Thanks to ludo, I thought I would write a little bit about what I expect from the Tigers this year.

I think they will compete for the Central this year. They improved their rotation by acquiring Jackson, their offense it healthy, and they improved their defense by adding Everett, Starting Inge everyday, and getting Treanor.

Sheffield is healthy for the first time in forvever, Guillen should be recovered now, and Zumaya is supposed to be ready for Spring training. The Tigers success will all come down to the bullpen, where their success literally is on Zumayas shoulder. Rodney should be better with his control (along with the whole staff) with help of Bill Knapp there new pitching coach. They are still looking to add some arms to the pen (reports say) which will be crucial. As of now Rodney is the closer, and hes been much better as setup man in his career.

My predictions: (quote me ludo)

Cabrera a top candidate for AL MVP
They win 85+ games
Make playoffs

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'Just cuz im wildin dont mean I cant stop, I got discipline baby whether you do or not' - Guru

 Ix Mr CLuTcH xI wrote:

Thanks to ludo, I thought I would write a little bit about what I expect from the Tigers this year.

I think they will compete for the Central this year. They improved their rotation by acquiring Jackson, their offense it healthy, and they improved their defense by adding Everett, Starting Inge everyday, and getting Treanor.

Sheffield is healthy for the first time in forvever, Guillen should be recovered now, and Zumaya is supposed to be ready for Spring training. The Tigers success will all come down to the bullpen, where their success literally is on Zumayas shoulder. Rodney should be better with his control (along with the whole staff) with help of Bill Knapp there new pitching coach. They are still looking to add some arms to the pen (reports say) which will be crucial. As of now Rodney is the closer, and hes been much better as setup man in his career.

My predictions: (quote me ludo)

Cabrera a top candidate for AL MVP
They win 85+ games
Make playoffs

I dont disagree i predict they will win the central

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a Little bit of Melky every nigth, a Little bit of Swisher in rigth, A little bit of Teix is all we need.

I have the Tigers finishing third and I'm the biggest Tiger fan I know. I just do not like their bullpen for the most part, I think the Tigers will regret trading Joyce, and their starting pitching is a HUGE question mark I. My opinion. I'm just super unsure this year. If the Tigers do make the post season that'd be a super pleasent surprise.

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 OrdealByFire wrote:

I have the Tigers finishing third and I'm the biggest Tiger fan I know. I just do not like their bullpen for the most part, I think the Tigers will regret trading Joyce, and their starting pitching is a HUGE question mark I. My opinion. I'm just super unsure this year. If the Tigers do make the post season that'd be a super pleasent surprise.

hahaha so you were a "fan" last year?

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'Just cuz im wildin dont mean I cant stop, I got discipline baby whether you do or not' - Guru

 Ix Mr CLuTcH xI wrote:

 OrdealByFire wrote:

I have the Tigers finishing third and I'm the biggest Tiger fan I know. I just do not like their bullpen for the most part, I think the Tigers will regret trading Joyce, and their starting pitching is a HUGE question mark I. My opinion. I'm just super unsure this year. If the Tigers do make the post season that'd be a super pleasent surprise.

hahaha so you were a "fan" last year?

You can be a fan an refuse to watch a team that is playing pitifully inconsistently. I'm near certain they'll at least get a better record this year.

---

47reviews.blogspot.com

400+ DLC songs for Rock Band.

2.4 K/D in CoD4. Legit, and no camping. Add me to play with.

 Ix Mr CLuTcH xI wrote:

Thanks to ludo, I thought I would write a little bit about what I expect from the Tigers this year.

I think they will compete for the Central this year. They improved their rotation by acquiring Jackson, their offense it healthy, and they improved their defense by adding Everett, Starting Inge everyday, and getting Treanor.

Sheffield is healthy for the first time in forvever, Guillen should be recovered now, and Zumaya is supposed to be ready for Spring training. The Tigers success will all come down to the bullpen, where their success literally is on Zumayas shoulder. Rodney should be better with his control (along with the whole staff) with help of Bill Knapp there new pitching coach. They are still looking to add some arms to the pen (reports say) which will be crucial. As of now Rodney is the closer, and hes been much better as setup man in his career.

My predictions: (quote me ludo)

Cabrera a top candidate for AL MVP
They win 85+ games
Make playoffs

lotta if's, shoulds and supposed to's....

i dont know how much better the rotation is...verlander is good, but inconsistent...so is bonderman...willis?  he was overworked as a marlin...

everett may be a fine defensive player, but any positive from the defensive side is negated when he steps into the batters box

that said, i have no idea who's going to win the AL central...well, except the royals...we know that

Everett isnt anything special at the plate, but they can afford to lose offense at the back end of the lineup. Their is not 1 team that has a better 1-7 lineup as them.

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'Just cuz im wildin dont mean I cant stop, I got discipline baby whether you do or not' - Guru

 Ix Mr CLuTcH xI wrote:

Their is not 1 team that has a better 1-7 lineup as them.

perhaps

 OrdealByFire wrote:

 Ix Mr CLuTcH xI wrote:

 OrdealByFire wrote:

I have the Tigers finishing third and I'm the biggest Tiger fan I know. I just do not like their bullpen for the most part, I think the Tigers will regret trading Joyce, and their starting pitching is a HUGE question mark I. My opinion. I'm just super unsure this year. If the Tigers do make the post season that'd be a super pleasent surprise.

hahaha so you were a "fan" last year?

You can be a fan an refuse to watch a team that is playing pitifully inconsistently. I'm near certain they'll at least get a better record this year.

Than you are a fairweather fan.  Support your team it makes winning much more enjoyable.

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Formerly- Dr Richard Shay

 Jocephus83 wrote:

 Ix Mr CLuTcH xI wrote:

Their is not 1 team that has a better 1-7 lineup as them.

perhaps

Let's compare the Yankees to the Tigers:

1. Granderson vs. Damon -- Clearly, Granderson is better.
2. Polanco vs. Jeter -- Better average by Polanco, but more power and RBIs by Jeter. Slight edge Jeter.
3. Guillen vs. Teixeira -- Don't even TRY to make a case against Tex.
4. Ordonez vs. Rodriguez -- Maggs is nice, but not nearly as good as A-Rod.
5. Sheffield vs. Nady -- Gotta give it to Nady. Sheff is declining and can't stay healthy
6. Thames vs. Matsui -- Reverse that. Matsui would be the winner if he were healthy, but Thames wins for health.
7. Inge vs. Swisher -- Swish SHOULD win, but he underachieves too much at the plate. DRAW
8. Laird vs. Posada -- Posada wins for consistency
9. Everett vs. Cano -- Anyone not named Cesar Izturis is a better hitter than Everett.

I hate the Yankees, and still say everywhere but spots 1 and 6 are in NYY's favor. And 6 is a default of health. However, the lineup may change to putting in a different catcher if Posada can't heal enough to catch full-time. May have Molina at catcher and make Posada as a backup/DH platoon with Matsui. It will be a big mess if Posada can't do it. It'll be like:

Posada C/DH
Swisher CF/DH
Molina C/Bench
Nady LF/RF
Matsui LF/DH
Damon CF/RF/DH

It's a pretty rocky road around that old catcher...

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 zack11190 wrote:

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you did forget miguel cabrera for the tigers...

so, i imagine it'd be like

cabrera vs arod
mags vs nady
sheffield vs matsui
thames vs swisher
inge vs posada

or whatever...


also, hah, nice cesar izturis reference...it was absolutely brutal watching him on the cardinals this year...i can't believe the o's signed him (to, i think, 2 years)

 Jocephus83 wrote:

you did forget miguel cabrera for the tigers...

so, i imagine it'd be like

cabrera vs arod
mags vs nady
sheffield vs matsui
thames vs swisher
inge vs posada

or whatever...


also, hah, nice cesar izturis reference...it was absolutely brutal watching him on the cardinals this year...i can't believe the o's signed him (to, i think, 2 years)

Thank you for the correction. Pretty big and stupid mistake on my part. I'll see if I can go edit it correctly.

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 zack11190 wrote:

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Apparently not. Scratch Everett into a defensive replacement/Guillen platoon and slide Cabrera into the number 3 hole. Still, it doesn't beat Tex after that down year yet. He has to prove it to me again, as Tex hasn't really had a down year, and he's a Gold Glove defender.

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 zack11190 wrote:

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This is the lineup now:

Grandy > Damon

Polanco < Jeter

Ordonez = Tex (Mags hit .363 and .325 with power, cant overlook that.

Cabera > Arod  Cabera has just as much pop as Alex, but MIGUEL CAPABLE OF HITTING WITH THE BASES LOADED AND PAST THE 7TH INNING

Guillen > Nady Carlos is a .315+ hitter when healthy, with decent pop. he is healthy

Sheffield = Matsui.  Sheff is healthy in the offseason for the first time in 3 years. People look at his average last year and it sucked becuase he couldnt hit anything when he came back. He hit for a lot of power the last month and a half of the year.

Laird/Inge/Everett = Swisher.  Laird and Inge hit for a good amount of pop. Inge had 28 homers 2 years ago, with I think around 15 last year. Since he is the 3B again, and not catching, he can focus on his offense again. Swish and Inge are the same at the plate, low average big power.

Everett is on the team for defense, and Inge is a top 3 defender in the league.


In depth.

Jeter over Polanco, yes. But Polanco is still an all star. He is a .320+ hitter, and doesnt make any errors (literally) not much off a drop off between the two.

Ordonez hits far a far better average, with a lot of power although Tex has more pop. Yet again, there isnt much off a drop off. There both gonna kill you.

Cabrera had a lower average than A-Rod, in large part due to his early struggles. He finished at .297, after having a low .270s BA for the first half. He hit 38 homers, but the main thing, Cabrera is one of the top clutch hitters in baseball, while A-Rod is 0-10 with the sacks full, and his BA past the 7th inning is sub .200.

Guillen and Nady are equal when both are healthy. Both hit in the low .300 range with power.

Sheff can easily hit 20+ homers this year imo. If he continues to hit with the power he had in August, he can. Theres no reason he cant when he has been 100% this winter. Wouldnt surprise me to see him reach close to .290.

Inge and Swish are the same exact player.Literally.


The bottom line: While the stats of the Yankees top 7 are great, and the Tigers are great as well, the Yankees middle of the lineup are terrrible under pressure (numbers back it up) while 1-4 on Tigers is filled with some players who have made a living off getting big hits. Guillen has been great in the 9th inning also.
 I dont care how many Homers A-Rod hits, he doesnt do it past the 7th inning. Brandon Inge is a better in the 7th inning on the A-Rod.

Also, Frier, Guillen is going to be the everyday leftfielder for the Tigers. So him and Everett arent splitting time. Although, I have heard Rumors that Everett may be a late inning replacement at short for Santiago, which is tough to think of becuase they are both great defenders. So its still undecided on who is the SS. Inge is the everyday 3b as well. Just thought Id clear that up.

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'Just cuz im wildin dont mean I cant stop, I got discipline baby whether you do or not' - Guru

inge ain't that great a defensive player, nor hitter...he had 11 homers with a .205/.303/.369 last year...nothing spectacular about that...he has a career line of .237/.304/.392

in his career (8 seasons), he's had 76 errors as a 3rd baseman covering 593 games, equaling a .958 fielding %, and in his starts as a catcher, covering 376 games, he's had 10 errors equaling a .995 fielding %

Errors and field % are probably the 2 worst measures of a defensive player.  Players that have a ton of range make a lot of errors because they get to more balls and make more difficult plays.

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Formerly- Dr Richard Shay

 Jocephus83 wrote:

inge ain't that great a defensive player, nor hitter...he had 11 homers with a .205/.303/.369 last year...nothing spectacular about that...he has a career line of .237/.304/.392

in his career (8 seasons), he's had 76 errors as a 3rd baseman covering 593 games, equaling a .958 fielding %, and in his starts as a catcher, covering 376 games, he's had 10 errors equaling a .995 fielding %

Inge not a good defensive player? Stop looking at those old numbers. From 2005 until now he has been amazing. he has an absolute cannon, great range, just makes amzing players. He played 1 month in centerfield last year, no errors. 4 months as a starting 3rd basemen/backup catcher, no errors. 1 1/2 months as the starting catcher, 1 single error. Not bad?

He is just as good if not better than A-Rod or anybody at the hot corner. earleir in his career he wasnt anything spectacular, but for the past few years there hasnt been that many people better.

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'Just cuz im wildin dont mean I cant stop, I got discipline baby whether you do or not' - Guru

He has a career fielding percentage of 97%. Thats not bad for somebody who was drafted as a catcher, played everyday behind the plate for 2 years, then played 3rd base everyday for 4 years, with some long stints in Centerfield mixed in there also, and then returning to being a catcher after not having caught for 6 years, and making no errors. How many people can say they have played the infield, outfield, and catcher all effectivley in their career? "inge not a good defender" is incredibly short sighted.

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'Just cuz im wildin dont mean I cant stop, I got discipline baby whether you do or not' - Guru

i didn't say he wasn't good...just not great, at least as a third baseman ( i mean, you did say he's a  top 3 defender, which im not sure how you can say)....

long stints in CF?  he's had 33 career games in CF

and i dont know why you wouldn't look at all previous stats...those are good indicators of what kind of player someone is and what you can expect

im not trying to knock on him or the tigers

 mister tibbits wrote:

Errors and field % are probably the 2 worst measures of a defensive player.  Players that have a ton of range make a lot of errors because they get to more balls and make more difficult plays.

perhaps.

but i dont think inge has a ton of range

Take it from somebody who watches him playe every night, the past 3-4 years there hasnt been anybody better. From jumping into the stands or fielding a bunt he does it all. he has a cannon to go wtih it. Right now, he is just as good defensively as Arod or whoever.

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'Just cuz im wildin dont mean I cant stop, I got discipline baby whether you do or not' - Guru

 Ix Mr CLuTcH xI wrote:

Take it from somebody who watches him playe every night, the past 3-4 years there hasnt been anybody better. From jumping into the stands or fielding a bunt he does it all. he has a cannon to go wtih it. Right now, he is just as good defensively as Arod or whoever.

he did commit 3 errors at 3rd in the '06 world series against "my" cardinals, too.

ok, im done.  i realize you are a detroit fan and are going to be supportive of him.  and, again, im not trying to knock on him or pi$s you off (just so you know)...its more just about fun/friendly baseball discussion ...

and, frankly, the way the cardinals this year are constructed, id like to have him on our team (though as a utility player)

Inge is a great defender, i wont let you off saying he is nothing.

Watch him win a GG this year

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'Just cuz im wildin dont mean I cant stop, I got discipline baby whether you do or not' - Guru

 Ix Mr CLuTcH xI wrote:

Inge is a great defender, i wont let you off saying he is nothing.

Watch him win a GG this year

lol

that tiger kool-aid is strong

Just watch. Dont call people bad defenders when the only thing you know about them is some stats from 2003.

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'Just cuz im wildin dont mean I cant stop, I got discipline baby whether you do or not' - Guru

 Ix Mr CLuTcH xI wrote:

Just watch. Dont call people bad defenders when the only thing you know about them is some stats from 2003.

well, again, i think stats tell a better picture of how a player performs than what you "want to see" with your rose-colored glasses

and these aren't just "stats from 2003"...these are his career stats dude...they ain't hard to look up

yes, he had 1 error last year...but, in 2007 he had 18, '06 he had 22, '05 he had 23, in '04 he had 17, and in '03 he had 2...etc, etc

http://www.baseball-reference.com/i/ingebr01.shtml

and, fwiw, the (very) early projections have the tigers as an 80 win team

http://www.replacementlevel.com/index.php/RLYW/direct/extremely_early_projected_standings

http://www.replacementlevel.com/index.php/RLYW/comments/extremely_early_2009_projections_marcel_edition

stats dont paint the whole story. I gurantee that he will be in the top3 for a gold glove this year.

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'Just cuz im wildin dont mean I cant stop, I got discipline baby whether you do or not' - Guru

 Ix Mr CLuTcH xI wrote:

stats dont paint the whole story. I gurantee that he will be in the top3 for a gold glove this year.

fair enough

Great job Detroit, really got it done there at the end of the season. Pitiful losers.

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47reviews.blogspot.com

400+ DLC songs for Rock Band.

2.4 K/D in CoD4. Legit, and no camping. Add me to play with.

Uh the real big Tiger fan is back. You must of had fun being a fan for a few months this year.

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'Just cuz im wildin dont mean I cant stop, I got discipline baby whether you do or not' - Guru