almost 50 games into Cabrera’s career as a Tiger and what have we seen:

He is an average hitter overall.

He is terrible hitter with RISP.

He has average-to-marginal HR power.

He can’t field his position.

The guy just sucks. The Tigers should get rid of him before the league realizes that he is grossly overrated. When that happens, his trade value will plunge to zero.

This has been the case since Leyland took over, as far as I can recall.

http://grittyandclutch.blogspo.....mancy.html

Has it been Leyland’s (and maybe Hernandez’s) MO all along, this no guy warming up in the pen when X is in trouble, or is it new? If it’s not new, I have to ask: Do you HAVE to have a guy warming up in the pen when there’s trouble with the current reliever? If you do, then once the bullpen is in, shouldn’t somebody else be warming up just in case for the whole rest of the game? A pitcher can lose it at any given point. Could it be that Leyland puts the guy in he expects to get it done that whole inning, no “we’ll see how he does against this guy” about it? How long does a guy have to warm up in the pen anyway? Why wouldn’t a team have the available bullpen guys staying loose all game? Would it kill their expensive arms to throw a baseball once in a while over the course of 3 hours?

I’m just trying to understand, not defending Leyland. But I do wonder why I never see questions from the press or answers from Leyland on this matter. It seems quite controversial among devoted and knowledgeable fans here.

Feel free to think of me as stupid, but direct your comments to the questions, please.

As far as small sample size for OPS/BA with RISP goes: It’s not that I don’t expect Cabrera’s numbers to go up. It’s that I find them disappointing so far. These are real results from real games, even if it’s only been 2 months.

Cabrera will tear it up, no doubt, but after 50 games he’s still one of the more culpable ones in the Tigers’ failure to plate runners.

2 areas of disappointment with Miguel Cabrera:

POWER: Matt Joyce has the same “new league” problem. He has 5 HR. Cabrera has 7 in many more at bats.

RISP OPS: Only Granderson, Joyce, and Raburn are below Cabrera. Even woeful Sheffield tops him. Cabrera’s RISP batting average is .204, not much better than Sheffield, and again only 3 Tigers are worse.

This is just disappointment. He’s not a “bust.”

Matt Joyce also doesn’t have a book against him about what his strengths/weaknesses might be, and if there is one starting it certainly isn’t pack with 4 years of trends and tendencies like Miggy’s is. New league and many of these pitchers have faced him, however, they have the book on what he likes and what he doesn’t like.

That said, the rest of those splits are nice but incredibly small samples (as most splits are) and usually (especially in May) are still prone to large fluctuations one way or the other so I don’t put much stock into his OPS in different situations.

If the Tigers are going to stumble to 77-85, they could make it more interesting for me by addressing some 2009 problems already this year. Getting a real third baseman, a real catcher, a real closer, and overhauling the starting rotation by degrees (how? I dunno). If not a real catcher, then ease Inge into the starting role already this year. Or play Inge somewhere everyday – the more you play him, the more tradable he gets. Maybe some gullible team can be induced to part with pitching for him. Lose Sheffield and put Guillen where he belongs and where he’s going to end up in 2009, anyway.

All that or something equally “radical” would be more entertaining than the show they’re currently putting on. Win 19-3, lose 6-1. Sure, losing is never satisfying, but there are degrees of dissatisfaction with it.

Still glad I’m not a Mariners fan, though. Go Tigers.

I don’t fault the Tigers’ off-season moves. I was looking forward to the offensive juggernaut. It ain’t happening. I can only hope the Tigers don’t decide that the plan only needed to “marinate” for a year, and then roll it out again in 2009. I hope there’s more emphasis on pitching and defense next time, even if it takes parting with some of the offensive pieces.