What is Up With the Tigers?
Mates,
Tigers: 2 runs on 8 hits
Angels: 7 runs on 6 hits....5 of them Home Runs.
Since when do we put batting practice pitchers into actual big league games? Are the tigers going to figure it out this year, or are they going to agonizingly melt away after their 9-1 start?
I'm not willing to give up on him yet. The farm is depleted and I don't see that getting better anytime soon. It doesn't seem like his drafts have produced much top level talent at all. In the end this might be his Achilles heel.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
so you're upset we locked down Miggy, the first triple crown winner since carl yastrzemski?
they shouldn't have been on the hook for Verlander, or Cabrera. Jumping the gun on their extensions killed the flexibility to do smart stuff.
the season at all? How has ending up with Greene been a good thing? He gave up 5 HRs in <2 IP tonight and his ERA is over 5.00. And that's with a kinder BABIP than last year. He doesn't strike anybody out and his GB% is down, that's a terrible formula. I'd almost rather still have Robbie Ray.
I don't understand the Fister trade at all. His contract wan't bad and he was solid for them. It was a panic move for a SS after Iglesias got injured and a failed attempt at getting a young arm to replace Fister. Maybe he didn't like the long term health outlook of Fister. He wore down at the end of 2013 and has been injured a few times since the trade. He might've seen something in his motion.
any of this up. What did they gain by signing those extensions when they did? They gained nothing and sacrificed two years of information before reaching a deal. You clearly don't want to take my word for it; Jonah Keri gets paid to write about this stuff:
http://grantland.com/the-triangle/detroit-tigers-sign-miguel-cabrera-to…
don't go other places two years before they hit free agency. It's nonsense to suggest you have to lock guys up two years in advance. It makes even less sense when you know your horizon as a contender isn't much longer than those two years. All the Dombrowski lovers act like he's built an AL contender in a capped sport. This is consistently one of the biggest payrolls in the game. A monkey could build a competitive team. The problem is, they're trailing two teams in the division that have $75MM less at their disposal. I'm insane for suggesting the guy who has done less with more is the problem?
If you truly believe the Twins are going to finish ahead of the Tigers than I have some ocean front property in Oklahoma i'd like to sell you.
I'd have to pay for it two years in advance, so I'll kindly pass.
my point. Look at the payroll data and tell me what the difference is:
You're not insane. They were both risky moves and I like that he takes risks. Cabrera and Verlander are two of the top players in baseball and fan favorites. He must've felt pretty confident in their ability to produce in the future to give out such deals. He was also probably worried about the constant increase in salaries given to top level players and figured he could get a deal if he locked them up early. What's the alternative? Wait a year and hope he has a bad year so you can get him cheaper, or let him walk? We will see if it ends up affecting them in the long run. Maybe Cabrera will go down as the best hitter to ever play for the Tigers and Verlander one of the best pitchers.
I'm not worried about Cabrera, but Verlander is obviously worrisome with his recent injury and inconsistent production. He's signed through 2019 which will keep him with the team until he's 36. It's not like he's signed until he's 40. He had a down year in 2008 where he lost 17 games and he bounced back from that. These are the cornerstones of the team that you build around. They've done more than enough for the Tigers to validate the extensions they signed.
criticism of the Lions for not locking up Suh a couple of years before his contract ran out. Even in hindsight, signing Cabrera was the right move. What would they do with the money if they let him walk?
again, guys cannot leave two years before they are eligible for free agency. There's never a good reason to negotiate with a guy before he's in the last year of his deal. Cabrera's a great player and I'm glad the Tigers have him, but I doubt his agent's bargaining power would've been much different a year after he signed his extension. In Verlanders case, he tanked the season after he signed. We would've either avoided that disaster altogether or got a better deal by waiting.
but with Trout, you're signing him early to hopefully save yourself money during the years his expected arbitration contracts are exploding in price - and when he's going into his prime. Signing Verlander two-years early to a massive deal when baseball precendent is that pitchers breakdown after 30, before seeing what happens in those two years is the problem.
I'm sure everyone will ignore this for as long as they can, but the tigers have one of the best bullpens in the league right now.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/2015-reliever-pitching.shtml
I think they're in a better position to make a run in the playoffs this year than in most recent years, manufactured runs, solid bullpen, and lockdown closer.
We're still in it. Just stay above 500.
Ausmus just pulled Wilson after he went 11-11. Ausmus is the worst manager in baseball. He is terrible. No feel for the game, and only plays the percentages. He is a little guy with no fire and inspires no confidence.
Quiet, small, numbers guy. He may as well be an Accountant.
I'm going to hope this is sarcasm, perhaps my meter is broken? How on earth can you fault him for pulling a reliever that likely isn't meant to go more than 2 innings?
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
I'm going to chalk some of this up to our usual west coast blues, but truly this team misses V-Mart more than I ever expected, Cespedes and JD can't protect Miggy and Kinsler's slump has come at just an awful time.
Honestly though, if people are criticizing the bullpen this year than they likely aren't watching many games.
EOM...I'm going to bed
What's up with the Tigers?
ERA, my friend. The damn ERA.
Eh, the Tigers team ERA - while not terribly impressive by league standards at 3.85 - is good enough to at least sit in the middle of the AL rankings. Same thing with batting average against at .254 - it is near the middle of the rankings. What I find kind of interesting is that they are second in innings pitched in the AL at 453.0 and tied for second in the AL in quality starts at 28, but yet they are near the bottom when measured on strikeouts as well as walks - they don't serve up very many of either of these.
The stats are confounding and the results are equally so thus far.