2 years $26 million deal. According to MLB Network.
will be michigan's highest pick in a while
Best 1-5 in baseball.
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Until they reach the World Series, then they're not.
Well that's a different 1-5 than in this years WS so it's kind of hard to say that.
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So the first five batters all hit .300 or better in the previous year they played. I'll say that is a strong first five
We'll be lucky if Hunter hits .300 or better this year. He's a career .277 hitter, and this was the first year he hit over .300 (the closest he had been before this year was .299 in 2009). Plus, his BABIP was an unsustainable .389 this past season.
Still, I'll take .275 with .300+ OBP and solid defense. Great pickup by the Tigers, but let's keep our expectations realistic.
Edit: Here's the link to his Fangraphs page.
I'm a baseball noob, but hasn't OBP become more valued than BA?
Tho it comes with its own flaws
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Yes, however Hunters BB% fell and his K% rose last season, so it's not like he'll be a good OBP guy either.
That's one thing I noticed too, and has me a little worried. His inflated BA hides the fact that his K and BB numbers slid last year. It's hard to tell what's really the case though: is he losing his plate discipline as he's getting older? Was it just him feeling like he needed to be more aggressive, since LA got into a hole early in the season? Maybe he'll be able to be more patient knowing that he's got Cabrera, Fielder, and VMart hitting behind him. Man, that sounds so good.
this mean Delmon is out?
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Yep. DD said that he and Valverde wouldn't be brought back.
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I still can't believe that the Tigers would just let their all-time playoff home run leader just walk away. Delmon is the man, man!
Probably wants a long term deal and with Martinez coming back there's no spot for him in the lineup at DH. He's not a long term, everyday left fielder at Comerica.
We only need one DH, and Martinez>Delmon.
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2011 Martinez > Delmon. 2013 Martinez > Delmon? I think he will be, but ya never know.
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Don't want to bunch righties at the top of the order. Also, if Victor bats second, you have a nicely balanced lineup of R, S, R, L, R, L, R, L, R.
You don't bat VMart second. He's an RBI guy.
I actually think Hunter will hit sixth and Infante will hit second.
That way you will be Jackson (R), Infante (S), Cabrera (R), Fielder (L), Martinez (S), Hunter (R), Dirks, (L), Peralta (R), Avila (L).
Still balanced.
That is a possibility but Infante is not a switch hitter. He is strictly a right handed batter.
actually be the perfect #2 hitter. Switch hitter, great plate discipline, good OBP guy, rarely swings and misses. Everything you would want, except a bit less speed. I would like to see the good OBP guys bat ahead of Miggy and Prince, as opposed to behind. Hunter would slot in much better in the 5 spot than the 2 anyway.
Tremendous signing! Great defense, good bat, veteran leadership, great clubhouse guy. Not too expensive, either. Tremendous signing by the Tigers.
What's the deal worth?
This could turn out really well or really poorly for the Tigers. Hunter had a great year last year (hit over .300 IIRC), but he's also getting to be pretty old. Depends if this is a late-career resurgence for him, or just a good year. I know prior to last year people were saying he was starting to decline, and I think his power has decreased somewhat.
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My guess is Garcia starts in triple A now. Dirks in left and hunter in right.
I don't see how there is a downside for this signing. AJ in center, Hunter in left, platoon Dirks, Berry, Boesch/Garcia in right.
Also, they aren't signing Hunter for power. They are signing him for the intangibles: improved defense in LF, improved two/six hitter, veteran leadership. Details haven't come out yet, but I'd assume its around 24-26 mill. And the money really doesn't matter because Ilitch has opened the checkbook to win a ring.
Agreed. There really isn't much to second guess with this one. Really solid addition in many respects.
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But I'd put hunter in right over all those guys except Garcia.
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Preferred one year instead of two, but whatever. Happy to have him. Has anyone heard if we are going to use him as a lf or a rf? I would guess left when he's playing with Garcia and right when he is with Dirks
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I'm guessing that Garcia at least starts the season in Toledo, where he can start every day. Unless he earns a clear starting spot in Detroit, playing every day for Toledo is probably the best situation for him to mature and improve. No more platooning, please.
Gonna say the same about a 1 year deal but I will take it. This 1-5 in the lineup is pretty good on paper.
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ESPN report by Crasnick says it's a 2-year, $26M deal
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2 year, 26 million according to MLB Network, who cited USA Today. I'm an effing genius.
Probably 2 for 27, maybe 28. Anything more than 30 is bad because Beltran's 2 for 26 is the closest comparable and he is a superior player to Hunter. I really like this though. Put him in the 2 hole and our lineup looks 10x better. Plus, he can play a good left field
Some summary offensive stats for Hunter for 2012, for reference:
.313 BA, 16 HR, 92 RBI
167 hits, 81 runs, .365 OBP. and .817 OPS
If he can produce comparably this coming season, that gives the Tigers' lineup a little more horsepower and ability to produce runs, so it is an upgrade in this sense alone.
One thing that I think you get with Hunter, however, is someone who can mentor young outfielders, which would be an intangible but definitely useful in the clubhouse. He has historically gotten rave reviews for this ability.
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So apparently it's 2 for 26. Great deal. DD is underappreciated
I wonderwhat that money means for Sanchez. He's looking for 6 years $90-100m. Hope we can keep him. Beating the Yankees out for Hunter could mean they spend the money on Sanchez instead. Boston just freed up a ton of $ too, and their rotation is dildos, to quote Skwisgaar.
How many times have you been on the freeway and had someone fly by you at 100 mph then end up 2 cars ahead of you at the off ramp? What's the point? -Mark Harmon
Love it, stretches the lineup and instantly upgrades the defense. The Tigers became a better baseball team today and the alternatives in right field weren't all that overwhelming. Garcia will be good but this gives him more time in Toledo to work on some extra base power.
Blank.....Blank......You're not looking at the big picture here.
1. Jackson
2. Hunter
3. Cabrera
4. Fielder
5. Martinez
6. Dirks
7. Peralta
8. Avila
9. Infante
Mmmm I'm liking that lineup.
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