Brandon Inge fading from Tigers' future
by Kurt Mensching on Nov 1, 2011 12:15 PM EDT
in Detroit Tigers Analysis
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PrintJust like last year, we'll be grading all the Tigers who contributed significant playing time over the course of the season, starting with the position players, then doing the rotation members, and finally finishing up with the bullpen and writing profiles for players without enough playing time to earn a grade. Each list will run in alphabetical order. These reviews will occasionally dip into sabermetrics so we can get a better idea why things happened, but I'll try to explain as we go through things.
Brandon Inge
Most of our polls make visual sense. If I give someone an A, they''ll mostly get A votes along with some B and maybe a trickle of C. If I give a B, they'll mostly get B votes with A and C thrown in for good measure. I am curious to see if Brandon Inge breaks that mold. He'll be the first player who gets failing votes, I'm certain of that.
As you know, Inge did not play an entire season at the major league level. He continued to field at an above-average level, but his bat was bad even by Inge standards. When Wilson Betemit was acquired in July, the Tigers had to make room for their new third baseman. The most logical step was to jettison their old third baseman, who wasn't getting the job done. The Tigers and Inge worked out an agreement where he would accept a demotion to Triple-A but be back up on the major league roster no later than Sept. 1.
That seemed to work out well for both parties. The Tigers had an immediate boost to the lineup from Betemit. Inge relaxed a bit in Toledo and hit the ball well. In his at bat when he returned to the Tigers from the minors on Aug. 20, Inge homered. Inge proved his worth even more in the postseason, where he hit .318 with a home run and an OPS of .923.
So at the very least, I guess we can say it was an eventful year for Inge. But was it a good one? Sadly, no.
If you're into WAR (wins above replacement), Fangraphs' or Baseball Reference's WAR figures are both in the negatives, making Inge not just below average, but below replacement level for the year. Ouch.
D.
At the plate:
It's hard to see the numbers through covered eyes, but they're really frightening to look at.
Inge is known for not hitting the ball well. That is common knowledge. Yet, you have to go back to his rookie year to find a worse season. He finished the season with a .197 average -- yes, below the Mendoza Line. Fortunately, he did occasionally take walks, resulting in an OBP of .265 and an OPS of .548.
I guess you can blame bad luck for a bit of it. His BABIP was .256. That's pretty low. Of course, his xBABIP was .280, so he's not really falling on his face either. Still, that would have kept him above the Mendoza Line. His strikeout rate (24%) was a little bit above normal. His walk rate (7.9%) was a little bit below. His power (.086) fell off hard from 2010 (and his career norm) of .150.
So it was definitely not a good year no matter how you cut it.
In the field:
Sure, Inge occasionally comes up with a flashy play at third base. Unfortunately, he also comes up with too many wild throws along side it.
By UZR, Inge was slightly better at fielding than the average third baseman -- 1.8 By Defensive Runs Saved, he was slightly below -- -2. Either way, you notice an alarming trend when you look at the numbers: He's getting worse and worse every year. You might be able to accept a good fielding, no-bat third baseman (under limited circumstances).
Unfortunately, with each year he ages we are getting close to a no-glove, no-bat third baseman.
Fans at the 2011 Scouting Report still rated his instincts, glovework and throwing power as above average. However, his 63 score is down sharply from the 83 it was in 2009 and 79 in 2010. So I think the fans are in agreement with the advanced metrics.
Next year:
I could see Inge rebounding slightly at the plate. Honestly, it's hard to picture him batting worse. In the field, I think we'll continue to see what happens when a once-great fielder suffers from bad knees and aging.
As of right now, I'd say Inge has a chance to be the starting third baseman in 2012. I say that for three reasons: The free agent market isn't great, the uncertainty of a trade opportunity, and the money owed to Inge. Mind you none of those reasons, or even all of them put together, mean that he'll trot out to third base when the Tigers take the field on Opening Day.
But as of right now, I find it hard to believe the Tigers would just release him and eat his contract.
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I gave him a D - And I am a Brandon Inge Fan
I have always enjoyed watching Brandon play third base. He was brilliant at times during his career but I agree completely that wild throws seem to be up a bit. No doubt he is slowing down and has signed his last contract as a Tiger and probably his last contract period.
He is one of those Tigers that I have a love hate relationship with. And last year there was more hate for the strikeouts and pop ups. Hate is really too strong of a word. Dissappointment is better. I root for Brandon and when he fails I am angry.
He is also one of the guys on the current roster that I hope stays with the organization when his playing days are done. Perhaps as a replacement for Jim Price as that retirement MUST be getting closer and closer. Perhaps as a coach. Brandon gave us many highs and too many lows but when he connected for that home run on his first game back from Toledo I know that ALL Tiger fans were happy for him. I hope he has at least an OK year and than gracefuly retires as a player
F
He’s a nice guy, and he was good for a while. But last season was garbage.
"You, on the other hand, make Eeyore look like Rainbow Brite." -johnmoz
"I think of you more as the blue book style essay of sports journalism."-Kurt Mensching
Contributor, Bless You Boys
Coach
I’ve never understood the talk of Inge as a coach. To me, all the boneheaded things he’s done over his career have come when he’s had time to think or been required to think when there wasn’t much time. He’s excelled when he’s been able to just go on athletic ability and reflexes.
Think of that play late in the season where he threw to second and ended up costing the Tigers the game. Almost literally anything else he did would have turned out better and after the game, he says he’d do the exact same thing if he had the opportunity. His manager’s response, “Well, then we’d have lost the game again.”
Starting to bother me
For all these polls, I’ve voted before I read your grade… and we’ve had the same result on all of them. GET OUT OF MY HEAD!
I hate Jonathon Ericsson.
Like his D and hit lefties better
So that spell platoon and play late innings, unless there a trade or free agent signing.
Mononucleosis
Explains everything really. It’s not as if its a cold and you get better and you’re off to the races. It’s a debilitating condition that racks hell with conditioning and a condition that lingers and affects you physically even after you are “recovered.” Given his skill set and past performance, age is a major factor and he had a disease that can affect the body for months. So its hard to predict where he will be come spring training. But I think his getting sick is the major part of the story.
by gordbrown on Nov 1, 2011 2:01 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Thank you!
People think of it as the “kissing disease” and disregard it but you are completely right. Mono lingers and it weakens you greatly. They really should have sent him directly to Toledo and called it what it really was, a rehab assignment. This is coming from a guy who had mono as a teenager, didn’t take care of himself, weakened his defenses so badly he contract Meningitis and very nearly died.
This year he really did have a “C” rated season but thanks to the mono it would have been a miracle if he had done any better. On pure performance he might deserve that D, but he is also a player of intangibles. He really is one of those guys that inspires others to play better.
I'll assume you're quoting locker room experience on that inspiration piece?
I can’t picture a bunch of professional ballplayers being down in the dumps and dogging their performance without Ingey in the clubhouse.
If that were the case, I’m surprised we won a single game in 2011 after Rhymes was demoted. How did we survive without our own personal rally monkey?
Forgive me…I feel salty tonight and my patience is low. Rogo, where are you on this one?
The other sports are just sports. Baseball is a love. ~Bryant Gumbel, 1981
I gave Brandon a "C" in this instance
He’s played pretty good D for the D this past year, though of course there were some plays we all question him on (the throw to 2nd against TB in August being the BIGGEST WTF moment). Compared to the other options we had at 3rd this year, from a fielding aspect, Brandon did overall a good job, better than what Wilson Betemit did, and DonK was a decent option as well, but Brandon was still probably our best bet at the hot corner. I do hope he retires as a Tiger, and goes into coaching or something else within the organization. His offense was offensive this year for the most part, definitely one of his worst seasons with the bat, so much so that he ended up going to Toledo for a bit to work on his mechanics. We know he’s not the future of the Tigers at that position, but for the years he’s given us, I hope we can get a Ring for him before he does retire as a player, he’s done a great job for us. Overall though, the C is based on 3 things, his Fielding gets a solid B-, his Offense gets a D, and his playoff performance was a C+, overall giving roughly a C average. Couldn’t expect more out of him than what he gave us in the Playoffs, which was a lot more than a lot of people expected
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How can offense get a D?
What would an E look like? I beg you to show me a worse year offensively than Inge just put up.
Inge hit .197. He didn’t hit for power. He doesn’t have speed. There’s absolutely no way he deserves anything better than an E on offense. I’m not an Inge hater and I root for him to have a good year in 2012, but I simply can’t lie to myself about that offensive performance in 2011.
I’m a fan of OPS. I think it does a good job of measuring the ability to get on base for others behind you at the same time as measuring the pop you have to drive people in front of you home. When you’re not talking about a speedster, it’s really one of the best stats to measure a hitter. Inge’s OPS in 2011 was .548, but he did not have enough PA’s to be a qualified “leader”. The lowest OPS among qualified players was Alex Rios at .613. Among players with 300 AB’s or more (265 players total), only 3 players had lower OPS totals (Figgins, Janish, and Gutierrez) Among those players, Inge has the highest K% by a landslide. So, while the other guys may have been worse from an OPS standpoint, at least they got the bat on the ball substantially more often than Inge. So, among players with 300 AB’s, Inge was in the bottom 2% for OPS. That deserves an E.
The other sports are just sports. Baseball is a love. ~Bryant Gumbel, 1981
I would try to bring wOBA into use a bit more if I were you
Thought to be fair, OPS is the one I always mention on the blog to so, well, yeah, I’m not a good influence.
wOBA says the same thing though, of players with 300 plate appearances or more in the MLB Inge only had 3 batters do worse than him.
by Kurt Mensching on Nov 1, 2011 4:10 PM EDT up reply actions
His is OK against left handers
His splits against left handers tell a different story. Even last year his OPS against left handers was .717, slightly below league average. His OPS against left handers in 2009 and 2010 was .854 and .817, which were significantly above average. A platoon of Kelly and Inge would give the Tigers average production at the position. Late innings defensive shifts would bring Inge into the game for Young (or Bosch) with Kelly moving from 3rd to LF. Obtaining an outside 3rd baseman would mean dumping Inge’s contract, limiting Kelly’s playing time and possibly blocking Castellanos. Most prudent move would be to go with the platoon and reexamine the situation for 2013.
NO
"You, on the other hand, make Eeyore look like Rainbow Brite." -johnmoz
"I think of you more as the blue book style essay of sports journalism."-Kurt Mensching
Contributor, Bless You Boys
Inge has platoon value, Kelly not so much
Inge/Kelly would be an awful offensive platoon, Kelly is not a good hitter. His OBP was .299 against RHP. He did have a nice September and post season, but he’s not going to replicate it long-term.
Don Kelly has value, but it’s as a 25th man, a defender who can play well anywhere on the field. Historically, his bat just doesn’t justify getting playing time. If the Tigers could find an average hitting LH bat to play 3rd as part of a platoon with Inge, I’d be OK with it. But not if the LH bat is Kelly.
I'm owner/editor of The Wayne Fontes Experience a deputy editor at Bless You Boys, host the Bless You Boys Podcast and co-host The Knee Jerks podcast.
The post hinges on Kelly and Inge giving the Tigers "average production" at the position
I’m not sure this is remotely true, and I think the Tigers are looking for more than “average” for the position heading into ’12.
Yes, third base has become sort of a black hole in MLB for offensive production. Sure, there’s a Longoria or Beltre around, but most teams seem to be wanting to stuff their poor fielding/good hitting infielders at second base these days instead of third base.
For a team looking to win a title though(and is as serious about it as the Tigers are), it’s hard envisioning the production of Kelly/Inge getting it done. Given Inge no longer is the glove man he used to be, there is no longer the trade-off needed.
Waiting on Castellanos is taking a lot for granted. Will he make more contact? Does he have the arm and range to stay at 3B? Will his power increase?
I’ve read elswhere, the Tigers had pretty much bottom-of-the-league production out of their third baseman. In order to secure a better lineup, that’s the position where the biggest impact can be made.
Justin can now let the fungus grow back on his shower shoes.
D for defense
Even having a serviceable third baseman has some value.
At the plate, Inge gets an F for failure.
I don’t agree with standing pat. The Tigers need three hitters in the top three spots in the order to get on base ahead of Cabrera. They need solid infield defense, which they never got from Betemit or Raburn, and they would do well to have some guys that can run a little bit, rather than watching the station to station merry go round that keeps getting stuck on third base.
There’s nothing to see here, folks. Move along.
"King of Minutiae"
Sorry Brandon...
…but you need to pack and play elsewhere.
Inge...
…as back up catcher. Otherwise go away! Tired of talking about you! If Raburn cannot play the outfield with confidence, then trade him! He has a brick for a glove as an infielder
E
He failed as our starting 3B.
I’d give Inge, Betemit, and Kelly an A for the platoon job they did in September / October.
Even with the A averaged in, Inge still failed, because he failed beyond the point of redemption from April – August. I’d give him a G for garbage for that part of the year.
I, too, am shocked!
we better make sure he wasn’t hacked!
by Kurt Mensching on Nov 1, 2011 3:50 PM EDT up reply actions
I tried my best to put a positive spin on Inge
He’ll keep his roster spot and have a bench/defensive sub/platoon role. He’s just not worth anymore than the major league minimum though.
E...Sorry Brandbino
Inge has been a Tiger for so long, it’s hard to see him be so awful. The defense was merely average this year and the offense was quite possibly the worst offensive season among ALL players with 300 PA or more.
The team needs to improve at 3B. It would be difficult for me to see Brandon not be a part of the team in 2012, but I certainly hope that his part on the team only warrants 200 AB’s or so and that his 200 AB’s can be more in line with his post-Toledo production this year.
The other sports are just sports. Baseball is a love. ~Bryant Gumbel, 1981
Majority says D? Really?
I would love to see what an E would look like. What does Inge have to do to be seen as the complete failure that he is? Become Adam Dunn? Hell, Dunn even had a higher wOBA than Inge, with Inge finishing in the bottom 5 in the league with 300+ PA.
by NintendoPlaystationNumbers on Nov 1, 2011 5:22 PM EDT reply actions
Can't afford another year from Inge
Not at the plate. To put up with that kind of hitting, he’d have to cover the entire left side of the infield AND steal second base every time he somehow found his way on first.
I liked Brandon. I never fell into the “he’s garbage” trap based on his BA. He hit with power, he was somewhat clutch(driving in over 70 runs from the bottom of the order many years despite his poor BA), and played a third base that could only be truly appreciated by seeing him in person. The guy was cat-quick, and phenomenal around the bag. He made many plays per year that not many could.
But that is over.
He gets an E. He had his time, and that time is over.
Justin can now let the fungus grow back on his shower shoes.
Oh ... and I know "clutch" really isn't a thing.
For so many. Personally, I think some people respond to a challenge, while others shrink. In fact, I’d think that sort of thinking should be common sense. But if one uses the term “clutch” in any baseball discussion, some people “TILT” and shut down.
I get that. But all that said … yes, Brandon had some years he was clutch. Deal with it.
Justin can now let the fungus grow back on his shower shoes.
13 people gave Inge an "A"
I’m guessing the same amount think the world is flat.
Justin can now let the fungus grow back on his shower shoes.
there are more C's than E's too
I… I just cannot wrap my head around that.
by NintendoPlaystationNumbers on Nov 2, 2011 7:22 PM EDT up reply actions
Inge's 2011 wRC+ splits
Against LHP – 99
Against RHP – 18
Depending on what you think of his glove at this point, he’s average to a slight plus when playing against LHP. To put the 18 into perspective, Neifi! had a 22 wRC+ in 2007. Inge vs. RHP is beyond Neifi! bad. If the team is serious about having a full-time backup C on the roster, it gets hard to rationalize using a roster spot on Inge for 55 or so starts.
D
I’ve always liked Brandon, and for no logical reason whatsoever. I think it’s because he represents how far the team has come from 2003. Sadly, he usually chooses to remind me of 2003 with check-swing third strikes. As far as next year goes, let him play out his contract and platoon him. This lets him go out (hopefully) gracefully and gives us another year to watch Castellanos develop and see if he looks like the long-term solution at 3rd.
D
He wasn’t completely useless to the team, and can still field the ball slightly above average, making him a decent defensive replacement.
C for a pretty good postseason.
The game tying homer off Ogando in the ALCS was legendary. Too bad it didn’t work out in extras.
I Have Been An Inge Fan For Years Because Of His Defense!
But my evaluation of him last season came up with an E. Sorry, his defense could not pull him over a very bad failing grade.
Fadding Inge!
I think Branden all ready Investments set up with Bobby Higginson He began His Investments with Bobby a few years back! He like Bobby wont end up like other former athletes sorry to say BRANK RUPPET!
If you wanna get real Detroit
you have to look at Inge as a cancer to this team. He has been for a few years now and even before his “decline” he wasn’t much to cheer for. He constantly tried to be the hero and for that reason the little pop in his bat that he had resulted in a terrible average, on-base % and overall hitting. If you wanna look at this team as a contender you have to let go of your love affairs and look at what’s best for the team. The Tigers cannot cut Inge because he’s handcuffed them for another year and $6.5 million is just way too much for the Tigers to eat. Winning teams don’t keep players like Inge around because of what he’s done, even the Yankees were justified to keep Jeter, albeit massively overpay for a singles hitter with declining range, Inge has been paid for what he’s done and paid very well. But looking at his metrics from his UZR, FIP, xFIP, OBA, WOBa, WAR, he clearly isn’t a player the Tigers should have brought back last year not only that but RUSHED to bring him back almost to make sure that no one else would snatch him up. Believe me a player with limited abilities at the hot corner wasn’t gonna garner much interest.
Take off your white wig, put down your gavel and stop judging...
Cancer? Explain please that could mean alot of different things
Brandon didn’t handcuff the Tigers. He accepted a two year contract with a club oprtion for a third year. Despite his poor performance it was not that bad of a signing for the Tigers (remember the truly awful contracts for Sheffield, Robertson and others?) and he got OK money.
Five million for a ten year veteran is not that out of line. Even with Brandon’s all time Tiger strike out record.
There is no doubt 2011 was a horrific year for Inge. But during the playoffs he showed flashes of the Brandon we all loved back in 06. Unless the Tigers sign (A-Ram) or trade for (Michael Young /DavidWright) a better third basemen I am OK letting Inge start in a platoon and see what happens.
But Cancer? I think that’s a bit over the top
E.
great guy and all, but a awful season…. Defense was fair at best, offense was terrible. Not even major league level play out of the guy. I can’t see any other grade…
Country Strong
Brandon is over the hill
.. and sucks major ass. I only gave him a D because he had some decent spurts. But even Ron Jeremy has had some decent spurts in his day.
His defense is limited, he’s a Mendoza-line hitter, and only a reality check demotion to AAA put his attitude back in line. He bitches about playing catcher and he’s way over paid.
Thank you, Brando, for your time served. Take your money and go herd goats or something. We need someone much better at 3B if we’re going to win a series.
Wow - A Ron Jeremy reference
Wonder how many readers got THAT one. Not bad, hadn’t heard it before
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