About that last roster spot …
The Tigers roster isn’t set yet, but manager Jim Leyland has a very good idea how it would play out if it was solely his choice.
“If I was to write down the team today, I could write it down,” Leyland said Sunday. “That doesn’t mean it would be the team. I don’t have the final say.”
He isn’t telling what it is, but he’s giving an idea that versatility is
important. Jeff Larish, he said, would have a better chance if he could play center field.
What went unsaid, of course, is that Don Kelly and Clete Thomas can. They’ve been the other candidates under consideration for the final bench spot. Thomas can play all three outfield positions, while Kelly plays all three outfield spots, third, second and first base. How Leyland feels about Brandon Inge and Scott Sizemore, and how often he’ll want to rest them early in the season, could have an impact. But then, something similar could be said of Austin Jackson and Magglio Ordonez for different reasons.
Jason Beck
odoardia
Jason
Is Leyland discussing the last spot on the 40-man roster? I always thought Dombrowski decided the 40-man and Leyland decided the 25-man roster.
Has something changed where Leyland no longer has final say on the 25-man roster? In the past, it was very rare for Dombrowski to overrule Jim on picking players.
So obviously, something changed and was it something written-in to Jim’s new two year contract extension?
25-man roster.