Tigers Octavio Dotel says Miguel Cabrera isn't a leader

By Sean Gagnier
 
Octavio Dotel has been on 13 teams and in 752 MLB games, meaning that he knows what goes on in the locker room and what needs to be said in crunch time. Which is perhaps why Dotel told Yahoo! Sports that teammate Miguel Cabrera was not a leader because he didn't call a team meeting during the World Series last season.

It is surprising that Dotel would bring this up during Spring Training, which is usually a happy time when there is very little controversy, but there could be a kernel of truth to this statement.

When Victor Martinez went down, there was an obvious leadership vacuum on the Tigers that was never really filled. The 2011 Tigers were lead by Martinez and his son "Little Victor," but 2012 brought with it no new leaders for Detroit.

General Manager Dave Dombrowski has said that his team lacks leadership before, and even manager Jim Leyland has said that Cabrera isn't vocal in the locker room and that his personality doesn't lend itself to being a clubhouse leader.

So take it as you may, but perhaps the wily veteran of 13 ballclubs could just be right, and the Tigers need to find themselves a new leader.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland set to return in 2013

By Sean Gagnier

Tigers manager Jim Leyland is slated to return for his eighth season as manager of the Detroit Tigers, according to Tom Gage. The contract extension through 2013 announcement could be made as early as today.

It was no secret that both sides wanted to try this again. General Manager Dave Dombrowski repeatedly said that he would love to have Leyland back, if he wanted to come back. And Leyland continually said that he wanted to manage more, but wanted to see how things went.

Well, the love birds have finally gotten back together. No information regarding the length or value of Leyland's new contract have come out yet, but reports are that the two sides have a deal done.

While it may not always be easy to agree with the calls that Leyland has made this season, it is hard to argue with the results. Under his management, the Tigers have gone to three postseasons, won back-to-back AL Central titles and been to the World Series twice. The outcomes of those Fall Classic's was not what was hoped, but it is hard to complain about being one of the last two standing.

If Leyland can keep his team playing like they did in the American League Championship Series next season, then things will be great for Detroit. His coaches will come back with him. We see no reason why they shouldn't. Back-to-back AL Central titles and an AL Championship speak a bit to not breaking up the team.

Who Closes for the Detroit Tigers in 2013?

By Sean Gagnier

The World Series is over and congratulations are in order to the San Fransisco Giants. Their pitching staff dominated the Detroit Tigers all series.

As the depression of being swept out of the fall classic subsides, the Tigers will have to look at themselves and see where they need improvement. And anyone with eyes can see that the biggest area in need of improvement is the closers role.

Jose Valverde may have been perfect in 2011, but he was anything but that in 2012. And in the 2012 postseason, he was the epitome of worthless. He was so bad that Manager Jim Leyland turned to lefty-specialist Phil Coke to serve as his inpromptu-closer for the length of the postseason.

Valverde has without a doubt seen his last game in a Tigers uniform, but while his departure will certainly come as a relief to many Tigers fans, it also leaves a void at the back end of the Detroit bullpen. Who should fill it? There are several in-house options to consider as well as a free agent and one on the trade market, here they are.

Free Agents

Rafael Soriano - New York Yankees, signed through 2013 (3yrs/$35M)

• 67.2 IP / 2.26 ERA / 42 SV / 1.167 WHIP / 9.2 SO/9
• While Soriano may not be a free agent quite yet, all indications are that he will opt out of the final year of his contract with the Yankees and will test the free agent market. And that market could become very lucrative for him.
• After the season ending injury to Mariano Rivera it was up to Soriano to take over the closers role, and he did an exceptional job. His 42 saves are the second most of his career and his WHIP among the best in the league
• Upside: Soriano is an elite caliber closer who could come in and immediately have an impact for the Tigers.
• Downside: He will cost a pretty penny. Soriano isn't opting out of the final year of a $35M deal to get less money and with the Yankees competing with several other teams for his services, his contract will certainly balloon out of the Tigers price range. 

Trade Market

Chris Perez - Cleveland Indians, signed through 2015 (arbitration eligible, $4.5M)

• 57.2 IP / 3.59 ERA / 39 SV / 1.127 WHIP / 9.2 SO/9
• Cleveland is starting a new era under Manager Terry Francona, and Perez showed that he was one of the most outspoken and driven members of last season's Indians club. However, Cleveland has it's eyes on their closer of the future in Vinnie Pestano. While Perez gives the Indians passion and energy, he could also bring them solid prospects in return.
• The Indians like Perez, the only way they part ways with him is if they believe Pestano is ready to take over the mantle of being the closer. And that has yet to be seen.
• Upside: Perez would bring a fire and passion to the Tigers that has appeared to be missing since the loss of Victor Martinez. He is unconventional, but his style of pitching would fit well in the cavern that is Comerica Park.
• Downside: Pestano doesn't appear to be ready to become the closer just yet, but if the Indians do decide to go with him, they will want quite a bit in return for Perez and they would be insane to trade him within the division.

In-House 

Phil Coke - Detroit Tigers, signed through 2015 (arbitration eligible, $1.1M)

• 54 IP / 4.00 ERA / 1 SV / 1.648 WHIP / 8.5 SO/9
• Coke was not the picture of consistency during the regular season, but when Valverde imploded in the postseason, Leyland turned to Coke and he delivered. In his 10 innings pitched in the 2012 postseason, Coke allowed just one run.
• Upside: Coke being a lefty, would be something different than most closers. He has shown that when the pressure is on him he is capable of producing and giving maximum effort. The guy sprints to the mound from the bullpen every single time his name is called and he refuses to give less than 100 percent, that's something you look for in a closer.
• Downside: The postseason is one thing, the pressure and adrenaline could have helped him, but it remains to be seen if he can take his playoff success and translate it into regular season consistency. If Coke pitches the way he did during the regular season then he is not closer material, but if the Tigers get the postseason Coke, then they would have found themselves something special.

Al Alburquerque - Detroit Tigers, signed through 2017, $495K

• 13.1 IP / 0.68 ERA / 0 SV / 1.050 WHIP / 12.2 SO/9
• Alburquerque possesses a devastating slider and a decent fastball to keep batters honest, but he has yet to complete a complete season after two injuries cut his 2011 and 2012 short. In 2011, Alburquerque was struck in the back of the head by a fly ball during batting practice and missed the final several months of the season. In 2012, he suffered a knee injury and was unable to return to action until late in the year.
• When healthy and on, Alburquerque is close to unhittable. However, his durability has to come into question as well as his relative inexperience. But if Alburquerque is capable of producing the same way he did to close out the season this year, next season, then he could be a very interesting candidate.
• Upside: His pitches have great movement and he doesn't appear to be phased with runners on base. Detroit has Alburquerque signed long term, meaning that if he does have what it takes to close games, the Tigers could use the money they save on him for other pieces.
• Downside: Alburquerque has yet to complete a season and is for all intents and purposes still a rookie. Handing the ball to someone as inexperienced as Alburquerque could prove costly to the Tigers if he isn't entirely ready for the pressure of the closers role.

Bruce Rondon - Toledo Mud Hens, Triple-A

•  (A+, AA, AAA) 53.0 IP / 1.53 ERA / 29 SV / 1.094 WHIP / 11.2 SO/9
• From scouting reports and other outlets it is apparent that Rondon possesses an impressive fastball, upper-nineties, and several decent off-speed pitches. Rondon was good enough in 2012 to progress from High-A Lakeland to Double-A Erie and on to Triple-A Toledo all while serving as the closer.
• Upside: Rondon has a devastating fastball that could overpower many major league hitters, and being an unknown rookie could benefit him against batters who have not yet seen him. If he can improve his change-up, Rondon could be a very good closer for years to come.
• Downside: Much like Alburquerque, Rondon being a rookie is dangerous for the Tigers. His inexperience and complete lack of time in the major leagues could lead to him playing a role in the bullpen in 2013, but keep him from assuming the closers role for several years.

The Detroit Tigers need to clean house

By Sean Gagnier

In light of Francona's hiring by the Cleveland Indians, it would be the right move for Detroit to hire Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitching coach Mike Butcher as the next manager.

Mike Illich is a fiercely loyal man, it is evident in the way that he treats members of the two sports teams that he owns. He knows family comes first and he will go out of his way to make sure everyone is in the best place, but it might be time for him to change his tune.

Indictment of Dave Dombrowski

Last season general manager Dave Dombrowski signed a four-year contract extension with the Tigers through the 2015 season. That however, may have been a bit premature.

It is known that the Prince Fielder trade reeks of Illich, meaning that he was tired of Dombrowski not pulling the trigger and did so himself. That was the first indication that things may be amiss in Tigertown. Dombrowksi told Tigers fans during Tiger Fest that he and the team were not pursuing Fielder and that he would not be a good fit for the club. Needless to say, Dombrowski was probably just as surprised as the rest of the baseball world when Fielder signed.

With the addition of Fielder to a club that was largely intact after a American League Championship Series run the year prior, expectations were high for Dombrowski and the Tigers, but they never got the ball rolling. Instead of running away with the division, they struggled to sustain win streaks and trailed the Chicago White Sox most of the season. With a little less than two weeks remaining in the 2012 season the Tigers trailed the White Sox in the Central Division by two games and the Wild Card by four games.

2012 was supposed to be a cakewalk for Detroit, it was anything but. The team that Dombrowski fielded struggled and was never able to get things together on both sides of the ball at the same time. Despite Illich's vote of confidence for Dombrowski in 2011 with his contact extension, the Tigers struggles could be grounds for early termination.

It took Dombrowski until August of the 2012 season to realize that he didn't have a second baseman on the roster, and when he did make a trade at the deadline he acquired yet another right-handed pitcher and regained Omar Infante while giving up two of the three remaining bright lights in the Detroit farm system.

With the Tigers farm system consisting almost entirely of Nick Castellanos, Dombrowski is mismanaging that as well. Castellanos has long been a third baseman, where his arm and bat are both a plus, but Dombrowski has shifted him to the outfield where his bat, arm and defensive ability are no longer a plus. Instead of shifting Castellanos to one of the middle infield positions where his major league club struggles, Dombrowski insists on creating yet another young outfielder for Detroit.

Mismanagement of the farm system and overall incompetence should cost Dombrowski his job, it is simply a matter of if Mr. Illich can see just how far Dombrowski has driven this club into the ground.

The Old Man

It is not a lack of respect that requires manager Jim Leyland leave this team, it is his overall failings this season. Leyland insisted on playing a rotation of Brandon Inge, Ryan Raburn, Ramon Santiago and Danny Worth at second base, even admitting to mishandling Inge before doing the same thing with Raburn.

Countless failed roster lineups and explanations of those lineups that are beyond convoluted. When a player, Raburn, is hitting .160, it doesn't matter where he is playing or what he has done there in the past, he won't hit.

Aside from lineups, is Leyland's complete misuse of the Tigers bullpen throughout the season. Relievers are brought into games when they are not needed and Leyland has bought wholeheartedly into his friend, Tony La Russa's system of using pitchers for single outs and matchups. This piecemeal approach to relievers is outdated and damaging to the team. When your starter is still going strong or the reliever on the mound has struck out his last two batters, why take them out for the lefty reliever other than because of "the system?"

Perhaps it is his advanced age, but Leyland has a nasty habit of leaving some relievers in games much longer than any sane person should. It is one thing to leave a reliever on the mound who is hot, it is another entirely to leave a pitcher on the mound who is in the process of imploding. Take the Tigers early season collapse against the Seattle Mariners, Octavio Dotel couldn't find the plate and everyone except for Leyland apparently could see that. But Leyland allowed the game to get out of hand before he even placed a call to the bullpen.

The man knows baseball, but he seems to have lost a step and his mojo this season and for that he needs to get the boot after his contract expires after this season in order for this Tigers team to perform to it's potential.

The Replacements

With both Dombrowski and Leyland needing to be shown the door, there will need to be two new faces in Detroit. Personally, there is an affinity for the philosophy of Billy Beane, it's working in Oakland right now, and with the lack of talent in the farm system it is that philosophy that could save this club.

Billy Beane isn't leaving Oakland and Theo Epstein is comfortable in Chicago, but there is another. He currently works as the special assistant to New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson and has eight years of general manager experience, his name is J.P. Ricciardi.

Ricciardi has bought into the "moneyball" philosophy and had his Toronto Blue Jays competing in the American League East each season, not finishing as high as he would have liked, but each Blue Jays team would have fared well in the much weaker American League Central.

If Ricciardi could come into the Tigers organization and add some young, cheap talent then he would be worlds better than Dombrowski ever was and could have the Tigers on the road to actually winning something.

Of course a general manager with no manager isn't likely to win many games, so Detroit must look to add someone who is different than Leyland, someone who understands how to use pitchers and how to set lineups. It appears that there could be quite a few openings for major league managing positions, but there is one name that has been thrown around Tigertown that could really shake things up, Terry Francona.

Francona has two World Series rings from the Boston Red Sox and understands how to run a club filled with big names and big contracts. Experience aside, Francona has had some history with the Tigers, serving as a coach in the past and even throwing batting practice to a young Prince Fielder at Tiger Stadium.

He has said that he would consider coaching again if the right job presented itself, and what better option could there be than a former club with three superstars and a legitimate shot at a World Series title in a town that loves the game? Let Tito watch begin.     

Tigers Bullpen Will Make them Miss Playoffs

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier

To be honest, Anibal Sanchez didn't have a good game, something that is becoming a bit of a routine in a Tigers uniform. But when Manager Jim Leyland finally, mercifully, gave him the hook on Monday night, the Tigers were down just 3-1 to the lowly Minnesota Twins. That was before the bullpen got the ball.

After Sanchez struggled, Leyland went to his situational lefty Phil Coke, instead of his more reliable long-relief man, Duane Below. Coke has experienced his own struggles of late, and things weren't much different Monday night. The Twins were able to plate both of the runners that Coke inherited and then went on to beat up on the aforementioned Below.

In the seventh inning Ryan Doumit crushed a Below offering for three runs that gave the Twins an insurmountable lead. The offense wasn't able to hit a pitcher that had been described as wild and the pitcher that the Tigers traded a future No. 1 starter for continued to do less than impress, but the bullpen sealed the casket on this game.

After the game it was announced that Detroit was sending Duane Below to Toledo and recalling Luke Putkonen. While this move is clearly not motivated by Below's performance, it goes to show that the bullpen has been so poor lately that it has been taxed to the point that the Tigers are forced to bring in fresh arms from the minors to keep up with the innings needed.

Why it was Below that was sent down and not the hit serving Coke or Brayan Villarreal is not known. But this Tigers team needs changes in the bullpen and they need them now. When Al Albuquerque comes off the DL he needs to be in the pen, Below needs to be in the pen and Villarreal needs to be riding the pine in Toledo while Detroit gets a look at the phenom known as Bruce Rondon.

Lay Off Leyland

By Sean Gagnier

So you think you know more about the Detroit Tigers than manager Jim Leyland? Are you sure about that one?

Last week was the first time I spoke to Leyland in person and his knowledge about the game was stunning. The man knows what he is doing, he just doesn't always show it.

You know what Leyland did on Wednesday night after the game with Minnesota before the day game the next day? He stayed up until the early hours of the morning trying to decide whether to play Quintin Berry or Ryan Raburn, and then he slept on the couch in his office.

Leyland genuinely stresses over each decision that he has to make when it comes to his lineup and his ball team, and yet all he does is catch flak for it. I admit, I have been one of the people who has called for his job in the past, but after hearing exactly what goes into one of his decisions, I no longer believe his job should be in jeopardy.

When asked about Ryan Raburn Leyland had this to say,

"I had to toss and turn with it today whether to play Berry or Raburn and I ended up playing Raburn. The thought process is, if Raburn doesn’t help us against left handers, then we got issues, so you give him the benefit of the doubt to see if you can maybe get him going a little bit. Peralta, Young and Raburn gotta do something against left-handed pitching, it’s that simple. It’s that simple, Jhonny Peralta, Delmon Young and Ryan Raburn gotta do something against left-handed pitchers, it’s that simple"

Now does that sound like a person who doesn't know what their talking about? Not at all. Leyland is smarter than people give him credit for; he knows that his players are struggling but he also knows that he only has three extra players on the roster, one of which is a catcher. He is doing everything he can with what he has.


Leyland isn't  a stranger to being called out though, he talked about a story where he was at his own pool and someone began telling him that he was screwing up the Tigers because he wasn't batting Brennan Boesch second in the order.


"The guy kept saying Boesch hits better in the two hole. Well, it seems to me that wherever I play him Boesch keeps hitting .238, so he's going on about how Boesch needs to hit second but I told him, my stats show that hitting him second or f%&#$ing third or eighth the guy is hitting .238," Leyland said. 


The guy understands statistics and he knows that his team is scuffling, but he isn't just sitting around doing nothing, he is trying everything he can to get this team on a roll and in doing so he may make a misstep, but what do you expect? He's working with what Dave Dombrowski gave him.

Wednesday's Tigers Lineup; What the Heck is Leyland Thinking?!

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier 

The Tigers are struggling, that's obvious. They have run into the second best offense in the American League in Boston and are scuffling to score runs. Even their ace Justin Verlander couldn't give them a win, so Manager Jim Leyland sent down the wallowing Ryan Raburn and brought up catcher Omir Santos from the Toledo Mud Hens.

Why would he do that? Bringing up Santos gives the Tigers three catchers on the roster with Alex Avila and Gerald Laird; well Leyland's lineup for Wednesday's game with the Red Sox shows why he called up Santos.

Quintin Berry CF
Danny Worth 2B
Miguel Cabrera 3B
Prince Fielder 1B
Delmon Young LF
Brennan Boesch RF
Jhonny Peralta SS
Alex Avila C
Gerald Laird DH

First off, what the hell is Leyland thinking? Oh the team just lost two games to the Red Sox and we're trying to avoid being swept; let's put Delmon Young, the worst left fielder possibly to ever play baseball in the field and have him to to catch wall balls off the Green Monster. And you know what? We've shown absolutely no confidence in Worth to this point, so lets throw him in at second in the order and see what happens.

But wait, there needs to be a designated hitter and we already put the butcher in left field so who can give us a big bat in the order? Certainly not Andy Dirks, one of the best hitters on the team, let's put Laird out there as the DH, he can get us some big hits.

Santos was needed specifically for this lineup, because with Laird DH'ing, if Detroit needs to replace Avila they can't use Laird or else they would lose the DH, so Santos fills that void. Because of that reason Tigers fans can expect to see this completely idiotic lineup several more times before Austin Jackson returns from the DL. 

This lineup is complete lunacy and shows that Leyland has no idea what to do with this team and his lack of a consistent lineup is hurting this team. If the Tigers can go out and have the same lineup each day they would begin to gel as a club and begin to hit.

Boston has Jon Lester pitching tonight, which if you look at it could be why Leyland pulled Dirks out of the lineup "to play the matchups," but Lester is 0-4 against the Tigers in his career; put the best team on the field every day, regardless of the pitcher and you will win games.

Sorry, but if this doesn't put a fork in Leyland, nothing will. 

There's No One Thing Going Wrong with Tigers, It's Multifaceted

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier 

With their loss on Saturday night in Oakland the Detroit Tigers fell below .500 for the first time since May 29, 2011. But it's early, right? Detroit was right around .500 at this time last season and ended up going to the American League Championship Series; so what's there to worry about, right?

Wrong. Everything clicked last season. Remember the Tigers chasing the 2002 Oakland A's consecutive win's streak last season? That helped a little bit. But so many players had career years in 2011 that it skewed peoples expectations for this season.

If there was just one thing going wrong with the Tigers they would find it and fix it, but there isn't just one thing wrong with this team. It permeates every facet of this team and makes it impossible to fix this club with one fell swoop.

Rick Porcello's last start aside the Tigers rotation is probably the only good thing going for Detroit right now. In Detroit's last 13 games the starters have combined for a 2.62 ERA. While Doug Fister struggled a bit on Saturday, he has been good since coming back from the disabled list. Porcello couldn't keep his pitches down in the zone and when you're a ground ball pitcher that is death. But the starters aren't the problem.

Over the same 13 game span in which the starters have compiled a 2.62 ERA the Tigers bullpen has consistently imploded and has a 8.90 ERA over 13 games. Among the pitchers currently in the pen, the bullpen has averaged a 1.36 WHIP this season. These are supposed to be the most clutch pitchers on staff, they are supposed to be able to come into a game and slam the door, not give up runs. And when your relief pitchers are giving up an average of about one and a half base runners per inning there is a major problem.

On to hitting. Or lack of hitting for that matter. Over the Tigers last seven losses the offense has scored; 2,2,2,2,1,4 and 1 runs in each loss respectively. The lack of runs stems from the team's inability to get on base; this season the regular nine starters have averaged just a .321 on-base percentage.

A more telling statistic is the on-base percentage plus slugging, or OPS. The same nine starters that factored in to the on-base percentage stat were averaged for their OPS. First, an explanation of what a good OPS is. An OPS between .700 and .800 is mediocre, anything over .800 is a solid starter and anything over 1.000 is elite status.

That being said, when an average is taken of the OPS' of; Alex Avila, Prince Fielder, Ryan Raburn, Jhonny Peralta, Miguel Cabrera, Andy Dirks, Austin Jackson, Brennan Boesch and Delmon Young they average out to .740. With a team OPS smack dab in the middle of mediocre-ville nothing will ever get done offensively with this club.

Those same nine players have combined this season for a sub-par .264 batting average, while failing to drive in very many runs. Over the Tigers first 32 games they have allowed 144 runs while only scoring 138; with those numbers being crunched they spit out a figure that puts their win/loss at 15-17, while their record actually being at 16-16.

Consistency is something this team lacks; second base is the major offender there. With all three candidates; Ryan Raburn, Ramon Santiago and Danny Worth fairing quite poorly it is obvious that something needs to be done, but what? First of all, Raburn should never be near the lineup, starting or otherwise, ever again. Trade him for a bucket of baseballs, at least they would be useful.

Santiago has been solid defensively, but poor offensively. With a .163 BA, .208 OBP and .432 OPS he is far from the answer Detroit needs at second base. Santiago could be used later in games as a defensive replacement but should not see his name on the starting lineup card for some time. Worth is a bit of an unknown still as he has not been given enough at-bat's. He has 14 at-bat's this season, no where near the 100 that he needs to get for the Tigers to be able to judge what they have in him.

Worth has a .214/.353/.567 split, not too bad in the OBP column but in each of the other categories he needs improvement. It is too soon to tell if that is because he is not starting material, but he needs to get more at-bat's more consistently in order for the Tigers to find out if he is the answer to their problems or if they need to go out and trade for Chris Getz or Neil Walker.

So while the Tigers are struggling and the talk radio show phone lines will fill up with people who have "pin pointed" to all of Detroit's problems, but they are wrong. There is not just one problem for this team, there are many problems and not near enough solutions.

Could Patterson Be The Answer At 2B?

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier 

Second base is one of the most glaring areas of need for the Detroit Tigers right now, all three of their options in the majors, Ryan Raburn, Danny Worth and Ramon Santiago are all hitting under .200. While Raburn typically has a slow start to the season, things are reaching a breaking point for the Tigers.

Manager Jim Leyland has said that he is trying to get Raburn going but if things don't go his way soon, there will have to be changes made. Perhaps the answer is Worth, who only has eight at-bats this season but has only recorded one hit in that time.

With Worth hitting .125 and Santiago also hitting under .200 there don't seem to be many options for the Tigers at second right now. Either they stick with Raburn and hope to ride it out or they give Worth every day playing time and hope more at-bats could lead to an increased batting average.

Or they could dip back into their reserves in Toledo. Eric Patterson is lighting the International League on fire this past week and the rest of his season has shown that he could be ready for a call-up.

In 28 games with Toledo this season Patterson, 29, is hitting .286/.433/.327. Those numbers are impressive, but when you look at how he had performed over the past 10 games things get really good looking. In the past 10 games Patterson is batting .323/.475/.387 with nine walks and two stolen bases.

Those numbers are solid and he brings another left-handed bat to the Tigers lineup, and one can never have too many lefties in the batting order. While Patterson hasn't fared that well in his past big league time, he could be a good stop-gap for General Manager Dave Dombrowski while he looks into the trade market for a more permanent solution such as Pittsburgh's Neil Walker or Kansas City's Chris Getz.

Scherzer And Young On the Edge

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier 

It's no secret that the Detroit Tigers Max Scherzer hasn't had a good start to the 2012 season; his pitching is erratic and inconsistent and on several occasions he has been chased from the game in the first few innings. His performance is drawing so much negative attention that some in the Tigers organization are considering using one his options and sending Scherzer to Triple-A Toledo to work on control.

Scherzer isn't the only member of the Tigers organization that could be seeing change in the near future - Delmon Young was arrested and could be charged with a hate crime in New York City. Just hours after the Tigers landed in New York, Young was in intoxicated front of the team hotel, and assaulted a group of tourists while supposedly yelling anti-Semetic epithets. Depending on what happens in court and what the MLB rules, the Tigers could void Young's contract.

In his first five starts of the season, Scherzer has turned in a 7.77 ERA with 10 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9. Similar to last seasons early struggles, Scherzer has an elevated WHIP, but this season's 2.05 WHIP has just been too much for him to overcome. In April last season Scherzer was named  "The Pitcher of the Month," but his proved that  his record would come back to earth quickly, and it did.

Young was arraigned on assault charges on Friday afternoon in a New York court; while in court Young did not say anything. But he did release a statement earlier that day where he says, "I sincerely regret what happened." He then apologized to those involved in the altercation and to the Detroit Tigers, the Illich family and to Tigers fans.

When Manager Jim Leyland was speaking about Scherzer's struggles he said that "there are always options," and that "he loves the guy, but we need to get him going." With Leyland standing by his pitcher Scherzer could have a few more outings available to turn things around before any one truely looks into sending him to Toldeo, but it is clear that Leyland has thought of that situation and is willing to do it.

The New York court expects to have Young back in at the end of May, at which time a trial may commence, as long as no plea deal is agreed to prior to that date. If Young is convicted of a crime, the Tigers have the option under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement to void his $6.75M contract for this season. He is due to meet with MLB officials within the next few days to determine if he may return to the Tigers or if he must undergo some rehab beforehand.

The Stink Is Growing...Get Rid of Schlereth

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier 

It's the seventh inning and the Tigers are up two runs with a runner on base. The starter has thrown 110 pitches and needs to be relieved, there are lefties that will be coming up in the order so Manager Jim Leyland looks at his bullpen card. Who is available - Duane Below, no, he's more of a long reliever. What about Phil Coke, well that could work, but where's the fun in that? No, lets go with Daniel Schlereth because we would rather not win the game.

Tigers fans know all too well the perils that come when Schlereth is on the mound. The stress that came with Fernando Rodney throwing in the late innings is nothing compared to the mediocrity that is Schlereth, at least Rodney eventually earned a save.

Yes, Detroit needs a left-handed reliever. Do they need three, that's debatable, but Leyland likes the options that come with having three southpaws in the bullpen. Below has shown that he is an adequate spot starter but can be invaluable out of the bullpen as a long relief pitcher. Coke has been solid and shows no signs of that changing any time soon. Schlereth, however, has alway been terrible. There were glimpses of what he could be, then he was sent to Triple-A Toledo to improve. He returned but his improvement was short lived.

As of Thursday morning Schlereth's line was less than impressive; four appearances, 4.0 innings pitched, six hits allowed, four runs allowed, two home runs, three walks, a 4.50 ERA and a 2.25 WHIP. Those numbers would be expected of a Triple-A player who is competing in Toledo, not those of a big league pitcher. Add in his line from Thursday night against the Texas Rangers; 1.0 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO, 12.60 ERA and you have a clear decision to make.

Two things need to be done with Schlereth, he needs to inherit his father's nickname and become "Stink," because well, he does. And he needs to either be offered as trade bait for some unsuspecting team or sent down to Toledo to completely retool his game to actually get good.

There are options in Toledo that could fill his role on the Tigers, Brayan Villarreal. He was performing well with the Tigers when he was sent down to the Mud Hens to make room for Adam Wilk to come to Detroit and fill the hole left in the rotation when Doug Fister was injured. In Villarreal's three appearances with Detroit in 2012 he threw 1.1 innings, and allowed one hit while keeping opponents from scoring and not walking any batters.

It is understandable that Leyland would want to keep three lefties in his bullpen, but when one consistently hurts your team each time he is brought into the game it is time to cut the cord. Get rid of Stink and bring back Villarreal.

Justin Verlander Goes Nine, Picks Up First Win

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier

Justin Verlander took a Tigers lead into the ninth inning for the second consecutive start, only this time he would win the game. On Monday night the Detroit Tigers ace headed into the ninth with a 3-1 lead and a manageable pitch count. Although he made things interesting, allowing one run and leaving the bases loaded with two outs, Verlander came out of the inning with his first win and complete game of the season.

In his nine innings of work Verlander surrendered seven hits to the Kansas City Royals while walking just two. Almost as impressive as his complete game was the fact that Verlander struck out nine Royals on the day, including Alex Gordon to end the game.

The win was right out of the script of a Verlander start, he began the game throwing in the mid-90's and by the end of the game he was tossing 101 mph fastballs to the plate. On his last delivery to the plate, his 131st pitch, Verlander's fastball beat Gordon by blowing by him at 101 mph.

While it is hard to say no when the reigning American League MVP and Cy Young winner is chomping at the bit to get back out on the mound to close out his game, the question has come up whether Manager Jim Leyland should allow Verlander to extend his games into the final frame.

In his last start against the Tampa Bay Rays, Verlander headed into the ninth with a lead. It didn't stay that way, the Rays came all the way back and beat the Tigers that day. So when Verlander convinced Leyland to let him toss the ninth on Monday, visions of the previous game had to be flashing through his mind.

With two on and two out and the score at 3-2 Leyland meandered his way out to the mound to talk to his pitcher, and according to Verlander all he said was, "you're going to get me fired."

But in the dugout in the eighth inning when Verlander approached Leyland about going back out for the ninth, he said that Leyland told him, "it's your game. You're either going to win it or lose it. I'm not taking you out."

If that isn't confidence in your pitcher nothing is. So with the bases loaded, two-outs and a one run lead, Verlander channeled that confidence and blew the final strike past Gordon at 101 mph to secure his first win of the year.

Verlander was afforded his lead on a leadoff home run by Austin Jackson and a two-run homer by Brandon Inge, who was starting at 2B, in the fifth. Those three runs would be all Verlander would need.

He allowed a Gordon double in the first and after a sacrifice bunt and a Billy Butler single the Royals were able to erase the Tigers early lead. After the Inge home run the Royals could only muster one more run in the ninth when Butler lead off the frame with a single and his pinch runner, Jason Bourgeois, was able to come around and score.

At the beginning of the season Verlander said he wanted to emulate Roy Halladay and complete more games this season - so far it looks as though his body is up to it, but it is up to his skipper to get his mind ready to stay focused for the full nine frames. Once he gets the hang of throwing nine full innings, look out, he might be more dominating than last season.

Tigers Bullpen Will Cost Them Games

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier 

It's now five games into the Detroit Tigers 2012 regular season and their starting rotation does not have a single win among them, all of the wins reside with bullpen pitchers - and usually because of the incompetence of pitchers in the pen.

 Detroit's bullpen is made up of; Duane Below, Octavio Dotel, Brayan Villarreal, Collin Balester, Phil Coke, Daniel Schlereth, Joaquin Benoit and Jose Valverde. Only Below, Dotel and Villarreal still have a 0.00 ERA, Villarreal only because he has tossed just 0.1 innings.

As much as Justin Verlander attempted to take the blame for the Tigers ninth inning collapse on Wednesday, the true culprits came from the pen in left field. Verlander did lose control in the ninth, he did allow an earned run and then turn over the baseball to the bullpen with the bases loaded, but the bullpen failed at it's one job - throwing strikes.

Manager Jim Leyland gave the ball to lefty "specialist" Schlereth with one out in the ninth to face a lefty at the plate. A relievers only job is to throw strikes, especially when the lead is on the line in the ninth and more than ever when the bases are loaded. Schlereth failed abysmally at his one job, walking in the only batter he was going to face and tying the game at two.

Then Valverde was called to the mound, coming off an outing where he bounced back from an opening day blown save to get the Tampa Bay Rays out in the ninth on Tuesday. However, it was not a save situation, and as many Tigers fans know, that is not the time you want Valverde anywhere near the ball. With the bases loaded Valverde surrendered a single that got through the infield and into the outfield, scoring two runs.

The Verlander's win gone and now the Tigers lead, Valverde was finally able to get the final two outs of the inning. However, Detroit was unable to claw their way back for a win against former Tiger Fernando Rodney, who retired them in order to save the game for the Rays.

This is not the first game that the bullpen has blown, and it definitely won't be the last unless something is done - and soon. On opening day; the bullpen blew Verlander's win and in the series finale with the Boston Red Sox the bullpen minimized the damage the Red Sox would do but frequently surrendered runs.

The Tigers offense is potent, but the extent to which the bullpen is leaning on them scoring runs late is inexcusable. When a pitcher is in the bullpen and the phone rings, he has one job. It's pretty easy, throw strikes. If a pitcher can't throw strikes, they shouldn't be on the team.

A look at the numbers that Detroit's bullpen has posted so far this season are quite alarming. The eight pitchers have combined for a 3.15 ERA, .316 opponent batting average, 1.36 WHIP and have surrendered 19 hits in just 15 innings pitched. Those numbers are beyond acceptable.

To have all four of your teams wins belong to the bullpen is ridiculous and to have your bullpen pitchers allowing almost one and a half walks and hits per each inning they pitch is simply baffling. How are these people still allowed near the mound? Opponents are hitting over .300 against them! Leyland would be better to simply let his starters go the full nine or give the ball to the only two relievers who haven't proved their incompetence thus far this season.

While it is early, the numbers that this bullpen is posting are very indicative of problems that will remain with them throughout the season and this bullpen will cost the Tigers game this season.

Tigers Fister Lands On 15-Day DL; Who Fills His Spot?

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier 

Doug Fister, perhaps the biggest acquisition the Detroit Tigers in years, stood on the mound in front of the first sell-out crowd for Game 2 in Tigers history and after allowing just three hits in 3.2 innings, something didn't feel right. In the middle of an at-bat by Boston's Ryan Sweeney, Fister seemed to languish after a pitch, Tigers catcher Alex Avila noticed and immediately signaled to the dugout that something was wrong.

Avila, Tigers trainer Kevin Rand and Manager Jim Leyland jogged out to the mound to check on their pitcher. Fister motioned to his left side, right around the rib cage area, and indicated that it was sore and tense. With it being early in the season Leyland and Rand made the decision to take Fister out of the game for precautionary reasons.

While not much was known at the time, when Detroit placed Fister on the 15-day disabled list they indicated that he had suffered a left costochondral strain. For the non-doctors, that means that he strained his left side. In an interview Leyland did not indicate that the injury was anything more than a side strain, which eased the worries of Tigers fans who were fearing an oblique injury.

However, Leyland did indicate that he now has "no clue" what he's going to do with his rotation. Tigers ace Justin Verlander is set at No. 1, but now there is a hole at No. 2 and the pitcher that filled that role last season, Max Scherzer, had a less than impressive outing on Sunday afternoon.

Detroit has Rick Porcello in the rotation but he is their No. 4 at the moment and rookie Drew Smyly, after being named the No. 5 starter had a rocky start in Toledo in a game to keep him loose. The injury isn't one that would require the Tigers to make any moves with any other teams, but Leyland will have to look into his stable of young pitchers that missed out on the rotation in Spring Training to find a temporary stent.

With the off day the Tigers had on Monday Leyland made the drive to Toledo to catch a start by potential stop-gap Casey Crosby. Crosby didn't impress a whole lot, he pitched ok, but the MudHens defense didn't help him out very much either. According to The Detroit News' Tony Paul, who attended the game, Crosby's off-speed stuff looked good and his fastball touched 94, but he allowed Louisville some good swings too. He lasted 4+ innings while throwing 77 pitches and allowing six runs on five hits.

Detroit won't have to solve the pitching problem right away, as the probable pitchers for their upcoming series with the Tampa Bay Rays are Porcello, Verlander and Smyly. At that point Scherzer could start on normal rest on Friday, but then the Tigers would be back in the same situation looking for a starter for Saturday in Chicago.

A Saturday game would put Crosby on normal rest, but after his first Triple-A outing turning out the way it did, he is unlikely to have his phone ringing. Another possible candidate is Andy Oliver, who impressed through much of the spring before falling apart in his last start. He didn't fair too much better when he started for the Mud Hens on Sunday. Oliver struggled with control, walking five batters in just 3.2 innings.

Duane Below was in the final pairing for the No. 5 spot with Smyly, just missing the job heading into the season. He has since returned to the team to come out of the bullpen, looking good so far with two wins on the season. However, Leyland has said that he likes to have three lefties in the bullpen so he has more options during the game - Below's success in the pen could keep him there.

Odds are best on Adam Wilk to be tapped for the role, another lefty he was an outside candidate for the No. 5 spot during the spring. In his first start with Toledo he went five innings while giving up just one hit and fanning six while getting the win.

It Happened - Inge Is A Starter At 2B

Toledo Blade

 By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier

No, you didn't read the headline wrong. Manager Jim Leyland has named Brandon Inge a starter at second base. Now, just let that settle in for a little, grab your blood pressure meds and let's explore this a little bit.

Inge will start the season on the 15-day disabled list with a strained groin, the easy way out for Leyland and General Manager Dave Dombrowski. The Tigers chose not to make a real decision on Inge, they didn't cut him, like many April Fools jokesters would have you believe. They didn't send him to the minors, but they also didn't put him on the everyday roster - until now.

Against the wishes of most Tigers fans with a pulse Leyland announced that Inge will be the starting second baseman for the Tigers when they are up against left-handed starting pitchers. They also decided to take Ryan Raburn who had an excellent spring at the plate and in the field and move him to the designated hitter role.

So they took the guy in Raburn who hit .268 and boasted a .994 fielding percentage and told him to go sit on the bench and make sure you can get us a hit every third inning. Raburn is the one guy on the team that you don't make the DH. He has struggled at the plate in the first half of the last several seasons, and now that he is coming off a hot spring they're going to sit him down and get him out of his rhythm so they can appease a guy hitting .180?

Yes, that's right, Inge hit a whopping .180 against pitchers in the spring. The time when pitchers are working on new pitches and the majority of games are pitched by minor leaguers and this "major leaguer" couldn't get his average above the Mendoza Line? That's the guy that you want to trot out in the starting line up, really?

Nothing about the spring Inge had called out for him to make the spring. Nothing. He didn't screw up defensively, but he also didn't do anything out of the ordinary. Not to mention he still couldn't hit the broadside of a barn.

Detroit, at least, called Danny Worth up to begin the season with the team, but if he is sent to the minors when Inge is taken off the DL it will be a travesty. Worth had a heck of a spring, he hit .317 and can play multiple infield positions. Inge, remember, hit .180 and Leyland said he would not be using Inge as a defensive replacement for Miguel Cabrera at third late in games.

So, let's break this down. The Tigers need a second baseman, the guy that started the most games at 2B in the spring and hit .268 while doing that will not get that job. He will be riding the pine and will be the designated hitter. The guy who is hitting .317 and can play multiple infield positions in Worth, likely won't be on the team more than two weeks. But the guy who is hitting .180 and whines about everything will get to start games for the Tigers.

That makes sense.

Only Smyly and Below Remain In Hunt for No. 5 Starter Spot

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier
 
And then there were two. The Tigers optioned Andy Oliver to the minors after he struggled in his last couple of outings with the club. During his 15.2 innings of work for the Tigers this spring Oliver posted a 5.17 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP.

While he was holding opposing batters to a .193 batting average he struggled with control on the mound, he walked 10 batters and gave up 10 runs. Oliver had been in the lead for contention for the No. 5 spot in the Tigers rotation but his last few outings were not his best and Manager Jim Leyland thought it would do him better to start the year in the minors - that just leaves Duane Below and Drew Smyly.

It appears that Detroit's No. 5 pitcher will be a lefty as both Below and Smyly are south paws, but which one could end up wearing the Olde English "D" and which one will end up donning a Mudhens uniform this April is what everyone is wondering.

Below made a few spot starts for the Tigers last year and spent time in the bullpen, but this spring he has shown that he has the stuff to be a big league starter. He has spent 12.1 innings on the mound this spring and in his time he has posted a 4.38 ERA with a 1.78 WHIP. Both numbers are a tad high but his K/BB ratio is recent at 8/6.

Smyly was the dark horse candidate to win the spot at the beginning of the spring, and he has only improved his numbers since. With a 2.87 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in 12.2 innings Smyly is showing that he is the only real choice for the Tigers. His command is evident as he has fanned 10 batters while only walking five.

The rotation needs depth and either of these lefties would do well in the No. 5 spot, but looking at the numbers the job should go to Drew Smyly. With Smyly in the rotation Below should be in the running for the last spot in the bullpen.

Detroit can't really go wrong with either choice and they are in a position that most teams would envy, trying to figure out who will be their last starter while choosing from a crop of talented young pitchers. Things will shake out quickly this week, look for Smyly to get the ball going into the season.

Sorry Inge, It's Worth's Time Now

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier 

When the Detroit Tigers signed Prince Fielder in the off season it kind of screwed up Brandon Inge's plans, he had planned on not "being a nice guy any more" while playing third base in 2012. But with the new signing he was, once again, ousted from a position on the field. Many thought that at that point it was the end of the relationship between Inge and the Tigers, but he sought to stay with the team and make a run at the second base job this season.

Early in spring training things looked to be going well for Inge, sure he was the last player to show up to camp, but he took to second base well, even making a number of highlight reel quality grabs. But even early in March Manager Jim Leyland qualified his answers about how Inge was doing at second by saying that he needed to bring his bat. And if this season was anything like 2011, Inge would need a boat oar for a bat to have a decent batting average.

The spring started well for Inge, but soon enough he returned to 2011 form. In his 14 games this spring Inge has done little at the plate to justify earning a call up to the Tigers in April. In his 38 at-bats, Inge has only recorded seven hits - a .184 average. Well, on base percentage can save him right? Wrong, Inge has an OBP of .225 to go with his seven strikeouts.

As Leyland said, if his bat isn't there it will be hard to bring him up to Detroit. As good as a Ryan Raburn is doing this spring, he looks to have secured the starting job at second base but the debate is over the last roster spot. With the Tigers also carrying Ramon Santiago there is a need for another infielder that can prove to be versatile.

That player is Dannny Worth. Worth has played in 15 games, but has just 24 at-bats and has seven hits for a .295 average. His OBP is an impressive .357 with three walks and four strikeouts. With Worth, the Tigers also get a player that can play second, third and shortstop. His versatility is something that will come in handy for the Tigers this season.

The only problem with leaving Inge in the minors, or cutting him entirely, is that he is due $5.5 million this season and an additional $500,000 next season. That is a substantial amount of money to have in the minors or sitting on a couch somewhere.

While money should not be considered, the overall success and health of the team may come second to those greenbacks when camp breaks. General Manager Dave Dombrowski and Leyland may decide to give Inge 'one last shot' to turn it around in the majors and ship the deserving Worth back to Toledo.

If those men truly care about making a trip to the World Series this season they will break camp without Inge. He serves no purpose on this team and as such can only cost Detroit runs and wins in their attempt to win their first title since 1984.

Oliver Is Odds-On Favorite For No. 5 Spot

 

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier

Coming into spring training the Tigers had five different candidates to evaluate for the No. 5 spot in their starting pitching rotation; left-handed pitcher Andy Oliver, LHP Duane Below, LHP Drew Smyly, LHP Casey Crosby and RHP Jacob Turner. Most teams across the league would love to be in the Tigers situation, having nothing else to worry about on their roster other than which young talented pitcher will be the No. 5 pitcher.

At the beginning of spring it was anyone's guess as to which pitcher would be tapped to be the No. 5 or if Detroit would simply just go out and trade for a veteran. Turner's name popped up early, he faired well in his few spot starts in the majors last season but so far this spring he hasn't done as well. In his four innings pitched he has a 3.00 WHIP and an 11.25 ERA. His six walks of the spring are an indication that he doesn't have as good of control as he did last season and will most likely begin the season in Toledo.

Drew Smyly was the next "probable" No. 5 - he was a lefty, he had solid stuff and General Manager Dave Dombrowski has an affinity for promoting players to the majors from Double-A. Smyly has struggled to get innings this spring, having appeared in just two games and started only one. However, he has still gathered four inning of work and in that time posted a 1.25 WHIP, slightly higher than one would like, and a 2.25 ERA. With a 1/3 BB/K rate Smyly could still be a dark horse for the No. 5 spot, but more likely than not he will be bumped from Double-A Erie to Triple-A Toledo after the spring.

The player who has stood out the most this spring has been Andy Oliver. Oliver has had time in the majors before but has never been able to make it stick, but that may be changing this spring in Lakeland, Fla. Despite having not yet started a game this spring, Oliver has amassed seven innings of work and recorded a 0.57 WHIP and a perfect 0.00 ERA. He has shown that he has control of his pitches having walked three batters and fanned five. His GO/AO, ground outs/air outs, is 0.88 which is an indication that he has his pitches biting and is getting opponents to hit ground balls to the infielders.

Manager Jim Leyland said that the control that Oliver has demonstrated so far this spring is more impressive than what he showed in the majors in the past. Leyland said Oliver was "getting better. No question."

Tigers Cut Pauley - How's That Trade Look Now?

 

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier
 
Last July the Tigers approached the trade deadline and pulled the trigger on a deal that sent right-handed pitcher Doug Fister and right-handed pitcher David Pauley to Detroit and sent left-handed reliever Charlie Furbush, outfielder Casper Wells, third base prospect Francisco Martinez and a player to be named later to the Pacific Northwest. The player to be named was relief pitcher Chance Ruffin.

On the surface the trade looked to be solid - the Tigers got a pitcher that statistically out pitched Justin Verlander in the second half of the season and a relief pitcher that had recently dominated out of the bullpen in Seattle. Some thought that with the inclusion of Ruffin to the deal the Tigers may have paid too much - and they may have just been proven right.

While Fister shone once the spotlight was on him, it was a different story entirely for Pauley. After being acquired Pauley struggled in his outings and because of this his playing time was drastically reduced by manager Jim Leyland.

Some thought that his struggles may have been short lived and he might be able to compete for a role in the bullpen coming out of spring training, but the same problems that effected Pauley last season continued to plague him in Lakeland, Fla. He struggled to find control and gave up too many hits for General Manager Dave Dombrowski and Leyland who cut him in the first round of roster cuts during spring training.

Looking back on the deal that sent Pauley to Detroit one has to wonder if the Tigers did pay too high of a price. While the acquisition of Fister is something that will benefit the Tigers for years in the future the question of the need of Pauley remains. Did Detroit really need to have him included in the deal? Did his addition to the trade tip the scales in favor of the Mariners in the end?

A breakdown of the trade looks like this - the Mariners were not going to part easily with Fister and would have required Furbush and Wells regardless of any players being included in the deal. The inclusion of Martinez to the trade may have still been needed to bring Fister to Detroit, but in any way the Tigers had top-prospect Nick Castellanos sitting at third base just a few seasons away from starting at the hot corner in Detroit. With Castellanos in the wings the Tigers deemed Martinez as expendable and included him in the deal.

That trade, a three-for-one deal, would have been acceptable for many Tigers fans and would have still benefited Detroit down the stretch. But the player-to-be-named-later inclusion pushed the scales in favor of Seattle. Chance Ruffin, the player who was named later, had shown in the minors that he had skill and could be a solid bullpen pitcher in the near future. He did not perform well in his time with the Tigers, mainly due to Leyland's penchant for throwing rookies into the game in high-pressure situations.

While it may take a number of years for Ruffin to make the big-leagues, when he does, he will prove to be a dependable arm out of the bullpen. If the Mariners hang on to the players they acquired in the Fister deal, they could come out quite ahead in this deal but as of now, with Pauley released and Ruffin sitting in Mariners' camp the balance of this trade is pointing towards Seattle.

Like It Or Not - Brandon Inge Likely to Start at 2B

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier

Brandon Inge didn't have a good 2011, but according to him was going to "stop being nice" in the future years and improve his hitting while manning his position at third base. That was before Mike Illich spend nearly a quarter of a billion dollars on a new first baseman. The addition of Prince Fielder posed a problem for the Tigers, who now had to find a place for American League batting champion, Miguel Cabrera.

That problem was fixed when Manager Jim Leyland and General Manager Dave Dombrowski agreed that moving Cabrera to third was the best choice for the team - that move may have been good for the Tigers but not so good for Inge. During the press conference to announce Fielder, the question came up about Inge and Leyland told the media crowd that Inge "was not a happy camper" in regards to being displaced from third.

As Spring Training approached Inge was trying to find a way that he could still contribute to the club and play every day - third base was occupied, as was short stop and catcher, first base was also out of the question which left one place, second base. Second base has been a problem for the Tigers for some time now, with Leyland being content to head into the season with a platoon of Ryan Raburn and Ramon Santiago.

When it became known that Inge was intending on competing for the second base job a good portion of Tiger-nation let out a groan. He was the last to arrive in Lakeland, Fla. for Spring Training but has been given his shot at the second base position and if you believe Dombrowski, Inge has been All-Star quality. MLB Radio talked to Dombrowski about Inge playing second base earlier this week.

During Spring Training, Inge has made one start at second in a game against the Atlanta Braves in which he made a couple solid defensive plays. But his defensive ability was never what made Tigers fans boo him during the season or groan when they heard his name announced to come to the plate during a rally - to say Inge struggle with the bat last season is an understatement.

Dombrowski has said that Inge has been very good offensively and he has been using the whole field when he hits. But he preferenced that statement by saying that they didn't want to get carried away but went on to say that if Inge keeps up his performance he could get "a lot" of playing time this season.

So like it or not, it appears as though Inge will work his magic once again and find his way back into the every day lineup - which could either be a very good thing defensively for the Tigers or very bad for the Tigers offensively. Only time will tell whether or not Inge will be the every day second baseman out of Spring Training.