Thursday Thoughts: Lee, Hinske, Tribe

Not much going on in the Tigersphere these days as we have to wait much longer than usual to start the Hot Stove season.  That makes for a shorter offseason, though, so no complaints from me.  Less time without actual baseball games makes for a better year.  Here are a few things I have found interesting in the postseason so far.

Eric Hinske is at it again.  You may recall that back in June I called for a trade that would bring Hinske to Detroit.  Alas, the Yankees pulled the trigger on a deal with Pittsburgh and now Hinske has been a part of the past three American League champions. 

Offseason priority number one for Detroit should be to sign Hinske, as he is obviously the key to getting to the World Series.  That and he is a left handed hitter with some power that can play four positions and won’t cost a whole lot, certainly someone the Tigers could use.

Joe Sherman of the New York Post penned a good column about the troubles now facing the Yankees after Cliff Lee’s mastery in game one.  Also of note, Sherman is very excited to watch Pedro Martinez pitch tonight, and so am I. 

Martinez was once the best in baseball for almost a decade and he’s been there and done that.  When the Phillies signed Pedro, I have figured he couldn’t possibly perform anywhere near where he used to, but his start versus the Dodgers in the NLCS showed that he still has it.  Gone is the mid-90s fastball, but he still has the pinpoint command and the knowledge of how to pitch.  I always enjoy watching great pitchers, so whenever I get a chance to see one of the best ever, you can bet I’m not going to miss it.

While we’re on the topic of great pitchers, you think the Phillies were smart by “settling” for Cliff Leewhen the price was too high for Roy Halladay?  I thought at the time that Indians GM Mark Shapirogot fleeced and with every start Lee makes, I feel more strongly about it.  I could be wrong, but I doubt Carlos Carrasco will ever be the pitcher that Lee is, and Lee is signed through next season.

One thing I will not miss in 2010: seeing Lee pitch against Detroit five times.  But hey, at least the Tribe still has Fausto Carmona…

Speaking of the Indians, they decided that Manny Acta was the right man to lead a team of under-talented young players.  How did that work out in Washington?  I am starting to think that Shapiro is not very good at his job.  Acta will have a club that has little pitching and three (at most) good hitters.  But Shapiro wanted a manager with big league experience, I guess it didn’t matter how bad his experience was.  Remember, the Nationals got significantly better after Acta was fired.

Feel good thought of the day: No matter what you think about Dave Dombrowski, at least the Tigers don’t have Dayton Moore or Mark Shapiro making their decisions.