Lamont's Call to Send Fielder in Detroit Tigers Loss to Giants Was the Right One

By Sean Gagnier

Yes, the Tigers are down two games in the World Series. Yes, they are struggling to score runs. And yes, I am not the biggest fan of Gene Lamont. But his call to send Prince Fielder home in the second inning of Thursday's Game 2 was the right call.

Everyone knows that Fielder isn't the best guy on the base paths, but he isn't completely incompetent either.

On the play, Delmon Young scorches a ball down the left field line that pulls the left fielder, Gregor Blanco toward the corner of the field. Before the ball reaches the left field corner however, it ricochets off a cutout and takes a weird hop into left field. At this point, Fielder is around second base and is looking to Lamont at third for direction.

Just as Fielder hits third and begins his sprint toward home, Blanco comes up with the ball and fires it over the cut-off man, where Marco Scutaro takes the throw and has to make a perfect throw to the outside of the line in order to both avoid hitting Fielder and give catcher Buster Posey a shot at tagging him out.

Here's where the defense of the call comes in. Lamont knows that this team is struggling to score runs and he knows that getting one there could give Detroit momentum, so he takes a gamble.

Keep these things in mind when thinking about this play. 1. Scutaro needed to make an absolute perfect throw to the outside part of the plate to even give Posey a chance. 2. Posey does not block the plate anymore after suffering a broken ankle blocking the plate a few years ago.

Now imagine that you're Lamont with Fielder charging to third base. You know both of those things and you know that your runner is a biggun who has an awful lot of kinetic energy heading toward the plate. Keeping those things in mind, sending the runner is the right move.

The blame, if there must be some assigned, lies with Fielder and Jhonny Peralta. Peralta was in the on-deck circle during this play. As the player on-deck, you are responsible for moving behind the plate and helping to tell the runner when and how to slide to avoid any tag at the plate.

Peralta moved to the plate too late and didn't give Fielder any signals on where the throw was coming from. Because of the lack of help from Peralta, Fielder opted for a hook-slide in the middle of the plate rather than a straight-slide on the outside part of the plate.

Sure, if Lamont holds Fielder at third then the Tigers have runners at second and third with no outs and Peralta at the plate. You would assume that at least one of the next two batters could at least lift a ball to the outfield to score Fielder, but that wasn't the case.

If Lamont holds Fielder and the Tigers fail to come up with a hit, likely as they only had two, then it becomes a mistake to have held Fielder. Either call is a good one for different reasons, but this is the World Series, you have to go big or go home.

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 Nick Castellanos Must Stay at Third Base

Originally published on http://blog.detroitathletic.com/

By Sean Gagnier

It’s no mystery that the Detroit Tigers have a gaping black hole at second base, with no sign of anyone being able to fill the void. The Tigers have tried using Scott Sizemore (although they gave up pretty fast), Will Rhymes, Ramon Santiago, Brandon Inge and Danny Worth and none of them have been able to step in and take control of the position. It is because of this that Tigers fans are grasping at straws trying to find some fix for second, but they’re favorite “solution” just won’t work.

No matter how much Tigers fans pine for and argue for it, Nick Castellanos will not and should not become the second baseman in Detroit. Yes, he is having an incredible offensive season, but he has never played second base, and contrary to public belief, it isn’t exactly an easy job to just start doing.

General Manager Dave Dombrowski has repeatedly said that Castellanos will continue to play third base in the minors, because that is what he is, a third baseman.

Some people point out that Castellanos is too big to play second. While he is 6’4” and 210 lbs, he isn’t the only big guy to have the option to play second; Cal Ripken, Jr. was a big guy too and he played shortstop.
But his size isn’t the factor; he’s just too good of a prospect at third base for them to be messing with. Think about Evan Longoria, and you have a good comparison for Castellanos. In 298 at-bats during the 2012 season (through late June), Castellanos has 113 hits, a .379 batting average, with a .421 on-base percentage, .544 slugging and .965 on-base percentage plus slugging.

He’s on fire this season, having moved up from Single-A Lakeland to Double-A Erie and hasn’t missed a beat. While he should not be hurried along to the majors any time soon, he is proving that he truly is the “can’t miss” prospect that the Tigers think he is.

But how do the Tigers use him when they are ready to have him in the majors? They have an All-Star in Miguel Cabrera at third base and another All-Star, who they just invested more than $200 million in at first in Prince Fielder. Where does Castellanos fit in? the answer? Right where he is – at third base.

Victor Martinez (remember him?) has two years remaining on his contract in Detroit, once that expires Tigers fans should expect to see Castellanos joining the major league club. When healthy, Martinez is a great designated hitter, hitting over .400 last season with runners in scoring position and filling in for Alex Avila early in the year to give him some rest. But Martinez will be 35, going on 36, in 2014 and will not be worth the amount of money he will want in a new deal.

Castellanos fills that hole left by Martinez for Detroit. The Tigers have seen that Fielder is, to put it nicely, not the best defensively at first base, and Cabrera is not much better at third. However, when Cabrera was at first base he fielded his position well, which is why he needs to be placed back there.

With Cabrera back at first base and Castellanos filling his vacated position at third base, that leaves Fielder without an every day job. While he has said that he does not want to be a designated hitter, his defensive play has shown that he should not be the everyday first baseman because he will cost the team runs. At DH he can contribute offensively, which he has been able to do this season, without costing Detroit runs in the field.

If that scenario plays out – and it’s the best path for the Tigers to follow – come ’14 the club will feature a lineup of Miggy at 1B, Fielder at DH, and Castellanos at 3B.

These Tigers Lack Leadership

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier

With expectations high and coming off a torrid start to the 2012 season the Detroit Tigers have fallen on hard times, winning just one game in their last home stand against the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners. In past years when the Tigers hit a slump they turned to their leaders in the clubhouse, notably Ivan Rodriguez, and until this past season, Carlos Guillen.

These leaders in the clubhouse were able to rally the team around them and break down the issues effecting the team. When the team would struggle offensively Rodriguez and Guillen would assemble the team and give them a kind of pep talk that only a teammate could give. A kind of players only meeting that would kick start the bats and propel the team out of the slump they were in.

The Tigers are in another slump, but this time, there is no leader to turn to. There is no player that can command the respect of the clubhouse and give this team the kick in the pants that they so desperately need. Manager Jim Leyland has tried everything under the sun to get his team to produce and nothing is working; what is needed is for a player to step up and take command of this team.

Typically the short stop becomes the captain of the infield and thus commands the respect of much of the team, but Jhonny Peralta does not seem to have the swagger and bravado needed to become the leader in the clubhouse that this team needs. He is the captain of the infield, but his leadership doesn't go much beyond that.

On many teams the star player is the clubhouse coach, Detroit has that in spades but their top player is Miguel Cabrera and he doesn't seem to have much interest in any leadership roles. After his DUI incident in Florida, Cabrera took an even more hands-off approach than usual. He is a quiet leader is the clubhouse, choose to lead by example than with his words. This team needs a vocal leader to get in their face and snap them out of their funk.

Outfielders are vary rarely the leader of the team, they are generally too far away from the action, in-game, to effect much change and as such their words don't usually carry the same weight as those coming from an infielder.

Prince Fielder is a big asset to Detroit, he provides a big source of power and a quality first base, but, like Cabrera he tends to be on the quiet side and shies away from the leadership position. Fielder would much rather lead others by going out and hitting one over the right field wall than to give a fiery speech in the dugout.

Justin Verlander is the face of this Tigers team, but he plays just once every five days and even then is not directly in the game, he initiates the play and then the rest of the team finishes the play behind him. Verlander could give some pep talks to the club, but they would not be all that effective given his position.

There is only one player that could become the leader of this team, Alex Avila. That is a lot of responsibility to place on the third year catcher as he already has to run the pitching staff and catch the majority of games. But he has proven that he has the grit that other players respect, playing much of the 2011 post season on one leg due to injuries.

Avila must step up and shoulder this next responsibility in order to improve this team. He has shown in the past that he is willing to do whatever it takes as long as it benefits the team as a whole, and Detroit needs this.

Detroit Is a "Dream Come True" For Fielder

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier

He grew up in the Detroit clubhouse, being handed packs of hotdogs and stuffed into trash cans by various Tigers players. Prince Fielder said he loved being able to have that experience with his father and that he hoped he could give that to his own sons now that he is a Tiger. Things have progressed since Fielder signed his $214MM deal and he couldn't be happier.

"I'm having a blast," Fielder said. "I really like this team."

His enjoyment with the Tigers started before most of his teammates reached Lakeland, Fla.. Following an early batting practice Fielder made an effort to go out of the way to say hello and have a conversation with the Tigers locker room security guard.

While Fielder is enjoying his time with Detroit he admits that it is a dream come true for him, even if it was a dream that he had never allowed slip into his mind. The signing had all the elements of a Mike Illich move, the Tigers owner saw someone he wanted and he got them. Fielder's $214MM deal was one that came as a surprise to everyone involved - from General Manager Dave Dombrowski to Fielder himself.

Illich had wanted Fielder since he was a kid hitting homers in Tiger Stadium, but just missed the slugger in the MLB draft by one place and lost him to the Milwaukee Brewers. This move is a dream come true, not just for Fielder, but for Illich as well who has said that he would gladly "trade a few Red Wings rings for one Tigers ring."

Fielder went on to call the move by the Tigers to acquire him, "a blessing." He is able to follow in his father's footsteps while in the same line being able to blaze his own trail in familiar surroundings. Detroit fans may remember a young Fielder crush a home run out of Tiger Stadium for 611 ft.

This spring, while at Joker Marchant Stadium, Fielder connected with a pitch and drove it 25 feet up the light standard for a home run. Afterwards he said that he was merely getting warmed up -  something he eluded to in his press conference when he said that he "only know how to swing hard."

Fielder praised his teammates in spring training when he said, that he doesn't "feel like anybody doesn't like to work hard here, and that's rare to see. Everybody works hard and everybody gets it."

Tigers Arrive at Spring Training WITH VIDEO

Slowly but surely the Detroit Tigers position players trickled into Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Fla. to begin one of the most anticipated Spring Training sessions in recent memory. The Tigers were preparing for a quiet off season, signing Octavio Dotel and making a minor trade for Collin Balester from the Nationals. But following a devastating knee injury to Victor Martinez the Tigers went out and laid down $214 million for Prince Fielder.

With the Fielder signing any hope of a quiet spring training went out the window, fans were sent scrambling and Fielder became an instant hit because many in Detroit remember him from his youth when his father played in the Olde English "D." Ticket sales exploded and interest in the Tigers peaked in a time generally reserved for the Red Wings in the city of Detroit.

During his press conference Fielder showed that he was still a Detroiter at heart and his children captured the fans attention much like "Little Victor" had the year before as he tagged along with his father Victor Martinez. As the weeks progressed perhaps the Tigers thought the fervor would die down, they were wrong, Joker Marchant was packed with Tigers fans wanting to experience the club first hand.

In the video to the right, provided by Steve St. Germain, the Tigers make their way out onto the practice fields for the first time on Monday to the delight of the crowd that had massed near the clubhouse.

Now the players on the active roster weren't the only ones in Lakeland this week, World Series Champion Manager Tony LaRussa took in the Tigers training sessions, but not with his friend Jim Leyland. LaRussa stuck close to Detroit General Manager Dave Dombrowski to get an idea of how the front office works in baseball. LaRussa hopes to break into the front office, but did not want to interfere with the Tigers camp, to which Leyland told him that he would gladly have him in camp, if only to pick his brain for some ideas to use for this season.

While many focused on the attendance of LaRussa, not many noticed the presence of "The Gambler" in TigerTown. It is the first time since 2008 that Kenny Rogers has been in Tigers spring training, while he isn't in camp to become a coach he is trying his hand at instruction. He will be working with the Tigers left-handed pitchers on holding base runners on and working with their pick off moves.

Other than the usual buzz surrounding Fielder many in the baseball world are looking to who the Tigers will tap to be the No. 5 starter for the season and the names have varied. From Jacob Turner or Andy Wilk to Duane Below or Drew Smyly. No one is quite sure who will come out of Lakeland with the job, but that's what they go down to Florida for isn't it?

As the spring progresses names will float to the top and those names just might be the ones you see emblazoned on the new 6000 sq. ft. scoreboard at Comerica Park this year. Keep your eyes on Smyly, Wilk, Andy Dirks and Danny Worth.

Fielder impacts sales across the spectrum

It took less than a week and the Prince Fielder gear is already hitting the stores across Detroit and sales are brisk to say the least. Not only is Fielder gear flying off the shelves but the phones in the Comerica Park ticket office have hardly ceased ringing since the announcement of the slugger's contract.

At the Tigers press conference introducing Fielder General Manager Dave Dombrowski said that after the news of the Fielder signing the sales of tickets at TigerTown in Lakeland, FL went through the roof. Dombrowski went on to say that the two days after the Fielder announcement saw more ticket sales to Tigers spring training than had been sold to date and well surpassed the totals from the previous year.

It appears as though fans in Detroit haven't forgotten the "little" Fielder running around the Tigers locker room and horsing around with the team in the early 90's and they are very excited about his return to Motown.

The Tigers Director of Ticketing stated that he judges the buzz about the team based on the number of texts and tweets he receives and he stated that after the Fielder announcement his phone all but exploded from the number of people talking about the signing.

Fielder has brought business to Detroit companies in the off season that usually sees a decline in sales. The fervor surrounding Fielder has lead "The D Shop" at Comerica Park to open its doors to fans looking for Fielder gear. The store recently received shipments of Fielder jerseys and player shirts and is offering any fans willing to come in a free autographed baseball if they spend $200 or more.

Not only will Fielder be a boon to the Tigers, he will be a boon for metro-Detroit businesses for years to come. His popularity is high and as an "adopted son-of-Detroit," it shows no signs of slowing down.

Tigers sign Prince Fielder to 9/yr deal

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported it first, the Detroit Tigers have inked Prince Fielder to a nine year deal worth $214 million to play first base. The deal breaks down to pay out Fielder $23.78 million per season over the life of his deal.

After the injury to Victor Martinez earlier the Tigers were looking around for someone to fill his role, some reports had the Tigers interested in Fielder but that he did not want to follow in his father's footsteps and come to the Motor City. After that conversation, it seemed that Fielder went on the back burner while General Manager Dave Dombrowski turned his sights elsewhere.

But it appears as though Tigers owner Mike Illich wants to win a World Series, now. He gave Dombrowski the reins to get Fielder at any cost and that cost was $214 million. The Tigers will now have a 2-3-4 lineup of Brennan Boesch, Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder. In order to go, righty, lefty, righty in the lineup.

Heyman has also reported that Fielder will play first base for the Tigers and Cabrera has been consulted and will move to another position in the in-field, most likely back to his original third base. Look out Brandon Inge.

Detroit will be a formidable force in 2012 with Cabrera, Fielder and Verlander but the rich get richer in 2013 when Victor Martinez returns from his injury and provides another boost to this Tigers lineup.

The Tigers now boast the third highest payroll in Major League Baseball, behind only the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. It's clear that it's World Series or bust for the Tigers.

Victor Martinez tears his ACL - what now for the Tigers?

He signed a four-year, $50 million deal with the Tigers last season to become their catcher, but the emergence of Alex Avila relegated Victor Martinez to the role of the designated hitter. Martinez took to that role well, hitting .330, .400 with RISP and drove in 103 RBI.

Martinez became a major cog in the Tigers offense as the every day DH and became a role model for the young Avila. But Martinez suffered a knee injury rounding third base that aggravated him for the majority of the second half of the season; driving Avila to catch most of the games consecutively.

The Tigers had hoped that this off season would get their DH healthy and return him to the lineup in the same form that he had been in the dog-days of summer. He served as excellent protection for Miguel Cabrera forcing opposing pitchers to choose between the two of them - he usually made them pay.

But during off season workout routines Martinez was doing shuffling drills when his right leg slipped causing his left ACL to tear. The injury will require surgery as soon as possible. When asked if there was hope for Martinez to avoid ACL surgery, Tigers General Manager Dave Dombrowski responded, "not likely."

While Martinez may be able to return late in the season, Dombrowski said that is not something they can count on and the Tigers must now turn their sights to replacing Martinez before the season begins.

The biggest name on the free agent market is Prince Fielder - who's agent is Scott Boras mind you. It has been suggested that the Tigers go all in on Fielder and shift Cabrera back to his original third base and drop Fielder in at first.

First off, Fielder is looking for a multiple year contract worth upwards of $150+ million - that kind of money is not something that Dombrowski or owner Mike Illich would like to part with. To further dispel any rumors of Fielder coming to Detroit, Dombrowski said that they have no intentions of moving Cabrera to third base in order to pursue a first baseman.

Cabrera has worked very hard to make himself into an above-average first baseman while maintaining a .300 BA and hitting 30 HR's a season. Detroit has no need to mess with a good thing and Cabrera is a very good thing. Fielder is a no go.

Another likely option is for the Tigers to shift LF Delmon Young to the DH role and to up their offer to Cuban expatriate Yoennis Cespedes. Cespedes is still trying to establish his citizenship in the Dominican Republic but the Tigers had been considered one of the leading candidates prior to Martinez's injury so they could very well up their interest.

Cespedes had astounded MLB scouts coming out of the Cuban League but has struggled in the Dominican going just 2-19 to date - which could help drive his asking price down. If the Tigers were serious about acquiring him before, they should really be serious now. Their offer could top even their previously reported max of $50 million in order to secure Cespedes. If they manage to steal him out of the Dominican he could fit nicely in LF while Young took over the DH duties.

Or Detroit could go the free agent route and pursue OF Juan Pierre. Pierre was not offered arbitration by the Chicago White Sox after last season and is a Type B free agent. While he is 34 years old Pierre was able to steal 27 bases, draw 43 walks, hit .279, drive in 50 RBI while maintaining a .329 OBP. During the 2011 season with the White Sox, Pierre posted a 2 oRAR, meaning that he drove in two more runs than his replacement.

Should the Tigers choose this route, they would be able to shift Young to DH and place Pierre in LF right away. Pierre would be able to lead off and provide the much needed speed on the base paths that the Tigers have been missing. He would also be able to cover the vast LF at Comerica Park better than Young would be able to do.

If the Tigers sign Pierre, this would be the best lineup they could trot out on a regular basis - in my opinion.

1. Juan Pierre LF .279
2. Austin Jackson CF  .249
3. Brennan Boesch RF  .283
4. Miguel Cabrera 1B  .344
5. Delmon Young DH  .298
6. Alex Avila C  .295
7. Jhonny Peralta SS  .299
8. Ryan Raburn / Ramon Santiago 2B  .256 / .260
9. Brandon Inge 3B  .197