Is There Something More to the Rick Knapp Firing Than Meets the Eye?

Following their win over the defending champion San Francisco Giants on Sunday, the Detroit Tigers relieved pitching coach Rick Knapp of his duties. Tigers pitching had been under siege during the last two series with the New York Mets hanging more than 30 runs on Detroit pitching and the Giants running the Tigers for 22.

Confidence in Knapp had been dwindling as the Tigers ERA continued to rise; the only bright spot being ace Justin Verlander. In an interview with MLB Network after his firing Knapp defended his record saying that Verlander had thrown two no-hitters and Armando Galarraga nearly threw a perfect game. But he continued on to say that in hindsight being lit up by the Mets and Giants couldn't have helped his cause.

General Manager Dave Dombrowski and Manager Jim Leyland got together following the game on Sunday and agreed that something needed to be done about the pitching situation. With the Tigers team ERA at 4.39 the agreement was made that they were not pitching up to their capabilities and Knapp would need to go. Bullpen coach Jeff Jones was promoted to fill Knapp's vacancy, he has served with the Tigers for three seasons.

While this move stunned many, including Knapp who said that he "was a little shell shocked," it should not have come as a surprise. The Tigers, despite competing for first place, are not living up to expectations and have not had a post season berth since they went to the World Series in 2006. Owner Mike Illich wants to win and with both Dombrowski and Leyland in the final year of their contracts, the Knapp firing may be more about them than it was about him.

It has been said that when a team under performs, you can't fire the team so you do the only thing possible, you fire the coach. But with few coaching candidates available mid-season and general distrust of Gene Lamont the firing of Leyland wasn't an option. The pitching staff was indeed, not living up to its potential, but Knapp was a casualty of a much bigger battle.

Goodwill between fans, and possibly ownership, and Leyland and Dombrowski has steadily decreased over the years and is at an all time low. Even while the Tigers held sole ownership of first place there were still frequent overtures by fans to have Leyland removed. Illich more than likely will not remove his skipper mid-season but the removal of Knapp stands as a warning; perform or else.

Boesch Becoming Invaluable to Tigers

While Miguel Cabrera is without question the Detroit Tigers best hitter, he needs protection in the lineup in order to produce the kind of numbers that lead him to be an All-Star. That protection comes in the form of Brennan Boesch.

Prior to the return of Magglio Ordonez to the Tigers lineup, Boesch was consistently batting third in the order, providing direct protection to Cabrera and frequently giving him a runner in scoring position. 

In his rookie season last year Boesch had a tremendous first half, he could do no wrong and was hitting the ball around the yard. But the second half of the season wasn't as friendly to Boesch, his numbers dropped dramatically. In the off season Boesch worked on his swing and tried to return to his first half form, and for the most part he has.

For the 2010 season Boesch didn't have very stellar numbers; he finished the season with a .256 BA, a .320 OBP and a -1 rBAT (number of runs better or worse than average hitter). This season he has turned those numbers around, through July 2nd he has a .307 BA, .365 OBP and a 16 rBAT. Boesch has improved in every significant category and has turned himself into a force on this team.

Currently Manager Jim Leyland has Boesch batting second in the order, which means that pitchers now have to face a power bat right out of the gates. With Ordoneze behind him, Boesch is providing a bit help to Austin Jackson in the lineup. When Jackson can get on base Boesch is frequently able to move him up on the base paths and into scoring position for Ordonez or Cabrera to drive him in.

Although Boesch isn't incapable of driving in runs on his own, through July 2nd he has 11 home runs and 39 RBI while scoring 55 runs. Boesch has managed to become a well balanced hitter who is able to provide home run power early in the lineup while still remaining patient enough to draw a walk or simply take a single.

If Boesch can continue to develop the way he has recently, the Tigers may have found a great addition to their ball club.