A manager's job is thankless. You do everything right and people hardly notice you. You do anything people disagree with and they're calling for your job.
Jim Leyland's job is no different. The rumblings have grown in our comment section after Leyland's team spun its wheels earlier in the month and fell several games behind Minnesota. More recently, with Magglio Ordonez injured, Leyland's use of the third slot in the lineup has come under question.
But at least one writer thinks he's doing a great job. The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo wrote it might be the best job of Leyland's career (h/t Ian).
This may be his best managing job, considering he has four rookies who could get 300 at-bats. Catcher Al Avila may get more time with starter Gerald Laird hitting .154. Danny Worth will start at shortstop with Adam Everett designated for assignment. Center fielder Austin Jackson and right fielder Brennan Boesch are well on their way. According to Stats Inc., the last time the Tigers had four rookies get 300 at-bats was 1954, with Bill Tuttle, Frank House, Frank Bolling, and Al Kaline.
Jen, at Old English D, doesn't quite agree with Cafardo. I suspect a few folks here agree with her take.
Ahem, excuse me while I become the latest victim of spontaneous combustion. I'm going to have to go ahead and say (expletive) NO, Nick.
The Tigers have been outscored by its opponents. As has been noted, they are starting two rookies routinely and as many as four at a time during some games. They've had stumbles from their ace, their No. 2 starter and their No. 3 starter. They've traded their No. 5 starter for lack of performance.
Yet Leyland is leading a team four games over .500 and 2.5 games out of first place.
I may not agree with every decision Leyland makes -- and his batting Don Kelly and Ryan Raburn third drive me batty -- but I think he's doing a pretty good job this season.
His best ever? That still may be 2006, when he took a ragtag bunch with no swagger and more than a decade since its last winning season and went all the way to the World Series.
Now that's a performance.
Other stuff that caught my eye:
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DesigNate Robertson: Top 50 Awesome Tiger Names in History. Rogo has maybe his most entertaining post yet.
- Tom Gage had a two-pronged story. The first half mentions Austin Jackson's back spasms. Most importantly, though, we learn Jeremy Bonderman will be shelving his splitter, as it caused him some discomfort in his elbow. Better safe than sorry.
- At The Cufoff Man, James Schmehl has a rundown of how Tigers draftees are doing in NCAA Superregionals.
- Ramon Santiago had an OPS of .600 in May and it is so far .536 in June. Why do people keep claiming he should be a starter? I know, I know. Backup Quarterback Syndrome.
- This is a few days outdated, but John Lowe notes the Tigers were barely over .500 when getting a quality start. They've gotten three quality starts and three wins since.
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Miguel Cabrera leads the American League in two of the three Triple Crown stats, but is just third in All-Star Voting. So if that is the sort of thing that concerns you, go vote.
- Armando Galarraga's popularity has continued to grow, the Freep notes.
- Fangraphs.com notes that Galarraga has improved since his earlier stints on the mound. They provide a few reasons why, but caution he could still be due for a regression.
- But if Justin Morneau wins, I'm not going to complain much. He's 1.6 WAR ahead of Cabrera.
- Still we've seen the Twins win enough, haven't we?