J. Puskar - Associated Press
Dontrelle Willis Photo by John T. Greilick - Detroit News
Adam Everett Photo by Robin Buckson - Detroit News
Nate Robinson Photo by Harry How - Getty Images
Eddie Bonine Photo by Al Messerschmidt - Getty Images

Wild World of Spring Training

Well sports fans the first full week of Spring Training comes to a close today and so too does my week in Florida covering two of the Tigers games getting a taste of Spring.  So now it's time to take a look at the "Wide World of Sports" game the Tigers played against the Braves and take a larger look at the "Wild World" of Spring Training and see how the boys of Summer are doing so far this Spring.

Jair Jurrjens

The Tigers took on the Atlanta Braves and former Tiger pitcher Jair Jurrjens on Thursday at Disney's ESPN Wide World of Sports complex right here in Kissimmee, Florida.  In the match-up we saw Brennan Boesch knock a screamer over the right field fence letting everyone know (and showing on National TV) that his second half slump from last year is "long gone".  In the same game Tigers 2nd baseman prospect Will Rhymes made a spectacular play ending the 8th, snagging a line drive headed to center field with a leaping catch and doubling up the runner from 1st headed to 2nd to hold Atlanta to a 1-run lead at 3-2.  Atlanta had just scored 2 to go ahead after both a fielding and a throwing error by shortstop Danny Worth on the same ground ball with no outs earlier in the inning.  The Tigers came back to tie it in top of the 9th.  Highlights of the game include another solid outing by Max Scherzer who seems to be in season-ready pitching form even at this early stage, and a look at Miguel Cabrerra driving one deep to center against the wind indicating his early-spring hitting slump may soon be over.  The Tigers lost the game in the bottom of the 9th with the 3rd string players on both sides playing, and then dropped another game today played against the Baltimore Orioles where both sides did not have their starters playing to bring to close the first full week of Spring Training.

Cabrerra drives one deep to center field.

So how are the guys doing?  Check out the latest on the Spring Training (2011) page..

Max Scherzer

Starting Pitchers Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello, and Phil Coke are all off to a great Spring so far with 10 strikeouts amongst them and only 2 walks in their combined 15 innings.  Newcomer Charlie Furbush is getting a lesson in Major League hitting..and has a ways to go to show he can pitch at this level.  Look for him to be one of the first optioned to Toledo for more work when the Tigers pare down the roster if his current struggles continue into next week.  Watch a young man named Brayan Villareal.. he has thrown 2 innings of no-hit ball so far this Spring.


There are some eyebrow lifting numbers being posted by the relief pitchers so far this week.  First a couple of guys who are struggling.  Ryan Perry has not quite got his mojo from the end of last season back yet.  Also there is a newcomer with the best name in Spring Training: Al Alburquerque.  Unfortunately we may not get a chance to us his name very much since he is really having problems out of the gate.. holding the unenviable distinction of being the only pitcher on the staff taken out of a Spring Training game after a horrendous 30+ pitch inning against the Orioles.  On the plus side Valverde's outings so far have been productive, and Robbie Weinhart is holding his own giving up only 1 hit in his 3 innings of relief.  An early surprise is also non-roster invitee Fu Te Ni who appears to be over injury issues acquired last year and is throwing well so far with 4 strikeouts against only 1 walk and 1 hit over 3 and 1/3 innings.


So the pitching is looking very solid so far with the only real concern this early being how the relief pitching will fare.  We should know over the next few weeks.  Remember to keep checking the Pitcher Trends page to see how they do.


So how about offense and defense?

Will Rhymes

Two fielders looking to fill in at 2nd haven't been making too much headway with their bats so far.  Will Rhymes and Scott Sizemore are only hitting in the neighborhood of .200 so far, but Rhymes has shown some range and flash in the field at 2nd.  The third infielder in the mix, Danny Worth is hitting better, but stands out so far for his 2-error bobble at shortstop against the Braves.  He'll have to be perfect from here on out.

Andy Dirks, Danny Worth, Casper Wells

In the outfield the standouts are Ryan Rayburn, Brennan Boesch, and a newcomer serving notice in a big way.  His name is Andy Dirks and is simply hitting up a storm this week.  This non-roster invitee lefty is hitting at a .417 pace, going 5 for 12 with 2 doubles and a walk against only 1 strikeout this week.  Definitely a guy to watch and one that could be called up at a moments notice during the season.  The other outfielder standing out is the back-from-injury Clete Thomas going 5 for 10 so far with 3 RBI, a double and a walk against 1 strikeout as well.  Clete is on pace to match his .389 average from the 2010 Spring session.

In the disappointing category so far are the 3-4-5 hitters for the Tigers.  Ordonez and Cabrerra are under .200, and Martinez is at .231 with the franchise player Cabrerra only managing .083 so far.  Look for him to break out in a BIG way next week. Remember to keep an eye on the Hitter Trends as well to see which way these three key hitters are going.


So what about some former Tigers?  Perhaps are wondering how Dontrelle Willis is faring?  Maybe "Pudge" Rodriguez?  Nate Robertson, or others?  Well I can tell you that one former Tigers Pitcher that I wish we had not let get away was Jair Jurrjens.  We traded him to Atlanta for Edgar Renteria in 2007, and he has since become the ace of their staff.  Be sure to check the "Where Are They Now (2011)" page to see how Jair and other former Tigers are doing this Spring and beyond.  I'll go out on a limb already and say that based on the early outing by Dontrelle Willis for Cincinnati I expect he won't be at the Major League level very long.  He's trying to win a bullpen spot, and if he keeps walking batters that won't happen.  One notable Tiger Pitcher from last year is Jeremy Bonderman.  Surprisingly, Jeremy is NOT on a roster this year and is rumored to be sitting out the year, however there is talk that because of the injury to starter Adam Wainwright St.Louis might be interested in Bonderman.  If so that would reunite him with former Tigers catcher Gerald Laird who is hitting .286 so far in Spring Training with the Cardinals.


So that's a wrap from the "Wild World" of Spring Training.  I'll report again next Saturday.. until then.. 


GO TIGERS!    ---Rob






All Photos by:  Rob Hall - The Rob Hall Report