All's well that ends well: Casey Fien glad to be back "home"
by Kurt Mensching on Mar 23, 2010 6:00 AM EDT
in Detroit Tigers Links
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PrintIt's safe to say Casey Fien's past month has been more hectic and stressful than most.
After coming up with the Tigers, he was designated for assignment when Detroit needed to open a roster spot for outfieder Johnny Damon. The Red Sox claimed him. They promptly put him on waivers. Then lost him to the Blue Jays, who claimed him off waivers before Fien could make his way to the minor leagues. Then they released him.
Not fun for anyone to go from preparing for the upcoming season to being seemingly rejected repeatedly. Not good for the ego, either.
Fortuantely, the story may end happily enough, now that the Tigers have signed Fien to a minor league contract.
Tom Gage of the Detroit News had an excellent article on the entire thing.
That's when John Westhoff of the Tigers called him and said "come on home."
"I thanked him for not throwing away my jersey," Fien said. "This game can be cruel sometimes. Nobody gave me any answers. I asked the Jays why and they told me I was a liability.
"A liability? I haven't thrown to a hitter all spring. It's been like a twilight zone, a nightmare. Nobody gave me a chance. That's the first time I'd ever thought of quitting baseball."
Fien told Gage all he wants to do is throw the ball to a batter again -- an experience he hasn't had since leaving the Tigers.
More stories to pay attention to:
- Oh, great. Leyland wants Tigers to bunt more. Even acknowledging that baseball goes through different periods and the power period has taken a bit of a step back, I don't like the thought of giving away at-bats. Of course some might argue as long as the sixth through ninth batters are standing by the plate, what are you really giving away?
- Spring training notes: Dontrelle Willis ready to pitch in any role for Tigers. Willis is saying all the right things. He just wants to play, no matter where that may be.
- And it's possible he could still be in the bullpen, MLB.com's Jason Beck tweeted in response to a question about whether Lynn Henning's recent column on Willis being released holds any water. (hat-tip to SabreRoseTiger)
-
Porcello and Matusz are maturing rapidly - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
Young pitchers Rick Porcello of the Tigers and Brian Matusz of the Orioles could dominate the AL for many years. - Major League Baseball news - NY Times: Religion’s Role in Hank Greenberg’s Pursuit of Babe Ruth. An interesting article about a rather famous Tiger. Was Greenberg being walked because he was Jewish? Greenberg's family thinks so. Apparently Greenberg himself didn't, however. (Hat-tip Big League Stew)
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everyone should know by now,
that i am sure glad he is back. I loved seeing him pitch in Toledo, and he just didn’t look himself in his brief mlb career. Maybe he was a bit tired, hit a low (where did his good control go?), or was just adjusting (which is probably a mixture of all three, mostly the last one) I was totally bummed to see him go, and completely syked to see him back. Its fun to watch players go through the org. Thanks, DD! (or should I thank Miner and Seay?)
by Fien SHOULD CLOSE on Mar 23, 2010 7:55 AM EDT reply actions
Why . . .
. . . claim a pitcher off waivers, then let him go without even having him pitch to a batter once?
because...
sometimes pranks go too far.
My Music: Some Sorta Giant
My Blog: Strike Three Mechanics
by madpoopz on Mar 23, 2010 9:24 AM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
adding to the lede here...
with a video from Fox Sports Detroit.
Rod Allen talking about Brandon Inge’s AB’s.
My Music: Some Sorta Giant
My Blog: Strike Three Mechanics
you didn't need
the “about Brandon Inge’s AB’s” part. You know how excited we get around here when Rod Allen talks about anything, especially when there’s his general silliness involved.
Check out Detroit4Lyfe
speaking of Rod Allen, lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSxFl3le25o just for those out there who didn’t know it existed….
by Fien SHOULD CLOSE on Mar 23, 2010 5:24 PM EDT up reply actions
My mistake
that video should be linked to his name every time he’s mentioned, kinda like how all the players have links to their pages in posts.
Check out Detroit4Lyfe
Jeez . . .
. . . couldn’t the Red Sox and Jays just have TPed his yard? Would have been cheaper . . .
WOW, Kurt.
I am not sure where you picked up the story on Greenberg, but thanks. So interesting. It’s possible he could have been walked solely because of his religion. It’s hard to say. He was looking at it as an optimist and during that time in the world there was a lot of separatism going on. I hate to think that anyone would treat a person badly just because of a religious belief, but it happens, even today. I saw a special on PBS about the History of Jews in America. The segment on that era in time was the most interesting.
In the eyes of some of the pitchers Greenberg faced maybe he wasn’t “All American” enough for them and Babe Ruth was the epitome of the American baseball player and dream. Who knows? Never the less it was a great article and food for thought. Nice
Welcome to Detroit, NO sissies allowed
The article was less than convincing . . .
It showed only that he walked somewhat more in September of his 58-hr year than at other times in his career. But, (1) sample size, and (2) there are a number of other possible explanations for a heightened walk rate besides the pitchers being antisemitic.
And actually . . .
on looking at his splits here, you’ll see that the whole argument hangs on 5 more walks in September than in August. That’s a lot of inference to hang on 5 walks.
Does it say anything
about intentional vs. unintentional walks? Did they even intentionally walk people back then? I’d like to think this story had more basis than just 5 more walks from one month to the next.
by Rob Rogacki on Mar 24, 2010 12:17 AM EDT up reply actions
I went to Baseball reference
And it doesn’t say anything about “IBB” just “BB”. But he had more that particular year than any other in his career and it was the only year he was in a chase for the Home Run Championship. I’m not saying all pitchers were anti-Semite. I just found it was an interesting article and thought it was a good read. However, Jews were treated not so nice in that era. Many changed their names so no one would know they were Jewish.
It did give me some food for thought, because these things exist even today as much as people hate to admit it. I know that I’ve had less than pleasant experiences myself because of my religion and I can totally understand why some people might see it that way and in the same respect I can see why others would not.
Welcome to Detroit, NO sissies allowed
The movie in BLS' post on it was pretty good.
I recommend it for Tigers fans.
I wonder if there are any around here?
My Music: Some Sorta Giant
My Blog: Strike Three Mechanics
re: giving away at bats
Kurt – count me in as one of those who hates the idea of bunting more. IMO our lineup is a half & half lineup. It seems to be the “power-heavy” lineup with some guys with good OBP for Miggy and then after that it seems as though small-ball may be our only option to manufacture runs in the bottom half. If we have this lineup, I pray we use some hit-and-run and other things, but the bunting (to me) seems meaningless with the low averages and OBP of the guys in the bottom third.
1 – AJax – CF
2 – JD – LF
3 – Maggs – RF
4 – Miggy – 1B
5 – Los – DH
6- SS – 2B
7 – Binge – 3B
8 – G$ – C
9 – Chris Everett – SS
Example: Clean start to the inning (say 5th) Sizemore leads off with a single. Having Inge bunt with Sizemore on first and nobody out pains me because following up a bunt with Laird and Everett seems like a runner stranded on 2nd over 75% of the time…
VP of Membership, Casey Crosby Fanclub.
by JoelZumayaKegStand on Mar 23, 2010 10:33 AM EDT reply actions
"betcha I do"
VP of Membership, Casey Crosby Fanclub.
by JoelZumayaKegStand on Mar 23, 2010 11:09 AM EDT up reply actions
Eh
If G$ and Everett are the ones bunting, and if Leyland passes a test on Baseball Between the Numbers, I don’t mind it.
President, Vice President and Secretary of the Casey Crosby Fanclub.
by David Tokarz on Mar 23, 2010 2:47 PM EDT up reply actions
The Tigers bunting more...
Ranks up there with other Leyland “brainstorms” like batting Clete Thomas 3rd and replacing Procello with Miner in game 163.
There is a time and place for the bunt, and it’s not when Leyland will likely use it. I despise giving away outs.
I'm owner/editor of The Wayne Fontes Experience and a deputy editor at Bless You Boys.
I have no problem with bunting IF
- there is a reasonable chance of a base hit
- you can draw the infield in, and let the bird dogs see the play so they pull the infield in to defend against it
- in the late innings when you need to move a runner to third
- Adam Everett is absolutely the ONLY hitter left to hit
but bunting a runner over before the last two innings is almost always a poor play
Bunts work like this...
if it works, the manager is a genius. If it fails, he’s the biggest moron on the planet.
So whatever. I really don’t think Jim cares if we think he’s a moron at this point.
My Music: Some Sorta Giant
My Blog: Strike Three Mechanics
by madpoopz on Mar 23, 2010 11:49 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
rec'd
Welcome to Detroit, NO sissies allowed
by Detroitchik on Mar 23, 2010 12:51 PM EDT up reply actions
If Leyland planned on bunting more, he surely wouldn't tell the media.
IMO, this means they’ll bunt less.
Man, I hope Fien does well.
That must have been a hellish week for him.
Good luck Casey!
by DetroitTigersGeek on Mar 23, 2010 11:31 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
AJ Should Definitely Bunt More
If he can get good enough at it, bunting will no doubt reduce his strike outs and increase in OBP and stolen bases.
I'm not so sure
Bunting when you’re a semi-competent hitter is a bad idea (see Baseball Between the Numbers). If Jackson had great speed out of the box, then I’d say bunting for base hits would be appropriate, but I’m pretty sure he’s not incredibly fast, just a smart baserunner with above average speed.
If we were talking Jose Reyes here, then I’m cool with that, but you need good speed out of the box in order to bunt well.
President, Vice President and Secretary of the Casey Crosby Fanclub.
by David Tokarz on Mar 23, 2010 6:07 PM EDT up reply actions
Is the article meant to be about sacrifice bunts?
I got the impression it was about bunting for base hits, which isn’t necessarily giving away outs as long as the guy doesn’t suck at
That's what I got from it
it seems like Leyland wants to take advantage of AJax’s speed by getting him to lay down an occassional bunt for a base hit, and keeping the D honest in the process. 3rd baseman playing in = more chances for a double down the left field line.
Check out Detroit4Lyfe
Bunting for a hit
is still against the odds, but may be better odds than trying to get a hit with the infield playing straight away, depending on the hitter. Just doing it often enough may cause opposing teams to pull the infield in, and increase the chances of getting a hit by swinging away. Speed is something that the Tigers have lacked. Out here, I watch lots of Angel games, and the whole offense is based on pressuring the defense. Just the opposite of the Tigers. Even our middle infielders were slow last year.
I can't believe the Jays front office actually told him he was a "liability."
What does that even mean? Why would they claim him if they didn’t like him?
If I was claimed two/three times in a week I’d be flattered. Its when you don’t get claimed you should be upset.
He is what he is, though. A guy who is intriguing to many front offices, but not quite worth a 40 man spot. I think the Sox would have been very happy to stash him on a minor league deal. No idea what Toronto was doing after that quote. Has to be a communication issue.
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he did have a slight injury
"I don’t think they knew about the physical therapy I had for the slip tear in my right shoulder," Fien said. "Every pitcher has that, and I had thrown three bullpen sessions with the Tigers this spring. I was ready to go."
It seems minor but maybe the blue jays don’t want to pay anything in case he has another injury? that’s the best I come up with.
by Kurt Mensching on Mar 24, 2010 6:56 AM EDT up reply actions
good stuff,
i had no idea of the tear.
by Fien SHOULD CLOSE on Mar 24, 2010 11:20 AM EDT up reply actions
A SLIP tear is actually a pretty bad injury.
That makes sense then.
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twitter: @alskor
Where is Casey?
Did he go straight to minor league camp to wait assignment? I’d like to see him get into a game or two this spring.
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