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Tuesday Links

By FLATigersFan

Billfer has been on fire lately, with his recent analysis of the Tigers plate discipline.

Yesterday Bill examined the Tigers plate appearances of 2006 in regards to how deep they go into the count, and the success (or lack of) that it brings:

The first thing to notice on both charts is the dramatic shift in favor of the pitcher in 3 pitch PA's. Part of this might be the ability for a batter to fan and not walk, but the isolated power also takes a hit here. Batting average and slugging percentage dip as the swings get more defensive late in the count. In terms of the Tigers, the biggest thing to notice is that when an at-bats get longer for the rest of baseball, say more than 6 pitches, OBPs exceed .400. However that isn't the case for Detroit.

It seems that while the Tigers are aggressive on good pitches early in the count (as evidenced by their success), their aggression late in the account certainly hurts their ability to draw walks. They do generally maintain a slugging advantage, but that advantage is entirely negated by the hit they take late in the count getting on base.

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Jason Beck has a new mailbag up over at the official Tigers site.

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Beck also has news on his blog about a Sheffield autobiography set to release:

As far as how much of a distraction the book could be, time will tell. What was mentioned in the article really isn't different from what he has said in the past. It'll keep him in the headlines for a while longer in NY, but that might be it. At least now you have something to do with that bookstore gift card you received for Christmas.

Also discussing this is Pinstripe Alley, who has a link to a NY Times article regarding the new Tiger's book.

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Ben at TopProspectAlert.com has an interview up with Tigers pitching prospect Luke French. French, from Heritage HS in Littleton, Colorado, has spent 3 seasons in the Tigers system after being drafted in the 8th round of the 2004 draft. In 2006, he played a full season for West Michigan, going 11-8 with a 3.72 ERA.

In a system that has some pitching depth to it (much more than position players), French does not appear on any of the Tigers "top prospects" list.

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