2011 Detroit Tigers talk

**smogboy** · January-25-11, 01:07 AM

With Spring Training a few weeks away, I'm hoping to spark some lively conversation about our Tigers team here this upcoming season. We've lost some very wonderful "family" members in Ernie Harwell and Sparky Anderson this last year, but like any other year- hope springs eternal as our Boys of Summer prepare to play.

I sincerely hope that this thread will have sound discussion, intelligent debate, interesting observations, and keep a reasonable tone. Let's have more than just a "THEY SUCK" mentality- and quite honestly if they do, give us the basis for why you think they suck. If they do well, mention what it is you saw that made you feel good to be a Tigers fan. Want to discuss trade possibilities? Come up with reasonable swaps where it doesn't ridiculously favor the Tigers- the other team has to have some rationale too. Express an opinion or two but be prepared to back it up with some logic, some facts, some stats, and a solid defense of your points.

And if someone disagrees with you, that's fine too. I hope they brought their logic, facts, stats and a solid defense as well. Remember that we're cheering grown men playing a game. It's supposed to be entertaining. I'm no moderator here [[by any stretch of the imagination) but I hope we can have a great season at Comerica Park and I hope we can have some great posts by some great Tigers fans here.

Go Tigers!

**Planner3357** · January-25-11, 07:47 AM

I feel so optimistic about this years team I went and bought a 28 game package. Not a bad deal, two tickets for every Friday home game and some other week days spread throughout. Also get Opening Day, and two out of three Yanks games and a Red Sox game. Another reason I purchased is because I live but a two minute walk to CoPa.

While their rotation has been getting hyped, and it should, I think their lineup is going to be stronger than most people think.

What is the lineup? 1) Ajax-2)?-3)Mags-4)Cabrera-5)Martinez-6)Rayburn-7)?-8)Avila-[[9-Inge

I really feel this team has a legit chance to win the AL Central, and not to get all slappy, but I would love to see another pennant.

**401don** · January-25-11, 08:41 AM

Every year as I get older, I look forward to the baseball season more than ever. Maybe it's when you start reading about guys you cheered for, who seemed they would be forever young, are now passing away. It's also amazing how many former player's kids are playing ball. The Tigers have Iorg and now Eichorn, both former Jays from the 1980's, in their system.
I think the Tigs can contend this year but I really worry about Maggs staying healthy again. Looking forward to my first game - March 19 in Lakeland.

**smogboy** · January-26-11, 03:34 AM

Originally Posted by Planner3357

I feel so optimistic about this years team I went and bought a 28 game package. Not a bad deal, two tickets for every Friday home game and some other week days spread throughout. Also get Opening Day, and two out of three Yanks games and a Red Sox game. Another reason I purchased is because I live but a two minute walk to CoPa.

While their rotation has been getting hyped, and it should, I think their lineup is going to be stronger than most people think.

What is the lineup? 1) Ajax-2)?-3)Mags-4)Cabrera-5)Martinez-6)Rayburn-7)?-8)Avila-[[9-Inge

I really feel this team has a legit chance to win the AL Central, and not to get all slappy, but I would love to see another pennant.

Y'know what? If you're gonna be a slappy we're thankful that you're going to be a Tigers slappy. They've stockpiled some decent talent from the starting rotation to the bullpen and seem to have some power with the bats too. So why not be supportive of this team? It's easy to sip from the Kool Aid right now so go right on ahead! We're with ya!

**rjk** · January-26-11, 01:04 PM

Maybe something like this as far as batting order?

1. Austin Jackson, CF

2. Ryan Raburn, LF

3. Magglio Ordonez, RF

4. Miguel Cabrera, 1B

5. Victor Martinez, DH

6. Jhonny Peralta, SS

7. Scott Sizemore or Guillen, 2B

8. Brandon Inge, 3B

9. Alex Avila, C

I think the X factors for the Tigers will be Scherzer, Porcello, and Jackson.
Porcello needs a bounce back year and hopefully Jackson keeps moving forward and doesn't hit a sophmore slump. I'm really interested in seeing how Scherzer pitches this year after his fantastic second half last year.

**Lowell** · February-05-11, 08:19 PM

I agree with your X factor players. I think Jackson will just keep on rolling. His sophomore year was when he was back in the minors when he would have been in majors in just about any other system. That is why he hit the ground running. With his glove, defense and speed he satisfies me as long as his OBP is at least .300.

I think the Tigers have a lot of other X factors and all good possibilities.

Top of the list is our Matthew Stafford, Joel Zumaya, chirping that he is back and ready. If he is, still has his heater and continues to progress in his off speed repertoire, he will be the biggest lift. Besides I like this no-long-a-kid guy. He will be great for the box office and team spirit. I consider him a double X factor, especially if Valverde has an off year.

Brennan Boesch was very impressive, but so was Chris Shelton. Do the AL pitchers have him figured out or will take his game to the next level? If he does watch out.

Casper Wells turned my head too, but 93 AB's at the end of the season is not enough to tell. Call him an outside X.

If I had to hope for one of the two to take off, it would be Boesch since they need lefty hitters.

**erikd** · February-06-11, 06:54 AM

I like the 2011 Tigers. They have a nice group of young guys, a couple of HOF caliber players in their prime, and a few vets. The lineup isn't killer 1-9, but the 3-4-5 is about as good as it gets. The rotation is young and talented, but some of the guys need to prove that they can put it all together over the course of a long season. The bullpen is very talented and deep. If the guys in the pen stay healthy we should see a ton of 1-2 run wins and come-from-behind victories.

I expect the Tigers to finish above .500 and have a good shot at the Central title. If Scherzer pitches like he did the last 4 months of 2010 and Coke can put up the type of numbers as a starter that he has out of the bullpen [[3.75 career ERA), the Tigers would be a serious WS contender.

I expect the Tigers to win 85-92 games, depending on injuries and the development of Scherzer, Coke, and Porcello. The Tigers are set up to be a good team for the next few years and they will be fun to watch.

**Planner3357** · February-08-11, 03:26 PM

Listening to the Ticket this afternoon, Valenti thinks we should make a run at Michael Young....we do need a 2B, but at what cost? Are we really in win right now mode? Screw the future?

**Lowell** · February-08-11, 05:25 PM

Originally Posted by Planner3357

Listening to the Ticket this afternoon, Valenti thinks we should make a run at Michael Young....we do need a 2B, but at what cost? Are we really in win right now mode? Screw the future?

Great player, but I would rather grab a player of that quality down the stretch, if we get there, and see if Guillan can put it back together or if Ryhmes or Sizemore can emerge.

**kenp** · February-09-11, 09:28 AM

Originally Posted by Lowell

Great player, but I would rather grab a player of that quality down the stretch, if we get there, and see if Guillan can put it back together or if Ryhmes or Sizemore can emerge.

I highly doubt we have a chance at Young; he wants to play on the west coast. He has also listed 9 teams he would play for and we aint one of them.

2nd base is a big weakness for sure. Guillen is a good bat, but a poor glove and we all know he is only good for about half a year. Sizemore might get a shot but it looks like Rymes might be our guy once it all shakes out. With Guillen on the DL to start the season, one of those 2 will have every chance to be the guy to platoon with Guillen when he returns.
I wonder what is in our farm clubs for a future 2nd baseman. Unfortunately, for now, we are stuck with what we got.

**smogboy** · February-17-11, 09:55 AM

Suddenly our clean-up position seems a little more in limbo now.

Miguel Cabrera getting pulled over for a DUI does not bode well for the young man. I sincerely hope that the Tigers brass does something in order to get him back on the straight and narrow. They saved his butt once already. We saw signs of that progress last season when he was the one shining light in the line-up. Now that he's fallen off the wagon again, he might need to sit in order to get his personal life back together again.

It's tragic from a human perspective and could very well be devastating to the team dynamic because he's such the force out there on the field when he's playing. For all of that talent and hope that he overcame the bottle last year, this latest incident is definitely not good to hear from a Tiger fan's point of view and is just bad for the game of baseball in of itself.

**Planner3357** · February-17-11, 10:34 AM

I posted elsewhere...but I think he needs to seek some advice from Josh Hamilton.

**Planner3357** · February-25-11, 02:07 PM

Wow is he big!

Tom Gage / The Detroit News
Lakeland, Fla.— If you watched his news conference, you may have noticed. Miguel Cabrera is big — clearly bigger than he was. But muscular bigger, not flabby bigger.
When asked Friday how much he weighs, Cabrera replied it didn't matter much, and that he didn't know for sure, but that he's at "270 right now." The Tigers' media guide has him at 240 pounds.

After a winter of strenuous training, though, Cabrera is even more massive across the shoulders than he was. His arms are big, his legs are big.
"Everyone worries about my weight," he said. "But I feel good right now. I don't worry about being overweight. I worked hard in the offseason."
Happy to see him, Cabrera picked up Ramon Santiago in the clubhouse Friday morning as if Santiago weighed 20 pounds. But he's always been able to do that.
That's because Cabrera has always been muscular — but not like this.
Some reporters in the crowd around him thought he was kidding about weighing 270 pounds. He wasn't.
"I don't worry about that," he repeated. "I lose weight during the season."
tom.gage@detnews.com

**Planner3357** · March-28-11, 07:43 AM

So, now that Spring Training is winding down to the last couple of games, what are your feelings for this years team?

Do you like the lineup? Pitching? How do you feel about the late roster cuts?

And most importantly...where do you predict the Tigers finishing this year?

Will they be the team capable of winning the AL Central, or will they once again struggle with the Twinkies and Chisox?

Go get 'em Detroit Tigers!

**401don** · March-28-11, 08:41 AM

I think it's a toss-up between the 3 division contenders so predicting any order is kind of pointless.

Tigers need 2 of the 3 bottom starters to have good seasons and Ordonez to stay healthy. The rest of the line-up is what it is. I can see Rayburn possibly hitting 30 homers but his defence is still scary. I like taking Rhymes over Sizemore. Sizemore offers more upside but it's better to have a number 2 guy hit .280-.290 with no power than have Sizemore start the season and hit .220.

Twins' pitching is not as good this year, especially the bullpen which really saved their rotation's butts last year. Obviously, they need Morneau and Mauer to stay healthy.

**Planner3357** · March-31-11, 03:30 PM

Despite the loss, I like the way Verlander rebounded. If it weren't for Coke we may have been able to win this game.

**sirrealone** · April-01-11, 08:37 AM

My thoughts:
1. Alex Avila is scary. And not in a good way. He is a huge liability to that lineup and I don't think it won't be very long until V-Mart is the full time catcher.
2. I don't blame Coke for his outing, I blame Leyland. Coke should not have been in there. If he needed work in since he's being skipped, then give him garbage time somewhere along the way. You don't have the guy focus his entire spring training on making the switch to starter, and then screw with him by sticking him in the highest pressure cooker situation possible. Leyland is, as usual, over-managing.
3. Ryan Perry's biggest issue has been his rate of allowing walks. Yesterday showed this is still a problem.

**Planner3357** · April-01-11, 09:01 AM

Agree...Avila looked horrible yesterday. I think he would best be served in Toledo getting more PT..or keep him as a backup, unfortunately we don't have any good catchers in the system. Make V-Mart the every day catcher....then have Boesch and Raburn platoon in the field and DH.

You're right about Coke, what was Jim thinking? All spring you have him as a starter and then he puts him in the 7th? He could have put Schlereth in there.. Why break away from what you did all spring? Sometimes Jim boggles my mind.

Ryan Perry really needs to have a good year or it could cost him his big league job.

I'm not overly concerned because it was game one of 162, but if we get 10-20 games in and we are still seeing the problems changes will have to be made.

**401don** · April-01-11, 01:00 PM

Leyland seemed determined to throw the everyday line-up in for the opener instead of managing this game like any other game during the season. The plan is for Martinez to catch when going up against lefties. Instead he puts Avila in against the toughest lefthander in the league. Wells should have been in right field also, with Ordonez as the DH. Starting Ordonez on the wet grass where he has to step carefully and be even slower than usual is asking for another injury. Not to mention making the defence worse. Also, I agree I couldn't believe it when he brought Coke in.

**stinkytofu** · April-07-11, 08:15 PM

Thus far, Brad Penny sucks.

**Planner3357** · April-07-11, 11:24 PM

OPENING DAY!!!!!!!!!!!! I sold my two tix for $200 so I can just party all day. It's going to be crazy...as usual.

**401don** · April-08-11, 05:43 PM

Good opening day win after a tough loss yesterday.

After one week I'm officially sick of Rod Allen's act. I have the MLB Pkg. and pray I'm going to get the other team's broadcast when the game comes on. I'm also sick of comments like "just a tremendous baserunning play" when a guy tags up and advances on a routine play or when a guy "stretches" a hit into an extra base after the replay shows he walked out of the batter's box thinking he had a home run.

**Redleg81** · April-08-11, 06:40 PM

I'm keeping my eye on that Villarreal kid-- He's rough around the edges, but he looks fearless on the mound, and what a pick-off move!

**sirrealone** · April-11-11, 06:36 AM

It seems that, for whatever reason, the areas which Leyland and Dombrowski are excited about coming out of spring training inevitably go south to start the season. After they signed Sheffield, they were going on and on about what a great offense they had and how excited they were, and what happens? They couldn't hit the ball of a tee the first few weeks of the season. This year it was all pitching, pitching, pitching, and here we are watching them give up runs in more innings than not.

Not hitting the panic button yet, but here we are 0 for 3 in our first three series of the year. With both Dombrowski and Leyland staring down the barrel at the end of their contracts, they'd better hope things start turning around quickly. Mr. Ilitch is an awfully nice guy who loves taking care of his employees, but he's eventually going to come to the end of his rope.

With all that said, Go Tigers!

**smogboy** · April-11-11, 08:04 AM

Originally Posted by stinkytofu

Thus far, Brad Penny sucks.

Outside of Verlander's second outing and Scherzer's opening day performance I'd be inclined to lump nearly a good chunk of the Tigers pitching staff into this category. I know Leyland has touted how strong this staff is but it hasn't shown it yet.

Pitching to me has always been the first line of defense for any baseball team. When that falters we have to get into a shootout and that hasn't been our proper formula for winning either. Yesterday's game with a lousy performance by Porcello and the four errors was pathetic- and i think that's being kind.

I'm also at the point of not giving these guys a free pass of being slow starters in the season either. The core of this group are veterans now. They know when Opening Day was and they know how long a MLB season is going to last. It's not a bunch of college kids having to pace themselves for a longer season- this bunch should know better and quite honestly perform a LOT better. Losing two out of three to Kansas City was unacceptable with the amount of talent we supposedly have on this team.

I'm not going to panic yet because I know in the span of a long season, as a fan I have to have some faith that they will tear off a few series wins and hopefully right the ship. Conversely as a concerned fan, I also have to have some criticism for the lousy performances that my team has displayed too.