Todd
11-13-2002, 09:46 PM
Detroit Tigers
1. Can new manager Alan Trammell build a bullpen?
One area where a manager can make everyone's life easier is to identify specific talents he wants in his bullpen, identify who has those skills, and put them to work. With an assist from GM Dave Dombrowski on the cheap talent acquisition front, Trammell has a chance to help his team quickly and easily, especially if he puts in some time this winter and picks up the phone to talk to people who have been able to assemble pens on the cheap. Tom Kelly, for instance, had rotations flop or poke along, but he'd always scrape together a good pen. The Tigers' young rotation will have plenty of bad days at the office, but how Dombrowski and Trammell pick and choose from amongst the inevitable rogue's gallery over the winter and into next spring can make a difference.
2. Which kid gets to be shortstop, and which one gets to catch?
Only in this pizza baron's magic kingdom could Shane Halter's gimmick of playing nine positions in a game turn into an actively shared mass delusion that he could be a regular shortstop. That particular sandcastle in the sky went down hard, but it's for the best. The Tigers have two interesting young shortstops in the organization: Ramon Santiago is probably the better all-around hitter, while Omar Infante is gifted with the 'inside baseball' little man's game. Both are considered good gloves, and although Infante's the younger one (he'll be 21 next season), Santiago isn't especially old at 23.
As for the kid catchers, there's the same choice the Tigers futzed around with last season: Brandon Inge or Mike Rivera. Rivera has some sock, and Inge has been handed a great defensive reputation. It could make for a nice offense-defense job-sharing arrangement. If Mitch Meluskey returns to the tools of ignorance, it'll be a major upset.
3. Will Dombrowski find anyone to take any veteran salaries off of his hands?
Dean Palmer, Craig Paquette and Halter, they'll all be cashing checks next year. Damion Easley's under contract through at least 2004. Dmitri Young? Might be an adequate DH, but he's signed through 2005 for a godly chunk o' change. Bobby Higginson might be the designated team star, but he's also making a king's ransom ($8.85 million) starting in 2003 (and through 2005), he's already 32, and he's already not hitting well enough to justify the expense. If anybody wanted any of these guys, they could have been had last summer. Better that the Tigers start cutting bait on some, try to deal Young or Higgy the next time the Yankees panic and decide they have to have another Raul Mondesi, and run with the Hiram Bocachicas and George Lombards to see if they'll be able to turn into anything of value.
4. Is relevance on the horizon?
Sure, they have to play the games, don't they? The organization has basically been lost at sea since they brought in Bo Schembechler, so letting Dombrowski take some time to reflect on what's here will resemble improvement if only because it can't get any worse. As long as the club's biblical plague of free agents slowly fades away, and the Tigers sort out whether or not Carlos Pena, Inge and/or Rivera, either shortstop, and any of their young pitching can be part of the next relevant Tigers franchise, they're headed in the right direction.
5. Will Trammell make Carlos Pena his cleanup hitter?
Pena seems to be the logical choice, but only because there isn't much else to choose from in the current lot of players. Given a full season, Pena should produce average, if not better, numbers (in the 25-homer, 80-RBI range). On a team with a good supporting cast, Pena would probably best fit in as a No. 5 hitter.
1. Can new manager Alan Trammell build a bullpen?
One area where a manager can make everyone's life easier is to identify specific talents he wants in his bullpen, identify who has those skills, and put them to work. With an assist from GM Dave Dombrowski on the cheap talent acquisition front, Trammell has a chance to help his team quickly and easily, especially if he puts in some time this winter and picks up the phone to talk to people who have been able to assemble pens on the cheap. Tom Kelly, for instance, had rotations flop or poke along, but he'd always scrape together a good pen. The Tigers' young rotation will have plenty of bad days at the office, but how Dombrowski and Trammell pick and choose from amongst the inevitable rogue's gallery over the winter and into next spring can make a difference.
2. Which kid gets to be shortstop, and which one gets to catch?
Only in this pizza baron's magic kingdom could Shane Halter's gimmick of playing nine positions in a game turn into an actively shared mass delusion that he could be a regular shortstop. That particular sandcastle in the sky went down hard, but it's for the best. The Tigers have two interesting young shortstops in the organization: Ramon Santiago is probably the better all-around hitter, while Omar Infante is gifted with the 'inside baseball' little man's game. Both are considered good gloves, and although Infante's the younger one (he'll be 21 next season), Santiago isn't especially old at 23.
As for the kid catchers, there's the same choice the Tigers futzed around with last season: Brandon Inge or Mike Rivera. Rivera has some sock, and Inge has been handed a great defensive reputation. It could make for a nice offense-defense job-sharing arrangement. If Mitch Meluskey returns to the tools of ignorance, it'll be a major upset.
3. Will Dombrowski find anyone to take any veteran salaries off of his hands?
Dean Palmer, Craig Paquette and Halter, they'll all be cashing checks next year. Damion Easley's under contract through at least 2004. Dmitri Young? Might be an adequate DH, but he's signed through 2005 for a godly chunk o' change. Bobby Higginson might be the designated team star, but he's also making a king's ransom ($8.85 million) starting in 2003 (and through 2005), he's already 32, and he's already not hitting well enough to justify the expense. If anybody wanted any of these guys, they could have been had last summer. Better that the Tigers start cutting bait on some, try to deal Young or Higgy the next time the Yankees panic and decide they have to have another Raul Mondesi, and run with the Hiram Bocachicas and George Lombards to see if they'll be able to turn into anything of value.
4. Is relevance on the horizon?
Sure, they have to play the games, don't they? The organization has basically been lost at sea since they brought in Bo Schembechler, so letting Dombrowski take some time to reflect on what's here will resemble improvement if only because it can't get any worse. As long as the club's biblical plague of free agents slowly fades away, and the Tigers sort out whether or not Carlos Pena, Inge and/or Rivera, either shortstop, and any of their young pitching can be part of the next relevant Tigers franchise, they're headed in the right direction.
5. Will Trammell make Carlos Pena his cleanup hitter?
Pena seems to be the logical choice, but only because there isn't much else to choose from in the current lot of players. Given a full season, Pena should produce average, if not better, numbers (in the 25-homer, 80-RBI range). On a team with a good supporting cast, Pena would probably best fit in as a No. 5 hitter.