Detroit Tigers Links: Nick Castellanos Is Practicing in Left Field & Jim Leyland's Wife Is Happy

Nick Castellanos is working on playing some outfield (but not 2nd base), Delmon Young is on fire, and Jose Canseco thinks he could have won the Home Run Derby. These stories and more in today's Morning Prowl.

Castellanos taking fly balls in left field with Erie - Beck's Blog
PANIC IN PANIC TOWN

Delmon Jackin' It - Motor City Bengals, Chris Hannum
"Jackson and Berry have been doing a good job in providing RBI opportunities for Cabrera and Fielder, but they desperately need somebody, anybody to step up to drive those two big bats in (and not with ground balls through the gap)."

Jim Leyland hoping for consistent, healthy Detroit Tigers rotation after All-Star break - MLive, Philip Zaroo
"Three starting pitchers have missed time due to injury, including Doug Fister, who has had two stints on the DL. A blister sidelined Drew Smyly, but Leyland has to be cognizant of how much stress he puts on the youngster's arm."

In photos: Tom Gage gives Tigers their midseason grades - The Detroit News, Tom Gage
"Why only 24 — when there are 25 players on the active roster? Because Danny Worth and Luis Marte were optioned to Toledo before the 81st game and it wouldn't be fair to grade a player as recently recalled as Jose Ortega."

Darwin Barney Would Improve the Tigers - Eye On the Tigers
The missed factor here: Theo Epstein and his grandiose ideas of what players should actually cost in trades. The price isn't worth the marginal upgrade that Barney provides.

Extra points: Mrs. Leyland can't complain about Tigers not winning - Detroit Free Press | freep.co
If Mrs. Leyland approves, there's no reason for the rest of you to be complaining.

Elsewhere in Baseball:

The 10 coolest things about the 2012 Futures Game - Big League Stew, David Brown
Somehow, Nick Castellanos' home run and Bruce Rondon's electric arm didn't make this list. Haters.

MLB Umpires And The Classification Of Strike-Three Calls - Baseball Nation, Grant Brisbee
"The biggest surprise of the study: There just isn't a lot of variation. With 72 different umpires and 72 different opportunities to make up a strike-three call, there is way more uniformity than I would have expected."

Billy Hamilton’s speed in context - The Hardball Times, Jesse Sakstrup
Word is that Billy Hamilton is pretty fast. When you steal 100 bases in a season at any level, people say that about you.

Jose Canseco thinks he’d win the Home Run Derby - HardballTalk, Matthew Pouliot
I don't even know what to say anymore.

Boston Red Sox's Vicente Padilla says New York Yankees' Mark Teixeira would be better off in 'women's sport' - ESPN New York, Andrew Marchand
The only way this could be better is if Teixeira responded with "That's a clown comment, bro."