Tigers Rookies: The Cheat Sheet
by Jon Marthaler on May 3, 2010 12:08 PM EDT
in Series Previews
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PrintDetroit makes its first visit to Minneapolis tonight. The Tigers trail the Twins by a bare half game in the AL Central, are the only team to beat the Twins in a series this year, and have won five in a row - and they're doing it with a few names you might not recognize. Below, a quick guide to the rookies that you may be hearing a lot about not only in the next few years, but this year.
- Former Yankees prospect who the Tigers got in the Curtis Granderson trade.
- Leads the American League in hits. Already has had twelve multiple-hit games. Hitting .367.
- Leads the American League in strikeouts.
- Fast. Like, really fast. Hits leadoff.
- Not actually Carlos Gomez in disguise, though you'd be forgiven for making the comparison.
- At least one columnist is saying he's an All-Star. Not a future All-Star, mind you - now.
- One downer: He's hitting .527 on the balls he puts into play, which is absurdly unsustainable, so he's likely to come back down to earth a bit.
- Went from "top prospect" to "starting second baseman" this year.
- Killed the ball at every level of the minors, including a .308 / .388 / .500 line combined at AA and AAA last year. Hit 17 homers, too.
- Despite all this, everyone seems to think his ceiling is "solid," not spectacular.
- Hitting .265; right now, he's average offensively and average defensively, and for a rookie, that's not bad. Usually eighth in the lineup.
- In the majors while Carlos Guillen is on the disabled list. Playing mostly in left, allowing Johnny Damon to DH. Has been hitting fifth for Detroit, between Miguel Cabrera and Brandon Inge.
- Led the AA Eastern League in home runs last year with 28.
- Also finished third in strikeouts, with 127.
- Possible heir apparent to Rob Deer.
- Hit his first major league home run last week, a grand slam.
- Michael Cuddyer thinks that he's not going to get cheated at the plate, as it were.
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Yikes
He makes Jon Rauch look entirely nonthreatening.
"There are only two things that are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein
Scott Sizemore AKA "Not-Grady" "Not-Tom"
“Wanted for a series of convenience store armed robberies in southeastern Michigan…”
"Don't take life for granted, because tomorrow isn't promised to any one of us." -Kirby Puckett
"Positive happines come whit sucess if you no have that is all bs" -Ozzie Guillen
by less cowbell, more 'neau on May 3, 2010 4:51 PM EDT up reply actions
I've been very impressed with Jackson so far
Obviously all his stats will drastically tumble once the absurd .527 BABIP luck runs out, but I still think he’ll be an incredibly solid player for years. Not that Granderson was a bad fielder or anything but from what I’ve seen on defense Jackson appears to be far superior.
Throw in just how bad Edwin Jackson is being smashed and how well Scherzer has been, it certainly looks like the Tigers made a great deal this off season.
On a side note though, the Tiger currently lead baseball in batting average with Jackson leading the group (.367), but the rest of the Tiger mainstays are close behind. I wonder if all these rookies will really begin to struggle though once Detroit’s offense begins to “normalize” as it is bound to do, because It’s always easier to hit when everyone else is hitting.
"You don't realize how easy this game is until you get up in that broadcasting booth." ~Mickey Mantle
by Michael in N.Cali on May 3, 2010 12:41 PM EDT reply actions
I've been shcked by Jackson
His K rate, in particular. The guy led two leagues in Ks, and now he’s suddenly not striking out. Wha’ ’Appened?
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
Strange isn't it.
I’m pretty sure he had struck out in every game played until we faced him and we somehow were unable to strike him out. We always seem to start good runs for other teams/players somehow. I still have flashbacks to all those ugly New York comebacks early last season when the Yanks were scuffling.
"You don't realize how easy this game is until you get up in that broadcasting booth." ~Mickey Mantle
by Michael in N.Cali on May 3, 2010 1:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Jackson
I picked him up early on my fantasy team, so I’ve been following him pretty close. Obviously I’m ecstatic about how he is playing. Still, the K and BABIP won’t continue (though I hope they do, since Granderson and Beltran were my two top OF).
The Tigers might be the only other good team in our division. And, like with the Twins, it largely hinges on how the youth performs. They don’t have to be stars right away, but they need the young guys to stay above average. If that happens, much like the Twins reliance on young pitching, they’ll be good all year.
pitching too?
They certainly are hanging tough so far, and it doesn’t seem implausible for these three to hold their own in the big leagues, since they were all legit prospects. My main question mark about them is their starting pitching. Verlander should do well, and Scherzer has a chance to be solid. What do you all think of the chances of Bonderman, Porcello, and Willis? Porcello has a chance to be good; if he can duplicate his sub-4 ERA of last year, he’d be more than solid. But Bonderman’s ERA of 5.74 represents a three run improvement from last year, and Willis is the archetypal question mark. It’s not a rotation that fills you with confidence.
I suppose Verlander, Scherzer, Porcello, and Willis could all end up average or above, which would be plenty if their young guys hit, and their vets don’t get injured. I just don’t see them as very intimidating though. Everything has to go right for them to be good. Of course, it only takes a few injuries for the Twins to be behind them. But I can’t work up any real fear.
What do you guys think of their starting pitchiing?
I am not sure about their starting pitching
but, I wouldn’t want to switch starting staffs with them. Their bullpen though, has been top-notch. Zumaya is back in a big way, and Ni has really looked good this year. Then you have El Matador to close. This will be a tough team to get late runs against.
But, I do fear the Tigers offense. Not sure why, but they have “spurtability” as Clark Kellog says. They score in bunches and between Damon, Ordonez, Cabrera and Guillen, that’s a tough gauntlet for most pitchers to run. They have already notched a lot of comeback wins. Once that momentum builds during a season, the aura of inevitability makes rallies happen all by themselves.
Leland is a tough old cuss and he gets his teams to produces and believe in themselves. Personally, I hope the Tigers do turn out to be legit, as well as the rest of the Central Division. The better the in-division competition, the better the Twins will be come playoff time.
by Old Twins Cap on May 3, 2010 5:57 PM EDT up reply actions
I just don't see them hanging in for the long haul
Almost all of their lineup is hitting above their career averages by a lot, from Jackson, Cabrera, Damon, Santiago, you name it they are not going to be able to keep it up. Which is the opposite for us really, we’ve been winning too for sure, but we’ve been doing it in ugly fashion. What happens when we actually start hitting with RISP let alone bases loaded? We also have the pitching depth to last an entire season they barely have the depth to fill the roster currently. Sorry, I just don’t see them hanging with us and I’m about as pessimistic as they come!
"You don't realize how easy this game is until you get up in that broadcasting booth." ~Mickey Mantle
by Michael in N.Cali on May 3, 2010 2:32 PM EDT up reply actions
I hope not.
I didn’t realize they were breathing down our necks so closely. Maybe we are finally due for our series sweep? (#nojinx)
Agreed
Expect the Tiger Rookies to have trouble on the road this season though their numbers will be just about average. In the case of Austin Jackson, this might just be exhibit number one in terms of teams looking to trade top prospects. The reason here is because the Yankees needed a centerfielder and for all he did in putting together a 4-5 time World Championship team, another World Championship in 2009, 12 division titles, and 7 AL Pennants, Brian Cashman might be remembered for trading away the future face of the Yankee Franchise. As for the Tigers as a team, they are 7-7 on the road this season. In contrast, we are 10-6 on the road.
Nothing new
I heard on the news last night that Mauer may be “Week to week” though.
"Don't take life for granted, because tomorrow isn't promised to any one of us." -Kirby Puckett
"Positive happines come whit sucess if you no have that is all bs" -Ozzie Guillen
by less cowbell, more 'neau on May 3, 2010 4:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Considering we sent Neshek to the DL
instead of Manship to Rochester when we brought up Ramos, I don’t think we’ll be seeing Blackburn for at least another start or two.
by Adam Peterson on May 3, 2010 5:58 PM EDT up reply actions
Ha!
"There are only two things that are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein
Actually Jackson
looks, at least to me, more like Granderson than Gomez.
"Don't take life for granted, because tomorrow isn't promised to any of us." - Kirby Puckett
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