are the two best stories this year for the Tigers. Rodney maybe shaky but he gets the job done and Inge has been great in the field and aboverage at the plate.
Is it some sort of rule that Tigers' closers have to fit the nickname "roller coaster"?
I'm thinking that at least Cabrera and one starting pitcher will make it for sure, with Verlander, Jackson, and Porcello being the possible starters. I'm also really hoping that Inge makes it and it would also be nice to see Rodney in the game, and maybe Granderson.
Rodney never gets tired of mowing fools down.
My Tiger Allstar predictions are:
Cabrera
Granderson
Verlander
Jackson
Cabrera is my third first baseman behind Teixeira and Morneau, but Cabrera gets in because he is one of the top dozen hitters in the AL this year. This selection is sketchy though, as Kevin Youkilis might get in as the starter through fan voting, and there will not be 4 1B AL allstars. So Tiger fans, vote TEIXEIRA!!!
Granderson is clearly not having the year that Torii Hunter is having as an AL CF, but I give him the slight nod over Baltimore's Adam Jones as the CF backup.
Verlander is in easily, as is Jackson.
Porcello misses as a SP because there are several other guys (Grienke, Halladay, King Felix, Verlander, Weaver, Beckett, Sabathia, Millwood, Jackson, Beuhrle, Saunders, and several others) that probably have better numbers.
Rodney misses because even though he has not blown a save, ERA is going to figure in more prominently than blown saves I think. Normally 4-5 relievers go, and I see 8 guys that have a solid case to be chosen over Rodney.
Inge is the guy that I am torn on. Probably my favorite player, but I think that Evan Longoria's numbers pretty much put him in as a lock. Inge and Chone Figgins are the next two guys to consider. Offensively, Figgins has the speed and batting average, Inge has the pop. Inge wins defensively, but both are solid. I would take Inge, but I have a suspicion that he gets overlooked here.
Yaaay, another Mgopoint.
Jackson and Cabrera deserve it the most.
Rodney's perfect save percentage is a testament to the weirdness of that rule, as well as to Leyland's quick hook with him. If you come into a save opportunity, put people on base and then get pulled, you can get charged earned runs if they go on to score, but not a blown save. That's exactly what's happened to Rodney on a couple of occasions this season. There was one game in which he inherited a 6-3 lead, walked the first three batters, and then got pulled. All three went on to score, but since Rodney was not pitching when they did, he technically didn't blow the save.
that is one of the stupidest statistical rules I've ever heard. You're responsible for the runs but not for the result of the runs being scored? oy...
I was just going to say something about that. That was the White Sox game in Chicago where Cabrera hit the HR in the 10th to win it, right? So he came in with a chance to save the game, screwed up so he didn't get the save, but he didn't blow the save. Makes total sense. So do they still say he has converted all of his save opportunities? Because that obviously isn't true.
Technically, they should say that he has 17 saves in 18 save opportunities with no blown saves. Because of that stupid rule, that is technically correct.
Yeah, that would be a little more precise. I'm not positive but I think he's had 19 opportunities - I think there was one other game, earlier in the year, where he was also pulled after putting people on base.
I think Rodney is a big stretch. Even though he has great save numbers, I don't think he is worthy of all-star consideration. The save is one of the most overrated statistics in baseball, as previously evidenced by Todd Jones. That being said, Rodney is clearly much improved this season after seemingly regaining control of his fastball to some extent, and I don't immediately have a panic attack as soon as he steps in the game with anything less than an 8 run cushion. Like previously mentioned by other posters, Verlander and Jackson are locks, Cabrera is a 75/25 yes and Granderson and Inge both are borderline. I hope Inge gets in as a backup, because I think he deserves it.