Blogs > Out of Left Field

A sometimes-irreverent look at Detroit's Boys of Summer, the Tigers, as they try to return to the top of the American League Central.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Tigers protect Angel Nesbitt, Dixon Machado from Rule 5 draft, but not Joel Hanrahan


The Detroit Tigers got a head start on protecting young players from the Rule 5 draft, adding a bunch of them to the 40-man roster during the season.

That, of course, was because they had to use them.

Thursday was the deadline to ensure a player’s protection on the 40-man roster before the Rule 5 draft takes place at the Winter Meetings in three weeks, and the Tigers purchased the contracts of a pair of youngsters — reliever Angel Nesbitt and infielder Dixon Machado — to finalize that process.

With the 40-man roster full, the Tigers can’t take part in the draft itself, without clearing a spot for the player they’d want to pick.

The 23-year-old Nesbitt split the season between Single-A Lakeland and Double-A Erie in 2014, posting an overall ERA of 1.49 with 72 strikeouts in 66.2 innings of work.

Now 22, Machado finally started growing into his bat, hitting .286 with 39 extra-base hits between Lakeland and Erie, including a .305 average after his promotion to the Seawolves.

The Tigers also left recently re-signed reliever Joel Hanrahan off the 40-man roster. Theoretically, Hanrahan — who signed an incentive-laden minor league deal with the Tigers — is eligible to be selected, but the team that picked him would owe him the full value of the contract, at a reported $3.5 million with roster bonuses. One of the stipulations of the Rule 5 draft is that the selecting team must keep the player on the big-league roster (or DL) for the entire season, or offer him back to his original team.

Tigers claim RP Josh Zeid off waivers from Astros, DFA Ezequiel Carrera



The Tigers claimed reliever Josh Zeid off waivers from the Houston Astros, potentially reuniting him with his former World Baseball Classic manager from Team Israel, current Detroit skipper Brad Ausmus.



At one point last spring, Zeid was even hoping to recruit his one-time manager to join some other Jewish players on a trip to promote baseball in Israel. Ausmus was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.

"He's a big figurehead for me and us," Zeid told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart in May.

To make room on the 40-man roster, the Tigers designated outfielder Ezequiel Carrera for assignment.

At 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, Zeid is a relatively hard throwing right-hander, who hits the mid-90s with his fastball (94.77 mph, according to PITCHf/x), complementing that pitch with a plus slider.

The 27-year-old pitcher was sidelined partway through his second season in the big leagues with bilateral sesamoiditis, and had to undergo a pair of surgeries six weeks apart, one on each of his feet, to fix what could’ve become a recurring issue.

Zeid had a first surgery on Aug. 6 (right foot), then another on Oct. 6 (left foot), and just got out of a walking boot yesterday.

Included in the trade that sent Hunter Pence from the Astros to the Phillies, Zeid was converted to a reliever in the Houston system, making his debut in 2013 after two seasons at Double-A. He made 48 appearances in two seasons with the Astros, faring far better the first time around, before injuries cropped up last season. After limiting lefties to a .178 average in 2013, they hit .455 off him last season. He also gave up six home runs in a little less than 21 innings of work.

Carrera hit .261 in 45 games with the Tigers last season, after joining the franchise on a minor-league deal last offseason. He struggled defensively, though, and was effectively replaced by trade acquisition Anthony Gose.

Monday, November 17, 2014

Tigers pick up $5.4 million option on Avila's contract for 2015



They waited as long as they could. They may have even entertained a trade offer or two.

But finally, the Detroit Tigers announced Monday they were picking up the $5.4 million option on catcher Alex Avila's contract for the 2015 season.

"Well, like we said before, we don’t have to do it yet. We usually wait on all those things until we have to do them," general manager Dave Dombrowski said at last week's news conference to announce the re-signing of Victor Martinez.

The team had until Nov. 20 to decide on Avila's option, or decline it for $200,000, and send him back to salary arbitration.

There were reports that the Tigers had entertained trade offers for Avila at the General Managers Meetings last week.

"I wouldn’t get into any individual discussions," Dombrowski said. "I would say that when you’re at the General Managers meetings, I was probably asked about every player just about that we have, at one time or another."

Avila's option would've vested automatically if he'd made the All-Star team in 2014, finished top 15 in MVP voting or won a Silver Slugger

Provided everyone's healthy, the Tigers are pretty solid defensively up the middle with a potential catching platoon of Avila/James McCann, Ian Kinsler at second and Jose Iglesias at short, along with recent trade acquisition Anthony Gose in center field.

Avila led the American League with 36 baserunners caught stealing, and was second in catcher caught stealing with 26.

Friday, November 14, 2014

Tigers tell Torii Hunter they won't pursue his return


The Tigers let Torii Hunter know Friday morning that they wouldn't be pursuing his return to the club.

Re-signing Victor Martinez for four years precluded the return of Hunter, whose two-year contract expired at the end of the season.

[CLICK HERE FOR AN UPDATED STORY]

Hunter's agent told Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski that the 39-year-old outfielder did indeed want to play, maybe as long as two more years, and that Detroit was his preferred destination.

But with the addition of Anthony Gose in the outfield, moving Rajai Davis back to a corner, the Tigers did not have regular at-bats to give to Hunter.

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Tigers swap Devon Travis to Blue Jays for speedy CF Anthony Gose



Priority one: Re-sign Victor Martinez.

Priority two? Fix the outfield.

Apparently, the Detroit Tigers took care of both of those in the same day.

Hours after reportedly coming to a four-year deal with Martinez to keep in him in a Tigers uniform through the age of 40, a report had the Tigers trading prospect Devon Travis to the Toronto Blue Jays for speedy center fielder Anthony Gose.

Shi Davidi, a columnist for Sportsnet in Toronto, broke the news on Twitter. The Tigers confirmed it less than 10 minutes later.

The 24-year-old Gose, who has played 202 games in parts of three seasons for the Jays, is a career .234 hitter, but a plus defender in the outfield. He also hits left-handed.

"Anthony is a true center fielder than can provide us with above average defense in center field with a good arm,” Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski said. “He possesses above average speed and can steal bases at the major league level. He swings the bat from the left side and we feel that he will continue to improve his offensive game."

Dombrowski said in his end-of-season news conference that the Tigers wanted to upgrade in center field, at least getting a left-handed complement for incumbent starter Rajai Davis.

Named the No. 1 prospect in the Tigers system by Baseball America just Wednesday morning, Travis had sped through the organization’s minor league system over the last two seasons on the strength of his bat. His 2014 season started with an injury, however, and he missed the Arizona Fall League after core muscle repair surgery.

REPORT: Tigers have 'very, very real' interest in free agent OF Melky Cabrera


No matter what happens with their biggest two free agents — Victor Martinez (the No. 1 priority to re-sign) and Max Scherzer — the Tigers have some fixing to do with their outfield.

Given general manager Dave Dombrowski's remarks about looking into a center field upgrade, a lot of eyes naturally turned to the only real center fielder on the free-agent market, the Blue Jays' Colby Rasmus.

Turns out, the Tigers might actually be more interested in Rasmus' former teammate, Melky Cabrera.

A report from Greg Brady of Sportsnet 590 in Toronto Monday evening indicated as much.

"Hearing tonight Tigers' interest in Melky Cabrera is very, very real," Brady tweeted, noting that J.D Martinez would move from left to right, replacing Torii Hunter, Rajai Davis would stay in center, and Cabrera would play left field.

"Tigers likely don't go past 4 years for Cabrera — and may not need to. He's got a WS ring, so not exactly chasing. May be more $ elsewhere," Brady subsequently tweeted.

All three of Brady's original tweets are below.

Considering Cabrera is a switch-hitter, he'd give the Tigers another left-handed bat to run out against right-handed starters — another thing Dombrowski wanted to add — and one that has a little bit of pop in it.

He's not, however, a fix in center field — while he's nine years younger, like Hunter, he's past his center field days — and he won't come cheaply.

In addition to the draft pick the Tigers would lose for signing a player who'd received a qualifying offer, they'll probably have to pony up more money for Cabrera than they did for Hunter the last two seasons. ESPN's Jim Bowden predicts a four-year deal with an average annual value of $16 million for Cabrera; the AAV for Hunter's two-year deal in Detroit was $13 million.

More likely, maybe, would be the Tigers pursuing Cabrera as a potential Victor Martinez replacement, should the designated hitter sign elsewhere.



Friday, November 7, 2014

Jim Leyland, lounge singer, belts out 'Who's Your Daddy' at Royal Oak Grille


Jim Leyland always said that if he hadn't had a career in baseball, he might have liked to have tried to have one in music, as a singer.

He wouldn't have been half bad, either, as evidenced by him belting out Toby Keith's "Who's Your Daddy" at the Royal Oak Grille in Royal Oak, where Leyland lived when he managed the Detroit Tigers. According to Deadspin, which posted the original story earlier today, Leyland sang it after signing "Happy Birthday" to his daughter, Kelly.

There's no indication if it's a recent video, or not. But it's still amusing.

The Tigers held organizational meetings in Detroit a few weeks ago. Leyland is currently a special assistant to general manager Dave Dombrowski, but resides in Pittsburgh full-time.

Here's the video of the song, courtesy of the YouTube account of Detroit Sports 105.1-FM:


Thursday, November 6, 2014

Tigers announce spring training dates for 2015


Sooner than you think, the Detroit Tigers will be loading up the semis, and heading south to Florida for spring training.

Thursday, the team released its spring training dates, including a couple of night games, and starting the official slate with a home-and-home against the Orioles, following the annual exhibition opener against Florida Southern College on Monday, March 2.

Here are the spring's contests:


Day, Date — Opponent (Road Site), Time           
Monday, March 2 — vs. Florida Southern College, 1:05 p.m.
Tuesday, March 3 — vs. Baltimore, 1:05 p.m.  
Wednesday, March 4 — at Baltimore (Sarasota), 1:05 p.m. 
Thursday, March 5 — vs. Atlanta, 1:05 p.m. 
Friday, March 6 — at New York Mets (Port St. Lucie), 1:10 p.m.
Saturday, March 7 — at Atlanta (Disney World), 1:05 p.m. 
Sunday, March 8 — vs. Houston (SS), 1:05 p.m.
Monday, March 9  — Tvs. oronto (SS), 1:05 p.m. 
Tuesday, March 10 — at Philadelphia (Clearwater), 1:05 p.m. 
Wednesday, March 11 — at Washington (Viera), 1:05 p.m. 
Thursday, March 12 — vs. Philadelphia, 1:05 p.m. 
Thursday, March 12 — at Houston (Kissimmee), 1:05 p.m. 
Friday, March 13 — at Atlanta (SS) (Disney World), 1:05 p.m. 
Saturday, March 14 — vs. Philadelphia, 1:05 p.m. 
Saturday, March 14 — at New York Yankees (Tampa), 1:05 p.m. 
Sunday,  March 15 — at  Miami (Jupiter), 1:05 p.m. 
Monday, March 16 — at St. Louis (Jupiter), 1:05 p.m. 
Tuesday, March 17 — vs. Washington, 1:05 p.m. 
Wednesday, March 18 — at Pittsburgh (Bradenton), 6:05 p.m.
Thursday, March 19 — at Washington (Viera), 1:05 p.m. 
Friday, March 20 — vs. New York Yankees, 1:05 p.m. 
Saturday, March 21 — vs. New York Mets, 1:05 p.m. 
Sunday, March 22 — vs. Washington, 1:05 p.m. 
Sunday, March 22 — at Atlanta (Disney World), 1:05 p.m. 
Monday, March 23 — OPEN DATE
Tuesday, March 24 — at New York Yankees (Tampa), 7:05 p.m. 
Wednesday, March 25 — vs. Miami, 1:05 p.m. 
Thursday, March 26 — vs. Baltimore, 1:05 p.m. 
Friday, March 27 — at Toronto (Dunedin), 1:05 p.m. 
Saturday, March 28 — vs. St. Louis, 1:05 p.m. 
Sunday, March 29 — at Philadelphia (Clearwater), 1:05 p.m. 
Monday, March 30 — vs. Atlanta, 1:05 p.m. 
Tuesday, March 31 — vs. Pittsburgh, 1:05 p.m. 
Wednesday, April 1 — at Houston (Kissimmee), 1:05 p.m. 
Thursday, April 2 — vs. New York Yankees (SS), 1:05 p.m. 
Friday, April 3 — vs. Tampa Bay, 1:05 p.m. pm. 
Saturday, April 4 — at Tampa Bay (St. Petersburg), 12:35 p.m.

Unless otherwise noted in parentheses, all games are at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Fla.
SS = split squad

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Kinsler finally gets award for his leather, a Wilson Defensive Player of the Year award



Call Ian Kinsler 1-for-3, I guess.

After striking out in the Gold Glove and Fielding Bible Awards for defensive prowess — both went to Boston's Dustin Pedroia — Kinsler was finally rewarded for his stellar defensive season on Wednesday, claiming the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year award at second base.

Given out each of the last two years by the glove manufacturer, this year is the first time they've done it strictly by position, like the other two awards do. Previously, one player from each team was honored. (Austin Jackson won in both 2012 and 2013.)

The Wilson awards are the only one of the three defensive awards officially sanctioned by MLB.

Winners are determined by a combination of traditional stats, as well as advanced metrics, along with input from scouts from Inside Edge.

Kinsler led all second basemen in Defensive Runs Saved (20), and was second to Pedroia in Total Zone Total Defense (14) and Ultimate Zone Rating (13.0).

It's the first time Kinsler won a Wilson DPOY award.

He was one of just three American League players honored in 2014, while the other six came from the National League, including the overall POY winner, Braves outfielder Jason Heyward.

The other winners included: Johnny Cueto, P, Reds; Russell Martin, C, Pirates; Adrian Gonzalez, 1B, Dodgers; Juan Uribe, 3B, Dodgers; Andrelton Simmons, SS, Braves; Alex Gordon, LF, Royals; and Lorenzo Cain, CF, Royals.

Verlander parents signing book in Wixom on Sunday



Richard and Kathy Verlander, the parents of Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander, will be holding a book signing at the Total Sports Complex in Wixom, on Sunday, Nov. 9.

The duo are authors of the 2012 book "Rocks Across the Pond: Lessons learned. Stories Told." which details the raising of Justin and his younger brother, Ben. They'll be selling (and personalizing) copies of the book from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Contact Total Sports Wixom (30990 S. Wixom Road) at 248-669-9817 for more information.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Victor Martinez named Tiger of the Year, AL Most Valuable Player finalist


Victor Martinez was named the 2014 Tiger of the Year by a vote of the Detroit chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

The results were announced Tuesday, with Martinez receiving 17 of 21 first-place votes.

Martinez becomes the first designated hitter to win the award, and the first player not named Miguel Cabrera (four times) or Justin Verlander (twice) to win it since Magglio Ordonez did in 2007.

Cabrera, Ian Kinsler, J.D. Martinez and Max Scherzer received one first-place vote each.

The award will be commemorated by a plaque given to Martinez next season.

Later in the day, Martinez was named as one of three finalists for the American League Most Valuable player award, as voted on by the BBWAA national membership. The other two finalists were Angels outfielder Mike Trout and Indians outfielder Michael Brantley. Martinez is the first player to be finish in the top three while primarily playing designated hitter since 'Big Papi' David Ortiz did it in 2006.

There were no other Tigers finalists for the major BBWAA awards — Cy Young, Manager of the Year, Rookie of the Year — the winners for which will be announced next week.

Here are the past winners of the Tiger of the Year award:
Previous winners:
1965 – Don Wert
1966 – Al Kaline
1967 – Bill Freehan
1968 – Denny McLain
1969 – Denny McLain
1970 – Tom Timmerman 
1971 – Mickey Lolich
1972 – Ed Brinkman 
1973 – John Hiller
1974 – Al Kaline
1975 – Willie Horton
1976 – Mark Fidrych 
1977 – Ron LeFlore 
1978 – Ron LeFlore
1979 – Steve Kemp
1980 – Alan Trammell
1981 – Kirk Gibson 
1982 – Lance Parrish
1983 – Lou Whitaker
1984 – Willie Hernandez 
1985 – Darrell Evans
1986 – Jack Morris 
1987 – Alan Trammell 
1988 – Alan Trammell
1989 – Lou Whitaker

1990 – Cecil Fielder 
1991 – Cecil Fielder 
1992 – Cecil Fielder 
1993 – Tony Phillips 
1994 – Kirk Gibson 
1995 – Travis Fryman
1996 – Travis Fryman 
1997 – Tony Clark and Bobby Higginson (tie) 
1998 – Damion Easley 
1999 – Dean Palmer 
2000 – Bobby Higginson
2001 – Steve Sparks
2002 – Randall Simon 
2003 – Dmitri Young 
2004 – Ivan Rodriguez 
2005 – Placido Polanco
2006 – Carlos Guillen 
2007 – Magglio Ordonez 
2008 – Miguel Cabrera
2009 – Justin Verlander 
2010 – Miguel Cabrera
2011 – Justin Verlander
2012 – Miguel Cabrera 
2013 – Miguel Cabrera

Monday, November 3, 2014

Alan Trammell back with the Tigers as a special assistant to the GM


If there was ever a worthy successor to the role of Mr. Tiger after Hall of Famer Al Kaline retired from the field of play, it was Alan Trammell.

He had a borderline Hall of Fame career with the franchise, forming the longest-standing double-play combination with Lou Whitaker, then returned to the franchise as manager.

Trammell is now back with the organization again, working alongside Kaline as one of several special assistants to president and general manager Dave Dombrowski.

“I am very excited to be back on board with the Tigers,” Trammell said in a press release, announcing the move Monday. “It is an honor to return to Detroit and I am looking forward to working with Dave and contributing to the organization.”

Trammell joins Kaline, Willie Horton and former manager Jim Leyland as Dombrowski's corps of special assistants. According to the team, Trammell will assist on-field at both the big league and minor league level, and travel throughout the minor-league system, as well as taking on a community relations role.

“On behalf of ownership and the Detroit Tigers organization, we’re thrilled Alan Trammell has returned to the ballclub,” said Tigers President, CEO and General Manager David Dombrowski. “’Tram’ will forever be revered as one of the greatest Tigers to ever wear the olde English ‘D’ and we view this as an opportunity to add an outstanding baseball person who offers a wealth of experience and perspective from his 20 plus seasons, all with the Tigers, and his most recent years of managing and coaching. It’s great to have him back.”

Trammell managed the Tigers from 2003-05 and was the bench coach with the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2010-14, with good friend and former Tigers teammate Kirk Gibson as manager, until both were fired at the end of the season.