Should The Tigers Get Brad Hawpe?
by fordfan5000 on Aug 19, 2010 10:32 PM EDT
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PrintA month ago, the Tigers were still in contention. Now... not so much. And as much fun as watching nightly Mud Hens reunions has been, the focus has shifted to contending in 2011 and beyond.
In the good old days (last month), when Tigers fans spent time watching the games instead of placing bets on how long Carlos Guillen will stay off the DL, the front office was looking up ways to bulk up for a playoff run. Brad Hawpe's name came up as a realistic possibility.
Now with the Tigers attempting to win with a glorified AAA lineup, and Brad Hawpe now a Free Agent, do you think the Tigers should attempt to sign Brad Hawpe, either now or in the offseason?
Personally, I wouldn't count on the Tigers signing Carl Crawford. With Detroit not being a desirable destination, and the added pressures (and big bucks) of the Red Sox and the Yankees, I would see a return of Johnny Damon being more likely. Even then, I wouldn't put money on it. And as defensivley sound as a Don Kelly or Clete Thomas in the outfield may be, the offensive butchery wouldn't be worth it, especially in a Tigers offense already strapped for hits.
Aside from this season, Hawpe has been rather consistent: home runs in the mid-to-low 20s, .280 average. He's not a Gold Glove defenseman, but he's not Raburn (Edit: apparently he is).
What do you think? Should the Tigers try and sign Brad Hawpe if Crawford is not an option?
(On a side note: This is my first FanPost, so I apologise for the lack of any links or photos. Also, I am not very proficient in Sabermetrics, so if anyone sees some glaring reason why signing Hawpe isn't a good idea, please go right ahead and correct me. Thanks!)
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Bless You Boys writing staff.
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Don't think resigning Damon would be the right thing to do
That being said, Hawpe would be a good DH. See, he fields worse than Ryan Raburn (Fangraphs says no player comes close). Course, we have Guillen or Maggs that should be DH’ing. So pass on Hawpe unless it’s a 1 year deal or the like (and we can trot Maggs out to LF or RF for another).
Assist. Editor, Minor League Division, Bless You Boys
Daniel Fields is better than you.
Thanks for the info.
I saw a career fielding percentage of .978, which isn’t terrible. I also saw some acronym with alot of z’s that was like -80, so I assumed he wasn’t that good. But I had no idea what it meant.
Why does "lisp" have an S in it? That's just cruel.
by fordfan5000 on Aug 20, 2010 11:44 AM EDT up reply actions
UZR
Yeah, it means he can’t field. :D
Assist. Editor, Minor League Division, Bless You Boys
Daniel Fields is better than you.
by David Tokarz on Aug 20, 2010 1:30 PM EDT up reply actions
If Hawpe is DH...
What do you do with Guillien, or Damon. It seems we only have guys who can hit and guys who can field. Never the two shall meet. Lots of money to spend next year, but no one will ever come here unless you way overspend. We need to grow our own players and for about 20 years that has been a total failure…
Country Strong
If we signed Hawpe,
we wouldn’t resign Damon. If it were up to me, Guillen would be gone, and Sizemore would be at 2B, seeing as all he really needs is to adjust to big leauge pitching.
Why does "lisp" have an S in it? That's just cruel.
by fordfan5000 on Aug 20, 2010 11:46 AM EDT up reply actions
Carlos has shown he cannot stay healthy.
I think eating the contract would be the best move.
Ryan Raburn antagonist.
Scott Sizemore liberationist.
Hawpe is one option, but is best suited for a role as a DH.
The approach to this off season should start with an earnest attempt at upgrading each and every position where they have a starting player with an expiring contract, no exceptions. There are no pending free agents where I’d say “we have to get this guy extended”, and certainly none before the season. There are also very few where I’d say “we have to replace this guy”, with the exception of Peralta, Bonderman, Robertson, Wilils, and Everett. Those guys, I just can’t see being a meaningful part of a contender. As for Ordonez, Inge, and Damon, I’d be okay with bringing them back on short term deals, with the caveat that the lineup needs to be seriously upgraded, and the outfield/ DH spots happen to be where the talent lies in this year’s crop of free agents. (All this says nothing about pitching, which I think is our greatest need).
I put Hawpe on the short list of players that I’d be interested in. Probably better than Damon, limited in the field, but if he hits like he can, he could spray the ball to all corners of Comerica, and do a nice job as a DH in the 3 spot. Hawpe alone won’t do the trick, though. The Tigers still need more speed in the 2 slot, and they need power in the 3 and 5 spots. I’d rather have Crawford, Werth, or Dunn, and I’d rather trade for Willingham (and of course Hanley and a host of other dreams), but Hawpe is on the watch list.
If you survived 2003, you can get through this!
I meant, none before "the end of the season" obviously.
If you survived 2003, you can get through this!
I like Hawpe hoever He is a 1B or DH.
Well we already have Guollen penciled in as the DH for 2011 im sure and Miggy aint moving from 1st.
by BennieBladesFan on Aug 20, 2010 10:59 AM EDT reply actions
Uggla!! Yahtzee!
Great mid level guy we could get for cheap as an amazing 2b with power. Is he a free agent? If not maybe Florida would give us the Dumbrowskideal.
Country Strong
Make it a ban.
For all that is well and good; that phrase must die.
Ryan Raburn antagonist.
Scott Sizemore liberationist.
ithink the tigers gm will maybe pick up hawpe as thier new dh also they might keep peralta they like him at 3base //shortstop it give them achance to try to mack a trade with seatle for a 3basemen .
Please, no dedicated DH signings.
This team has had too many good bat / poor glove guys over the past 6 years or so. With a year left on Guillen’s contract, I’d like to see him at DH until he’s injured. Then, I’d like it to be used to rest the other good bat / poor glove guys.
And if anyone is interested in signing Damon and/or Maggs, we certainly need to keep DH open if we’re going to carry any combination of Guillen / Damon / Ordonez.
Granderson was my Tiger, then Sizemore, then Willis. Since they're all gone, I'm taking Raburn and hoping the pattern holds.
Tigers need infield help first and foremost
in my opinion. Inge may be gone and they could use a power hitting #rd baseman, if that is the case. They definitely need another big bat to drive in whatever Miggy does not.
Beltre or nothing
I mean, if we don’t try and grab him, we’re stuck with Peralta or Inge as a backup plan. I’d be okay with Ingey, but…
Assist. Editor, Minor League Division, Bless You Boys
Daniel Fields is better than you.
by David Tokarz on Aug 21, 2010 1:18 AM EDT up reply actions
To be honest
If we do pick up a DH, I hope it’s Jim Thome for like 2m.
Assist. Editor, Minor League Division, Bless You Boys
Daniel Fields is better than you.
But then
Who would Thome beat up on now that he would be on the same team as Verlander?
Official President of the Team Jacob Turner Fan Club
Sabermetrics Padawan
by DetroitTigersGeek on Aug 21, 2010 3:12 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
The Twins
And Sox. And Indians. And Royals.
Assist. Editor, Minor League Division, Bless You Boys
Daniel Fields is better than you.
by David Tokarz on Aug 21, 2010 4:26 PM EDT up reply actions
tough call
As much as Guillen wants to be an infielder, he continues to show us that his body does not agree. Guillen MUST be the DH, at least IMO.
While Hawpe is interesting and a low risk high reward player, he is also kinda risky. In his last three years his HR totals have decreased every season. This season being very very low. I’m not to sure that COPA would help his power numbers either.
I guess what im really saying is I agree with most of you…
Too many wholes in the infield that need to be addressed first.
Especially, when you consider the fact that Carl Crawford is already packed and ready to be be a Tiger. (wishful thinking of course)
good idea though, nice post!
Whether they should have or not
Tampa Bay has already signed him.
I really love that front office.
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