The Detroit Tiger Weblog

Category: Previews

  • Tiger Linkfest

    Roster Issues

    I’ve said pretty much all I have to say about the Carlos Pena release in that I don’t like how the roster sets up. Knobler’s blog today didn’t make me feel any better

    Leyland raved again after the game about Ramon Santiago. Santiago is very likely to make the opening day roster, in part because they need a backup shortstop and Omar Infante’s right shoulder tendinitis makes it hard to consider him for that spot. Infante is on the team, though. In fact, they had Infante and Alexis Gomez work out today at first base. They need someone else able to play first, in case they pinch-run for Shelton in a game where Dmitri is the DH. Pretty good indication that Gomez has a very good chance to be on the team as the extra outfielder, too.

    If Infante can’t be the back-up infielder because of his arm, maybe he needs to go on the DL. I’ve got nothing against Infante, and I think he’ll probably do okay this year, at least along the lines of his 2004 season. However, if he is your best pinch hitting option and he can’t play the left side of the infield there will be problems. I have a bad feeling that this bench is going to scare me more than opponents.
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  • Off Day Tiger Round Up

    The Tigers still have 45 players in camp, so there are a couple of sizable cuts coming.  The next one will probably be before the end of the week.  Until then, here are some items of note:

    The rotation is set – sort of

    Jim Leyland had already decided that Kenny Rogers would take the first turn, followed by Bonderman.  Now it appears that Nate Robertson will be the number 3, with Mike Maroth being number 4. There’s still no decision on Detroit’s 5th starter of course. While Leyland has said Joel Zumaya still has a shot (and really, he’s pitched good enough to deserve it), he’s slated to come out of the bullpen on Thursday. According to John Lowe, Zumaya could be the one to come in and face left handers, in lieu of another southpaw in the pen.
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  • Tiger Seasonal Previews

    A couple of looks at the 2006 season from fellow baseball bloggers…

    Simulation

    The Replacement Level Yankees Weblog has run 1000 seasonal simulations using 3 different projection systems: ZiPS, PECOTA, and Diamond Mind. With each of the 3 systems, Detroit was projected in 4th place, with approximately a 500 record.

    Diamond Mind was the biggest fan of the Tigers projecting the Tigers with a 81-81 record, and had Detroit making the playoffs in 11% of the scenarios.
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  • St Patty’s Bracket Busting Tiger Round Up

    The Boys are Back in Town

    	
Detroit	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Granderson, CF	3	1	1	1	1	0	1	.364
Guillen, SS	2	0	0	0	0	1	1	.250
Santiago, SS	2	0	0	0	0	1	2	.281
Ordonez, RF	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	.222
Taylor, RF	1	0	0	0	0	1	2	.379
Young, D, DH	4	0	1	0	0	1	0	.429
Pena, 1B	3	0	2	0	1	0	0	.194
Inge, 3B	4	0	0	0	0	2	4	.308
Gomez, LF	4	1	2	1	0	0	1	.317
Wilson, C	3	1	2	1	0	0	0	.400
Peterson, B, C	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.250
Infante, 2B	3	0	1	0	0	1	1	.455

    How about that lineup? It’s nice to see some regular names in there. Carlos Guillen and Magglio Ordonez saw their first action since Venezuela was eliminated from the World Baseball Classic. The game also marked Dmitri Young’s return to the lineup from his quadricep injury. Todd Jones should be on his way back, and we should also be seeing Pudge Rodriguez shortly. That leaves only Placido Polanco and Fernando Rodney MIA.
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  • Keep an eye on: Kevin Rand

    Over the last few weeks of spring training, I

  • Tigers Consensus Darkhorse?

    Two national publications came out at the end of last week and said that the Tigers could be good this year. Now they didn’t say the Tigers would be good, just that they could be good.

    First Baseball Prospectus’ Tigers notebook had this to say:

    But is the ridicule justified this year? The AL Central isn