Detroit Tigers Links: Don’t Panic on Castellanos, Good Baserunning, Least-Improved Teams

Feb 18, 2014; Lakeland, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers third baseman Nick Castellanos during a team practice at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Nick Castellanos shouldn’t come with a panic button – Greg Eno – Bless You Boys

"The Tigers don’t need Nick Castellanos to be Mike Schmidt. There is enough talent surrounding the 22-year-old-to-be in Detroit that if he needs to be “hidden” in the lineup at times, so be it. With the glove, the Tigers should be happy if Castellanos merely makes the plays that an average third baseman makes. There’s plenty of time for improvement."

Hopefully fans and media agree, the youngster should be given an opportunity to fail and get better.

‘Excellent baserunning’ helps Tigers piece together win over Braves – Lynn Henning – Detroit News

"They ran. They sprinted from second base to home plate, scoring on singles that too many times failed in 2013 to deliver runs. They stole four bases, including third base, which Rajai Davis did as part of his two-steal day against the Braves."

We’ll see how much of the speed and aggressiveness aspect sticks when the team heads north. Rajai Davis, at least, looks like a terrific asset on the base paths.

The Most- and Least-Improved Teams for 2014 – Jeff Sullivan – FanGraphs

"the Tigers have downgraded by losing guys like Doug Fister, Jhonny Peralta, and Prince Fielder. Absolutely, it looks like both teams will step back. But one has to understand just how good these teams were a year ago. The Red Sox had the highest team WAR in baseball. The Tigers came in second. The Rays were in third, a full ten WAR behind Detroit. These teams could afford to lose some ground, and even still they look like the favorites to win each of their respective divisions."

There’s an argument to be made as well that the Tigers could be “worse” while still winning just as many games as they did last year when they underperfomed their Pythagorean record by several games.

Tigers reliever Eduardo Sanchez leaves game with elbow injury, to undergo MRI exam – James Schmehl – MLive

"Detroit Tigers right-handed pitcher Eduardo Sanchez suffered a right elbow injury Wednesday and will undergo an MRI exam early Thursday.A non-roster invitee, Sanchez was removed from the Tigers’ Grapefruit League opener against Atlanta in the seventh inning after throwing only four pitches Wednesday."

Probably not a player for a roster spot, but we hope he’s just fine and able to throw again soon all the same.