Odds and ends
I was traveling on Monday and didn’t get a chance to write anything on top of the basic story about Brandon Inge’s comments. I think the characterization of him as angry and bitter, even though he actually used those words in one interview, shrouds what he’s trying to do here. He’s clearly not happy with this, and he’s not happy with how he has been characterized in some places, but he’s trying to make the best of the situation.
He’s still a confident player, evidenced by how comfortable he is with the idea that he can be a catcher again after basically three years away from it (hey, Robert Fick and Eric Munson did it). But considering the Tigers’ situation at catcher, he has a reason to try to be an above-average catcher again.
Other bits and pieces:
- Miguel Cabrera’s Aragua Tigres clinched their second straight Venezuelan League title Tuesday night and move on to the Caribbean Series, but Cabrera won’t be following them there. Detroit Tigers assistant GM Al Avila said that Cabrera will get ready for Spring Training now, rather than keep on playing. Coincidentally, Cabrera had been playing at DH for the past week rather than in the field, and a report on the Aragua web site suggested he was doing so to avoid aggravating a slight tweak in his quadriceps.
- No reaction yet from the Tigers to the Johan Santana trade. However, I would imagine they would echo White Sox GM Kenny Williams’ reaction: "Good riddance." From a personal standpoint, I’ll be glad when we don’t have to read about Santana trade talks anymore. Are the Yankees in? Are they out? Are they back in? Well, they’re out now.
- One more note on Inge’s situation, since folks continue to email and ask why he can’t start at third base and Cabrera in left field. Dave Dombrowski and others have mentioned that Cabrera prefers to play third base rather than the outfield or somewhere else. What hasn’t been mentioned is that if that the Tigers are going to sign Cabrera long-term, it might behoove them to keep Cabrera happy.
Jason Beck
With the departure of Santana and the new ballpark slated to open in 2010, the Twins as we’ve known them will cease to be. Hopefully **** Bremer and Bert Blyleven will continue on with FSN North. Excellent play by play team. That “Circle me Bert” thing is kind of goofy, but it’s fun for the fans.
Totally agree about that Yankee-Santana business. Come on, what’s with the deadlines, Hank? Maybe his dad will fire him.
I could be wrong but I think the Twins sold themselves a bit short on Santana. We’ll never know what was on the table from the Yankees but Phil Hughes’ name was out there and he’s a stud. If there’s anyone that can evaluate young talent, its the Twins so they may prove me wrong but I don’t see anyone in the group of 4 that has “definite superstar” written all over them. I imagine most Twins fans aren’t too excited about this trade. I always thought the Twins would keep Santana around this year– with he and Liriano, they’d be a scary team. In any case, this trade promises to make the Mets more competitive in the NL East and the Tigers/Indians should benefit in the AL Central.
Changing subjects, I completely agree with the earlier post that Sheffield should hit third. I was disappointed at the start of last year when they put him in that spot but his baserunning skills were amazing– he’s not the fastest guy out there but his instincts are out of the park. Additionally, even when he’s not hitting the ball well, he gets on base a ton as he simply intimidates pitchers when he’s in the box. With Ordonez and Cabrera hitting behind Sheff, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him score a ton of runs this year. Regardless– it should be a pretty imposing line-up… Is it spring yet?
Absolutely. And it’s not just waiting around for 3-run homers. You look at the top seven in the lineup and you have a good chance to score runs nearly everytime through, and in a multitude of ways. Extra base hits, hit and run, steals, walks, and yes, homers. After all that, you finally get down to the two .300 hitters at the bottom of the order. These guys stay healthy and we won’t want to miss a single AB.
–Rich
I agree about the hitting being promising (DUH!). But I think that great pitching and average hitting can get you a championship, while great hitting and average pitching can sometimes even leave you out of the playoffs.
If we can get an above-average performance from the pitching staff, that should be enough, though.
It’s going to be agreat year to be a Tigers fan.