2010 Detroit Tigers: Youth movement

[Nastradamus]

WTF is with that Boesch dude? Was he a big prospect? He's raping the ball right now.

He wasn't a super prospect, but over the last year the Tigers started to realize that he was going to be a power hitter at this level sooner than later. Guillen's injury gave him an opportunity and away he went. Nobody expected him to do this so early, that's for sure. Exciting to finally have a lefty power hitter behind Cabrera. 1st in most major rookie categories.

Did you grab Bondo in fantasy? Still lookin' strong.

[seahawksfan837]

He wasn't a super prospect, but over the last year the Tigers started to realize that he was going to be a power hitter at this level sooner than later. Guillen's injury gave him an opportunity and away he went. Nobody expected him to do this so early, that's for sure. Exciting to finally have a lefty power hitter behind Cabrera. 1st in most major rookie categories.

Did you grab Bondo in fantasy? Still lookin' strong.

Yes sir. It's nice 'cause he's eligible at RP.

Boesch is having an outstanding year. Heyward is getting all the hype but Boesch has been better with less ABs.

[Nastradamus]

Yes sir. It's nice 'cause he's eligible at RP.

Boesch is having an outstanding year. Heyward is getting all the hype but Boesch has been better with less ABs.

Good pickup. He and Scherzer are both looking good. Honestly, no matter what happens from here on out, you can't call the Jackson trade a bad one. Scherzer is obviously a very good talent and Jackson is hardly dominant, plus he may not be in AZ long. You could argue the deal freed up money for Valverde as well

While I thought Boesch would be a good one, nobody was thinking he'd do this. He has saved our season arguably. He's been worth at least 2 or 3 games in the standings. I never thought he'd compete with Hewyard. It will be interesting to see where he ends up settling in. I'm thinking closer to Jason Kubel than Justin Morneau if that makes sense.

[seahawksfan837]

Either way the kid has shown something.

The Grandy trade was a great deal for you guys IMO. Scherzer > Jackson by a ton, even with Scherzer's struggles.

Austin Jackson may have hit a bit of a wall, but he will be good too IMO. Being able to add a guy like Valverde too is just icing on the cake. Well done all the way around.

Good call on Maggs too. He's given that lineup a good spark.

[Nastradamus]

First Place! But Zumaya goes down again. Crushing. Its gonna be a long battle this season, but it keeps things interesting during baseball season. Gotta love this group of players. Stars like Miggy, Verlander and even Valverde to some degree, young studs like Boesch,Jackson,Perry,Coke,Avila(to some degree),Scherzer etc. and bounceback players like Bonderman,Magglio,Guillen,Zumaya(was anyways)

[Nastradamus]

lost today, but won the series vs. Minnesota and we are 3 games up going to the break. Solid. Need an innings eating SP and possibly a bat. I'm thinking maybe Ted Lilly or a Wiggington/Millwood combination.

[LionFan2k]

Looks like we are dead in the water with all the injuries now. We could handle losing Zumaya and Inge but losing Maggs and Guillen (again) kills. The no hitter yesterday was awful, most of our lineup was in Toledo to start the year

[VikingFan2k2]

Looks like we are dead in the water with all the injuries now. We could handle losing Zumaya and Inge but losing Maggs and Guillen (again) kills. The no hitter yesterday was awful, most of our lineup was in Toledo to start the year

Yeah it's looking pretty bad for you guys right now. You might be able to stay afloat if you make a few trades. It's just tough for you because of the way the White Sox and Twins are playing.

[Nastradamus]

We look to be struggling, hopefully Peralta helps. He can defend 3B(poor range, but good arm and can catch the ball) while Inge is out and he can drive in runs(43 so far) better than most guys we have with Maggs,Guillen and Inge out. I assume he'll play a little SS when Inge comes back, whether its a great fit or not. His bat will be an upgrade there.

At least Porcello and Scherzer are getting it together. Maybe our pitching can keep us afloat. We need a win streak or we are dead soon.

Galarraga vs Lester tonight is not what the doctor ordered, especially on the road, where we are a lovely 16-33

[Nastradamus]

So, we suck. That is all.

That said, the future is bright IMO.

C-Avila- I think next year is his breakout year, he's a guy I think will help with our goals of deepening the lineup and doing better with RISP. A backup may be needed, but I'm cool with Laird if he can be brought back cheaply.

1B- Cabrera- Nuff said

2B - start out the season with Guillen(his last finally, though I like his game) and ride him as long as possible. He gives way to Sizemore or maybe a guy like Rhymes when he gets hurt eventually. I think Sizemore is another guy who can improve our ability to drive in runs. He's a gritty, coach's dream type of player. He'll make himself a solid defender.

3B/SS- Inge is probalby re-signed and Peralta has an option. I think Santiago or Dlugach, Peralta and inge share 2 positions with Inge getting most of the 3B time if healthy. I'd take a gamble on a guy like Stephen Drew if possible at a reasonable price.

LF - ? - Could be Damon, could be a rookie or Raburn. Could be a FA signing such as Crawford as well. He's a guy I'd pay, as we need speed and defense.

CF - Jackson - plays great D, has hit .300 and hopefully only goes up from here. Sophomore slump is always possible, but its a risk you take.

RF/DH - Maggs/Boesch - I think Maggs is brought back at some price and Boesch will get every chance to earn regular at bats. We have no lefty power and he can see a lot of fastballs behind Cabrera, just has to polish his selection a bit. If they sell high and trade Boesch, someone like Dunn could be brought in, as they seem to love him.

SP - Verlander,Scherzer,Porcello are a nice trio to build around IMO. We need a veteran horse though. Ideally a #2, but even a 3/4 type would work. Ted Lily is out there, Cubs might dump Zambrano, Pavano is out there as well as other journeyman type. Gotta choose wisely. Oliver and Galarraga most likely battle for the 5 spot. Bonderman probably walks, but we'll see.

RP - Should be fine. We'll have Valverde for another year, Perry will be dominant by next year IMO, we haev plenty of lefties, lead by studs in Coke and Schlereth and the other spots will be filled by some combo of Thomas,Bonine,Miner,Fien,Satterwhite,Weinhardt,Zum aya,Gonzalez,Seay,Ni etc.

Gotta get one bat and one starter and that's about it. Maybe a SS. I think we end up going for Dunn because I think DD is fascinated by him and we'll overpay if needed. Crawford probably goes to a bigger market like Boston, but we may have a shot if we open the checkbook.

I'd personally offer Lee 6-7 years at 25 per. Instead of always paying mediocre pitchers 7-11 milliion, pay it all to one stud who is highly unlikely to fall off and try to build the rest of the team on the cheap, through young players. We may also be able to acquire talent by taking on a bad contract or two with our financial flexibility. Chone Figgins and a prospect for Peralta or something like that.

**** it, I was bored and its been a while since there was any Tiger talk

[The Q]

I would platoon Boesch and Rabrun.

Move Guillen to LF if Sizemore proves he can handle 2B.

Bonderman is a league average SP and he's still young enough where he can have another above average year or two. If he takes league average money I think you gamble.

[Nastradamus]

I would platoon Boesch and Rabrun.

Move Guillen to LF if Sizemore proves he can handle 2B.

Bonderman is a league average SP and he's still young enough where he can have another above average year or two. If he takes league average money I think you gamble.

I pretty much agree with all of this, except possibly Guillen in LF. I'm not largely opposed either though. Boesch/Raburn/Maggs will be our RF/DH combo IMO. I have a feeling they make a run at Dunn and/or Crawford though as well as re-upping Maggs for 1 year 8 mil with an option year or something like that. I'd like to improve our OF defense, ideally via a LF.

Bonderman may retire I guess. If he signs cheap, with incentives or something, he'd be worth if even as a 6th starter type. Its not that I don't like him at all, its that his spot is the most likely to be taken over by an upgraded replacement.

[Nastradamus]

Well, we averted some disaster and got our picks signed. I thought we would though, Illitch has been very committed to spending on the draft. I'm excited for this class. Our last 3-4 drafts have been strong, at the top at least.

Q, you agree with the Castellanos/Longoria comparison?

[Nastradamus]

Hey Q, your boy Raburn is heating up. I'm glad to see it for one. As is Casper Wells, who I think is a 5 tool guy who can really help us. None of his tools are great though. Anyways, I hope to re-up Magglio, but hopefully they let Damon walk. Let Boesch,Raburn and Wells hold down the corner spots. They can hopefully be young,cheap sources of power that will help us compete with the Twins. We will maybe never have their lineup, but we have the potential to have much better starting pitching, so lets spend our money there. Go for Lee and if you can't get him pick up a Lily or Zambrano.

As of now, I see this as our '10 lineup

C-Avila/Buck(they seem to love him and they can't 100% rely on Avila, though I believe in him)
1B-Cabrera-duh
2B Guillen(until he gets hurt) -Sizemore(hopefully)-otherwise guys like Rhymes and Worth will just have to hold it down and be our glue guy types
SS - biggest question mark on the whole team. Gotta find a quality starter who can defend and hit above .260. Drew? Iorg has again become intriguing. Could be Peralta/Santiago until Iorg is ready(which could be never, but he was very rusty after a 4 year Mormon trip and now looks bad ass)
3B - Inge - Unless we find a huge upgrade, there is no reason to move on. He defends well and I think he has fixed his hitting to the point where he'll produce enough to justify his spot. I expect .265, 20-25 HRs and 80-90 RBI. He took a month to get his knees right this year, but his swing was fixed last year.
LF - Rayburn - Wells - competition, but Raburn starts IMO. Wells backs up 3 spots
CF - Jackson - pure stud, hopefully no soph slump
RF - Boesch(gotta hope working on discipline and hitting behind Miggy gets him producing) - Kelly(all purpose backup that's good to have around)
DH - Magglio - Gotta think we want him more than anyone else and I doubt he wants to leave. Johnny Damon type deal with team option. Could go for Dunn first though.

SPs - Verlander,Scherzer,Porcello, X, Bondo/Galarraga/Oliver

BP - Thomas,Miner/Bonine(long relief guys),Perry,Zumaya,Weinhardt, Coke,Schlereth(Seay if one is dealt),Valverde -other youngsters in mix and obviously 8-9 guys can't be kept. We have to deal from this strength and try to find a young SP or something. Lots of teams need pen help.

biggest trade chips - Turner(GM and HC at end of their rope),Coke,Boesch,Valverde and Peralta if they take his option.

[The Q]

Well, we averted some disaster and got our picks signed. I thought we would though, Illitch has been very committed to spending on the draft. I'm excited for this class. Our last 3-4 drafts have been strong, at the top at least.

Q, you agree with the Castellanos/Longoria comparison?

I don't like the Longo comp, although I'm a big fan of Castellanos.