Detroit Tigers Ongoing 2015 Thread

[Howie115]

I think we'll see Kinsler, Cespedes, Miggy, VMart, JD, 1-5 most of the season once things shake out. But id prefer Kinsler in the two hole and Cespedes lower in the lineup.

Me, too. Cespedes' .300 or so OBP is a liability in the 2-hole, but his power and RBI prowess is an asset hitting 5th or 6th. Saw the highlights. Yoenis and V-mart hit the CRAP out of those HRs, too.

The question then is who bats leadoff if Kinsler doesn't. Gose and Rajai have speed, but also mediocre career OBPs (Gose .301 and Davis .317). Gose still only 24 years old, so maybe he takes a bit of a leap forward this year.

 

[Howie115]

The Tigers have designated the following players from the 40-man roster for minor league assignment, barring any injuries to players still on the roster: Buck Farmer, Kyle Lobstein, Jose Valdez, Drew VerHagen, Alex Wilson, Josh Zeid, Dixon Machado, Wynton Bernard, Daniel Fields, Steven Moya.

This leaves 30 players left, 25 of which will come north in a week:

PITCHERS:
Al Alburquerque
Joba Chamberlain
Tom Gorzelanny
Shane Greene
Blaine Hardy
Ian Krol
Joe Nathan
Angel Nesbitt
David Price
Bruce Rondon
Kyle Ryan
Anibal Sanchez
Alfredo Simon
Joaquim Soria
Justin Verlander

CATCHERS:
Alex Avila
Bryan Holaday
James McCann

INFIELDERS:
Miguel Cabrera
Nick Castellanos
Jose Iglesias
Ian Kinsler
Hernan Perez
Andrew Romine

OUTFIELDERS:
Yoenes Cespedes
Tyler Collins
Rajai Davis
Anthony Gose
J.D. Martinez

DH:
Victor Martinez

The Tigers will surely keep 12 pitchers early in the year, so one catcher and either Romine or Collins are gone.

I'm a bit surprised to see Alex Wilson not coming north. Probably just a RHP numbers thing, given that the Tigers have to keep two lefty relievers -- probably Krol and Gorzelanny, with Hardy being left in Toledo. I suspect Nesbitt and Ryan will stay in Toledo, too. Ausmus has pretty much said that Joba will be in the bullpen, despite a so-so spring.

 

[dengel6]

J K Simmons to toss out the first pitch. Maybe Tom Sellack could sing the anthem and Kate Upton could just stand there.

 

[MiamiVice]

Alex Wilson pitched like crap. He was not able to get an out. Everything looked flat. He needs to hang out in Toledo and get himself right. Romine needs to be DFA'ed. He isn't the best option to be kept around. He has no options left and that is the only reason he even is being considered. If he had options he would have been sent down already.

 

[Lions=TeHsUcKs]

Still worried about this BP.. But alteast Mr. Filth Nathan could be gone..

 

[burfboy]

Collins sent down today....why the fuck is Romine still around?

 

[broncosmitty]

Collins sent down today....why the fuck is Romine still around?

You don't wanna know what those photos are of. Trust me on this.

(I don't think Collins brings anything of importance. Romine is a sure handed MI, like Santiago before him.)

 

[broncosmitty]

Me, too. Cespedes' .300 or so OBP is a liability in the 2-hole, but his power and RBI prowess is an asset hitting 5th or 6th. Saw the highlights. Yoenis and V-mart hit the CRAP out of those HRs, too.

The question then is who bats leadoff if Kinsler doesn't. Gose and Rajai have speed, but also mediocre career OBPs (Gose .301 and Davis .317). Gose still only 24 years old, so maybe he takes a bit of a leap forward this year.

I know they're both limited for leadoff types, but I think the lineup as a whole benefits with them at the top. (If Iggy gets hurt or can't hit his weight, Perez could be an option. But Id rather not see that.)

 

[MiamiVice]

Collins sent down today....why the fuck is Romine still around?

I can only assume there are naked pics of some sort. Collins will be up at some point. Its not a bad thing that he gets regular at bats at AAA.... but Romine should not be on the roster.. he should be DFA'ed. He can't hit. His glove is nothing special. If he plays one second in the outfield before Collins... I will go on a rant 2 pages long here. Just a heads up.

 

[Howie115]

Still worried about this BP.. But alteast Mr. Filth Nathan could be gone..

I can only hope that Soria and/or Rondon are up to the task of setup/closing this season, because I too have zero faith in Nathan from what I've seen so far of ST in addition to last season. I watched the ST game against the Braves yesterday on FSD... why oh why did they re-sign Joba, and why is he going to make the trip north with the team? He gave up 4 hits to the first 4 batters he faced, and all his pitches looked flat and fat. The only out he got in those first four ABs was on a steal attempt.

Oh well, at least Simon looked better. 1 ER in 6+ IP.

 

[gvsulaker82]

I wouldn't be opposed to cespedes batting before miggy. I think he has the potential to be great and batting in front of miggy could.definitely help with that.

 

[Howie115]

I wouldn't be opposed to cespedes batting before miggy. I think he has the potential to be great and batting in front of miggy could definitely help with that.

Yes, the guy hitting in front of Miggy won't walk much, and Yoenis doesn't walk much anyway... so I could see it that way.

 

[broncosmitty]

I hate strikeouts in the 2hole.


But there definitely will be more strikes for whoever is in front of Miggy. That's a huge advantage for a free swinger.

 

[Howie115]

Big sigh of relief ... Bruce Rondon's neck injury that had the Tigers considering not bringing him north appears to be a non-issue. He returned to action in yesterday's ST game, and struck out the side in his one inning. The bullpen needs him healthy.

On the flip side, JV will not pitch any more this spring due to that triceps soreness, and his start against Minnesota next Wednesday is in jeopardy. If the Tigers choose to DL him retroactively, the soonest he can pitch in the regular season is April 12 at Cleveland.

 

[Howie115]

I can only assume there are naked pics of some sort. Collins will be up at some point. Its not a bad thing that he gets regular at bats at AAA.... but Romine should not be on the roster.. he should be DFA'ed. He can't hit. His glove is nothing special. If he plays one second in the outfield before Collins... I will go on a rant 2 pages long here. Just a heads up.

I think you hit the nail on the head, naked photos notwithstanding. Romine has no minor league options left, while Collins and Moya need to get regular ABs for a while versus playing once or twice a week with the big club. Romine also has value as a pinch runner, and despite his limited defensive skills (particularly his arm), he has played 3B in the major leagues and is a slight upgrade over Castellanos in the late innings. But yeah, I shudder to think of him being used in the outfield.

 

[MiamiVice]

Verlander to DL along with Rondon... Looks like 4 lefties will make the team along with Nesbitt until JV is ready. I am hoping Castellanos work on his D makes it so he doesn't need to have a late inning replacement. He is still super young and was out of the position for over a year while learning the OF.. so I think he can improve vastly. Don't be surprised to see Castellanos have a big year. He is still younger than most kids in AAA... and is hitting off shear talent at this point... when he figures out MLB pitching and the light bulb turns on.... watch out.

 

[broncosmitty]

No doubt he's incredibly talented as a hitter. I only hope he can be decent at third someday. Not asking for any more than that. Nothing wrong with decent.

 

[MiamiVice]

Average fielder and above average hitter would be just fine by me

 

[themuzzer]

This is for my homies getting ready for opening day.......You know who you are.........

 

[Voltaire26]

C – Alex Avila/James McCann >> Avila – Avila is in a free agency year and McCann seems like the real deal.

1B – Miguel Cabrera >> Cabrera – No nagging injuries

2B – Ian Kinsler = Kinsler – Good and Steady

3B – Nick Castellanos > Castellanos – Another year experience

SS – Jose Iglesias >> Cast of a 1,000 – I don’t expect him to hit much, defense is the key

LF – JD Martinez << JD Martinez – I don’t expect him to match last years numbers

CF – Anthony Gose = Austin Jackson/Rajai Davis – Gose is the defense we have been missing since Jackson

RF – Yoenis Cespedes > Tori Hunter – The aging Hunter was a good leader Cespedes should have better numbers and better fielding.

DH – Victor Martinez < Victor Martinez – Can we really expect him to be better?

SP – David Price >>> Drew Smyly – Price is a Cy Young candidate

SP – Justin Verlander > Verlander – Do we really expect Verlander to be as bad as last year

SP – Anibal Sanchez > Sanchez – A healthy Sanchez will shine

SP – Alfredo Simon << Max Scherzer - You can’t easily replace Scherzer

SP – Rick Porcello < Shane Greene – Greene is still unproven

Bullpen should be better than last year (can it be worse?)

Bench is versatile but less than last year

Manager – Brad Ausmus >> Ausmus – He’s a smart person, had to learn a thing or two last year.

Tigers 98 – 64 (ok so I am an optimist homer)