Pitchers and catchers countdown: 9 days

Walkoff Wonders: Just How Slow Are the Tigers? -- Walkoff Woodward, Josh Worn
We all know the Tigers have some "husky" guys. At least that's what Lynn Henning tells us. But does that mean Detroit can't steal bases with the best of 'em? Well, yeah, it kinda does. But maybe it's not such a terrible thing.

Tigers tight-lipped on Yoenis Cespedes, but confirm he didn't visit Detroit -- The Detroit News, Tony Paul
The Yoenis Cespedes saga continues. Rumor has it that he could leave the U.S. by the weekend, which means the Miami Marlins will have most likely been the only team to have met with him.

Pressing Questions: The Detroit Tigers -- Yahoo! Sports, Scott Pianowski
Pianowski answers questions on Detroit's options in the infield and outfield, and whether Jose Valverde will have another "perfect" season.

Detroit Tigers rank No. 24 in MLB farm systems by ESPN.com -- MLive.com, James Schmehl
*Cue The Jeffersons theme song* The Detroit Tigers finished No. 24 on the list of top 30 MLB farm systems. Last year they ranked No. 25. The good news is, I'm not sure anyone should take this too seriously. And if you read the link below, you'll figure out why.

Detroit Tigers' roster leaves little reason to worry about farm system -- MLive.com, Justin Rogers
"The Tigers boast a roster of talented players under 30, which lessens the concern about depth in the farm system." Nicely said.

Position preview: catcher -- EAT EM UP TIGERS
A breakdown of catcher Alex Avila and what the Tigers have in store in 2012 in that position. The big question is: Can Avila have the same kind of season as last year? I think he can. But Jim Leyland needs to figure out a way to not run him quite as ragged as last season.

Platooning the DH Position Would Work Fine, as Long as the Tigers are Smart about it -- The Tigers Den, Matt Snyder
I like this notion a lot, actually. Though the idea of having Ryan Raburn and Delmon Young as regular DH alternates makes me a wee bit queasy.

If necessary, Tigers have ability to put good defensive team on field | The Detroit News -- detroitnews.com, Tom Gage
"The give-and-take for the Tigers is they're electing to put offense over defense -- but doing so with a safety-net awareness of having better defensive players they can turn to at several positions if needed." I, however, think Miguel Cabrera is going to turn a lot of heads at third base. No, seriously.

Detroit Tigers' Nick Castellanos, Jacob Turner named to ESPN.com's top 100 prospects -- MLive.com, James Schmehl
Who said we didn't have any good position players in the farm system? We have ... one.

The latest incarnation of Justin Verlander -- Roar of the Tigers, Samara Pearlstein
#JustinVerlander #Ninja #Awesome

Tigers statues getting cosmetic work -- Beck's Blog, Jason Beck
The Comerica Park ceramic tigers get a face-lift. About time.

Playing devil's advocate: Why each team in the AL Central could pose a threat to Detroit Tigers -- MLive.com, Justin Rogers
For all you optimists out there, Justin Rogers wants to bring you back down to reality for a quick sec. Here's a look at a few reasons why the Tigers maybe should be worrying about their competition.

Continue reading this post »

Pitchers and catchers countdown: 11 days

Justin Verlander 'a ninja riding a cheetah' in new 'MLB 2K12' ad -- Detroit Free Press, Steve Schrader
I'm going to assume that you've all seen this. But I'm also going to urge you to watch it again. And so by me including it here, I'm simply making that easier for you. You're welcome.

Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes expected to arrive in Miami, meet with Marlins -- MLB.com, Joe Frisaro and Jesse Sanchez
Yoenis Cespedes has reportedly received a travel visa and is scheduled to meet with the Miami Marlins Wednesday. It's not clear if he's meeting with other teams in Miami, but it likely means the Tigers will have their first opportunity to schedule a meeting with the highly sought-after outfielder in person.

Prince is part of third father/son duo to play for the Tigers -- Detroit Athletic Co. Blog, Dan Holmes
But are they the first father/son duo to openly hate each other?

Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski speaks at Detroit Sports Broadcasters Assn. banquet -- Out of Left Field, Matthew B. Mowery
In case you "accidentally" missed this, Mowery provides a brief overview of Dombroski's Q&A session at DSBA Tiger Day.

MLB preview: Detroit Tigers in Morris -- The Morris Mirror
"Even with Prince Fielder, Detroit may have only the sixth-best roster in the American League in my book." Yeah? Well your book is stupid.

Memo to owners: spend money! -- SI.com, Joe Sheehan
Sheehan says Detroit Tigers Mike Ilitch is one of the few owners in baseball who is more concerned with winning than money. He says more owners need to take greater risks in signing free agents instead of worrying about putting their team "in red" so to speak.

Best Pitching Rotations Ever -- Tiger Tales, Lee Panas
Panas breaks down the best pitching rotations in the history of baseball. The final list includes the 1946 and 1949 Detroit Tigers. Can you name both those rotations without peeking?

Detroit Tigers' Dave Dombrowski expects Collin Balester to make roster; says one spot left in bullpen -- MLive.com, James Schmehl
Right-handed reliever Collin Balester is expected to be on the Tigers opening-day roster. So who does that leave for the final spot in the bullpen. My bet is on Duane Below, but it's possible I have a soft-spot for the guy. Who do you guys have?

Detroit Tigers' increased revenue could absorb cost of Prince Fielder's $214 million contract -- MLive.com, Justin Rogers
Rogers says if you factor in "attendance increases from the 2006 postseason appearance, and jumps after big acquisitions such as Miguel Cabrera and Pudge Rodriguez, the Tigers increased revenue could easily cover Fielder's massive contract." But will it cover the one we're about to give Yoenis Cespedes? What? I can dream.

Continue reading this post »

Countdown: 12 days. And yes, we will be updating this every day.

Tigers links:

Tigers 'most likely set,' but still are pursuing Yoenis Cespedes - The Detroit News, Tom Gage
Patrick (Tigerdog1) mentioned this article briefly yesterday, but Dave Dombrowski said that the Tigers are "most likely set" when asked about the roster going into Spring Training. Recent history shows us that this is a good sign (if you want to see Cespedes in Detroit, that is).

Top Tigers prospect could be in Toledo in 2012! - Toledo Mud Hens News, John Parker
We linked a Fangraphs interview with Drew Smyly last week, but here's another one with MLB.com's John Parker. Smyly touches on his cut fastball and his time at the University of Arkansas, and pays no mind to the half-baked trade rumors bearing his name earlier this offseason.

Walkoff Wonders: How the Tigers Should Handle DH - Walkoff Woodward, Josh Worn
Doc looks at some possible scenarios for the Tigers' designated hitter situation in 2012 and gives his preferred option. Personally, I'd like to see Delmon Young's number bumped up a bit, if only to avoid him needing a glove at any point next season.

Andy Dirks at home in Dominican Republic - ESPN SweetSpot Blog, Javier Maymi
It looks like Andy Dirks has built quite the following during his time in the Dominican Winter League. The awesome picture that goes along with this article is just one reason why.

Detroit Tigers Top 20 Seasons: #1 1968 - Tiger Tales, Lee Panas
Lee has put together a great series of posts ranking the best Tiger seasons of all-time -- spoiler alert: the best ones end in championships -- and his top spot goes to the '68 World Champs.

Justin Verlander’s Super Bowl XLVI pick was perfect: Giants 21, Patriots 17 - Big League Stew, David Brown
Justin Verlander notched his first victory of 2012 by correctly picking the Super Bowl's winner and score. Any early picks for a World Series champ, Justin?

Justin Verlander loves Detroit, says Taco Bell routine started rookie season - Detroit Free Press, Anthony Fenech
Speaking of Verlander, he lets us all know just how long he's hated tomatoes on his pre-game Taco Bell orders. (h/t JacksTigers for the fanshot last night)

Fresh Prince of Detroit T-Shirt - Alternative Hero
If you're looking for a little variety from the 12 Tigers sherseys in your closet (Cath...), check out this Prince Fielder T-shirt from Alternative Hero.

Super Bowl Commercials 2012: Chrysler, Clint Eastwood Pay Ode To Detroit - SB Nation Detroit, Sean Yuille
This isn't exactly Tigers-related, but here is video of the Chrysler commercial featuring Clint Eastwood from Super Bowl XLVI.

Tigers & DPL All-Star Ignacio Valdez agree - Dominican Prospect League
Well, the Tigers signed an outfield prospect that is a citizen of the Dominican Republic... just not the one everyone is hoping for. (h/t Kurt & David for the link)

Continue reading this post »

Hey guess what? There's only 13 days until pitchers and catchers report. In the meantime, read these!

Former Tigers pitcher Brad Penny signs with team in Japan – The Detroit News, The Associated Press

*crickets* I, uh, wish him the best of luck.

Penny won't be back, but fans shouldn't dance about it quite so much – The Oakland Press, Matthew B. Mowery

Another, very different look at the loss of Brad Penny. Mowery argues that his role as the fifth starter in the Tigers rotation was one Tigers fans should be reveling, not complaining about.

The Athletics are interested in Magglio Ordonez – NBC Sports, D.J. Short

It might have taken them five seasons, but the Oakland A’s finally figured out it might be better to have Magglio Ordonez with their team rather than against it. If he does get picked up by Oakland, can he stay healthy enough to contribute?

Detroit Tigers' Gene Lamont still seeking chance to manage in majors after missing out on Red Sox vacancy – MLive.com, Jame Schmehl

Gene Lamont might make some questionable calls at third base, but could he serve another team well as skipper? He thinks so.

With Tigers as common ground, Prince-Cecil Fielder reunion still looks unlikely – Detroit Free Press, Steve Kornacki

Steve Kornacki dissects the Prince-Cecil Fielder relationship and says the chances of them every being like the Griffeys and Bonds of the league is highly unlikely.

Tigers Bullpen Still One Man Short – Motor City Bengals, Chris Hannum

Hannum describes last season’s bullpen as "top heavy." He gives us his picks for who the Detroit Tigers should pick up in the free-agent market.

Continue reading this post »

A tradition at The Only Colors, KJ told me this was his reaction to the signing. So naturally I had to lead with it.

Flashback: Prince Fielder displays his dad's skill with bat as 8-year-old | Detroit Free Press
Here's an article that ran in the Free Press on June 3, 1992, featuring an 8-year-old Prince Fielder looking well-fed.

Prince Fielder McDonald's Commercial 1992 - YouTube
Pretty good arm on young Prince as he strikes his daddy out in an ad for McDonalds. Prince still looked well fed. Now I guess he needs the veggy burger version.

Cecil Fielder On Prince Heading To Detriot - ESPN video
Prince Fielder's father, Cecil, talks about Prince heading to the Tigers.

Cecil Fielder also among those shocked his son signed with Tigers - JSOnline
Of course, it's been documented that the relationship between father and son has gone downhill since then, although Cecil says here it's improved a bit.

Prince Fielder, Cecil Fielder and the significance of family | HardballTalk

Craig Calcaterra wrote:

Anyway, the point of all of this is that I don’t see a father-son reconciliation as some necessary component of Prince Fielder going to Detroit. And, even though it would be nicer if the two of them had a good relationship than a poor one, I hope that Prince doesn’t get pestered too much about it by virtue of the public’s need to seek closure or resolution of a relationship that, by all rights, shouldn’t concern us.

Prince Fielder's road back to Detroit | The Detroit News

Tony Paul with a nice summary of the good and bad points of the deal, notes Fielder has been quite durable. He plays 160 games a year, average.

Prince Fielder Signing Leaves Me In Shock - Motor City Bengals - A Detroit Tigers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Garret reacts like the rest of us: with shock.

Continue reading this post »

Roar of the Tigers | Detroit baseball for strange people.

Sam sums it up best: I’M NOT OK WITH THIS.

Detroit Tigers still the favorite to win AL Central despite season-ending injury to catcher Victor Martinez -- Fox Sports

Jon Paul Morosi writes:

"Even without Martinez, the Tigers are the most talented team in the AL Central. They have three players who finished among the top 12 in AL MVP balloting last year: Justin Verlander (first), Miguel Cabrera (fifth), and Alex Avila (12th). No other team in the division put a player on that list. In fact, no other team in the division finished with a winning record. The gap between the Tigers and everyone else in the division is large enough that they should win the division despite Martinez’s absence."

The BP First Take: Wednesday, January 18

Daniel Rathman of Baseball Prospectus writes:

Martinez’s absence certainly is not ideal, but that’s mostly because it will require the Tigers to commit two spots to the least-important position on the roster. The average American League DH batted .265/.340/.429 last season, and any of the aforementioned timeshare options should produce above that level for Detroit in 2012. This is not "disastrous news" for the Tigers, as Jon Paul Morosi suggested. It’s a bump in the road—but not one that should prevent Detroit from winning its second consecutive division title.

Loss of Victor Martinez a crisis for Tigers, but there are solutions -- The Detroit News

Lynn Henning writes:

Dave Dombrowski's voice during a Tuesday conference had the tone of a man who had just watched his house burn down.

I'll be honest here. I've listened to Dombrowski speak a lot, whether on TV, the radio, teleconferences, whatever. I do not believe he sounded any different yesterday than any other time.

Who will replace Victor Martinez? Tigers should take shot at Prince Fielder -- The Detroit News
This piece is by Tony Paul. Suggestion 1 is a pipe dream, but 2 through 5 sound about right.

Continue reading this post »

Justin Verlander, Tigers show true grit -- The Detroit News
With all the mentions of true grit today, you'd think there was a movie by the same name or something.

Young, Verlander and a little luck lift Tigers - SweetSpot Blog -- ESPN
Grit and throwbacks seem to be the theme today. After teasing with Mickey Mantle and Kirk Gibson, David Schoenfield admits maybe he was getting a little too excited. 

Lamont: "Sometimes you need a little luck" -- Beck's Blog
Gene Lamont and the case of the bouncing baseball.

Goofy play could define season for Detroit Tigers -- FOX Sports 
Mike Ilitch wants the base.

A Thought On Day 14 Of The 2011 MLB Playoffs -- Lookout Landing
Jeff Sullivan writes about baseball and luck. 

Tigers ace Justin Verlander sets career high in pitches-- The Detroit News
133 pitches in 7 1/3 innings. Leyland wanted the ceiling at 125 but JV kept throwing anyway. It was the most of his career and the third time he's ever gone over 130.

Tigers' Phil Coke delivers clutch save after workhorse relievers ruled out -- MLive.com
Coke's path to success last night: Don't think too much. Also, that's one intense photo. 

Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland has quietly had a Hall of Fame career -- ESPN (sub req)
Jay Jaffe of Baseball Prospectus write that Jim Leyland has had a hall of fame career. (Hope Leyland chooses the right hat!) 

Doug Fister dominant with Detroit Tigers -- The Good Point
Jared Macdonald caught up with Doug Fister recently to talk about what is contributing to his spectacular 2011 season and postseason.

The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of: Duane Below -- Seedlings to Stars 
Nathaniel Stolz looks closer at Duane Below. (Who should have been on the playoff roster instead of Brad Penny.) 

Tigers, Rangers Fans Can Find Common Ground Supporting Josh Hamilton And Miguel Cabrera -- Ology
Bison Messink talked to Alli about the Josh Hamilton-Miguel Cabrera comparisons.

Apparently the Tigers are not quite dead yet -- Roar of the Tigers
Verlander sent a sprinkler's worth of balls out of his shirt sleeve. At least that's what it looks like to me.

Still Alive: Tired Notes from ALCS Game Five -- DesigNate Robertson
Rogo notes the Tigers are perfect in the playoffs during games he attends. Someone get this man to Arlington. 

Extra bad things happening in extra innings. | Roar of the Tigers
Sad Paws.

Instant Reaction: Insult to Injury
Extra innings are bad, mmmkay?

Tigers' crushing loss is tale of two bullpens | The Detroit News
The Rangers have one. The Tigers have a couple of guys who you trust who are running low on gas, and a boat load of players no fan wants to see take the mound.

Decisions loom large in approach to Cabrera -- Beck's Blog
Miguel Cabrera finally starts to play at his regular level and the Tigers find themselves behind 3-1 in the series anyway.

Five moves that backfired on the Tigers in Game 4 - Big League Stew - MLB Blog - Yahoo! Sports
There were certainly decisions that backfired. I wasn't happy about Jackson stealing, for instance. I didn't like walking Beltre either. But in an 11-inning game as random as baseball, anything can make you look like a genius or idiot.

Vintage Porcello | FanGraphs Baseball
Lost in the fact the Tigers lost was Rick Porcello's start. Right from the start, he was incredible. The Tigers and the fans want to know: How can we get this version of Porcello on the mound every 5 days?

Tigers not about to quit | The Detroit News
Current Tigers have been on both sides of a team coming back from a 3-1 deficit in the championship series portion of the playoffs. So it's not impossible and the Tigers know it. It's just ... not easy either.

Out of Left Field: Chet Lemon honored to throw out first pitch
A break from teeth-gnashing to remember happier times.