With this year coming to a close I wanted to review the season, what has happened to the team, and what may lie ahead. This is my first attempt, so please be gentle.

After reaching the World Series last year, the team had great aspirations for this season, especially keeping the team mostly intact and adding Sheffield. Unfortunately, it didn’t play out as we’ve all hoped:


While team managed to stay relatively injury-free last year, this year was a different matter. Rogers, Tigers’ 17 game winner from the previous season and team’s pitching leader missed most of the season with an ailment. Sheffield, who was really hot, injured his shoulder, and after missing a chunk of the season came back not at full strength and his hitting suffered significantly. Instead of hitting the ball out of the ballpark as he did prior to injury, he kept hitting pop ups and his batting average slipped over 40 pts. Rodney and Zumaya, who kept the bullpen together last year, missed a part of the season with injuries, and it took them a while to get back into shape.
Last year Tigers received outstanding pitching from Bonderman and Robertson. While both guys started out on a high note, Robertson began struggling in a pretty bad way and had to miss some time with tired arm. He came back after that but for the most part was ineffective. His ERA is up by about a run after continuously dropping ever since his first year with Detroit. Bonderman was great during the first half of the season, and he was one of the main reasons Tigers were able to stay on top while the offense struggled in the early part of the season. However, later it was a different story. The guy went from stud to dud and after having a 10-1 record in the middle of July with an ERA of 3.5 he ends year early with elbow problems with an 11-9 record and 5.01 ERA. His ERA comparatively to the last season went up by about a run. This was significant, considering that those two combined for 27 wins last season and gave the team about 70 more innings pitched.
Nobody stepped up beyond Verlander, Bonderman, and Robertson. Miller didn’t look ready, and Jurrjiens is too young.
Tigers lost significant production from Craig Monroe (.255 28hr 92rbi in 2006) and Brandon Inge (.253 27hr 83rbi). Monroe slipped so much that team waived him and traded him for virtually nothing to Cubs. Marcus Thames, given a chance in the outfield, proven that he is not an everyday player Tigers hoped he could become and the outfield was filled by committee of Thames, Rayburn, Maybin, and Perez. Clearly, Maybin is not ready for the majors yet. Perez, while hitting for a high average this season, has shown no power. And Rayburn is not the best defensive outfielder out there. Inge’s defense remained top notch and that’s what saved his roster spot because his offense practically evaporated. Tigers tried Mike Hessman at 1st and 3rd. The guy has tremendous power to the pull field, but he’s not making enough contact and strikes out way too much.
Tigers didn’t get much production from Sean Casey at 1st. While he’s hitting close to .300, he shows that he has no power left with only 4hr and 52rbi on the year.
Tigers have no backup catcher. Rabelo was more or less adequate hitting-wise, but he struggled calling the games.
The team seemed unable to get a clutch hit to win tight games. Last year they won a lot more of those.
Leyland’s magic seems to have disappeared. If every move he made last year happened to be the correct move for the situation, there were many questions about the moves he made this year. Seemed like he would pull a pitcher too early from the game, or leave a pitcher in for too long. Sometimes there were questions about the lineup for the game. I guess, this is a different season.
All those reasons contributed to the slide that team could not stop and slid right out of contention for the playoff spot, punctuated by the 3-game sweep by Indians in Cleveland, where Tigers led in every game. The offense wasn’t able to add runs when they had a pitcher on the ropes, and the pitching staff wasn’t able to hold the leads.

I say all in all it was a fairly successful season, especially considering all the injuries that team had to play through. They were still in the middle of the playoff race with a couple of weeks left in the season. The fans seem to have come back, especially with Tigers being the only show in town during the summer months. The team is planning to add more seats to accommodate increased attendance.

Now, onto the next season.

The team should remain in contention for the foreseeable future with the players in place. Dombrowski has done a tremendous job assembling this team and he has more work to do to address the issues at hand. I want to look at Tigers roster position-by-position:

1B – Casey is gone. The team needs some power at that position. It is possible that Guillen would move to that spot, and that would be preferable by me. By moving Carlos to 1B, Tigers should be able to keep him and his knees healthier. His knees also limited his range at SS and he’s been making more errors and less plays on the ball.
2B – Polanco is here to stay. The guy is true professional. He is one of the best hitters in baseball. He set a record for the errorless games played in a row. He will most likely remain in #2 spot in the lineup
3B – This is a tough one. Brandon Inge needs to get some serious batting practice in. He also needs to clear his head. The guy is clearly one of the best, if not the best defensive 3rd basement in the MLB, but he needs to hit to stay in the lineup. Mike Hessman is not an answer either at 3rd or 1st. He strikes out too much and doesn’t make enough contact. I would assume that Brandon will have a short leash next season.
SS – Another open question. Do Tigers acquire a SS and move Guillen to 1st or do they acquire a 1st baseman and keep Guillen at SS? The only option on the roster to fill the SS position is light-hitting Santiago, whose bat will most likely keep him out of the lineup.
CF – This is one of the positions on the team where there are no questions. Granderson had a great season. He increased his batting average, hit more home runs, drove more runs in, he stole many more bases while being caught only once. He cut down on his strikeouts by about 20%, and while it still remains an issue, he will work on it and should improve. Because of that I don’t think he should be in a leadoff spot. The guy with power who has a tendency to strike out is not your ideal leadoff hitter. I know those are hard to come by, so Granderson may spend another year in that position.
RF – Magglio finally plays up to his contract. If Sheffield stays healthy, Ordonez may be right in the middle of the MVP races. Unfortunately with Sheffield injured, Magglio didn’t have many runners to drive in and his production tapered off somewhat closer to the season end. Despite that, he still hits for high average and leads MLB in batting average.
LF – either the team is going to sign a free agent or it will be the same “by committee” approach. Leyland said that if the committee can save enough money to spend on a marquee free agent, he’s all for it. He likes Rayburn and he also likes Thames, but as a part-time player.
C – Tigers will probably pick up the option on Pudge since they have nobody else. And while he is on the decline, his numbers are still more than adequate for a catcher position and he’s still on the top of the game defensively. He keeps himself in such a great shape that his stamina should not come in question. Hopefully, Wilson will be back next year to give Pudge more of a break.
DH – Sheffield needs to get healthy and into the form he showed in May and June. He’ll be an everyday designed hitter next year.
SP – Tigers have 3 guys who will be in the rotation next season – Verlander, Bonderman, and Robertson. Beyond that it is all open. The team is seriously considering bringing Rogers back, obviously depending on his health. It may not be a bad move, but the team should look at the FA market to see if possibly a better option is available. The team needs veteran pitching presence to lead all the youngsters. Bonderman, still an enigma. He’s shown enough promise, but hasn’t shown that he can be consistently good. He needs to hone his off-speed pitches if he is to become a good consistent starter. Not sure what Robertson’s exact issues are, but he needs to be better. He’s one of the guys who always get low run support for some reason, but he needs to pitch better. Verlander is the ace of the staff right now and he should only get better. The 5th spot in the rotation is wide open. I am not sure whether Miller or Jurrjens for that matter will be ready next season. Miller needs an off-speed pitch badly since hitters just sit at his fast balls. Jurrjens is very young and another year in the minors wouldn’t hurt. He may be more ready for the major leagues than Miller at this time.
RP – Byrdak and Seay should be back as left-handed relievers. Rodney and Zumaya will be counted on even more next season. Hopefully they can stay healthy and display the same form they came back to close to the season’s end. Durbin could be a middle reliever. The question is what is going to happen with Jones. I think team would like to bring him in for another year, but he may get a 2-year offer from another team that Tigers wouldn’t be willing to match. Also, they may want to bring him in a different role, even though he said that prefers to close. Zoom may be ready to step into the closer’s role next season. I don’t know what is going to happen with Grilli. He started poorly, but he had to pitch a lot more than was prudent due to the fact that starters struggled. He’s been much better towards the end of the season. How does that play out I am not sure.
Farm system – I don’t see anyone in the minors that the Tigers could count on to produce the next season. Shelton has been a big disappointment down at Toledo. There are a few guys in the A and AA levels that could be contributing in a year or two, but nobody who could help next season. Look for Tigers to be active during the offseason. Ilich also said that his wallet is still open. The Tigers need a power-hitting left hander. They struggled mightily against the right handers all year long.

If Tigers can address their needs adequately, they should be on the top again next season.

Nice recap Hail, but you value power too much.

Nice recap Hail, but you value power too much.
By power I mean someone capable of hitting doubles and triples, with a few homers sprinkled in between. When was the last time Santiago hit a homer? Casey only has 4. I'd be fine if he'd have 12-15 which is still not much for a 1st baseman.

Very nice job, Mikhail. You mentioned Jurrjens is too young. I'm not sure about that. In 6 starts, he is 3-1 with a 3.90 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. Perhaps the Tigers could have used him 2 or 3 months ago. I still think guys like Miller and Maybin are going to be studs.

It's amazing how quickly expectations have been raised for the Tigers. It's definitely a good thing, but so many fans were left disappointed after the great first half of 2007.

Very nice job, Mikhail. You mentioned Jurrjens is too young. I'm not sure about that. In 6 starts, he is 3-1 with a 3.90 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. Perhaps the Tigers could have used him 2 or 3 months ago. I still think guys like Miller and Maybin are going to be studs.

It's amazing how quickly expectations have been raised for the Tigers. It's definitely a good thing, but so many fans were left disappointed after the great first half of 2007.
I believe in those three youngsters. However, I think that they may need a few months or a full season in Toledo. Maybe Jurrjens just needs to completely recover from his ailment.

By power I mean someone capable of hitting doubles and triples, with a few homers sprinkled in between. When was the last time Santiago hit a homer? Casey only has 4. I'd be fine if he'd have 12-15 which is still not much for a 1st baseman.

Slugging percentage would be the stat to look for then.

Nice recap Hail, but you value power too much.

I'm not a baseball expert, just a long time fan, but power is important. At least it was in the season crushing series against the Indians last week. We outhit those guys 31 to 21, but they out HR'd us 8 to 1 and took all three games from us. Those were winable games.

I think we led the league in number of hits this year. It's nice to get 10 hits a game, but if they end up being too scattered they may not amount to any runs scored. HR's provide instant runs. I haven't looked at our totals this year versus last year. But I suspect we hit hit fewer. The loss of Monroe's late inning HR's hurt us this year.

The obvious problems were injuries and the bullpen. But power is "good if you got it" as Greg Kelser would say.

Also, what's the deal with our home win-loss record? It's the worst of any of the contending teams. Why don't we win at home? It may be prudent for management to look at how we can give ourselves an advantage at Comerica Park.

I'm not a baseball expert, just a long time fan, but power is important. At least it was in the season crushing series against the Indians last week. We outhit those guys 31 to 21, but they out HR'd us 8 to 1 and took all three games from us. Those were winable games.

I think we led the league in number of hits this year. It's nice to get 10 hits a game, but if they end up being too scattered they may not amount to any runs scored. HR's provide instant runs. I haven't looked at our totals this year versus last year. But I suspect we hit hit fewer. The loss of Monroe's late inning HR's hurt us this year.

The obvious problems were injuries and the bullpen. But power is "good if you got it" as Greg Kelser would say.

Also, what's the deal with our home win-loss record? It's the worst of any of the contending teams. Why don't we win at home? It may be prudent for management to look at how we can give ourselves an advantage at Comerica Park.
Tigers had a poor home win-loss record ever since the CoPa was inagurated. The problem, as I see it, is that the park is best suited for the fast running team that can get those singles and doubles and run the bases. Tigers are more of a power team that doesn't draw many walks, and the balls won't fly out of the big ballpark as they would in a smaller park. That is why you'll see team like Angels being successful against Tigers - they are aggressive on the basepath and take walks.

Great recap Mikhail.. I was thinking about writing one myself when the season was over, but in essense, it was over when the Indians punked them last week.

I nominate you for a promotion from member+ to forum contributor :sssh:

Agree on most of your assessment. We definitely needed more out of Casey than just 4 home runs. His lack of power was evident during mid August when I recall a couple of games where there were men on third base with less than two and he couldn't hit the ball out of the infield for what appeared to be whole week.

I know both Pudge and Inge are veterans, but they need to practice with a batting coach over the winter. To many wasted at-bats in the bottom of the order that would kill rallies. Agree also that another back-up catcher is needed that who can not only hit, but knows how to control the pitchers and handle a wild pitch like Pudge does..some times:sssh:

The jury is still out on Sheff. The injury ruined his season, (and the Tigers) but I say bring him back as he still was second on the team in dingers, and as KP indicated we were very short on power after the break.. Bonds is free and he and Leyland are still friends, so he could be the lefthanded DH if he wants to move to the midwest and if the Tiger fans and players want him?? After all he hit more HR's this year than any Tiger (28) and his on based percentage, Slugging and base on balls were higher than any Tiger. (Of course now that the record is eclipsed it may not get the same type of piching from the AL pitchers).

Pitching wise, they need to trade for another decent starting left hander and use Nate as the long relief man.....he can no longer pitch more than 5 innings without imploding. I say lets go with Jurjens as the 4th starter and if the Gambler wants to hang around as long as Roger Clemens, then he can be the fith starter or the long relief guy.

Great recap Mikhail.. I was thinking about writing one myself when the season was over, but in essense, it was over when the Indians punked them last week.

I nominate you for a promotion from member+ to forum contributor :sssh:

Agree on most of your assessment. We definitely needed more out of Casey than just 4 home runs. His lack of power was evident during mid August when I recall a couple of games where there were men on third base with less than two and he couldn't hit the ball out of the infield for what appeared to be whole week.

I know both Pudge and Inge are veterans, but they need to practice with a batting coach over the winter. To many wasted at-bats in the bottom of the order that would kill rallies. Agree also that another back-up catcher is needed that who can not only hit, but knows how to control the pitchers and handle a wild pitch like Pudge does..some times:sssh:

The jury is still out on Sheff. The injury ruined his season, (and the Tigers) but I say bring him back as he still was second on the team in dingers, and as KP indicated we were very short on power after the break.. Bonds is free and he and Leyland are still friends, so he could be the lefthanded DH if he wants to move to the midwest and if the Tiger fans and players want him?? After all he hit more HR's this year than any Tiger (28) and his on based percentage, Slugging and base on balls were higher than any Tiger. (Of course now that the record is eclipsed it may not get the same type of piching from the AL pitchers).

Pitching wise, they need to trade for another decent starting left hander and use Nate as the long relief man.....he can no longer pitch more than 5 innings without imploding. I say lets go with Jurjens as the 4th starter and if the Gambler wants to hang around as long as Roger Clemens, then he can be the fith starter or the long relief guy.
I agree with many points here. Inge definitely needs to improve. I wouldn't expect him to hit much higher than .250-.260 but he needs to be at that range and cut down on strikeouts a bit. As far as Pudge goes, I think this is what we get from him. He rarely walked throughout his career and obviously his power numbers have decreased with age. He still should be a solid hitter for a catcher at about .290-.300 with 10-12 homeruns. Sheff will get you 30-35 homeruns if healthy and keep Magglio producing at a high clip. Not sure about Bonds though, wouldn't necessarily want his presense to ruin the clubhouse atmosphere especially since his skills are clearly on the down side. Robertson needs to cut down on walking people. Then he'd be able to get deeper into the games. He gave us over 200 innings last season and did very well. We need him to come back to that form. Maybe he'll be healthier and more productive next season. He's still a solid #4 starter and he's 31st in ERA in MLB this season. Not much is available ahead of him.

Excellent summary mikhail

I'd hate to see Inge traded. He's a great defensive 3rd baseman. I bet he'll be putting in a lot of BP in the off season and I hope he's able to at least get back to his 2006 numbers.

Though I like Rayburn, Maybin and Perez getting some time in backup roles, Dombrowski has to shop for a proven FA to fill LF.

I like shuffling Casey & Thames at 1B. I think Casey just had a bad year...like Inge.

Rabelo did okay, but the Tigers missed Vance Wilson this year. His absence may have had something to do with the pitching inconsistencies.

There are numerous questions about the pitching staff. IMO the only standout performance, besides Verlander, is Jurrjens in his injury-ended short-stint. He looked mature beyond his years. I wish Miller looked as good.

Excellent summary mikhail

I'd hate to see Inge traded. He's a great defensive 3rd baseman. I bet he'll be putting in a lot of BP in the off season and I hope he's able to at least get back to his 2006 numbers.

Though I like Rayburn, Maybin and Perez getting some time in backup roles, Dombrowski has to shop for a proven FA to fill LF.

I like shuffling Casey & Thames at 1B. I think Casey just had a bad year...like Inge.

Rabelo did okay, but the Tigers missed Vance Wilson this year. His absence may have had something to do with the pitching inconsistencies.

There are numerous questions about the pitching staff. IMO the only standout performance, besides Verlander, is Jurrjens in his injury-ended short-stint. He looked mature beyond his years. I wish Miller looked as good.
Casey had 20 or more homers only 3 times in 10 years in majors. His last 3 seasons - 9, 8, 4 and RBI - 58, 59, 52. So you be the judge as far as how much production we can expect and whether this was a down year for the guy.

Casey had 20 or more homers only 3 times in 10 years in majors. His last 3 seasons - 9, 8, 4 and RBI - 58, 59, 52. So you be the judge as far as how much production we can expect and whether this was a down year for the guy.Thanks for those stats...I didn't realize his HR numbers had been down that long. But forgetting the dingers, the guy's hitting .296 and is seventh on the club in BBs...not too shabby. I say keep him around for those numbers as a LH bat.

Thanks for those stats...I didn't realize his HR numbers had been down that long. But forgetting the dingers, the guy's hitting .296 and is seventh on the club in BBs...not too shabby. I say keep him around for those numbers as a LH bat.
The problem is that he's hitting primarily singles and he's way too slow on the base path. We need a bit more power and mobility. Also, him taking up a spot on the roster means someone else doesn't get to swing the bat. I don't know, this is a catch-22. He's a good defensive 1B and he does hit .300 in his career.

National press is talking about Barry Bonds coming to the Tigers. he could DH or play 1st base. Being off the field could rest him to continue his home run pace. He likes Leyland and Leyland likes him.

19 homeruns in 3 years?? Worst than I thought. At this point keep Casey on the roster, but regulate him to pinch hitter and the designated left swinging hitter when the opposing pitcher is a strongarmed righty and we got no other lefties in the batting order.

Promoted to front page of the forum.

Contributor status is for retired staff. We'll definitely look at recognizing active members once the rest of the offseason agenda is dealt with. You guys are THE FORUM.

Promoted to front page of the forum.

Contributor status is for retired staff. We'll definitely look at recognizing active members once the rest of the offseason agenda is dealt with. You guys are THE FORUM.

Congrats Mik, you get headline/feature story status. :thumb[1]::work::hail:

Good job Mikhail. I agree with Laimbeer that expectations have certainly risen. I'm not disappointed (not too much). I thought the Tigers had a nice year considering everything. I still think Leyland did a great job with the team. Magglio was awesome. The team was very competitive.

National press is talking about Barry Bonds coming to the Tigers. he could DH or play 1st base. Being off the field could rest him to continue his home run pace. He likes Leyland and Leyland likes him.

I thought about this the other day, but it simply doesn't work. The Tigers already have two designated hitters in Sheffield and Ordonez. Maggs is serviceable in right field, so that allows you to keep both Sheff and him in the lineup most of the time. The Tigers just have no use for another DH. Bonds has played about 3,000 career games, but he has never played one game at first base.

Tigers looked good this season. Somebody needs to straighten out the young pitchers (Bonderman). 90 victories woulda been a nice round number..............

Promoted to front page of the forum.

Contributor status is for retired staff. We'll definitely look at recognizing active members once the rest of the offseason agenda is dealt with. You guys are THE FORUM.
Hey Roscoe. I am all with you on this. I am not looking for the recognition or a different status. I am here because I enjoy it. I finally found a place where I can talk about sports with intelligent people. And I want to keep it this way and promote contribution of others.
Dre, thanks for recognition.
:cheers:

Excellent review.

The one minor point I might add is that maybe the Tigers already have the ideal leadoff hitter in Palanco. Palanco has a high OB%, and very seldom strikes out.

Maybe the following lineup could provide enough offense, improved defense, and leave enough money to sign a veteran SP.

1. Palanco 2B
2. Rodriquez C
3. Granderson CF
4. Sheffield DH
5. Ordonez RF
6. Guillen SS
7. Mabin/Thames LF
8. Inge 3B
9. Santiago SS

Excellent review.

The one minor point I might add is that maybe the Tigers already have the ideal leadoff hitter in Palanco. Palanco has a high OB%, and very seldom strikes out.

Maybe the following lineup could provide enough offense, improved defense, and leave enough money to sign a veteran SP.

1. Palanco 2B
2. Rodriquez C
3. Granderson CF
4. Sheffield DH
5. Ordonez RF
6. Guillen SS
7. Mabin/Thames LF
8. Inge 3B
9. Santiago SS

Any way you could replace Inge or Santiago with A-Rod?

Any way you could replace Inge or Santiago with A-Rod?
Probably out of our ballpark money-wise.

i'd open the vaults and see if he would like to go back to ss

Tigers looked good this season. Somebody needs to straighten out the young pitchers (Bonderman). 90 victories woulda been a nice round number..............

The competition was tough, 90 W's may not have been enough as the 4 best teams are already there and still battling out on who will get the HF advantage. Needed those 95 wins again like last year.

We all know that there were at least 15 games the tigers thru away to both bottom feeders and the Indians, that could have had them sitting at almost 100 W's at season end but there's always next season.

Verlander was probably 4 victories short of a Cy Young Award, and if Maggs had hit 15 more homers maybe we see 8-10 more victories and a certain MVP for him. Of course both those awards would only come into frution if the Tigers were the divison winner or even the wild card winner and the Yankees were sitting at home during the post season. :(

Excellent analysis and summary, Mikhail.

In retrospect, it is too bad we released Carlos Pena, a first baseman/designated hitter, in early 2006.

Carlos showed real power in 2005, hitting 18 home runs as a part-time player (only 260 at bats). At one point late in the season when he was playing more regularly, I think he hit home runs in something like four out of five games. One of those home runs was one of the longest ever hit in Comerica Park.

This year, Pena has really blossomed for Tampa Bay. He has 42 home runs and 116 RBI's. We could have used that kind of production this year.

Rob Parker's column today suggested that Sheffield should retire. It'll be tough for a 39-year-old man to go through surgery and rehabilitate. I'm not sure Shef wants to do it. I honestly was glad when they signed him and I think he contributed this season. Could he have contributed more? Certainly. But it isn't his fault he was hurt. Injuries did this team in. Plain and simple. But even with the injuries this team could have gotten in as they threw away too many games (as Dre pointed out). I'm actually kinda surprised they're gonna win 88-89 games.

Excellent analysis and summary, Mikhail.

In retrospect, it is too bad we released Carlos Pena, a first baseman/designated hitter, in early 2006.

Carlos showed real power in 2005, hitting 18 home runs as a part-time player (only 260 at bats). At one point late in the season when he was playing more regularly, I think he hit home runs in something like four out of five games. One of those home runs was one of the longest ever hit in Comerica Park.

This year, Pena has really blossomed for Tampa Bay. He has 42 home runs and 116 RBI's. We could have used that kind of production this year.
Tigers were not the first team to give up on the guy. He got cut the same reason Monroe got cut. He hit for very low average and struck out way too much. He couldn't make it with Oakland, Detroit, and Boston. In the last season with Tigers he hit .235 and struck out 95 times in 79 games. We all know he had power, he just had to put it together. He didn't want to play in the minors and that is why Tigers let him go.

Excellent analysis and summary, Mikhail.

In retrospect, it is too bad we released Carlos Pena, a first baseman/designated hitter, in early 2006.

Carlos showed real power in 2005, hitting 18 home runs as a part-time player (only 260 at bats). At one point late in the season when he was playing more regularly, I think he hit home runs in something like four out of five games. One of those home runs was one of the longest ever hit in Comerica Park.

This year, Pena has really blossomed for Tampa Bay. He has 42 home runs and 116 RBI's. We could have used that kind of production this year.

Talk about Comeback Player of the Year. Pena had 1 HR last year. Tonight, he hit his 43rd HR of the season. Who'd of thunk it?

What does everyone think of Ryan Raburn? Is he better than just a bench player? Is the future outfield of the Tigers to be Raburn, Maybin and Granderson? Or am I reaching here?

What does everyone think of Ryan Raburn? Is he better than just a bench player? Is the future outfield of the Tigers to be Raburn, Maybin and Granderson? Or am I reaching here?

I believe you're reaching. He'd be great off the bench since he can play multiple positions. But he's an average defender at best. I think he'll be around for a long time though because of the versatility.

I believe you're reaching. He'd be great off the bench since he can play multiple positions. But he's an average defender at best. I think he'll be around for a long time though because of the versatility.

If his bat is good enough, being an average defender doesn't bother me. I think you're right. He won't start, but he's been a pleasant surprise to me this season.

You know who the Tigers could really use at the top of their rotation next year? Johan Santana.

What would it take to land this guy? 6 years for $120 million?

Is Illich really committed to winning? Would he shell out that kind of money for Santana?

ESPN - Johan Santana Stats, News, Photos - Minnesota Twins - MLB Baseball (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/stats?playerId=4280)

You know who the Tigers could really use at the top of their rotation next year? Johan Santana.

What would it take to land this guy? 6 years for $120 million?

Is Illich really committed to winning? Would he shell out that kind of money for Santana?

ESPN - Johan Santana Stats, News, Photos - Minnesota Twins - MLB Baseball (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/stats?playerId=4280)
He'd look great in Tigers uniform. The problem is that he's under the contract with Minnesota next season and they'll be looking to trade him if they can't re-sign the guy. I don't think they'd want to trade within the division and I don't think Tigers are going to give up top notch prospects to a rival.

Go Cubs.

I don't think Tigers are going to give up top notch prospects to a rival.

Why not? If you had Santana, you wouldn't have to necessarily re-load the farm system as quickly.

The Twins would want an awful lot. And frankly, I don't think Ilitch wants any more big salaries. He's got Sheffield and Ordonez. Sheffield is being overpaid as it is.

Why not? If you had Santana, you wouldn't have to necessarily re-load the farm system as quickly.

The Twins would want an awful lot. And frankly, I don't think Ilitch wants any more big salaries. He's got Sheffield and Ordonez. Sheffield is being overpaid as it is.
I think they'll pay up in the right situation. The wallet is open.

Talk about Comeback Player of the Year. Pena had 1 HR last year. Tonight, he hit his 43rd HR of the season. Who'd of thunk it?
He hit #44 last night. Can we get him back next season?

Here's an interesting look at the possibility of Bonds playing in D-town next season:


On Barry Bonds coming to the Tigers: I suggested on Baseball Tonight the other day, you know what Barry Bonds is out there, the Tigers need a left-handed bat, desperately, and Jim Leyland is a guy that can manage Barry Bonds. Bonds is going to be one of those rare players, who in going to the American League will cost less money, then he is this year, because he was going for the record, so he was able to ask for more money from the giants and will be more productive because he is going to play more in the American League as a DH. I think there is a way that with Sheffield DH-ing, Bonds DH-ing, Sheffield playing left field, Maybin playing from leftfield from centerfield, you can maybe mix and match some playing time. Protect Bonds, protect Sheffield, get Maybin playing time for a young player, and have one of the most dynamic offenses around. Now there’s going to have to be some making up between Sheffield and Bonds for that to happen and it may be a pipe dream but you know what, Barry Bonds in that Tiger lineup with that left-handed bat it would really make a big difference.

More on Bonds coming to Detroit: He wants to get 3,000 hits and he is 100 or so, 80 away from that number He really wants to play next year. I think that it is going to be highly unlikely that National League general managers are going to make a play for him because he can’t play the outfield anymore. You give him 10 million dollars for a guy; he started 110 games in the outfield this year for San Francisco. That is not enough for a 10 million dollar player, so when you really start to factor it in the only way he gives the club value and where you maximize his value is in the American League. I think it is probably a stretch in Detroit. Jim Leyland can manage Barry Bonds, I really believe that. I think it’s a lot more about the Sheffield, Bonds relationship and whether that would be manageable.



STEVE PHILLIPS: On making Zumaya the closer and bringing Bonds to Tigers (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070928/SPORTS02/70928003/1050)

Bonds just doesn't fit with Detroit's current team. Sheffield's days in the outfield are over. There simply isn't room for two high-priced designated hitters on one team.

Power vs Slap
Power is to wreckless and leads to strikeouts and short innings.
Slappys make the pitchers work harder but usually need to run the bases better.
Clutch hitting makes both types of hitters champions.

Bonds just doesn't fit with Detroit's current team. Sheffield's days in the outfield are over. There simply isn't room for two high-priced designated hitters on one team.

What's wrong? Not up for a $20 million platoon system at DH: Bonds plays against righties and Shef against lefties? :)

What's wrong? Not up for a $20 million platoon system at DH: Bonds plays against righties and Shef against lefties? :)

Sounds good to me. I'm not sure if Sheff, Bonds, or Ilitch would go along with it, though...

Well, it's official. Leyland and Dombrowski met with Casey today and told him he was gone.

Once the club decided Carlos Guillen would move from shortstop to first base next year, Casey effectively lost his spot on the roster.

“This has been the greatest year and a half of my career,” Casey said before Sunday’s season finale. “I just appreciate being over here. The World Series last year was great.

“This is a great bunch of guys in here, man, and a great city. I love Detroit and the fans. I’ll miss that atmosphere. I’ll miss the staff. Those guys are great. It’s a top-notch organization.

“I appreciated that they (Leyland and Dombrowski) brought me in to say that to me, man-to-man. That was great. I have nothing but great memories here.”

Tigers tell Casey he won't be back in 2008 (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070930/SPORTS02/70930020/1048/SPORTS)

Too bad, I liked Casey.

bad move I think.
Maybe they're looking for something big....

Casey hit only 4 HR in 143 games this year. He is arguably the slowest guy in the major leagues. He is an incredibly nice guy, but the Tigers need production. I wish him luck.

Casey hit only 4 HR in 143 games this year. He is arguably the slowest guy in the major leagues.

Definitely a bench player these days. I know Thee likes his contact and so do I but playing at Comerica, we need speed. That's why Maybin will get a lot of time next season.

Definitely a bench player these days. I know Thee likes his contact and so do I but playing at Comerica, we need speed. That's why Maybin will get a lot of time next season.
I wouldn't call him a bench player. He's a guy who'll hit .300 and play all-star type first base. I'm sure there's a team out there that could use him.

Maggs wins batting title - first in a long while for Tigers.

THE CHAMP: Ordonez wins batting title; Venezuelan president calls to congratulate him (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071001/SPORTS02/710010360/1050)

Tigers milestones for 2007:

Ordonez - BA .363 - AL batting champion
Polanco - 200 hits, also first ever second baseman to play entire season without committing an error
Granderson - .302 batting average in his 2nd full season
Guillen - 21hr and 102 rbi - both career high
Mike Rabelo hit his first career homer in the last game

Leyland, when asked whether Barry Bonds could be an off-season acquisition: "Barry Bonds will not be a Detroit Tiger next year. End all speculation: He will not be a Detroit Tiger."TIGERS CORNER: Sheffield to find out if surgery is in his future; Leyland: Barry Bonds will not be a Tiger in '08 (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071001/SPORTS02/310010006/1050)

So, there we all have it.

Guillen is going to be at the 1B beginning the next season. He wants to play some winter ball at 1st to get more comfortable:

Carlos Guillen said he would like to play for Magallanes in the Venezuelan Winter League this off-season, as a way to gain more experience at first base. "I need to get better," Guillen said.


TIGERS CORNER: Sheffield to find out if surgery is in his future; Leyland: Barry Bonds will not be a Tiger in '08 (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071001/SPORTS02/310010006/1050)

I see from yesterday's box score that Leyland lead-off Palanco and batted Granderson 3rd.

Hopefully, that's a precursor of the Tiger's line-up next year.

Polanco could lead off, but he is such a great #2 hitter. He can bunt, move the runner over, hit-and-run, etc. The Tigers definitely need a leadoff hitter with speed and high obp. Grandy needs to cut down the strikeouts.

Polanco could lead off, but he is such a great #2 hitter. He can bunt, move the runner over, hit-and-run, etc. The Tigers definitely need a leadoff hitter with speed and high obp. Grandy needs to cut down the strikeouts.
Funny, but Polanco struggled with bunting the runners over at times. But he's one of the best #2 hitters in the league. He's not the best leading off because he generally doesn't take many pitches and doesn't draw many walks. Granderson strikes out too much for a leadoff man and he has enough power to be more productive somewhere down in the lineup.

Tiger fans were not the only baseball fans to suffer through a season of hopes and failure. The Yankees were the only team from last years final eight to get back to the post season play and will probably win it all to offset the Mets major collapse. So in the end, New Yorkers still have something to cheer about and instead of Joe Torre almost losing his job in May, it might be Willie Randolph in October. As Alannis Morisette would say: "Isn't it Ironic"

To put the season in perspective with how certain teams were primed for a playoff run, lets go back to July 19th, 2007. That was when our own Detroit Tigers set atop the major leagues with the best overall record of 57-36 and had just finished off a 4 game sweep of the Twins.

They talk about how the Mets blew a 7 game lead with 17 games to go over a 2.5 week period, but the six weeks that followed the Tigers sitting on top of the world were the most painful for the loyal Tiger fans. How could the best team in baseball in 2006 and the first part of 2007 suddenly just fall apart in both the offense and the pitching?? That will be pondered all winter, but as I indicated, the Tigers and Mets were not the only city to have to have a Jeckyl and Hyde first and second season. Look at the collapse of the national league teams

Look at the teams that had the best records on 7/19 and look how many are sitting at home this post season.
ESPN - MLB Standings, Pro Baseball Standings, Major League Baseball Standings and Team Records (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/standings?date=20070719)

American League
*Tigers... 57-36... out of the playoffs
*Angels.. 56-38.... in
*Red Sox.56-39.... in
Indians... 56-39.... in
Mariners.. 53-39... out
Yankees...49-45... in

National league
*Brewers 54-41.. out
*Padres.. 53-41.. out
Dodgers.. 54-42.. out
*Mets ....53-42... out
Cubs ......50-44... in
Braves ....51-45.. out
D-backs.. 50-45... in
Phillies.... 47-48... in
Rockies... 48-47... in
*division leaders at the time.

Tigers fell hardest.
Mets are in shame.

Mets' manager gets to keep his job despite the choke job:
ESPN - Report: Mets to keep Randolph despite epic fall - MLB (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3045841)

Leyland gets another year:
ESPN - Tigers extend Leyland's contract through 2009 - MLB (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3045922)

Funny, but Polanco struggled with bunting the runners over at times. But he's one of the best #2 hitters in the league.

IMO, Polanco would make a fine lead-off hitter. It is true that he didn't draw many walks last year. Neverthelss, he seldom strikes out, he puts the ball in play regularly, he has the 2nd highest OBP of any player on the team (with over 90 AB), and he scores a lot of runs.

IMO, Polanco would make a fine lead-off hitter. It is true that he didn't draw many walks last year. Neverthelss, he seldom strikes out, he puts the ball in play regularly, he has the 2nd highest OBP of any player on the team (with over 90 AB), and he scores a lot of runs.
As I said, it's a mixed bag. Unless Granderson drastically reduces his strikeouts, Polanco is the next best thing we have to a leadoff hitter. I would still site his lack of walks and his speed to be somewhat a deterrent, but I wouldn't have anything against him leading off.

ESPN - Pena, Young are MLB comeback players for 2007 - MLB (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3046011)


Pena set a number of Devil Rays single-season records in 2007 with 46 home runs, 121 runs batted in, 103 walks, a .411 on-base percentage and a .627 slugging percentage. He is only the 11th player to collect 100 walks, 45 home runs and 120 RBIs in a single season.

Young, who was let go by the Tigers during the 2006 season, earned his second career All-Star Game invitation with the Nationals in 2007. He hit a career-high .320, tied for eighth in the National League, and had 13 home runs, 74 RBIs and 38 doubles.


Both are good stories. Too bad they didn't happen when these guys were wearing Tigers uniforms.

ESPN - Pena, Young are MLB comeback players for 2007 - MLB (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3046011)



Both are good stories. Too bad they didn't happen when these guys were wearing Tigers uniforms.


Look for Curtis Monroe to have an excellent season next year:)

Look for Curtis Monroe to have an excellent season next year:)
Craig is in the playoffs with Cubbies.
:)

Craig is in the playoffs with Cubbies.
:)


oops, he looks like a Curtis to me:redface::laugh:

Gary Sheffield to have shoulder surgery Monday (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071004/SPORTS02/71004060/1060)


Gary Sheffield will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder on Monday, the Tigers announced today.

Sheffield, 38, injured the shoulder during an outfield collision on July 21 and was limited by pain for the rest of the season.

Sheffield was examined today by Dr. John Uribe in Miami. Dr. Uribe, who will perform the surgery, informed the club that Sheffield should recover fully by spring training.



Some good news. If he's healthy next year it would be huge help to the team.

Gary Sheffield to have shoulder surgery Monday (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071004/SPORTS02/71004060/1060)



Some good news. If he's healthy next year it would be huge help to the team.

Hmmm ... this is good news. An old guy like Shef, however, you wonder if he can stay injury free throughout the season.

It should be noted that Sheffield had torn his labrum. Thankfully the surgery was a success.

It looks like we're stuck with Inge and his contract. He won't get any better.

I'm confident DD will at least attempt to make a shake-up in this FA market, though its not a very good looking market. Maybe we land pull a couple strings and land a SS like Renteria.

That loud F-bomb coming out of NY was Steinbrenner and Torre saying it simultaneousley as the Yankees go down to the Indians and get bounced out of the playoffs in the first round for third year in a row. It wasn't as dramatic as the Tigers taking them out the Yanks last year, but it's good to see the guy with the highest payroll and his nasty threats to his manager will be upset the whole winter. Speaking of upset, the TBS announcer indicated during the 7th inning stretch that if the Indians won the series over the Yanks it would be upset??????

I think the Yankees need a change at the helm and it looks like they'll get one finally. Wow, people sure hate that team, and it seems to revolve around their payroll and the team's ability to outspend everyone. Seems like the Red Wings used to employ the same tactic.

Steinbrenner has NEVER understood how important chemistry can be. They didn't need A-Rod to win titles. They haven't won one with him OR Giambi. The Yankees that won in the past had guys who knew their roles. And as much as people hate the Yankees, those teams that had a lot of good players (and not necessarily great ones) like Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neill, and Scott Brosius were a thing of beauty to watch.

Steinbrenner didn't need Clemens either although his 10 appearances may have been enough to beat our Tigers to the pennant. Maybe if Dombrowki had made a move at the trade deadline he could have offset that lake Yankee surge.

I have to give it to Steiney though. He makes move to make his team better paying above the proverbial luxury tax while teams in Detroit get to the finals or world series and think they have enough in the tank to get back and win so they don't spend extra dollar for the extra person fearing they will upset the apple cart and of course spend to much money..

Tigers bring back Pudge. Good move.

ESPN - Tigers decide to bring back Pudge for 2008 season - MLB (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3055661)

Tigers bring back Pudge. Good move.

ESPN - Tigers decide to bring back Pudge for 2008 season - MLB (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3055661)
It is a good move. I would've thought they'd try to netogiate longer term with lower annual salary. Maybe they did and Pudge didn't agree. But we still need him. There are no alternatives.

It is a good move. I would've thought they'd try to netogiate longer term with lower annual salary. Maybe they did and Pudge didn't agree. But we still need him. There are no alternatives.

Without Arod Yanks don't make playoffs. Clemons steadied that pitching roster like Rogers did last year. Arod carried that team in April and May{when they stank the most}

Tigers bring back Pudge. Good move.

ESPN - Tigers decide to bring back Pudge for 2008 season - MLB (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3055661)


I think Pudge only wanted one year. This is good since catchers become throwaway players right about at his age. Just too strenuous a position.

I think Pudge only wanted one year. This is good since catchers become throwaway players right about at his age. Just too strenuous a position.

I don't know man, great pitchers want great catchers. Pudge is top notch.

I don't know man, great pitchers want great catchers. Pudge is top notch.


No arguement here on his current value..........

Congrats Mik, you get headline/feature story status. :thumb[1]::work::hail:i AM VERY PROUD OF YOU. wAY TO TAKE OVER THE mlb/tIGERS WHILE i WAS IN RECOVERY STATUS!!!Obviously, I havent learned to turn the cap lock off...

i AM VERY PROUD OF YOU. wAY TO TAKE OVER THE mlb/tIGERS WHILE i WAS IN RECOVERY STATUS!!!Obviously, I havent learned to turn the cap lock off...
Thanks, HQ. I think together we'll make it even better.
;)