Spring Training!

[AshevilleApp2]

"For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr0T9c8SEUk (RIP Ernie Harwell)


Pitchers and Catchers reporting!!


xhypedxxhypedx

[citdog]

They should just not bother with the season and go ahead and give the World Series trophy to the Atlanta Braves.

[superman7515]

Yeah, it worked out so well for them in the 90's.

[AshevilleApp2]

They should just not bother with the season and go ahead and give the World Series trophy to the Atlanta Braves.

They're looking good. It would be great to have them meet the Tigers in the WS. I might even be able to catch a game.

[citdog]

Yeah, it worked out so well for them in the 90's.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_u4eGI0aCU

[Gil Dobie]

Toronto is the favorite in Vegas, followed by the Dodgers, Nationals and Tigers.

Looking forward to a March game in Lakeland :)

From Yahoo Sports

Toronto Blue Jays 7/1
Los Angeles Dodgers 8/1
Washington Nationals 8/1
Detroit Tigers 9/1
Los Angeles Angels 9/1
Atlanta Braves 14/1
Cincinnati Reds 14/1
New York Yankees 14/1
San Francisco Giants 14/1
Texas Rangers 14/1
Philadelphia Phillies 18/1
St. Louis Cardinals 20/1
Tampa Bay Rays 25/1
Boston Red Sox 30/1
Oakland Athletics 33/1
Baltimore Orioles 40/1
Chicago White Sox 40/1
Milwaukee Brewers 40/1
Arizona Diamondbacks 50/1
Kansas City Royals 50/1
Pittsburgh Pirates 50/1
Chicago Cubs 75/1
Cleveland Indians 75/1
San Diego Padres 75/1
Seattle Mariners 75/1
Colorado Rockies 100/1
Miami Marlins 100/1
Minnesota Twins 100/1
New York Mets 100/1
Houston Astros 200/1

[AshevilleApp2]

Toronto is the favorite in Vegas, followed by the Dodgers, Nationals and Tigers.

Looking forward to a March game in Lakeland :)

From Yahoo Sports

Toronto Blue Jays 7/1
Los Angeles Dodgers 8/1
Washington Nationals 8/1
Detroit Tigers 9/1
Los Angeles Angels 9/1
Atlanta Braves 14/1
Cincinnati Reds 14/1
New York Yankees 14/1
San Francisco Giants 14/1
Texas Rangers 14/1
Philadelphia Phillies 18/1
St. Louis Cardinals 20/1
Tampa Bay Rays 25/1
Boston Red Sox 30/1
Oakland Athletics 33/1
Baltimore Orioles 40/1
Chicago White Sox 40/1
Milwaukee Brewers 40/1
Arizona Diamondbacks 50/1
Kansas City Royals 50/1
Pittsburgh Pirates 50/1
Chicago Cubs 75/1
Cleveland Indians 75/1
San Diego Padres 75/1
Seattle Mariners 75/1
Colorado Rockies 100/1
Miami Marlins 100/1
Minnesota Twins 100/1
New York Mets 100/1
Houston Astros 200/1


Make sure you get a picture of Al Kaline Way!

[citdog]

Baltimore at 40-1 isn't a TERRIBLE bet.......

[AshevilleApp2]

Baltimore at 40-1 isn't a TERRIBLE bet.......

Better than the Yankees at 14-1.

[TTUEagles]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_u4eGI0aCU

THANK YOU for this....

[ysubigred]

GOooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pirates 50-1 xhurrayx

[citdog]

GOooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pirates 50-1 xhurrayx


Pirates huh?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=208kUZEcV5E

[citdog]

GOooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pirates 50-1 xhurrayx


Pirates huh?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=208kUZEcV5E

[NoDak 4 Ever]

GOooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pirates 50-1 xhurrayx

Guy in my office is a Pirates fan. We got a pretty good chuckle over Liriano today.

[darell1976]

The longest streak in between titles in the AL will come to an end....World Series Champions Cleveland Indians!!!!

[Sammy94]

So excited to be an Astros fan these days. These guys are going to be ****ty. We are going to need this guy....

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jTK7vsL0rGs/SrLIiE2DSiI/AAAAAAAAHMw/dp3zhoBivlM/s640/Jobu.jpg

[Gil Dobie]

Make sure you get a picture of Al Kaline Way!

Should be a great day, a day spent in Tigertown!

[darell1976]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gndH9mhHPk0
So excited to be an Astros fan these days. These guys are going to be ****ty. We are going to need this guy....

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jTK7vsL0rGs/SrLIiE2DSiI/AAAAAAAAHMw/dp3zhoBivlM/s640/Jobu.jpg

[seantaylor]

Nats going to dominate baseball this season. 8/1 is a great bet.

[AshevilleApp2]

Bump

[darell1976]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_CjX_Pi6Vk

This is the year Cleveland is going to win it all!!

[AshevilleApp2]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_CjX_Pi6Vk

This is the year Cleveland is going to win it all!!

Hope springs eternal.

[darell1976]

Hope springs eternal.

We need to break that second longest championship drought in baseball...only the Cubs are worse than us.

[AshevilleApp2]

We need to break that second longest championship drought in baseball...only the Cubs are worse than us.


This time of year we can all hope. Maybe this is the year for Cleveland.

[darell1976]

This time of year we can all hope. Maybe this is the year for Cleveland.

If its September and I say this is the year for Cleveland then I will believe it, or else with the recent history of Cleveland its a strong start and a hard fall, last year showed promise so hopefully Terry Francona will still have the spark that showed up in the second half of last season.

[PaladinFan]

I'll never grow tired of watching that inning of the '92 NLCS.

I was talking with a coworker about that game not long ago. No matter how many times you watch it, you cannot tell if Bream was safe or out. You could not have scripted a closer play.

[NHwildEcat]

Toronto, lol. Vegas is wack.

They will finish 4th in the AL East. I just don't think they are that good. High payroll--no doubt. Talented payroll--no way.

Tampa
New York
Boston
Toronto
Baltimore

[superman7515]

Toronto, lol. Vegas is wack.

They will finish 4th in the AL East. I just don't think they are that good. High payroll--no doubt. Talented payroll--no way.

Tampa
New York
Boston
Toronto
Baltimore

That post was from last year.

[NHwildEcat]

That post was from last year.

Thanks...didn't even notice that--clearly.

[tribe_pride]

Here is one for this year: http://www.vegasinsider.com/mlb/odds/futures/



Los Angeles Dodgers

7/1



Detroit Tigers

8/1



St. Louis Cardinals

11/1



Washington Nationals

11/1



Boston Red Sox

12/1



New York Yankees

12/1



Tampa Bay Rays

16/1



Atlanta Braves

18/1



Oakland Athletics

20/1



Texas Rangers

20/1



Cincinnati Reds

20/1



Los Angeles Angels

20/1



San Francisco Giants

20/1



Seattle Mariners

30/1



Pittsburgh Pirates

35/1



Baltimore Orioles

40/1



Chicago White Sox

40/1



Philadelphia Phillies

50/1



Kansas City Royals

50/1



Cleveland Indians

50/1



Arizona Diamondbacks

50/1



Toronto Blue Jays

60/1



Chicago Cubs

65/1



New York Mets

65/1



Milwaukee Brewers

70/1



San Diego Padres

100/1



Colorado Rockies

100/1



Miami Marlins

100/1



Minnesota Twins

125/1



Houston Astros

250/1

[AshevilleApp2]

Here is one for this year: http://www.vegasinsider.com/mlb/odds/futures/



Los Angeles Dodgers
7/1


Detroit Tigers
8/1


St. Louis Cardinals
11/1


Washington Nationals
11/1


Boston Red Sox
12/1


New York Yankees
12/1


Tampa Bay Rays
16/1


Atlanta Braves
18/1


Oakland Athletics
20/1


Texas Rangers
20/1


Cincinnati Reds
20/1


Los Angeles Angels
20/1


San Francisco Giants
20/1


Seattle Mariners
30/1


Pittsburgh Pirates
35/1


Baltimore Orioles
40/1


Chicago White Sox
40/1


Philadelphia Phillies
50/1


Kansas City Royals
50/1


Cleveland Indians
50/1


Arizona Diamondbacks
50/1


Toronto Blue Jays
60/1


Chicago Cubs
65/1


New York Mets
65/1


Milwaukee Brewers
70/1


San Diego Padres
100/1


Colorado Rockies
100/1


Miami Marlins
100/1


Minnesota Twins
125/1


Houston Astros
250/1





I question Vegas. I'd love to see the Tigers in the Series against any National League team, but there are a lot of question marks for them going into the season.

[ngineer]

Astros 'only' 200 to 1?

[tribe_pride]

Astros 'only' 200 to 1?

That was last year. This year they are 250-1

[Gil Dobie]

That was last year. This year they are 250-1

Their Minor League system is stacked. If they keep their players, they could be a good team in a few years. Twins are the same way.

[Gil Dobie]

My sister has a friend with an 8 year old son, he's lined up to see the Tigers with us in a couple weeks. Should be a great time for the youngster. We have the batting practice passes.

[clenz]

If the Twins can get to 75 wins this year I'll be ****ing pumped


Preparing for 65 though
Sent from my S4 using Tapatalk

[Gil Dobie]

If the Twins can get to 75 wins this year I'll be ****ing pumped


Preparing for 65 though
Sent from my S4 using Tapatalk

At Twinsfest, there was more interest in the Minor Leaguers than the current Twins, except Mauer.

SI Link (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1208346/index.htm)


We could begin with the power, or the speed, or the athleticism that has inspired comparisons with Bo Jackson, Josh Hamilton and Robert Griffin III. But let's begin with the arm, with a tale that has nothing to do with baseball.
True story: Byron Buxton once threw a football 82 yards. It was before a high school football practice two years ago in Baxley, a hamlet tucked away in a thinly-populated swath of southern Georgia. Someone asked Buxton, then a junior and the quarterback at Appling County High, how far he could throw a football. Buxton walked to the goal line, took a half step and launched the ball into the air. Twins scout Jack Powell, who was in town to check in on Buxton—also a star centerfielder for Appling—recalls squinting when the ball finally made landfall. "They measured it out—82 yards," Powell says. "One of the most amazing things I've ever seen."
Powell, 58, has been scouting in the South for more than three decades—he signed Jose Bautista and Matt Moore, and can spin yarns about a young Jackson blazing across the baseball fields of Alabama and of a young Hamilton hitting 500-foot home runs in North Carolina. Of all the players he's seen, only Hamilton rated higher than Buxton: On the 20-to-80 scouting scale Hamilton was an 80 for every tool—power, speed, average, arm and range—while Buxton topped out in every category but power. "Byron was a 70—Josh was an 80 because he was bigger and stronger as a teenager, but Byron will be an 80 eventually," says Powell. "Like Josh, like Bo, Byron could always do anything he wanted on the baseball field—these are guys that come around once every 10 years."
When Walt Whitman wrote, "Gliding o'er all, through all,/Through Nature, Time, and Space," he could have been describing the mesmerizing poetry of Byron Buxton in motion. His 190 pounds of sinewy, fast-twitch muscles are seemingly exempt from the laws of physics. You would call him a man among boys, except for the fact that he's a baby-faced teenager who's been among the youngest on the roster at each of his minor league stops. He doesn't throw baseballs from the outfield, he launches them. He doesn't run across the field so much as float, with strides that are long, loose, almost liquid.
Buxton is so fast that he reaches first on two-hoppers to the shortstop, scores from second on wild pitches and steals bases on pitchouts standing up. In 2012 he carried Appling to its first state championship, not only with his bat and his legs but also as a starting pitcher—he struck out 18 in a shutout in the final and had his fastball clocked as high as 98 mph. The Twins took him with the second pick in the draft, and a year later he is rocketing up prospect rankings (he started this season ranked 10th by Baseball America and was No. 1 on its midseason list) while tearing through the Minnesota system. He began the year at Class A Cedar Rapids and after 68 games was promoted to High A Fort Myers, where at 19 he's the second-youngest player in the Florida State League. In his first 104 games of the season at the two levels he hit .318 with a .402 on-base percentage and 12 home runs, 15 triples and 42 stolen bases. "What he's doing at his age, it's comical," says Fort Myers manager and former Twins first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz. "He looks like a god wearing a baseball uniform. Forget the bat. If he were playing centerfield in the majors he'd be a Gold Glover right now."
Barely a year removed from his senior prom, Buxton is already being called, among other things, a baseball phenomenon, the savior of Minnesota baseball, the Next Mike Trout.
And yet, Byron Buxton may not even be the most talented prospect in the Twins system.
No, Buxton, he's the best—he can do everything," insists Miguel Sano, the 20-year-old third baseman from the Dominican Republic who is making his own run at the title of Best Prospect in Baseball. He can do at least one thing better than Buxton: hit the ball a country mile. A product of San Pedro de Macoris, a city teeming with goat-chewed neighborhood fields and milk-carton-gloved boys with dreams of becoming the next Robinson Cano or Alfonso Soriano, Sano was one of the most celebrated baseball stars on the island as a teenager. In 2009 he signed with the Twins for $3.15 million, and he is fulfilling his promise, and more. After putting up the highest OPS of any hitter in 14 years in the Florida State League (1.079) in 56 games with Fort Myers, Sano was promoted to Double A New Britain on June 10. Through Sunday he had hit 13 home runs and slugged .597 with an OPS of .961 in 47 games there. He is already being compared with the great righthanded power hitters in the game, from Miguel Cabrera to Albert Pujols to Giancarlo Stanton.
Sano placed third on Baseball America's midseason prospect list. Soon, perhaps as soon as next summer, he and Buxton will be in the lineup together in Minnesota, resurrecting—the Twins hope—a franchise that hasn't had a winning season since 2010. "Most of us wait a decade to have one guy in our system that's a franchise-changing talent," says the general manager of an American League team. "To have two? It's like having Harper and Trout both, in one organization."

[813Jag]

My sister has a friend with an 8 year old son, he's lined up to see the Tigers with us in a couple weeks. Should be a great time for the youngster. We have the batting practice passes.
What's your itinerary for your trip? If you're anywhere near my area maybe we can have a cold one?

[Gil Dobie]

What's your itinerary for your trip? If you're anywhere near my area maybe we can have a cold one?

There is a chance I may be in Tampa on Friday the 7th. I will let you know if the plans work out.

[813Jag]

There is a chance I may be in Tampa on Friday the 7th. I will let you know if the plans work out.
Sounds good!

[gotts]

If the Twins can get to 75 wins this year I'll be ****ing pumped


Preparing for 65 though
Sent from my S4 using Tapatalk

$100 on 125/1? I've made worse decisions on bar tabs...

[PaladinFan]

$100 on 125/1? I've made worse decisions on bar tabs...

There were some die hard Auburn fans who always put $100 on the Tigers. This season, at similar preseason odds, they were a play or two away from making a boatload on that investment.

[AshevilleApp2]

Tigers vs Braves today.

I've only made Spring Training once and had a blast. One year I'll spring for a couple of weeks there.

[PaladinFan]

Tigers vs Braves today.

I've only made Spring Training once and had a blast. One year I'll spring for a couple of weeks there.

Baseball til November. Starts today.

Not sure who the Tigers are throwing, but the Braves will start off with Freddy Garcia, whose making a bid for the 5th starter spot.

[Gil Dobie]

The last 2 Tigers games I attended, Doug Fister was the starter, so that will be a change this year. Rotation and lineup look good on paper, but the Cubs would have won 25 championships if you won by what you looked like on paper.

[PaladinFan]

Tigers: Kinsler, Davis, Martinez, Lennerton, Kelley, Castellanos, Fields, Holaday, Lombardozzi. (much different)

Braves: Heyward, BJ Upton, Freeman, Gattis, Doumit, Johnson, Uggla, Simmons, Schafer

Pitchers (probably 2 innings): Smyly and Garcia.

Justin Upton a late scratch with some side soreness. Every Braves fan will be watching BJ Upton and Dan Uggla this spring. Those two guys may hold the ticket to a world series.

[Gil Dobie]

Tigers: Kinsler, Davis, Martinez, Lennerton, Kelley, Castellanos, Fields, Holaday, Lombardozzi. (much different)

Braves: Heyward, BJ Upton, Freeman, Gattis, Doumit, Johnson, Uggla, Simmons, Schafer

Pitchers (probably 2 innings): Smyly and Garcia.

Justin Upton a late scratch with some side soreness. Every Braves fan will be watching BJ Upton and Dan Uggla this spring. Those two guys may hold the ticket to a world series.

I like the addition of Davis, he'll give the Tigers a legit base stealing threat.

[PaladinFan]

Hey, Uggla had two hits. A third of the way to his total production from last season.

[citdog]

Hey, Uggla had two hits. A third of the way to his total production from last season.

At least he'll take a walk. Just hit .250 and make the routine plays at second and I think the Braves would be thrilled.

[PaladinFan]

At least he'll take a walk. Just hit .250 and make the routine plays at second and I think the Braves would be thrilled.

Absolutely. I was surprised looking over the numbers from two seasons ago that Ugglas OBP was the same as Michael Bourn's, a guy considered one of the top leadoff men in the league. Uggla walks and he's a pretty good baserunner.

I completely agree with your assessment. If Uggla can be something other than black hole offensively and defensively the Braves will be ecstatic. I do get the impression, though, that while Uggla has the inside track to the starting job, he's going to get pushed from Pastornicky and possibly LaStella.

[TTUEagles]

At least he'll take a walk. Just hit .250 and make the routine plays at second and I think the Braves would be thrilled.
Hell, I'll take .225 with 25 HR's and average 2B defense...

[PaladinFan]

Hell, I'll take .225 with 25 HR's and average 2B defense...

Come on. Average defense? Like Citdog said, I'd be happy if he just catches balls thrown to him and fields grounders hit at him. Let Simmons cover both sides of the bag and a quarter of the outfield.

It's like one writer said about Sean Casey's improved mobility in spring training a number of years ago (paraphrasing): "now he can go a full five feet before falling down and missing easy grounders"

[AshevilleApp2]

Andy Dirks out for twelve weeks due to back surgery. Glad the Tigers picked up Rajai Davis in the off season.

More worrisome is Jose Iglesias being out due to shin splints. Hopefully he can recover prior to the start of the regular season.

[PaladinFan]

Interesting idea from the Nats under new skipper Matt Williams

In yesterday's game the Braves loaded the bases in the 8th. Williams brought in his right fielder to play first base, and used seven infielders. (pic: https://twitter.com/ajcbraves/status/440950583789633536). Not exactly a good strategy as the Braves batter rapped one to right field for a bases clearing game winning triple.

I'm all for thinking outside the box, but that may be too far outside the box.

[citdog]

matt williams is an intellectual nitwit he is worth 5 games to the BRAVES.

[PaladinFan]

matt williams is an intellectual nitwit he is worth 5 games to the BRAVES.

It's a high bar in Washington. Remember, this is the franchise that shut down their best pitcher in the middle of a pennant race because they didn't want to hurt him.

[PaladinFan]

Couple nice spring training homers. Not "Gattis-esque" but smashed

Uggla - http://m.mlb.com/video/v31492033

Stanton - http://m.mlb.com/video/v31493347

[AshevilleApp2]

Justin Verlander had his first start of Spring Training today. 3 2/3 innings, one hit, two walks and two strike outs. Not great, but a good first step back from his surgery.

Iglesias took batting practice, but is still sitting out games.

[TTUEagles]

Braves in trouble now, with Medlen having ligament damage in his pitching arm (elbow)....

[ngineer]

Phillies not hitting at all right now. I know it's only the second week of March, but it is causing some early nerves. And Hamels has "arm fatigue"....How does one get "arm fatigue" in MARCH ????!!!!!

[citdog]

Braves in trouble now, with Medlen having ligament damage in his pitching arm (elbow)....

I'm sure that Atlanta has someone in the system. We ALWAYS seem to.

[PaladinFan]

I'm sure that Atlanta has someone in the system. We ALWAYS seem to.

We do. The question is whether we have two such players. It looks increasingly likely that Medlen, Beachy, and Minor may start the season on the DL.

Gavin Floyd is expected back in May, but he too is coming off injury. Atlanta has Alex Wood and Freddy Garcia, who now both seem locks to make the rotation. Last MLB ready starter behind Wood is David Hale.

Atlanta does have some top pitching prospects in the minors in Lucas Sims and JR Graham. Graham was injured much of last season, and Sims has not played about Rome yet. Both are not considered "ready."

If you believe the rumor mill, the Braves are apparently exploring the option of Ervin Santana. I'm not really thrilled with the idea of a an expensive enigmatic starter that will cost the 26th pick in the draft in addition to whatever you pay him.

[PaladinFan]

Strike all that. Reports are Braves sign Santana.

[TTUEagles]

The Santana signing (Black Magic Woman playing on the PA during his starts?) probably speaks to the reality of Medlen being gone for the season again...

[PaladinFan]

The Santana signing (Black Magin Woman playing on the PA during his starts?) probably speaks to the reality of Medlen being gone for the season again...

He's probably out much of the year. Disappointing for Braves fans as well as for him.

Braves are probably now over budget, but the loss of the draft pick only bumps them back a handful of picks to the compensation round (where they get a pick for Brian McCann). Just a lot of bad luck in spring training, though I appreciate Frank Wren's aggressiveness in quickly getting a guy who was arguably the top free agent starter on the market anyway. They signed him for exactly his qualifying offer and stepped in front of a number of AL teams with offers on the table. Looks like he wants to be a Brave.

You can do a lot worse than Julio Teheran, Mike Minor, Ervin Santana, Gavin Floyd, and Alex Wood backed by the NL's best bullpen.

[seantaylor]

Lol. There aren't many rotations worse than that one you just mentioned

[citdog]

Lol. There aren't many rotations worse than that one you just mentioned

Braves STILL 10 games better than your team. sunbeltbbs?

[PaladinFan]

Lol. There aren't many rotations worse than that one you just mentioned


http://youtu.be/XHlt4uCkuHQ

[AshevilleApp2]

Lol. There aren't many rotations worse than that one you just mentioned

That staff won't have to go very deep into games with the bullpen they have.

[PaladinFan]

That staff won't have to go very deep into games with the bullpen they have.

The Braves are built differently than the Nationals. Just two different philosophies.

The Braves won 96 games with a significantly similar rotation last year. I do think the bullpen makes up a lot of ground. The starters don't have to go 8. They have to go six and turn the lead over.

[TTUEagles]

Lol. There aren't many rotations worse than that one you just mentioned

http://binaryapi.ap.org/888cf1ebc71640d49a16e2275f1328f9/460x.jpg

[PaladinFan]

Now Beachy is scheduled to see Dr. Andrews as well, and it may be TJ for him as well.

I am not one much for griping as baseball is a fickle game, but to lose two starting pitchers on consecutive days to the exact same injury that they have already had repaired once before is mildly annoying.

[ngineer]

All of these arm miseries this year for so many teams makes one wonder what's going on. Philies starting to hit a bit more this past week with five runs or more three days in a row!

[AshevilleApp2]

Tigers are keeping quiet about it, but "sources" are saying Jose Iglesias will miss a significant part of the season.

[ngineer]

Tigers are keeping quiet about it, but "sources" are saying Jose Iglesias will miss a significant part of the season.

If not the entire season from what I read today.

[AshevilleApp2]

If not the entire season from what I read today.

I was trying not to think that, but it seems likely. If true, there are some prospects who should be adequate defensively, but not very productive offensively. Hopefully someone will grow into the position. What I don't want is for them to overpay for Stephen Drew long term.

[PaladinFan]

I was trying not to think that, but it seems likely. If true, there are some prospects who should be adequate defensively, but not very productive offensively. Hopefully someone will grow into the position. What I don't want is for them to overpay for Stephen Drew long term.

In my experience, the more coy a team is about the injury, the longer the absence.

[PaladinFan]

I was trying not to think that, but it seems likely. If true, there are some prospects who should be adequate defensively, but not very productive offensively. Hopefully someone will grow into the position. What I don't want is for them to overpay for Stephen Drew long term.

Article I read today said the Tigers likely opening day starter is Hernan Perez who is a career .256 hitter in the minors.

Detroit has made impulse buys in the past in the name of "win now." Unlike Atlanta who needed Ervin Santana after loosing two starting pitchers in consecutive days, the Tigers still have the best starting pitcher in the AL and the best hitter in the MLB. In a relatively weak AL Central, that should be enough to get you to the trade deadline.

[AshevilleApp2]

Article I read today said the Tigers likely opening day starter is Hernan Perez who is a career .256 hitter in the minors.

Detroit has made impulse buys in the past in the name of "win now." Unlike Atlanta who needed Ervin Santana after loosing two starting pitchers in consecutive days, the Tigers still have the best starting pitcher in the AL and the best hitter in the MLB. In a relatively weak AL Central, that should be enough to get you to the trade deadline.

Perez is a good fielder, but has played more at second base. Another option is Danny Worth. A couple of promising kids are in the system, but likely need a couple of years before they are ready for the majors.

I agree about the impulse buys, but they mostly worked out with Ordonez and Rodriguez. Not enough for a World Series win, but enough to get them in contention. Even Prince Fielder put up good numbers, if for crazy money. And from what I've read, Dombrowski isn't interested in Drew, particularly because of the draft pick Boston would get. The X factor is Mike Ilitch. He desperately wants a World Series title, and may push the decision towards signing Drew. I hope not, but it may happen. I'd rather they wait and see if they can get a Jimmy Rollins (as long as Philly accepts a good chunk of his contract) or some other decent shortstop in a reasonable trade.

- - - Updated - - -


In my experience, the more coy a team is about the injury, the longer the absence.

And it comes out today that Iglesias has stress fractures on both legs.

[clenz]

So...are the Twins mathematically eliminated yet...or do I have to wait until the start of the regular season for that to be official?

[AshevilleApp2]

So...are the Twins mathematically eliminated yet...or do I have to wait until the start of the regular season for that to be official?

AL Central thread coming soon to a board near you!

[PaladinFan]

Perez is a good fielder, but has played more at second base. Another option is Danny Worth. A couple of promising kids are in the system, but likely need a couple of years before they are ready for the majors.

I agree about the impulse buys, but they mostly worked out with Ordonez and Rodriguez. Not enough for a World Series win, but enough to get them in contention. Even Prince Fielder put up good numbers, if for crazy money. And from what I've read, Dombrowski isn't interested in Drew, particularly because of the draft pick Boston would get. The X factor is Mike Ilitch. He desperately wants a World Series title, and may push the decision towards signing Drew. I hope not, but it may happen. I'd rather they wait and see if they can get a Jimmy Rollins (as long as Philly accepts a good chunk of his contract) or some other decent shortstop in a reasonable trade.

- - - Updated - - -



And it comes out today that Iglesias has stress fractures on both legs.

Looked at the draft order, and it explains why the Drew signing is not necessarily a great idea for Detroit. Atlanta sacrificed its first round selection to sign Santana, but was already picking 32nd overall in the compensation round. While a first rounder is nice (and two in the top 32 is even better), Atlanta is in "win-now" mode and Santana is more valuable than two first round picks.

Detroit is in the opposite scenario. It looks like signing Drew will drop them to the 64th overall pick and give them only two picks in the first 100 players. Dropping over 40 spots to sign a good-not-great short stop in a stop-gap scenario is not a great idea, IMO.

[PaladinFan]

So...are the Twins mathematically eliminated yet...or do I have to wait until the start of the regular season for that to be official?

Looks like they are going to be leaving the pride of Southeast Georgia, Byron Buxton, to start the season in AAA.

[TTUEagles]

Looked at the draft order, and it explains why the Drew signing is not necessarily a great idea for Detroit. Atlanta sacrificed its first round selection to sign Santana, but was already picking 32nd overall in the compensation round. While a first rounder is nice (and two in the top 32 is even better), Atlanta is in "win-now" mode and Santana is more valuable than two first round picks.

Detroit is in the opposite scenario. It looks like signing Drew will drop them to the 64th overall pick and give them only two picks in the first 100 players. Dropping over 40 spots to sign a good-not-great short stop in a stop-gap scenario is not a great idea, IMO.

Can't the Braves sign Santana to a low-ball offer sheet at the end of the year and re-coup a 1st round pick in '15 if/when someone else signs him?

[PaladinFan]

Can't the Braves sign Santana to a low-ball offer sheet at the end of the year and re-coup a 1st round pick in '15 if/when someone else signs him?

No. Under the new bargaining rules, you are allowed to extend a qualifying offer to any free agent. The QO is determined by averaging the top 125 salaries in baseball. This year it was $14.1m. Next season it is expected to go up over $15m (in 2012, it was $13.3m). The player can then accept or reject the QO.

The team gets a compensation pick only if the player (1) rejects the QO, and (2) signs with another team. You surrender your first round draft pick by signing a qualified free agent. If your qualified free agent is signed elsewhere, you get to pick in the "compensation round" after the first round. So, you cannot get another team's first rounder. The top 10 picks in the draft are "protected" and would not sacrifice the pick in an effort to help less competitive teams get more competitive quickly.

For the Braves, Santana is likely not in their long term plans. The Braves are already over budget on the current Santana deal. If he has a great season, you can expect that he'd again seek a multi-year deal elsewhere (in which case the $15m QO might not be a bad gamble). If he has an "ok" season, that $15m payment might be as much as he'd receive anywhere else. Santana had a reported $30m over 3 years deal on the table with Minnesota, and rejected that to play in Atlanta on a one year deal. You can do the math (and so can Santana) that two seasons on one year qualified deals can net you the same money as a three year deal for less money.

This is more or less what happened to Atlanta a few years back with Raphael Soriano - they offered him expecting him to reject the offer and seek a more lucrative multi-year deal. He ended up accepting the deal and left the Braves scrambling to shed his salary. They ended up trading him to Tampa for Jesse Chavez. I probably don't have to mention that Jesse Chavez for Rafael Soriano is in no reality an even swap.

It is a gamble either way. It is less a gamble on a guy like Brian McCann, who is one of the top catchers in the game the last 20 years. He would certainly reject a 1 year $14m deal from Atlanta to play on a lucrative deal for the Yankees. The Braves knew that going in. For some borderline players it is less clear. Some guys (like Drew) get caught holding the bag when teams won't meet your salary demands.

[AshevilleApp2]

Bruce Rondon, projected set up man, is out for the season.

Tigers get some infield depth by trading Jose Alvarez to the Angels for Andrew Romine. I honestly had never heard of him until now. Hit .259 last season, but is supposed to be a good fielder.

[PaladinFan]

Bruce Rondon, projected set up man, is out for the season.

Tigers get some infield depth by trading Jose Alvarez to the Angels for Andrew Romine. I honestly had never heard of him until now. Hit .259 last season, but is supposed to be a good fielder.

Pityparty, table for 2.

[AshevilleApp2]

Pityparty, table for 2.

xlolx

Disappointing yes, but better to have issues come up early, so the team can adjust. Injuries hit nearly every team at some point in the season. My big concern with Rondon is whether his body can handle the stress of 100 mph fast balls. He missed time last season as well.

[AshevilleApp2]

Word today has Max Scherzer rejecting a Tigers offer for an extension. No more talks until after the season. Not surprised by this, although I hope eventually they can get a deal done. Assuming the Tigers made a fair offer, and one report has it being in the $25 million/year range, this is kind of risky for Scherzer. He'll turn 30 in July, and he has only been consistently good in the last season and a half. If his performance this year doesn't at least approach last season, he may not equal the offer that was made.

[PaladinFan]

Braves release Freddy Garcia and sign Aaron Harang. They are essentially the same pitcher, though it seems the Braves scouting department is more comfortable with what Harang brings to the table going forward.

Never thought I'd say that this offseason, but these are the things that happen when you lose two starting pitchers for the season. Good news is Teheran and Wood have looked real strong this spring. Atlanta should be OK until Minor, Floyd, and Santana can join the rotation, at which time the 5 mine group should be pretty decent. Not elite, but good enough.

[Gil Dobie]

Great time at Spring Training.

Tigers game in Lakeland, paid extra to see batting practice. Batting practice cancelled, so they had Jim Leyland sign autographs. The 8 year old we brought to his first game had his picture taken with Leyland.

Twins game in Ft Myers, made a donation to the Boys and Girls Club to go on the field with Twins and get autographs. Gardy was po'd from the game the night before and had an extra practice. We got to stand behind the dugout for practice and got some autographs, Mauer, Tom Kelly, Tony Oliva, Josh Willingham, Aaron Hicks, Phil Roof.

I had an index card for Tony Oliva to sign. He goes, what's this, a piece of paper. Told him that's what I collect. So I took the card and my pen back, and told him he still had the best Cuban sandwiches in town. A couple minutes later he says hey, and throws me a new ball with his signature.

Joe Mauer dissed our group 3 times, finally the Twins PR guy went up to him and said you have to sign autographs for these guys. So he did and he acted nice. Talked a few seconds about his State Basketball Tourney appearance (Teammate of Steve Sir Northern Arizona).

Josh Willingham and Aaron Hicks were the best. Signed everything and asked if there was anything missed.

Paul Molitor told us he didn't have time, but Tom Kelly (1987 & 91 World Series Manager) had time and didn't want to talk about the cold in Minnesota.

Went and watched 2 of the Minor League teams warm up and headed to the Twins game.

PS: Also looked at real estate the week in Cape Coral.

[citdog]

PS: Also looked at real estate the week in Cape Coral.


http://oi58.tinypic.com/30j4guc.jpg

[AshevilleApp2]

Great time at Spring Training.

Tigers game in Lakeland, paid extra to see batting practice. Batting practice cancelled, so they had Jim Leyland sign autographs. The 8 year old we brought to his first game had his picture taken with Leyland.

Twins game in Ft Myers, made a donation to the Boys and Girls Club to go on the field with Twins and get autographs. Gardy was po'd from the game the night before and had an extra practice. We got to stand behind the dugout for practice and got some autographs, Mauer, Tom Kelly, Tony Oliva, Josh Willingham, Aaron Hicks, Phil Roof.

I had an index card for Tony Oliva to sign. He goes, what's this, a piece of paper. Told him that's what I collect. So I took the card and my pen back, and told him he still had the best Cuban sandwiches in town. A couple minutes later he says hey, and throws me a new ball with his signature.

Joe Mauer dissed our group 3 times, finally the Twins PR guy went up to him and said you have to sign autographs for these guys. So he did and he acted nice. Talked a few seconds about his State Basketball Tourney appearance (Teammate of Steve Sir Northern Arizona).

Josh Willingham and Aaron Hicks were the best. Signed everything and asked if there was anything missed.

Paul Molitor told us he didn't have time, but Tom Kelly (1987 & 91 World Series Manager) had time and didn't want to talk about the cold in Minnesota.

Went and watched 2 of the Minor League teams warm up and headed to the Twins game.

PS: Also looked at real estate the week in Cape Coral.

Cool trip Gil!

[Gil Dobie]

http://oi58.tinypic.com/30j4guc.jpg

Didn't see many Florida Crackers during the trip.

[PaladinFan]

One must expend a little effort to actually find Floridians in Florida.

[Gil Dobie]

One must expend a little effort to actually find Floridians in Florida.

Oh we did spend several days looking. Flea Market everyday, many antique shops, couple baseball games, ate out every evening, looked at houses and condo's almost every day. Native Floridians are a rare breed in the tourist areas.

[AshevilleApp2]

Oh we did spend several days looking. Flea Market everyday, many antique shops, couple baseball games, ate out every evening, looked at houses and condo's almost every day. Native Floridians are a rare breed in the tourist areas.

North Florida is where you can find Southern.

[Gil Dobie]

North Florida is where you can find Southern.

I believe it. Where my sister works, there is only 1 native Floridian in the group.