Detroit Tigers Links: Collins makes it, what’s new for Opening Day at the COPA, Abre-no & Ausmus following a legend

Mar 12, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers right fielder Tyler Collins (72) doubles in the third inning against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field.The New York Yankees tied the Detroit Tigers 7-7. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Detroit Tigers add Tyler Collins to 25-man roster, place Jose Iglesias and Bruce Rondon on 60-day DL – James Schmehl

"Sitting at a table in the team’s cafeteria at Nationals Park, Avila placed a document in front of the 23-year-old Collins and pointed to the dotted lines.“I certainly wasn’t going to say no,” said Collins, who signed it without even reading the fine print.Turns out, Collins had just signed his first major league contract."

Congrats to Tyler for having a dream come true. He certainly opened some eyes and earned his spot on the roster. Follow Collins on Twitter @TylerCollins1

Detroit Tigers Shouldn’t Bother With Bobby Abreu – Brad Faber, Rant Sports

"The Tigers should also keep an eye on what the Los Angeles Angels decide to do with Brennan Boesch this weekend. If the Angels opt to cut Boesch, he could give the Tigers another option in left field and Detroit would likely welcome his return."

Every team needs their version of Jason Giambi and here’s the Tigers’ chance! Seriously though, Abreu’s shining personal moment as a pro came in Comerica Park in the 2005 Homerun Derby, which is astonishingly nine years ago now. Not sure he’s got a lot left in the tank, and personally while I wasn’t a huge fan of him before, Boesch would be the better pickup if available. However, it seem moot as Tyler Collins (see above) seems to be filling the backup outfielder role.

First look: What’s new for Detroit Tigers’ Opening Day – David Hall and Bill Shea, Crain’s Detroit Business

"New Kentucky bluegrass: After first scraping away 11 inches and then another 4 inches of snow from the barren playing surface — the old grass was removed late last year so a temporary ice rink could be built on the infield as part of the Winter Classic events — the grounds have been replaced. More than 600 tons of old turf and base material was removed last year.55 walk-through metal detectors: The Detroit Tigers are one of the early adopters of Major League Baseball’s new stadium security initiative that requires all fans to pass through metal detectors when entering a ballpark."

It will be great to see fresh, green grass in the outfield. I may be biased, but Comerica Park has one of the best fields/views in baseball and the patchwork outfield was a bit of a disappointment last year. Oh and also, leave your gun at home….

Succession Plan: Brad Ausmus joins Mike Matheny as first-time managers following a legendary skipper – Kurt Mensching, SBNation

"Parallels to Ausmus appear readily. Ausmus spent his post-career years serving as a special assistant in the Padres’ front office. He steps to the front of a team coming off three consecutive American League Central division titles and a 2012 World Series appearance. Ausmus takes over for famed manager Jim Leyland, who has 1,769 victories and a World Series title to his name to go along with six division titles. The Tigers, again favored to win their division and given good odds by many to return to the World Series, could have chosen a safer pick, a manager with experience, but instead they chose a former catcher who looks like he could step back into the game as a player today."

We’ve wondered what kind of manager Brad Ausmus would be since he was hired in November. Spring Training gives you no real window into a manager (other than to see the Tigers newbie likes having his players be aggressive on the bases), so we’ll soon begin finding out in just about 24 hours.