So I already looked at the Tigers pitchers, but decided that one post would have been WAY too long for most of our readers to pay attention to. Honestly, 90% of our readers probably have already clicked away because they didn’t see a busty model in a bikini top below what you’re reading right now. Thanks for sticking around, or something like that.
Note: All stats were taken from before today’s game against the Indians, because everybody hates Ohio anyway.
Overall, it’s safe to say the Tigers offense has overachieved a bit. They lead the majors with a .280 team average and are 10th (6th in the AL) in runs scored with 139.
On the other hand, the Tigers defense has been a disappointment. They have 25 errors, second-most in baseball (and most in the AL) and a fielding percentage of .977, among the lowest in the MLB.
Check out the positional breakdown after the jump…
CATCHERS
Gerald Laird and Alex Avila have both been disappointing behind the plate for the Tigers so far. Laird is hitting a paltry .141 in 20 games along with an equally pathetic .250 slugging percentage. While not many people expected great numbers from him on this side of the ball, his cold start is still upsetting. The real disappointment with Laird has been his defense. His 28.5% caught stealing percentage is well below his career average of 39%. Hopefully this is another case of a player starting slow for the Tigers. Last year, it seemed like no one was able to run on Laird in the season’s latter stages. We’ll see if that holds true again.
Thanks to a recent tear once the calendar turned to May (.556 batting average in the last 5 games), Alex Avila is now hitting .200. He finally found his power stroke in his last game, belting his first two home runs (and RBI, sadly) of the season. Odds are Avila will turn it around, but don’t be surprised if Avila is sent down to AAA to see more playing time. Strangely enough, Avila has been stronger than Laird behind the plate, gunning down 56% of the guys that have tried to run on him. This number will no doubt decline, especially when the number of base stealers Avila sees finally hits double digits (he’s 5-of-9 right now).
THE NOTORIOUS M.V.P.
Miguel Cabrera has been absolutely en fuego to start the season. He leads the AL in both batting average (.372) and RBI (30) and is tied for 8th in home runs, with 7. He’s also second in the AL in hits, only trailing teammate Austin Jackson. Honestly, I could go all day with this. The point is that this may be one of the most exciting players we’ve seen in Detroit in a long, long time. Enjoy watching this guy while you can, because teams are going to start walking him every time he comes to the plate. He’s that good.
THE REST OF THE INFIELD
Second baseman Scott Sizemore has had the toughest transition of the Tigers’ rookies so far, even despite of the fact he’s competing against the A.L. Rookie of the Month. He’s hitting .237 in 76 at bats, with 18 strikeouts. He’s been a fairly patient hitter, drawing 9 walks. I wouldn’t read too far into this yet though. He’s been largely hitting between Gerald Laird and Adam Everett, so opposing pitchers have had the luxury of giving him their undivided attention. I’d like to see Jim Leyland bump him up a spot or two in the lineup; hopefully he’ll start seeing more meaty fastballs if this happens. He’s committed 4 errors on the year, but has largely held his own at second base.
Adam Everett has played 100% to Tigers’ fans expectations this season. He’s hitting .182 with just 3 extra-base hits and 1 RBI. He’s our #9 hitter for a reason. Expect his average to go up, but not by much. Thankfully, his fielding hasn’t missed a beat. He hasn’t committed an error at shortstop yet this year, and has combined with either Sizemore or Ryan Raburn at second base to turn 12 double plays. If I haven’t made it obvious enough already, Everett is still employed because of his glove, and nothing else.
The other half of the Tigers shortstop monster (well, more like the Geico lizard), Ramon Santiago, has provided the offensive punch Tigers fans expected. He’s hitting .298 in 57 at bats with an on-base percentage close to .400. Unfortunately, May has not been kind to Razor Ramon. He’s hitting just .182 in his last 5 games. I don’t think this slump is anything to worry about, but don’t expect him to hit .300 this year. To make the lineup decisions difficult, Ramon has committed two errors this year, leaving his fielding percentage at a respectable .975. He’s helped turn 10 double plays this year.
Brandon Inge has been every bit the player Tigers fans know and love so far. He’s hitting .252 with 3 home runs and 15 RBI. His walk rate (7.6%) and strikeout rate (23.4%) are both right around his career averages, so don’t expect a huge change in his statistics. He may get hot or cold, but I’d expect his average to hover right around where it is throughout the year. His fielding has once again been Gold Glove caliber; he has no errors so far this season and has also made a fair share of highlight-reel plays.
OUTFIELDERS
I don’t think there’s been a more polarizing player on the Tigers’ roster this year than Austin Jackson. So far, Jackson has hit .369 and leads the MLB in hits with 45. Critics like to point out his ungodly high BABIP (.512) and elevated strikeout rate (28.7%) as signs that he won’t continue on his current pace. However, Jackson has only struck out 3 times in his last 9 games (39 total AB) while still hitting .462 in that same stretch. His BABIP will come down, especially as pitchers start to figure him out. This will bring his average down with it. Still, don’t be surprised to see him toy with the .300 mark this year. He has shown a knack for adjusting to pitchers in the same game, so it’s reasonably safe to expect some similar adjustments throughout the year. By the end of the season I think he’ll be in the discussion for the Rookie of the Year award.
Magglio Ordonez started the year just as hot as Cabrera, hitting over .365 in his first 9 games. He’s dropped off since, hitting just .232 after his torrid start. His average is currently sitting at .280 to go along with 4 HR and 20 RBI (tied for 15th in the AL). There have been rumors of an abdominal injury that Maggs may be playing through, which would explain his recent struggles at the plate. There’s no reason, barring another injury, to think Maggs won’t get everything sorted out and be hitting above .300 with close to 100 RBI by the end of the year.
Johnny Damon was batting .194 after the team’s first 9 games, but has since proved to be worth every penny that the Tigers threw at him in the offseason. Since the first three series, Damon has hit .356. His power numbers have taken an expected dip from last season, but he and Austin Jackson have provided plenty of punch at the top of the lineup, scoring 44 of the team’s 139 runs (almost 32%). I don’t know how healthy it is that these two are such a high percentage of the team’s offense, but this number should go down as the bottom of the lineup heats up (let’s face it, those guys can’t do much worse). In the field, Damon has been decent; his arm is a running joke throughout the MLB, but he’s already gunned down one runner at the plate. Too bad he hates senior citizens.
Brennan Boesch was been a pleasant surprise for the Tigers so far. He was called up in late April after Carlos Guillen hit the disabled list and has largely made fans forget about Guillen. Boesch is hitting .324 with 2 homers and 10 RBI in just 10 games. 7 of his 12 hits have been extra-base hits (5 doubles along with the 2 HR). He’s definitely not a patient hitter; he has just one walk in 38 plate appearances. I think his “grip it and rip it” mentality has been so successful because he’s hitting behind Miguel Cabrera. Regardless, he’s been a big reason why the Tigers offense hasn’t missed a beat since Guillen left.
Carlos Guillen is hitting .311 on the year, but has been on the disabled list since April 22nd. Thankfully, Boesch has been an adequate replacement so far. Hopefully Guillen stays out long enough to get fully healthy instead of rushing back too soon.
Ryan Raburn has taken a big-time step back from last year’s breakout season, hitting just .217 so far. Even after a similar number of at bats last year, Raburn was at .265 with 3 home runs (he finished at .291 with 16 dingers). He’s struck out in a scary 37.1% of his at bats, validating the organization’s decision to pursue Damon in the offseason. Those still on the Raburn bandwagon believe that a steady stream of at bats will help him heat up, a difficult task given how abysmal he’s been in the field. He has two (costly) errors in just 14 games, good enough for a .846 fielding percentage. Ouch.
Don Kelly has been Jim Leyland’s swiss army knife so far, playing at four different positions already this year. Kelly’s bat hasn’t been anything special; he’s hitting just .172 in 29 at-bats. His primary role has been a late-inning defensive placement for whoever has been in left field. He hasn’t been spectacular, but we haven’t noticed him making costly errors in those situations either. Like it or not, he’ll still be on the roster when Guillen comes back to give Brandon Inge the occasional day off at third base.
[all stats via Baseball Reference and Fangraphs]
TODAY’S GAME
The Tigers beat the Indians 6-4 in today’s matinee at Progressive Field. Justin Verlander struck out 9 Indians hitters in 6 innings, and the Tigers staff combined for 15 total K’s. Scott Sizemore (1-for-3, 1 BB) had a bases-loaded, 3 RBI double in the 4th inning, while Miguel Cabrera (1-for-3, 2 BB) had a 2 RBI single in the 7th. Austin Jackson (2-for-5) grounded into a fielder’s choice in the 8th that scored Sizemore. Jose Valverde picked up his 8th save with a 1-2-3 9th inning.
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY
Happy Mother’s Day from D4L to all the moms out there, and thanks for your daughters.
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