ICYMI: MCB Digest--Detroit Tigers Week That Was

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Jul 9, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Joe Nathan (36) celebrates after the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Comerica Park. Detroit won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

If you missed any of the articles from this past week on Motor City Bengals, sit back and relax on this fine Saturday morning and discover them–or rediscover them again.

The Detroit Tigers made one key move this week, signing former Brewer Tom Gorzelanny to a one-year, around $1 million deal, but there was several other events to discuss, including another Alan Trammell snub.

Our week began with Zane Stalberg discussing the importance of a reliable Joakim Soria and Joe Nathan at the back-end of Detroit’s bullpen in 2015.

Without Soria and Nathan, The Detroit Tigers Will Not Win It All

In 2014, the Detroit Tigers signed Joe Nathan, and traded for Joakim Soria, because they wanted reliability and consistency. Simply put, what they received instead was a rude awakening. With fans in Detroit clamoring for a better bullpen, and by association, an elusive championship ring, both pitchers failed to meet expectations. In 2015, Soria and Nathan will need to return to form, or the Tigers, and their fan-base, will face heartbreak yet again. In essence, it is not Miguel Cabrera, or Max Scherzer, but Joe Nathan, and Joakim Soria, who are the most important Tigers on the roster. It may seem like a frightening thought, but it is not nearly as terrifying as another year where a David Ortiz home-run, or a Delmon Young double, dooms the Tigers’ lofty hopes. And, while it is worrisome for the Tigers’ faithful to have to place their trust in any reliever, there is reason to be optimistic. Despite his standing in the court of public opinion, Nathan righted the ship after posting a bewildering 9.00 ERA in the month of June. Now, he still failed to live up to what he had shown the Detroit faithful as he developed into a proven Tigers killer in years past, but by the end of 2014 he had started to figure it out. In the last three months of the season, he posted ERA totals of 3.00 (July), 3.48 (August), and 3.00 (September), once more. READ MORE

Monday morning,Tom Zahari discussed the possibility of using Alex Avila in the lineup’s two-hole against right-handers. He might have caught flack for it from the Avila haters, but Tom always backs up his opinions with cold hard statistics. Take a look…

The Detroit Tigers Should Bat Alex Avila Second Against RHP

The Detroit Tigers should bat Alex Avila second in their batting order when they face right handed pitching. Yes, the same Alex Avila that some believe is on the team only because of his father should bat second for the Detroit Tigers against right handed pitching. When Brad Ausmus fills out his lineup card on a daily basis, he has a pretty easy time filling in most of it. The middle of the lineup will consist of Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, J.D. Martinez, Yoenis Cespedes, and Nick Castellanos. Ian Kinsler will most likely bat leadoff against right handed pitching unless the Tiger believe newly acquired Anthony Gose can produce since he will get the reps against right handed pitching. Jose Iglesias has the makings for a number 2 hitter, but coming off of a year where he could not play due to injuries, the Tigers should be weary sticking him there to start the season. Now you shouldn’t pick the second batter by process of elimination, so let’s look at the numbers. When building an optimal lineup, some believe the second batter in the order should be a guys who can handle the bat and others believe the second batter should one of the three best hitters in the order, while others believe the second hitter should be the top OBP player on the team outside of the leadoff hitter with the 3rd and 4th batters the best overall hitters on the team. READ MORE

Tuesday morning Dan Byrne wanted a LOOGY and later that day it looked like the Tigers found one in Gorzelanny, until a review of his stats show a better chance he gets righties out than lefties. I’m thinking Dan still wants a LOOGY…

I Want a LOOGY!

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Same “hand-sidedness” strategy is almost a tradition in baseball. There are a lot of old school managers still around who believe that. Many managers will disregard the stats anyway and succumb to the same old antiquated thinking that has permeated baseball for over a century. Not every manager is as progressive as Joe Madden. Just maybe there is something to old school beliefs. Statistics actually do show that having a good LOOGY is a fantastic thing to have, but simply having one is a must. There may be less strategy in the Junior Circuit but this does not imply an absence of late-inning maneuvering and critical thinking. We know every possible victory is going to be extremely important in the AL Central in 2015. Even the very presence of a looming LOOGY in the pen can affect an opposing manager’s decisions. Do you pinch-hit in the 7th? Won’t that shorten my bench? What will I do in the 9th, or worse, in extra innings? A whole cascade of events can occur with just the perception of a LHP waiting to trot out to the mound and mow down a hitter or two at the most inopportune time. READ MORE

Later on Tuesday, the baseball Hall-of-Fame vote was announced and as expected Tram was screwed over. I issued my annual HOF attack piece….

Idiotic Writers Snub Alan Trammell Again

For the 14th inexplicable time, Alan Trammell did not garner enough support (25 percent, needed 75 percent for induction) from idiotic and pig-headed baseball writers and will not be inducted into the Baseball Hall-of-Fame for the foreseeable future. The 2015 class includes former Tigers’ prospect John Smoltz, Craig Biggio, Pedro Martinez and Randy Johnson. Worthy candidates, no doubt, but why is Trammel not considered worthy? Tram, along with other inexcusable Tigers’ 1984 snubs Lou Whitaker and Jack Morris, will eventually be eligible for induction via the Veteran’s Committee. That backdoor method could also be a long road, however, as that committee does not meet and induct candidates on a yearly basis and next convenes in 2016, the final year that Trammell will be on the writer’s ballot. I would challenge baseball writers to explain themselves on Trammell–none ever really do. The argument against Tram has always been just one championship (hmm like Barry Larkin and Ozzie Smith???) and a relatively low batting average. READ MORE

Sep 15, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Detroit Tigers left fielder J.D. Martinez (28) hits a RBI single in the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The next morning, I discussed five second-tier Detroit Tigers (not the superstars) that need to have a solid 2015 for the team to have success.

5 Detroit Tigers that MUST succeed in 2015

#5: J.D. Martinez What you say? J.D. Martinez shouldn’t be on this list since he had a career year in 2014! But J.D. Mart is on here for a simple reason, he needs to repeat that success. We are well aware of Martinez’s struggles with the Houston Astros, but after a slow start with Detroit he became one of the most valuable players for the team. He finished the season with a .315 average, which is astonishing considering his career batting average through his first three seasons was .255. He launched 23 homers, many of them in very clutch situations, and finished with an OPS of .912. But we understand flashes in the pan in Detroit, Brennan Boesch and Andy Dirks immediately come to mind, so J.D.’s goal for 2015 is just to keep on doing what he did last season. This is why I would advocate that, despite the presence of Yoenis Cespedes, not breaking up the 3-4-5 in the Tigers’ lineup from last season. V-Mart clearly benefited from hitting behind Miggy and J.D. Mart clearly benefited from hitting behind Victor. Why mess with success? READ MORE

Thursday, Josh Scramlin looked at how Andrew Miller‘s career post-Detroit and Miguel Cabrera trade seemed to be on the rocks, but he turned it around and became one of the most prized free agents on the 2015 market. A player Tigers’ fans unsuccessfully pined away for…

The Fall and Rise of Andrew Miller

It seems as though the year 2006 occurred ages ago. Looking back it was a completely different culture despite it only being a short nine years ago. George W. Bush was in his second term as Leader of the Free World, Hips Don’t Lie by Shakira was on the radio every five minutes, and people were literally trampling over one another just to purchase a Wii game console. For Detroit Tigers fans, 2006 was the year their beloved Boys of Summer went to the World Series for the first time since 1984. And due to the excitement surrounding the possibility of October glory just a mere three seasons since a 119-loss season, many forget that Detroit had super-prospect Andrew Miller in their back pocket after drafting him 6th overall in the 2006 MLB Draft. When drafted, Miller was the freshly crowned Baseball America National Player of the Year, earned for his dominance at University of North Carolina. Detroit snatched him up when given the chance and awarded him with a guaranteed 5.45 million dollars. READ MORE

Sep 17, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Yoenis Cespedes (52) hits balls to infielders during batting practice before playing the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

#TBT (Throwback Thursday) returned after a holiday break and we profiled a player that was so popular in Detroit, he was mentioned as being traded on one of the biggest TV shows of the 1980’s.

#TBT Steve Kemp: A fan favorite during dark time for Detroit Tigers

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Steve Kemp was the top overall pick in the 1976 Draft by the Tigers as the consultation prize for the team’s worst season to that point, 1975. Kemp came in with a championship pedigree after winning the 1974 College World Series with USC. The Tigers were at a crossroads. The competitive teams of the 1960’s were gone by the time Kemp came on scene. The aging core of the 1968 World Championship won a divisional crown in 1972 but failed to make it to the World Series. It was a gradual decline for the rest of the decade which saw the team lose 90 games in ’74 and 102 in ’75, the first time in franchise history they lost more than 100. In 1976 Detroit improved by 15 games and established a bona fide star in Mark “The Bird” Fidrych who set the baseball world on fire with his antics and success on the mound. The Tigers hoped that Kemp could provide the hitting version of what The Bird brought to the team. After spending just one season in the minor leagues, Kemp made the 1977 roster as a left fielder. READ MORE

We’ve heard how the Tigers outfield defense will be better in 2014 with key additions and subtractions to the squad. Blair Tatrault reviews the situation…

Is The Detroit Tigers’ Outfield New And Improved?

When the Detroit Tigers opened their season last year, the starting outfielders were Rajai Davis, Austin Jackson, and Torii Hunter. This year on April 6th in Detroit, when manager Brad Ausmus turns in his Opening Day line-up card to the home plate umpire, it’s very likely none of those names will be written on it. To begin with, Jackson and Hunter are no longer Detroit Tigers. Jackson, you recall, was wheeled to Seattle in late July as part of the three-way deal that landed David Price. Nor were the Tigers interested in retaining the services of Hunter following last season, who subsequently signed a contract to rejoin the Minnesota Twins. Davis returns to fulfill the second and final year of his contract, but (at least for now) is a minister without portfolio, and will probably see action mostly in a platoon capacity and as a pinch-hitter/runner. So let’s take a look at the three men who at this juncture are slotted to open the season as the Tigers’ starting outfielders. READ MORE

Dec 8, 2014; San Deigo, CA, USA; Atlanta Braves former pitcher John Smoltz (left) during MLB Winter Meetings at Manchester Grand Hyatt. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Finally on Friday, we rehashed the Hall-of-Fame debate, but this time not for Tram. We discussed on whether or not John Smoltz would have made it into Cooperstown playing the majority of his career with Detroit.

Would John Smoltz be Hall-of-Famer as Detroit Tiger?

Tuesday when the Hall-of-Fame announcement was made, some Tigers fans complained about the trade saying they shipped a superstar out of town. That is true, but without Alexander, the Tigers never would have won the 1987 AL East. So by that logic, it was a good trade for both teams when you consider Smoltz never would have had the same level of success here as he did with the Braves. Consider this: Alexander went 9-0 with a 1.53 ERA in 11 starts for the Tigers that year. Smoltz was 4-10 with a 5.68 ERA in 21 AA starts that season. Initially this was a lopsided trade in favor of Detroit. That, of course, wouldn’t last. Smoltz went on to a Hall-of-Fame career, leading the Braves to the postseason in most years, winning the 1995 World Series. The Tigers just–well they stunk for the majority of Smoltz’s career. So it makes you wonder, if Smoltz had made his way up to the big leagues for the Tigers and spent the majority of his career in Detroit, would he have been a Hall-of-Fame pitcher? READ MORE

Next: Cardinals have interest in David Price

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