AL Central Smack Talk

[Cleaves2000]

Awwww man i forgot. NOW I KNOW WHY THE TIGERS DROPPED IN RANKINGS. we traded clete thomas. Hows that working out for minny? Another GOOD prospect the tigers gave away.

 

[mr.hockey4242]

Everyone in our organization should be canned.

We just called up a 33 year old. WHAT THE FUCK.

 

[Nosferatu]

Baseball America has listed Buxton and Sano the #1 and #3 prospects in baseball... The future looks bright baby...

 

[Shanemansj13]

I don't know if we could get a big name, but Garza would be a good 2. Masterson, Kluber, and unfortunately Jimenez are the 3 guys. Kazmir is in it too, he has actually starting to get closer to pitching close to his old self. And the fifth guy could be a couple guys but Salazer could win it. If we could switch out a guy for Jimenez it wouldn't be a bad rotation at all.

The Tribe are for real. Jason Kipnis is starting to look like a Pedroia/Cano type 2nd baseman. If Asdrubal returns to his good bat, and Brantley stays warm.. the Indians could present trouble for the Tigers. The SPs are not nearly as good as Detroit's, but you do have a much better closer and pen. If this Slazar kid is real, you are that much closer. You do need a shutdown pitcher for playoff run.. like a Hamels or Lee.

 

[Shanemansj13]

Is Matsuzaka's career done, bc I know he is on the Triple-A team. He is prob too old!

 

[RollingHills]

do not confuse my optimism for the future as smack talk, it is closer to grasping at straws. the tigers have been the twins daddy for three seasons now. i do not forget this. nor have i forgotten our dominance prior to that. cleveland's too. when all i have is farm systems to brag about, i have little. i know DD will re-stock. I know we will not spend what you do. You are the Yankees of the Central. Except not the winning history.

 

[Nosferatu]

You are the Yankees of the Central. Except not the winning history.

Got a good laugh on this one...

 

[mr.hockey4242]

Clete Thomas blows.

But Clete, even for a 5 starter Porcello sucks. Turner idk what he will do but will almost certainly be better than Porcello. Rick is ass.

Your top 4 is awesome though.

 

[CaptO]

The Tribe are for real. Jason Kipnis is starting to look like a Pedroia/Cano type 2nd baseman. If Asdrubal returns to his good bat, and Brantley stays warm.. the Indians could present trouble for the Tigers. The SPs are not nearly as good as Detroit's, but you do have a much better closer and pen. If this Slazar kid is real, you are that much closer. You do need a shutdown pitcher for playoff run.. like a Hamels or Lee.

Salazar IS real. Got to start bringing him up. Use 6 guys in the rotation on occasion, give a not so consistent 2-starter (like Jimenez) one start instead. Lee is waaaay out of our league money-wise. And like Shane said, Garza would be a good option - but hes gonna cost. If anybody can convince the FO to fork over serious bucks, though, its Tito

Chis is heating up & Stubbs & Bourn go serious wheels once they manage to get on base. Giambi is clutch with RISP. If it all falls together we got a good chance to challenge Det. Thing is - I dont think us or the Tigs are any match for Boston, Oakland, Tampa, Texas or the O's

 

[CaptO]

Is Matsuzaka's career done, bc I know he is on the Triple-A team. He is prob too old!

Doubt he'll ever play in the bigs again, too wild. Maybe he'll be content to stay in 3A. Shame a guy with his talent fell so far, hard to figure out what happened & why

 

[Howie115]

But
last year offense was average and pitching was actually worse. So it is a
different team and hopefully can keep it up after the All-Star break.

Yes, it's a different Cleveland team. This is a different Tigers team, too. Full year of Sanchez, Infante at 2B instead of Raburn/Santiago, Hunter in RF instead of butcher Boesch, V-mart is back (and now hitting again), and we have a healthy Doug Fister (he was DL'd twice last year). Even our #5 starter (Porcello) has 10 quality starts. We could use another reliable bullpen arm, and our regular catcher (Avila) has been a bust. Other than that, I don't see anywhere we are weaker than last year, and have shored up a lot of holes.

You havent told me ONE good player outside of grandy, but like i said grandy
fetched us ajax and scherzer....you wont find ONE person outside of ahemmm
(((cough))) ((((cough)))) BLEACHER REPORT, that thinks the tigers didnt win that
trade, the miggy trade, the fister trade, the sanchez/infante trade.......so
keep reaching.........ill be waiting for all this GOOD talent we have been
giving up....i cant even remember who the twins got for d young.....young helped
us win an AL pennant. And it looks like it didnt cost us much.

Sad to see Jacob Turner go. He's 3-1 with a 2.33 ERA in 8 starts for the Marlins since his call-up. Though we did get two guys (Sanchez and Infante) in that trade who can play (and play well) right now. When you have a team capable of getting to a World Series again, you make that trade every time. We'll see how Turner's numbers hold up 2nd/3rd time through the NL, but other than him -- no, I don't miss any of the so-called prospects the Tigers gave up.

And I reiterate, most of our current team is young enough to still be playing very well in 2015.

Pitchers:
Verlander - 30
Scherzer - 28 (though not signed into 2015)
Sanchez - 29
Fister - 29
Porcello - 24
Smyly - 24

Hitters:
Cabrera - 30
Fielder - 29
Jackson - 26
Infante - 31
Peralta - 31

The three at-risk guys in 2015 because of age would be Hunter (currently 37), V-Mart (currently 34) and Benoit (currently 35). Castellanos and Garcia will be up in 2014-15, so Hunter's spot is covered. If we don't have the guys in the system to replace the other 2 players, I trust DD to find someone and Ilitch to put up the necessary bucks.

 

[Howie115]

But Clete, even for a 5 starter Porcello sucks. Turner idk what he will do but
will almost certainly be better than Porcello. Rick is ass.

I have been pretty critical of Porcello's failure to improve over the years, but find me more than three #5 starters in the majors who have 10 quality starts this year.

 

[Cleaves2000]

I have been pretty critical of Porcello's failure to improve over the years, but find me more than three #5 starters in the majors who have 10 quality starts this year.

I dont mind porcello as our 5th. The problem is, is when hes off, hes off. But he has some QS this year. Only issue i had, was i thought we needed a lefthanded starter.

You nailed it howie.....this team has 2 holes.....bullpen help and catcher. I wish pena would catch more since avila is back. But i guess avila must call a better game behind the plate. Smyly and benoit have been great. But the rest has been garbage. Lucky our starters go 6-7 innings on a regular basis.

I see good old quest on cbs tiger stories. Now hes saying JV is gonna have tommy john.....what is it with some of these twins fans. Geez they love to hate the tigers and make their own headlines. "JV NEEDS TOMMY JOHN"......"ITS 2015 AND DETROIT HAS FALLEN OFF, BECAUSE THEY TRADED A BOATLOAD OF YOUNG TALENT AWAY".....whats next? Miggy on roids? Jhonny P suspended? Fielder blows out a knee?

 

[Cleaves2000]

Tigers interested in the freak lincecum for BP help?

 

[mr.hockey4242]

Wow. Cleaves just realized I typo-ed and called you Clete. I'm sorry that was a serious a low blow.


But, don't associate that sack of shit Quest with Twins fans. He's still on CBS verbally attacking any Twins fan with a brain that bashes the teams weaknesses. To Quest, we are still cream of the crop.

 

[Cleaves2000]

Wow. Cleaves just realized I typo-ed and called you Clete. I'm sorry that was a serious a low blow.


But, don't associate that sack of shit Quest with Twins fans. He's still on CBS verbally attacking any Twins fan with a brain that bashes the teams weaknesses. To Quest, we are still cream of the crop.

Lol mrgardy opps i mean hockey.....i thought u forgot a word or 2 and was still talkin bout clete lol......i do have a big swing like clete. A 12 yr old struck me out a couple weeks ago when the coaches played the kids....i also pulled a canseco....except ball hit the palm of my glove and went over for a HR. no head bounce tho. Hockey when i first met u, we argued alot, but i respect you more because you are not 100 percent just hating on the tigs all the time. U will give credit when credit is due, AND you will point out problems with your teams. Except when u argue with dougie, which i fully understand since me and dougie go at it with scUM and sparty.

 

[Cleaves2000]

And anyone that thinks im just a "homer" need to check out me on the lions boards. I love the lions but i get into it with the fans over there drinking the blue kool aid, who think every player on the lions is great.

Seriously.....they think mike thomas is a stud.....levy is an above avg LB.....before i argued with a guy that thought eric wright was a pro bowl caliber CB. they think leshoure is a great RB. I guess because he had a bunch of 1 yard plunges......if the tigers fall to the lions level ill tell the truth on that one too.....leyland, lamont, coke, avila, and now AL AL can all hit the road in my eyes. Im not gonna throw dirks under the bus tho.....hes still respectable.....we cant have all stars at every position.

 

[tygerphan4ever]

I dont mind porcello as our 5th. The problem is, is when hes off, hes off. But he has some QS this year. Only issue i had, was i thought we needed a lefthanded starter.

You nailed it howie.....this team has 2 holes.....bullpen help and catcher. I wish pena would catch more since avila is back. But i guess avila must call a better game behind the plate. Smyly and benoit have been great. But the rest has been garbage. Lucky our starters go 6-7 innings on a regular basis.

I see good old quest on cbs tiger stories. Now hes saying JV is gonna have tommy john.....what is it with some of these twins fans. Geez they love to hate the tigers and make their own headlines. "JV NEEDS TOMMY JOHN"......"ITS 2015 AND DETROIT HAS FALLEN OFF, BECAUSE THEY TRADED A BOATLOAD OF YOUNG TALENT AWAY".....whats next? Miggy on roids? Jhonny P suspended? Fielder blows out a knee?

On the ESPN board, if I had a nickel for everyone who predicted the Tigers would be irrelevant long before now, why..

The truth is, as long as we have Illitch bucks and DDs gunslinger ways working for us, the Tigers will be up everyone's nose for years to come. Yes, they will NEED some middle relief help to bridge the gap from the starters to Smyly/Benoit, but other than that, Detroit has well enough blast power elsewhere in the lineup to absorb the offensive deficiencies at catcher.

One footnote to this.. while our overall farm system remains in the bottom 5-10, what we do draw is stout individual performers, for instance, Castellanos and Garcia are excellent trade chips should we need to move one or both to acquire whom we need. Aside from that, has anyone mentioned the Tigers had a strong pitching draft this season??

 

[RollingHills]

I would not call myself a Tigers hater. But I am not a liker, either. Cleaves, and other AL Central fans who have been around for a while, should recall their comments during the 'lean' years. I remember when the Tigers went 12 years without a winning season (1994-2005). When you guys won in 2011 the Central, it was your first division win since 1987. I took on all kinds of arguments on as Minnesota won 6 titles in 9 years in the 2000s. Now it is your turn to sit in top and defend.. soon it may be someone else's turn.

 

[tygerphan4ever]

I would not call myself a Tigers hater. But I am not a liker, either. Cleaves, and other AL Central fans who have been around for a while, should recall their comments during the 'lean' years. I remember when the Tigers went 12 years without a winning season (1994-2005). When you guys won in 2011 the Central, it was your first division win since 1987. I took on all kinds of arguments on as Minnesota won 6 titles in 9 years in the 2000s. Now it is your turn to sit in top and defend.. soon it may be someone else's turn.

I remember back in 06/07 on the ESPN board when the Twins, with their 'pirrhana' lineup used to just nibble and bite pitchers to pieces, and the Tigers were just up and coming. I used to have some knockdown dragouts with Twins fans.. especially Gunnarthor.. he was a tough nut to crack haha. So, I'm with you on how it works when it comes to defending the top of the hill ; > /