Lunchtime Prowl: Bondo's Next Rehab, Most Talent in the AL Central, No Fan Vote, and Shaved Playoff Beards

  Jeremy Bonderman's next rehab start with Triple-A Toledo will be Sunday.  Bondo will face the Charlotte Knights one day shy of a full year since he last pitched in the majors for the Tigers.

  Are the Tigers getting the most value from the money they're paying their current roster?  APIAS takes a look, and while it might line up the way you'd think, it's interesting to see it in sheer numbers.

  Sam Mellinger addresses Jeff Passan's contention that the Royals are the most talented team in the AL Central, heavily influenced by the Tigers' performance in Kansas City earlier this week.  The two discuss amongst themselves.

  Demondeaconsbaseball lets us know in the FanShots that he's running the Tigers' mock draft at Minor League Ball.  Click over to his post, see if you agree with his picks and thought process, and offer any suggestions, if you're so inclined.

  We please ask you to join us in a moment of silence for the playoff beard of Big League Stew's Kevin Kaduk, which has now been sheared off, with the Chicago Blackhawks losing to the Detroit Red Wings in the NHL Western Conference Finals.  Getting the professional job was the way to go, 'Duk.

  Always a Tiger thinks it's time for the All-Star vote to be taken away from the fans, as it keeps the best players from being named to the team. 

Though I agree that fans don't always do the best job, my initial response is sort of typical: Isn't the game for the fans?  But I've always thought the big problem was each team getting a representative.

  Congratulations to the University of Michigan women's softball team, who beat Alabama, 6-1, in Women's College World Series play last night.  (Had I watched that, instead of the Luke Scott gun show from Baltimore, perhaps I'd have been more pleasant this morning.)  The Wolverines take on Florida tonight.

  Speaking of Luke Scott, Lynn Henning wrote yesterday that he's a bat the Tigers should consider pursuing.  There's a deal that would definitely serve a dual purpose.

  If you're in the metro Detroit area and crave some minor league baseball, you might be interested to know that the Midwest Sliders open their home season tonight in Ypsilanti.  (At Eastern Michigan University's Oestrike Stadium, to be exact.)  The Sliders play in the independent Frontier League. 

(via MarkMaynard.com)