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Already we've seen major roster changes for the Tigers this off-season. You can find plenty of analysis on this very website about whether the moves are good or bad, but there is one thing that is without question. The Tigers will be less heavy in the 2014.
Let's compare the 2013 opening day roster with a projected 2014 roster. For simplicity we will use listed weights even though they are complete works of fiction.
Note there are a couple of pitching spots available. I've simply inserted the league average weight (196 lbs) for these two spots.
2013 | 2014 (Projected) | ||||
Pitchers | Weight | Pitchers | Weight | Net gain (loss) | |
Al Alburquerque | 195 | Al Alburquerque | 195 | 0 | |
Joaquin Benoit | 220 | Joe Nathan | 230 | 10 | |
Phil Coke | 210 | Phil Coke | 210 | 0 | |
Octavio Dotel | 230 | Bruce Rondon | 275 | 45 | |
Darin Downs | 210 | Luke Putkonen | 215 | 5 | |
Doug Fister | 210 | RP 1 | 196 | -14 | |
Brayan Villarreal | 170 | RP 2 | 196 | 26 | |
Rick Porcello | 200 | Rick Porcello | 200 | 0 | |
Anibal Sanchez | 205 | Anibal Sanchez | 205 | 0 | |
Max Scherzer | 220 | Max Scherzer | 220 | 0 | |
Drew Smyly | 190 | Drew Smyly | 190 | 0 | |
Justin Verlander | 225 | Justin Verlander | 225 | 0 | |
Pitcher subtotal | 2485 | 2557 | 72 | ||
Catchers | Weight | Catchers | Weight | ||
Alex Avila | 210 | Alex Avila | 210 | 0 | |
Brayan Pena | 230 | Bryan Holaday | 205 | -25 | |
Infielders | Weight | Infielders | Weight | ||
Miguel Cabrera | 240 | Nick Castellanos | 210 | -30 | |
Prince Fielder | 275 | Miguel Cabrera | 240 | -35 | |
Omar Infante | 195 | Ian Kinsler | 195 | 0 | |
Don Kelly | 190 | Don Kelly | 190 | 0 | |
Jhonny Peralta | 215 | Jose Iglesias | 185 | -30 | |
Ramon Santiago | 175 | Steve Lombardozzi | 200 | 25 | |
Outfielders | Weight | Outfielders | Weight | ||
Matt Tuiasosopo | 225 | Rajai Davis | 195 | -30 | |
Andy Dirks | 195 | Andy Dirks | 195 | 0 | |
Torii Hunter | 225 | Torii Hunter | 225 | 0 | |
Austin Jackson | 185 | Austin Jackson | 185 | 0 | |
Other Positions | Weight | Other Positions | Weight | ||
Victor Martinez | 210 | Victor Martinez | 210 | 0 | |
Hitter subtotal | 2770 | 2645 | -125 | ||
Grand totals | 5255 | 5202 | -53 |
A couple of things stand out. We are actually adding some girth to the pitching staff. Of course Bruce Rondon makes up the bulk of that. Imagine adding Melvin Mercedes to the group! The hurlers project to add about 72 pounds this year. This amount is more than offset by the hitters who are projected to drop a whopping 125 lbs. What does this all mean? I expect the number of fat jokes to decrease by approximately 34%.
Somewhere Lynn Henning is smiling.