Tagged: Miguel Cabrera

Tigers take on Nationals tonight on FSD

Detroit TigersWashington Nationals The Detroit Tigers take on the Washington Nationals tonight at 6 PM, televised on Fox Sports Detroit. Jim Leyland has said that starters will go 7 innings, suggesting that the lineup he runs out today will most likely be his opening day lineup, with the probable exception of Miguel Cabrera. It will give fans a good opportunity to see the regulars play as a group for nearly an entire 9 inning game.

Several things to note –

1) It was announced today that Andy Oliver has been assigned to Triple A Toledo, meaning the battle for the 5th spot in the rotation is down to rookie Drew Smyly and Duane Below, who made several starts for the Tigers last year. Or, it is still entirely possible that the club could be looking for a trade to fill in that final spot.

2) While Brandon Inge is a fan favorite, it is hard to justify his spot in the team at this point. Leyland has openly said that Danny Worth provides more value with his above average defensive ability at several infield positions, and Inge probably did himself no favors with his critical view of Cabrera playing 3rd base. Plus, he is batting below the Mendoza line this spring (.184), even though Leyland is sticking with his belief that Inge is hitting the ball better than his average would indicate. In my opinion, if you are not getting on base, scoring runs or driving in runs, you do not provide an abundance of value to a major league club, especially one of Detroit’s caliber.

3) I find it hard to believe that Cabrera would not be in uniform opening day (next Thursday at 1 PM vs. the Boston Red Sox). He has missed over a week now with the fractured orbital bone, but was back on the field yesterday, taking batting practice and grounders at third. Is the luck on Detroit’s side this season? A pair of sunglasses protected Detroit’s $152 million man. Let’s hope that the bad luck of year’s past with injuries and collapses down the stretch does not creep into the picture this season.

The Return of Prince

Prince FielderYeah, we see you, too, Prince.

The Tigers shocked the baseball world yesterday by announcing the signing of free agent 1B Prince Fielder to a 9 year, $214 million deal. The specifics of the deal have not been announced, but reports say that he will be the 1B and Miguel Cabrera will transition back to 3B, where he started his career.

This raises a few interesting questions.
Firstly, where does it leave Brandon Inge? Does he simply become a role player and step in when either Cabrera or Fielder DH? Or is this the end of his time in Detroit? Who is going to DH when both of the players are in the field? Both are too expensive to DH, but the Tigers don’t have a solid option on their roster right now to be a strong DH.
Second, where does Fielder bat? Logically, placing him behind Cabrera in the 5th spot will give Cabrera plenty of good pitches to hit. Victor Martinez, who batted behind Cabrera last year, was a solid all around hitter but did not bat for much power. Having Fielder behind Cabrera should provide one of the more potent 1-2 punches in all of baseball. And then consider a healthy Brennan Boesch batting ahead of Cabrera? Phew. That should strike fear into any pitcher.
Third, are the Tigers done in free agency? Is this signing by GM Mike Illitch a signal that he is going all in to win now? If so, would the Tigers dump their blue chip players such as Nick Castellanos or Jacob Turner for another top-end pitcher? Are they still going after Cespedes, the highly touted Cuban outfielder?

While I like the signing of Prince, especially if Cabrera can play a good 3B (and the thought of Cabrera, Fielder, and Martinez next year? My gosh), this club still has questions to answer going into the year.

And I wouldn’t be surprised if another big move is made before then.