Let's play GM and Manager - Who makes the cut for October roster?

by Jim Bunn on Sep 14, 2011 9:02 AM EDT

I believe the Tigers will take 11 pitchers to the playoffs. These 10 are locks: Verlander, Porcello, Fister, Scherzer, Valverde, Benoit, Coke, Perry, Alburquerque, and Sclereth.

Avilla, Cabrera, Santiago, Peralta, Betemit, Inge, Martinez make up infield, catcher and DH and the six outfielders are Dirks, Ordonez, Jackson, Raburn, Kelly and Young.

Decisions for final 2 spots are in my opinion from these playoff eligible players: Brad Penny, Duane Below, David Pauley, Jacob Turner, Luis Marte on the pitching side and position players Carlos Guillen, Omar Santos, Will Rhymes, and Danny Worth.

Turner, Marte, Worth and Rhymes are simply September call ups and have no chance barring injury. so it comes down to:

Penny, Below and Pauley as the final pitcher and Guillen, and Santos on the position side of things. I could make a strong case for keeping Santos as back up catcher like Leyland did with Shortstop Neffi Perez in 06. But switch hitting, power guy Carlos Guillen makes more sense, and remember with possibly no DH in 4 World Series games Leyland will play National League Manager and may goof around with that double switch thing. Guillen CAN play 4 positions, albeit none well anymore. Also the Tigers did not have a true back up catcher for 140 games, why start in the playoffs.

For the final pitching spot, Penny would be the easiest to leave off the roster given his numbers and the Tigers likely 4 man rotation. Below has shown he can pitch long fairly effective long relief when needed and has proved valuble but David Pauley has been almost MIA after a few bad outings. I would take lefty Below.

But Jim Leyland is a loyal to veterans, players manager, and my guess he keeps Brad Penny and Carlos Guillen on the roster for the playoffs.

Whadda Ya All think?

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Bless You Boys writing staff.

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**Omir Santos

not “Omar” as you have listed above. just had this same discussion with a buddy last night. seems like he’d have to make it if they’re not convinced Vmart is able to catch yet

No longer the Founder, President and CEO of the Ryan Raburn Fan Club

by tigers22 on Sep 14, 2011 10:17 AM EDT reply actions

Also

He agreed with you about Below. I can’t decide who I’d want for that last pitchers spot

No longer the Founder, President and CEO of the Ryan Raburn Fan Club

by tigers22 on Sep 14, 2011 10:19 AM EDT up reply actions

I don't think Dirks is eligible

by Seth9 on Sep 14, 2011 11:02 AM EDT reply actions

3 wild cards due to DL

dirks can be added

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by Kurt Mensching on Sep 14, 2011 12:12 PM EDT up reply actions

Awesome

Thanks

by Seth9 on Sep 14, 2011 6:29 PM EDT up reply actions

Playoff roster has to include all those on 25 man roster on August 31.

Most of these players were not on the roster on August 31. Dirks can be added because Boesch is out long term. Not sure Santos is eligible. Penny, Pauley, Below and Guillen I think are the only eligible from the list.

by inthzone on Sep 14, 2011 12:19 PM EDT reply actions

Any of the pitchers can be added

We have two spots available to replace Thomas and Zumaya.

Detroit4Lyfe

by Rob Rogacki on Sep 14, 2011 12:20 PM EDT up reply actions

Anyone that was in the organization on August 31 is eligible

to replace any player on the DL that was on the major league roster on August 31.

I don't care what the Chinese say, 2011 is the Year of the Tiger!

by Tigerdog1 on Sep 17, 2011 11:54 AM EDT up reply actions

Right forgot about those guys

Rule is in replacing DL players is that they have to be same position and on the 40 man roster? Would probably stick with Penny, Pauley, Below and Guillen.

by inthzone on Sep 14, 2011 12:29 PM EDT reply actions

Has to be fielder for a fielder or pitcher for a pitcher

Doesn’t necessarily have to be an OF for OF or 1B for 1B or whatever.

Detroit4Lyfe

by Rob Rogacki on Sep 14, 2011 12:31 PM EDT up reply actions

no and no

Any player who was in the organization on the final day of August is eligible for the postseason roster as a substitute for a player on the DL. Positions are not relevant after a rule change a couple years ago. However, if the player is not currently on the 40 man roster, he has to be added first.

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by Kurt Mensching on Sep 14, 2011 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions

Actually that's what I meant to say.

So, due to Boesch, Z and Thomas on long term DL does that mean we have a potential to have a 28 man PO roster?

by inthzone on Sep 14, 2011 2:05 PM EDT up reply actions

well you have to choose your 25

So you have 24 + Guillen and Alburquerque + 3 wild cards = pool of 29.

The 24 is because Boesch was on the 25 man roster and he’s now one of the DL players who become a wild card.

What I am not clear on is if you can only substitute for the DL players once. I assume that to be the case — and I assume the minor league roster isn’t deep enough in players who can contribute for it to matter — but I do not know.

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by Kurt Mensching on Sep 14, 2011 2:20 PM EDT up reply actions

So the pool is larger but the eventual number will still be 25.

by inthzone on Sep 14, 2011 2:40 PM EDT up reply actions

That's right

A player that is eligible for the playoff roster, but unable to play at the end of the season, can be replaced by any player that was in the organization by August 31st. Technically, the club has to get MLB approval to replace the injured player, but that is clearly just a formality. I can’t imagine that the Tigers have someone beyond the current 40 man roster that they’d put on a playoff roster. But then, I didn’t figure on Luis Marte getting a Sept 1 call, either.

The pitcher for pitcher and pos player for pos player is relevant only in a case where an injured player is replaced in the middle of a series. In that case, the injured player would be ineligible for the rest of that series plus the next series. Clubs previously were not able to make roster changes in mid-series.

I don't care what the Chinese say, 2011 is the Year of the Tiger!

by Tigerdog1 on Sep 18, 2011 4:15 AM EDT up reply actions

Guillen

I can’t see Guillen making the roster. Since 8/13/11 ie 1 month ago he has 6 at bats. He is a poor defender, slow base runner, and is very injury prone, his use would be as a pinch hitter – with no other value. Matt Stairs has been used in this role in the past for other playoff teams, but he was a proven commodity. I think that Guillen’s lack of playing time/practice makes him far less useful than a true pinch hitter like Stairs or Julio Franco.

Andy Dirks is much more likely. He has seen heavy playing time in September with 21 at bats. He can be used as a pinch runner or as a defensive replacement for Mags or Young. Plus he has decent pop in his bat if called on to pinch hit. And he can actually play center field if anything happens to Ajax.

by DTFB on Sep 14, 2011 1:52 PM EDT reply actions

I take Below over Schlereth

All the situational advantages plus you have a long-man available if needed.

"Aside from the stuff I haven’t been diagnosed for yet, I don’t have a problem."- Phil Coke

Contributor, Bless You Boys

by David Tokarz on Sep 14, 2011 2:00 PM EDT reply actions

My 3 Wild Cards

The pitchers might not end up being on the roster but one would have to be Turner if they did and second would have to be Wilk or Maarte but as emergencies and Dirks should take Boesch’s spot. Belwo and Pauley are on my roster too and Schlereth isn;t a lcok, but is borderline, he is pretty good though.

by vifinn on Sep 14, 2011 4:01 PM EDT reply actions

I think the team needs to see what they have in a few guys first.

Schlereth as pitched pretty well of late, but his track record of poor control is much longer than his decent stretch lately. Marte could be useful if he can pitch about 15 innings or so to gain Leyland’s trust. Speaking of Leyland, he still doesn’t know what to do with David Pauley since he went from being a very effective RP for the Mariners to an afterthought for the Tigers. Ryan Perry hasn’t been good enough for long enough to earn my trust either. I’d say the only locks for arms are JV, Max, Fister, and Porcello – Valverde, Benoit, AlAl, and Coke. Beyond that, everyone is still on the ropes, but I bet there’s at least one lefty among the three.

I think VMart could catch in a pinch and there’s no need to rest Avila with the built-in off days. Santos doesn’t have much of a chance of sniffing the roster, IMO. I’d say that, if Santiago is our starter at 2B, our 5-man bench is Raburn, Kelly, Inge, Dirks, and Guillen.

The other sports are just sports. Baseball is a love. ~Bryant Gumbel, 1981

by momotigers on Sep 14, 2011 6:14 PM EDT reply actions

I agree on most of these points

Can’t see that Perry or Schlereth are locks. I don’t like the idea, but I’d wager that Penny is on the roster just out of loyalty to a vet.

Has there been any word on how well VMart’s knee has healed? No need to have him catch at this point, but I’m curious as to whether he could handle a game if Avila gets hurt by something worse than a pitch to the face mask.

I recall that once the roster is set for one round, there can’t be substitutions even in the event of a major injury (which would put a player on the DL normally), but such injury subs are feasible between rounds. Can anyone correct this?

by MR_AZ on Sep 14, 2011 11:46 PM EDT up reply actions

Please no Penny

While Guillen is a statue on defense and has knees made of the thinnest possible porcelain, he has experience on the big stage, and that means something. Also, we saw what he can do after dignificant time on the bench yesterday. He HAS to be on the post season roster. I also like Dirks, who provides a decent bat, good speed and can play outfield pretty darn well.

No Penny. I’ll take Below and Pauley for the pitching staff.

by H2OPoloPunk on Sep 15, 2011 11:37 AM EDT reply actions

Schlereth and Perry

have both been good since coming back from the minors and they are both locks for the playoff roster. With the days off in the playoffs and 7 relievers on the roster you don’t even need a true “long man,” carrying two of Pauley, Penny, and Below as long men would be silly. I think it will be Penny for both the veteran/loyalty factor and that his 93 mile an hour fastball probably goes to 95 if he knows he only needs to go an inning or two.

by rif23 on Sep 15, 2011 11:53 AM EDT reply actions

I'm not sure about some of this

Using the word “locks” for Perry and Schlereth seems premature to me. However, based on the way Leyland has been using them, I would say they have a heads up over Marte, Pauley, and Below.

Second, with the way Penny has been pitching, he would be an awful bullpen guy. He gives up way too many runners (and runs) in his first couple of innings of work. I don’t believe we’ll keep a long man, but if we did, I would rather it was Below. However, we’ve got about two weeks to sort this out, so Penny could make a case for himself by then…so could a few others (like Pauley and Marte if they get the chance.)

The other sports are just sports. Baseball is a love. ~Bryant Gumbel, 1981

by momotigers on Sep 15, 2011 5:56 PM EDT up reply actions

It is a mistake

to automatically assume pitchers will perform the same way out of the bullpen as they have as a starter. I don’t think Penny has ever seen extended use out of the pen, and I would like to see him get some relief innings before the end of the season, but I think it is pretty safe to say that if he can get past the mental aspects of relief work Penny’s repertoire will play better out of the pen than it does as a starter.

by rif23 on Sep 16, 2011 4:38 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

IN that case, it's an even bigger mistake

to assume that a pitcher that is sucking in the rotation, and has never been effective as a reliever, should be given a spot on the playoff roster as a reliever just because he’s more experienced as a starter.

I don't care what the Chinese say, 2011 is the Year of the Tiger!

by Tigerdog1 on Sep 18, 2011 6:06 AM EDT up reply actions

When did I say

he should get the spot because he is more experienced as a starter, I missed that comment. Your right, Duane Below is so good, these 27 innings have really shown he is capable of sustaining a .270 BABIP and 3.3 HR rate in your world we should leave Perry, Schereth and Penny all off the playoff roster, the question then is who is going to pich out of the bullpen? Kelly? I bet you always want the backup quarterback to start too.

by rif23 on Sep 19, 2011 9:02 AM EDT up reply actions

Wow, really?

That seems rather harsh for what was a pretty decent argument. There’s a pretty decent case for leaving Penny off and going with Below- some of which relies on small sample sizes, but some on what people think his true talent level is as well.

"Aside from the stuff I haven’t been diagnosed for yet, I don’t have a problem."- Phil Coke

Contributor, Bless You Boys

by David Tokarz on Sep 19, 2011 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions

I think Carlos will be on the team

Guillen, Inge, and Ordonez probably all make it, but as bench players.
Penny should be just dropped, IMO, but might be moved to the pen, squeezing out Below.
Schlereth would be on my cut list, but they seem to love him too much. He’s probably in.

Perry is not a lock, either, especially if Al Al is healthy. They seem to like Perry better than Pauley. It’s Perry, Pauley, and Penny for the last spot.

I don't care what the Chinese say, 2011 is the Year of the Tiger!

by Tigerdog1 on Sep 17, 2011 12:00 PM EDT reply actions

Let's play GM...

Please no Brad Penny!V Mart can catch in the post season. Perry is out if Slider Al is ok. leyland won’t omit Inge Magglio or Guillen. Below and Pauley are ok. Dirks is solid.

by Old paw paw on Sep 17, 2011 3:11 PM EDT reply actions

Not as complicated as it appears?

With the injury to Guillen yesterday, seems like it’s just a choice between Worth and Rhymes on the offensive side. Right? Who else would even be considered for the 14th spot (I’m assuming the first 13 are: Avila, Cabrera, Santiago, Peralta, Betemit, Inge, Kelly, Raburn, Young, Jackson, Ordonez, Dirks, Martinez)

For the pitching staff the decision seems to be 2 of the 3 out of Penny, Perry and Below. (again I’m assuming Verlander, Fister, Scherzer, Porcello, Valverde, Benoit, AlAl, Coke, Schlereth). I gotta think Perry is in, just because he’s a typical “reliever” type. That leaves Penny and Below for the long man spot. I’d prefer Below, but I bet Leyland goes with Penny. I don’t really see Marte or Pauley as contenders based on the role they’ve played on the team up to now.

Did I miss anyone?

by Ryan in Brooklyn on Sep 19, 2011 10:52 AM EDT reply actions