Media reaction to Peralta's suspension was swift

Release the hounds!

By Al Beaton Aug 5, 2013, 4:08pm EDT

The media reaction to Jhonny Peralta's 50 game suspension for his involvement with Biogenesis and PED's was swift and nearly unanimous. Peralta is done as a Tiger.

Read More: Peralta and Biogenesis storystream: Jhonny Peralta accepts 50 game suspension for involvement with Biogenesis clinic

I have a feeling Drew Sharp of the Free Press had his knives sharpened and column ready to go:

If the Tigers bring him back after he has served his "punishment," they are nothing more than enablers. They would become yet another accomplice in the blatant piracy of competitive honor in baseball. Everyone talks big about erasing the enormous PED stain on the game, but when it comes to actually enacting the extreme action necessary to clean up the sport, nobody’s willing to take a stand.

Here's the pot calling the kettle black. Denny McLain, noted paragon of virtue, when asked by the Freep for comment,. called Peralta "selfish" by refusing to appeal.

"All he wanted to do was put himself in position to get a multiyear contract for an awful lot of money. It clearly shows it’s all about him and nobody else. He might be a great kid and everything, but somehow or other, he took the wrong turn. Listen, everybody can take the wrong turn from time to time."

I don't have the time to list all of McLain's selfish acts, but just ask any retiree of the Peet Packing Company about McLain's selfishness.

Lynn Henning of the News takes a more pragmatic view of the suspension, calling Peralta a one-dimensional player. He is lilkely done as a Tiger.

Peralta likely has played his last game for Detroit. Although he is eligible to join the team 50 games from now, the regular season will be in its waning days. A new shortstop, Iglesias, likely will have become a fixture. The minor-league season will have ceased and tuning up to rejoin a big-league team will be difficult.

A pre-playoff roster – should the Tigers earn an October invitation – will also have been cemented. Peralta is a one-dimensional player who would be a longshot to crack that postseason list.

Mlive's Chris Iott breaks down the lineup fallout over Perlata no longer hitting sixth. Don't expect Jose Iglesias to hit. At all.

Iglesias is hitting .323 this season. But I'll give you a dollar for every full season he hits .280 and knocks in 50 runs if you give me a quarter for every season he doesn't.

Writing for FOX Sports Detroit, Dave Hogg doesn't expect Perlata to be ready for the post season.

There's also this: Peralta would normally be allowed to play in minor-league games to prepare for a return after the 50th game, but that's not an option in late September. Minor-league play will be over by then.

Unless the Tigers have already clinched a postseason berth, Peralta -- likely rusty from the layoff --wouldn't get the game time needed to play at the highest level.

Jonathan Bernhardt of Sports on Earth isn't as high on Iglesias as some, due to his bat. But his glove is an entirely different story.

What he can do, however, is field remarkably well -- he becomes the best fielding shortstop in the AL once he takes over as Detroit's starter -- and considering this is an emergency acquisition to fill a hole that the Tigers didn't know they might have until Spring Training, it's not the worst thing in the world for them.

Scott Spratt's ESPN Insider post (must have a paid account to read) is more bullish on Iglesias, comparing him to the Braves' Andrelton Simmons.

Andrelton Simmons is hitting .252 with 11 home runs, but Baseball Reference estimates he has been worth 4.1 wins above replacement this season, due mainly to his defense. Simmons might be Iglesias' best-case comparison, but Iglesias' glove certainly will help an infield that has cost the Tigers 15 runs this season -- two-thirds of which is due to Miguel Cabrera -- the sixth-worst total in baseball.

Don't forget our full coverage of the Jhonny Peralta fallout on BYB!