The arrival of Prince Fielder in Detroit sent shockwaves of excitement across SE Michigan and alarms from seismic monitors across the midwest. The new Heavyweight Tigers have made me think more about building a baseball team than I have in years. Mike Ilitich has once again mistaken a huge contract for huge ability - (see Juan Gonzalez.) Gonzalez was pumped up on steriods. Fielder is corn-fed, I suppose. A 280 lb. steroid case would look like a cartoonish muscle boy, while the 5' 11' Fielder resembles, well, a short, fat guy. And there's our new hero - he can't run, field, or throw. He's a five-tool player, if the tools are hitting and a four course meal. Baseball purists shudder, while a discouraged Michelle Obama shakes her head.
The Tigers had an excellent hitting, mediocre fielding, overweight first baseman last year in Miguel Cabrera. Now they have an excellent hitting, poor fielding, overweight first baseman and an excellent hitting, poor fielding, overweight third baseman. The '12 Tigers will the first team to lose 12 - 9 to a team that gets 36 hits on bunts only. I like Cabrera, but I have no illusion that he is a complete player. He played third for a few years and his fielding percentage declined as his weight increased. The Tigers tried him at third last season and pulled him after a few weeks full of errors and misplays.
I sympathize with Cabrera. It has become more difficult to pick up my shoes when getting dressed as my weight has moved from 220 to 240 (-ish). My knees are complaining and my back isn't happy. Of course, I'm also 25 years older than Cabrera, but you get the idea.
Last season the Tigers were 3rd in hitting in the Majors. They were 17th in fielding and 18th in pitching (with MVP and Cy Young winner - Justin Verlander.) They have little team speed. Comerica Field is huge. So what they need is some fast guys with good gloves and line drive power, right? Don't you think $214 million could have brought some of these guys? The new gloves would lower the team ERA and the line drives would create some action on the base paths. The Tigers are building Earl Weaver's Orioles when they should be building George Brett's and Hal McRae's KC Royals.
Let's look at the rest of the worst defensive infield in baseball. Shortstop - Jhonny (the Human Typo) Peralta, and God Knows Who at second. Peralta came to the Tigers from Cleveland in 2010. He had a solid season at the plate last year, but he won't do that again. He's go too many miles on him. His range is only slightly greater that Fielder's circumference. The Tigers will give up seventeen hop grounders between 3rd and short.
As for second, well, you choose between Danny Wirth, Hernan Perez, or Ryan Rayburn. I can't and Leyland doesn't want to. Remember Dick Green and Dick Williams' four second basemen a game strategy with the A's in the '70s? Dick Green is an All-Star compared to any Tiger's second basemen. OK, an alternate selection, but still much better.
Let's wrap this up. The Tiger's offense will drop off this year. Avila, Boesch, and Santiago had career years. Victor Martinez is out for the season. Fielder won't add much more than Martinez did last year. Cabrera should have another great year because I hope he will. I did say I liked him. The pitching will stay the same or drop, depending on whether the young arms can cover Verlander's inevitable return to human greatness after a season of transcendent greatness. The fielding will be at or near the bottom of the league. Get ready for many really annoying 8-6 losses. And by the '15 season, Fielder will be enjoying many dozen Coney lunches while recovering from surgery after surgery on his broken down body.
The good news connected with the Fielder signing is the announcement by the State Lottery Commission of a new scratch game, "First to 300." The $5 ticket has five scratch zones. The player chooses three zones which reveal dates. The Commission will stage a daily weighing of Cecil Fielder, (watch YouTube for the daily posting), and whoever holds the tickets containing the correct date when he first weighs 300 pounds will win a share of Fielder's remaining contract value. The tickets are shorter than regular tickets, but twice as wide. They show a picture of Fielder at National Coney Island in Grosse Pointe with a chili-dripping coney dog in each hand.
The Tigers had an excellent hitting, mediocre fielding, overweight first baseman last year in Miguel Cabrera. Now they have an excellent hitting, poor fielding, overweight first baseman and an excellent hitting, poor fielding, overweight third baseman. The '12 Tigers will the first team to lose 12 - 9 to a team that gets 36 hits on bunts only. I like Cabrera, but I have no illusion that he is a complete player. He played third for a few years and his fielding percentage declined as his weight increased. The Tigers tried him at third last season and pulled him after a few weeks full of errors and misplays.
I sympathize with Cabrera. It has become more difficult to pick up my shoes when getting dressed as my weight has moved from 220 to 240 (-ish). My knees are complaining and my back isn't happy. Of course, I'm also 25 years older than Cabrera, but you get the idea.
Last season the Tigers were 3rd in hitting in the Majors. They were 17th in fielding and 18th in pitching (with MVP and Cy Young winner - Justin Verlander.) They have little team speed. Comerica Field is huge. So what they need is some fast guys with good gloves and line drive power, right? Don't you think $214 million could have brought some of these guys? The new gloves would lower the team ERA and the line drives would create some action on the base paths. The Tigers are building Earl Weaver's Orioles when they should be building George Brett's and Hal McRae's KC Royals.
Let's look at the rest of the worst defensive infield in baseball. Shortstop - Jhonny (the Human Typo) Peralta, and God Knows Who at second. Peralta came to the Tigers from Cleveland in 2010. He had a solid season at the plate last year, but he won't do that again. He's go too many miles on him. His range is only slightly greater that Fielder's circumference. The Tigers will give up seventeen hop grounders between 3rd and short.
As for second, well, you choose between Danny Wirth, Hernan Perez, or Ryan Rayburn. I can't and Leyland doesn't want to. Remember Dick Green and Dick Williams' four second basemen a game strategy with the A's in the '70s? Dick Green is an All-Star compared to any Tiger's second basemen. OK, an alternate selection, but still much better.
Let's wrap this up. The Tiger's offense will drop off this year. Avila, Boesch, and Santiago had career years. Victor Martinez is out for the season. Fielder won't add much more than Martinez did last year. Cabrera should have another great year because I hope he will. I did say I liked him. The pitching will stay the same or drop, depending on whether the young arms can cover Verlander's inevitable return to human greatness after a season of transcendent greatness. The fielding will be at or near the bottom of the league. Get ready for many really annoying 8-6 losses. And by the '15 season, Fielder will be enjoying many dozen Coney lunches while recovering from surgery after surgery on his broken down body.
The good news connected with the Fielder signing is the announcement by the State Lottery Commission of a new scratch game, "First to 300." The $5 ticket has five scratch zones. The player chooses three zones which reveal dates. The Commission will stage a daily weighing of Cecil Fielder, (watch YouTube for the daily posting), and whoever holds the tickets containing the correct date when he first weighs 300 pounds will win a share of Fielder's remaining contract value. The tickets are shorter than regular tickets, but twice as wide. They show a picture of Fielder at National Coney Island in Grosse Pointe with a chili-dripping coney dog in each hand.
2 comments:
All I can say is that teams can surprise you - as I found out last year. Sometimes I think I like the hot stove league more than the season. :)
Hi, mary. I saw your blog and I hope things calm down to a manageable level.
The Tigers will astonish me if their overwhelming defensive weakness can be overcome with hitting. They need to add a glove at second and in the corner outfield spots. They've got time, but I fear they think they have all they need with Fielder.
I have to admit that I hate one dimensional, offensive players in any sport. Carmelo Anthony is a poster child for these players. Usually these talented athletes can't be bothered to play defense. In Prince Fielder's case, he can't be bothered to control his appetite to allow himself to play defense.
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