Detroit Tigers Ongoing 2015 Thread

[HammerDown]

 

[broncosmitty]

How long before fans want Gibby out of the booth and in the dugout?

Tommorrow? Hahahaha

Id love to see him take over as bench when Geno retires.



And do I ever hope Victor is back for Opening Day. The idea of no Miggy, no Iggy, no Victor AND a somewhat lousy rotation isn't pretty.

 

[jdwills126]

I have heard the doom all offseason. So many Tigers need to have career years or do we expect Martinez and Martinez to do it again.


I think Detroit's lineup improved. Inglesias will be better than the Suarez / Romine split. Cespedes will upgrade the OF as well as Gose. Castellanos should be better with a year under his belt and McCann has got to be an upgrade over Holiday.

If Miggy plays at his average I see a pretty good offense. The start may be shaky due to late starts from injuries but I see the lineup as an improvement.

The rotation should be ok.

Price will be fine, JV is the question mark and I think a year after injury should give him upside. Sanchez is solid and we have two question marks. I don't like Simon coming from the NL but as a #5 he should be serviceable and if not Lobstein showed he could hold down that spot.

Porcello gave this team a career year last year and although I do like his game it's not as if he was a #1 stater. Max hurts but I could see Max having a down year or having arm a fatigue. Guy throws a hard violent fastball. He is a 6 inning pitcher and for the csh the Nats are on the hook I would have said goodbye as well.

I think the bullpen will be fine their is a lot of competition this offseason and one or two of these guys should step up: Kroll, Rondon, guy from Boston can't remember his name, Hannrahan, or Grozellanny.

 

[Howie115]

The doom & gloom sentiment is legit. The Tigers are counting on a LOT of players to bounce back from injuries and/or off years.

Rondon -- Missed all of 2014
Iglesias -- Missed all of 2014
Hanrahan -- TJ surgery in 2013 / could not return in 2014 / not even on 40-man roster
Verlander -- injured / worst season since 2008
Sanchez -- missed two months in 2014 / has never thrown 200+ innings in career / only made 30+ starts three times in career
Cabrera -- recovering from offseason foot and ankle surgeries
V-Mart -- new injury to knee
Krol -- Wore out badly after All-Star break / finished season in Toledo
Nathan -- 40 years old / coming off a 4.81 ERA & 7 blown saves season
Soria -- Sucked balls after becoming a Tiger
Cespedes -- Has a .252 BA and .298 OPB over the last two seasons (defensive upgrade, though)

That's 11 players. A few too many question marks for me. If 7 or 8 are good to go, the Tigers will contend for the ALC. But that's a big "if".

 

[Howie115]

The biggest upgrades I see (counting on some "ifs") are speed and defense.

Iglesias: Upgrade in both defense and speed.

Gose: At least A-Jax's equal in CF, but with a better arm. Plus-speed.

Cespedes: Better LF than anything we've had out there for years. Cannon arm. Good baserunning speed.

 

[broncosmitty]

I wonder if Cespedes will stay in left or play right?

Either way, he's an upgrade in the field. He's a push at the plate IMO. Really tired of free swingin guys like him.

I see no upgrades in the lineup. Hopefully Nick didn't top out as a rookie, but Im thinking guys like Victor, Kinsler, Avila and Cabrera have already given their best.

The bullpen can't be worse than last year. So I guess Gorzellany is a nice add. He's not Phil Coke, theres something right there. But Im not holding my breath on Hanrahanrahan. Or Rondon.

 

[jdwills126]

The doom & gloom sentiment is legit. The Tigers are counting on a LOT of players to bounce back from injuries and/or off years.

Rondon -- Missed all of 2014
Iglesias -- Missed all of 2014
Hanrahan -- TJ surgery in 2013 / could not return in 2014 / not even on 40-man roster
Verlander -- injured / worst season since 2008
Sanchez -- missed two months in 2014 / has never thrown 200+ innings in career / only made 30+ starts three times in career
Cabrera -- recovering from offseason foot and ankle surgeries
V-Mart -- new injury to knee
Krol -- Wore out badly after All-Star break / finished season in Toledo
Nathan -- 40 years old / coming off a 4.81 ERA & 7 blown saves season
Soria -- Sucked balls after becoming a Tiger
Cespedes -- Has a .252 BA and .298 OPB over the last two seasons (defensive upgrade, though)

That's 11 players. A few too many question marks for me. If 7 or 8 are good to go, the Tigers will contend for the ALC. But that's a big "if".

The point is

Inglesias is an upgrade.
If we get anything out of Rondon it's an upgrade.
Soria just pitching career averages is an upgrade.
Nathan really can't get worse and stay in the closing role.
Does anyone think Verlander keeps regressing? He may not be there JV of old but he should pitch better than last season.
Hanrahan making the team is an upgrade, same for Krol, Grozalanny, and a host of 4-5 others.
Cabrera didn't have a Miggy like season.
Castellanos should be better with more experience.
Raja Davis doesn't need to be an everyday player.
Hunter is playing defense helps.
Price is a legit left handed ace.

Porcello had a career year I don't know if he could do that again.
I hate losing Max but can't see paying him what he wanted for a six inning guy that is relies on power.


I am concerned Martinez and Martinez will have drop offs but Cespedes has power and will keep pressure on through the middle of the lineup.

 

[Winnipegger]

Something tells me Simon will end up in bullpen this year.

 

[jdwills126]

Something tells me Simon will end up in bullpen this year.

I agree.

I think Lobstein ends up as a starter sometime around May.

 

[Howie115]

Something tells me Simon will end up in bullpen this year.

Agreed. As I stated earlier, Simon has been a full-time starter for exactly one season of his career (last year), and it was clear that he wore down badly after the All-Star break.

 

[themuzzer]

I heard Raburn committed a error trying to make toast this morning. Raburn sucks!!!!!!

 

[burfboy]

Good thing if Simon goes to the pen...

 

[gandydancer]

I have a small patch of grass showing in the yard.(rough mofo winter in Iowa this year) Might explain these uncontrollable chubbies I keep getting. Almost time to report... Sweeeet!!!

 

[broncosmitty]

Grass!?!

Haven't seen that since before Christmas!

Just heard The Great Lakes are gonna be completely frozen over before sunrise on Saturday. Baseball feels so far away. But I can't really feel my toes, so it comes with the territory, I spose.

 

[Howie115]

I have a small patch of grass showing in the yard.(rough mofo winter in Iowa this year) Might explain these uncontrollable chubbies I keep getting. Almost time to report... Sweeeet!!!

Yep, I got a bit of a chub watching FOX 2's Jennifer Hammond report from Lakeland yesterday. And no offense to Jennifer, the chub wasn't for her.

 

[gandydancer]

Grass!?!

Haven't seen that since before Christmas!

Just heard The Great Lakes are gonna be completely frozen over before sunrise on Saturday. Baseball feels so far away. But I can't really feel my toes, so it comes with the territory, I spose.

Don't get the wrong impression. That fucking grass is surrounded by a shit ton of snow.

It has been harsh all over much like last year. When I wear my bibs and long underwear couple hours north of Nawlins. It's fricking cold e'where

Saw that about the great ice fishing conditions up yonder.

 

[broncosmitty]

Don't get the wrong impression. That fucking grass is surrounded by a shit ton of snow.

It has been harsh all over much like last year. When I wear my bibs and long underwear couple hours north of Nawlins. It's fricking cold e'where

Saw that about the great ice fishing conditions up yonder.

heard on the radio today that per Michigan law, all ice shanties have to be removed to land by March 1st. Hahahaha.

Im thinkin' they can make an extension this year.

It's 28degrees warmer right now than it was this morning. That's pretty awesome. But it's still only 11. Hahahaha

 

[Cleaves2000]

Looks like the hanranhanhanranham experiment isnt looking too well. I think hes close to retirement.

 

[gandydancer]

Smitty speaking of freezing ass cold. Winter of 94' after moving from Wash.DC area the ever so awesome crime capital. Wife and me pull up to grocery store in Oscoda. It is -15 or so. Look around the parking lot and there are empty cars running. We laughed so hard at how there would not be enough blocks back in DC.

 

[gvsulaker82]

Grass!?!

Haven't seen that since before Christmas!

Just heard The Great Lakes are gonna be completely frozen over before sunrise on Saturday. Baseball feels so far away. But I can't really feel my toes, so it comes with the territory, I spose.

Back to back winters of 90 plus percent of great lakes frozen over. Thats not happened since records were taken. Niagara falls is frozen, boston havin its worst winter of all time and those in west michigan will remember last winter for a long time.