Detroit Tigers Links always believed

Miguel Cabrera is no longer having a down year.

There was a time this year when there were questions about Miguel Cabrera. I remember it well because there was a flurry of these articles and people were starting to use the d word (decline, get your mind out of the gutter). Also, it’s possible I wrote something about this not being a vintage Miggy season.

Well, Miggy promptly righted the ship, and then made that thing fly. He is now a shoo-in for the Silver Slugger at first base and looking dominant as ever. So, next year, if Miggy has a 20-game slump, tell the overreactors to open their eyes. It won’t last.

FYI.

Figure it out yet? The Tigers already have more wins this year than last.

FYI Part 2.

Uhh, I think you guys forgot someone.

Expanded rosters are upon us, and that means a whole lot of new faces. Or, for the oft-injured Tigers, a lot of familiar faces. Steven Moya and Casey McGehee arrived in Chicago Tuesday, joining previously recalled Dixon Machado, John Hicks, Buck Farmer, and Joe Mantiply.

The one Tiger conspicuously absent from that list is Joe Jimenez. Jimenez put together a dominant year in the minors but won’t be joining the big league squad:

"You can stunt a player's development by bringing him to the big leagues too early," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "He's had a very nice year. He's one of the top prospects in the organization. You can make the argument that he's the top prospect in the organization. But when he gets here, we want him to be ready."

Lloyd Mclendon and Brad Ausmus are greater baseball minds than myself, but with a weak bullpen in a year where the team is all in, it’s pretty shocking to see Jimenez left off the roster. There are going to be a lot of Joe-related questions if the bullpen blows key games down the stretch.

I will not be betting on the Cy Young.

Because it is a total mess in both leagues. In the NL, depending on your preferred metric, you can make an argument for any of Max Scherzer, Noah Syndergaard, Carlos Martinez, or even Kyle Hendricks. Can’t believe I just included Kyle Hendricks. This year is weird.

The AL is even more muddled where Zach Britton currently has the best odds due to a lack dominant starting pitching. But he hasn’t even been the best reliever in the AL. So mentally prepare yourself for about eight fan bases griping about the Cy Young selections.

FYI Part 3.

AL Rookie of the year odds.

Wilmer Flores will be there for you.

Wilmer Flores credits watching Friends for helping him learn English. He took it to a whole different level on Sunday:

I know a lot of people that like Friends, but this is a truly strong statement.

“I just can’t stop watching it,” he said after the game. “I don’t know — on the road, when I’m home, every day — I don’t want to watch anything else. I don’t know why. There’s something about that show.”

That is an odd addiction but I applaud Flores’ choice of walk-up music. Way to really commit to something you love.

For your free time.

Gincarlo Stanton is back, but should he be? All of southern California will be treated to Vin Scully’s last six games. Matt Shoemaker is OK after taking a scary hit to the head. Alex Bregman is USA Today’s minor league Player of the Year. The Twins are also considering former Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos for president of baseball operations.

Baseball is awesome.