AL Central Thread

[king3pj]

Sounds like he is probably calling it quits. The article on ESPN.com says it would be his 6th surgery and he thinks it might be time to let it go and spend more time with his 2 year old. His career was pretty sad. He had so much raw power and watching him hit 103MPH to strike people out in his rookie season was one of the most exciting things for me to watch as a baseball fan. It looked like he was really going to be something special but he could never stay healthy.

He only lasted 13 bating practice pitches as a Twin but at least he gets to walk away with the $400,000 that was guaranteed in his contract for this season. The rest was incentives based and he wont get any of that. Still, $30,769 per pitch isn't half bad.

 

[satjay]

Sounds like he is probably calling it quits. The article on ESPN.com says it would be his 6th surgery and he thinks it might be time to let it go and spend more time with his 2 year old. His career was pretty sad. He had so much raw power and watching him hit 103MPH to strike people out in his rookie season was one of the most exciting things for me to watch as a baseball fan. It looked like he was really going to be something special but he could never stay healthy.

He only lasted 13 bating practice pitches as a Twin but at least he gets to walk away with the $400,000 that was guaranteed in his contract for this season. The rest was incentives based and he wont get any of that. Still, $30,769 per pitch isn't half bad.

Yes, it was fun watching him pitch back in 2006 when they had that run

 

[riffjim4069]

Yes, it was fun watching him pitch back in 2006 when they had that run

Nice guy, unfortunate circumstances...I wish him well. I just hope more youngsters learn that you don't need to throw 100+ MPH fastballs in order to be an effective pitcher...95 MPH does quite well when you have a decent curve, slider and can vary your delivery. Pitchers like Nolan Ryan (blazing fastball and durable) are few and far between.

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[riffjim4069]

I'm still contemplating my predictions for the AL Central this year...

 

[riffjim4069]

Okay, here is my prediction for the 2012 season:


1. Detroit Tigers
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Minnesota Twins
4. Kansas City Royals
5. Chicago White Sox

Offhand, I feel pretty confident with my #1 and #5 picks (Detroit has the players and Chicago will need to find themselves), but #2 through #4 will be tight. We shall see...

 

[riffjim4069]

mmmmmm fastball flakes. Justin Verlander introduces 'Fastball Flakes' | Sports - Home Verlander says 100% of his profits will go to the VA hospitals in Detroit and Ann Arbor

Why the heck can't I find any Fastball Flakes in TX or VA? I guess that I'll have to pick some up when I'm back in the area.

 

[king3pj]

They sell them online too if you really want some.

 

[Jimbo]

Why the heck can't I find any Fastball Flakes in TX or VA? I guess that I'll have to pick some up when I'm back in the area.

Remind me when i get back home from Texas later in the week and ill see if i can find some for you

 

[riffjim4069]

Thanks guys, but it's not worth the trouble. I'll pick-up a box when I'm back in MI...probably in May.

They sell them online too if you really want some.

Remind me when i get back home from Texas later in the week and ill see if i can find some for you

 

[Jimbo]

I read today that Zumaya changed his mind and IS going to have surgery and try to come back again.

 

[king3pj]

I hate to say it because I hope he comes back strong but I think he made the wrong choice.

In happier news... Not that spring training means anything, but the Tigs are rolling. With today's high being in the mid 60s and these spring training games on the radio I'm pretty anxious for the regular season.

I got tickets for opening day as well as the Sunday game of the opening series. I can't wait to get down there, do some tailgating, and watch Verlander shut down the Red Sox.

 

[riffjim4069]

I'm getting antsy for the start of the season.

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[satjay]

Same here, looking forward to seeing some baseball!

 

[riffjim4069]

Go Tigers!

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[Jimbo]

Tigers now have 3 Ties this pre season ....
Today a 7-7 tie thru 10 innings with the Mets.

Looks like Jacob Turner got lit up today in relief, giving up 5 ER's 4 hits and 2 BB, 1K

 

[king3pj]

Yep but Andrew Oliver is looking good. I think the 5th spot in the rotation was going to one of them depending on spring training. I think Oliver has shown that he deserves the first chance. I think we will see Turner get another shot in the majors before this season is over though.

 

[riffjim4069]

Tigers now have 3 Ties this pre season ....
Today a 7-7 tie thru 10 innings with the Mets.

Looks like Jacob Turner got lit up today in relief, giving up 5 ER's 4 hits and 2 BB, 1K

How in the heck do they have a 6-1 record when they tied three games in the Grapefruit League? I can only assume the road team is given the Win because I noticed the Mets had the Winning Pitcher in their 7-7 tie at Lakeland.

Anyway, I noticed the Tigers are playing the Nationals at 6:15 PM so I will have an opportunity to watch them in action this evening on MASN.

 

[riffjim4069]

Jimbo, Jay, King...how do the Tigers look so far Grapefruit League play? I know it's hard to gauge a team during preseason training, but I'm interested in a few key areas:

1. How is the new "beefy" infield playing so far? Offhand, I get the feeling Cabrera is going to shed a few pounds just playing the position. We can hide Fielder at 1st, and we'll be fine at 2b and SS, but Miguel has got to come through or Inge might be back at 3rd. Speaking of Inge, I can see him playing well at 2nd base...if only he can hit .250.

2. How is Boesch doing? It's nice to see him out in RF...just hope he can stay healthy this season - especially into the postseason. If so, we'll be tough to beat.

3. How is the starting rotation looking? I think this will be another great year for Verlander and Fister...just need more consistent 3-5 in the rotation.

4. OMG! I just noticed Gerald Laird is back on the roster. Please tell me they didn't sign him to a contract!!! Ugh!

 

[king3pj]

Actually that 6-1 record doesn't include the ties. For some reason they are just leaving those off the record. I have listened to most of them on the radio and gotten the chance to watch one on mlb.tv. I will be watching the MASN feed on mlb.tv tonight as well.

The starting pitcher tonight is Duane Below who is a good high school buddy of one of my roomates from when I was in college. He spent a few weekends on my couch before he made it to the big leagues. Really nice guy. He set us up with some tickets last season when he was pitching out of the bull pen so I will enjoy watching his first start tonight.

 

[king3pj]

Jimbo, Jay, King...how do the Tigers look so far Grapefruit League play? I know it's hard to gauge a team during preseason training, but I'm interested in a few key areas:

1. How is the new "beefy" infield playing so far? Offhand, I get the feeling Cabrera is going to shed a few pounds just playing the position. We can hide Fielder at 1st, and we'll be fine at 2b and SS, but Miguel has got to come through or Inge might be back at 3rd. Speaking of Inge, I can see him playing well at 2nd base...if only he can hit .250.

2. How is Boesch doing? It's nice to see him out in RF...just hope he can stay healthy this season - especially into the postseason. If so, we'll be tough to beat.

3. How is the starting rotation looking? I think this will be another great year for Verlander and Fister...just need more consistent 3-5 in the rotation.

4. OMG! I just noticed Gerald Laird is back on the roster. Please tell me they didn't sign him to a contract!!! Ugh!

They have only been televised 1 game so far. It was against the Phillies on Sunday. They are playing well, usually getting a nice lead early before all the guys you've never heard of get in. Fielder didn't play in the Phillies game because it was a split squad. They did try to bunt for base hits to test Cabrera a couple times at third but he made the play. It's hard to judge how well everyone is playing defensively based on the radio descriptions alone for the rest of the games but it sounds like Inge is doing an amazing job at 2nd so far.

All of the starting rotation has had a solid outing so far except for Turner who potentially had a shot at the last spot in the rotation. Andrew Oliver started a game recently and pitched 4 shut out innings. I believe in his only other appearance so far he pitched 3 shut outs. Verlander, Fister, Scherzer, and Porcello have all been pretty solid so far.

This is all just from my memory of the game I watched as well as all of the games that have been available through radio. I haven't actually looked up any of these numbers so I could be off base on some of my assessments.

As for Laird, we resigned him in the offseason because Avila needs a backup with no Martinez this year. You can expect him to play every 3rd or 4th game for the most part.