Andres Galarraga may be joining Tigers for Spring Training

[sbcaptain2]

Galarraga ready to be Cabrera's mentor | MLB.com: News

MARGARITA ISLAND, Venezuela -- The Big Cat could be joining the Tigers soon.

Andres Galarraga will likely join Detroit during Spring Training to serve as a mentor to Miguel Cabrera, the former Major Leaguer told the Venezuelan Web site Panorama.com.

Cabrera made headlines last October when he was taken into police custody but not charged following an incident with his wife in suburban Detroit that left him with scratches and bruises on his face. The Tigers infielder has undergone counseling to deal with his alcohol issues, and said he has not had a drink since the end of last season.

"Detroit wants me to be with Miguel during Spring Training and that's where we are," said Galarraga, who was at the Caribbean Series working as a broadcaster for Venezuelan television. "If it's for Spring Training, I think I will accept, but if it's for the season, I don't want to be away from my home for eight months. I hope they accept that it's only for Spring Training because to be there for six weeks is perfect."

As a coach for Venezuela during the World Baseball Classic, Galarraga worked with Cabrera on the transition from third base to first base. He also served as a mentor during the tournament.

"Maybe it's one of those things that Miguel is interested in me continuing to help him," Galarraga said. "It seems [general manager] Dave Dombrowski and manager Jim Leyland think it's a good idea."

Galarraga believes he can be a good influence on Cabrera.

"Miguelito is preparing himself. After the rehabilitation, he's coming in the best condition," he said. "Miguelito has been a superstar since he started and now he's prepared mentally and physically. I believe he's going to have an explosive year."

Jesse Sanchez is a national reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

[hueytaxi]

Beck's Blog: Big Cat to become Miggy's mentor?

[DennisDubay]

How much is the going rate to babysit a MLB player?

[KleShreen]

Can't say I hate it. I was a big Galarraga fan when he was playing.

[Motor City Sonics]

What's he gonna do, show the Tigers how to inject steroids?

[Duane B. Sims]

Am I the only one who finds it a bit disquieting that the Tigers felt the need to ask Big Cat to come mentor "Miguelito"?

[catswithbats]

Originally Posted by Duane B. Sims

Am I the only one who finds it a bit disquieting that the Tigers felt the need to ask Big Cat to come mentor "Miguelito"?

Why?

[Duane B. Sims]

Originally Posted by catswithbats

Why?

It seems fairly obvious why. If the Tigers feel the need to hire a mentor for Cabrera, that means there's potential trouble they're trying to avoid.

The idea that a grown man would need to have a special mentor brought in concerns me. I assume Big Cat isn't going to be giving Miggy batting tips. He's likely being brought in to make sure Miggy doesn't start hitting the sauce again.

So what happens when Andres goes back home and the Tigers roll into Miami or New York for a three-game series? The Tigers obviously have concerns about this. Thus, so do I.

[DennisDubay]

I wrote about this earlier : Tiger Notes » Blog Archive » Is he a mentor or a babysitter?

It's an interesting move.

Originally Posted by Duane B. Sims

It seems fairly obvious why. If the Tigers feel the need to hire a mentor for Cabrera, that means there's potential trouble they're trying to avoid.

The idea that a grown man would need to have a special mentor brought in concerns me. I assume Big Cat isn't going to be giving Miggy batting tips. He's likely being brought in to make sure Miggy doesn't start hitting the sauce again.

So what happens when Andres goes back home and the Tigers roll into Miami or New York for a three-game series? The Tigers obviously have concerns about this. Thus, so do I.

[hueytaxi]

In business, I always would seek out an older or more experienced manager to mentor me on the corporate think process. May not have always been overt, but it was always worth my time.

[Duane B. Sims]

Dennis, I read your column and agree 100 percent.

Huey, I agree in some instances it can be good to hire a more experienced person to help. But if baseball teams did it with each player the locker room would get pretty crowded. Who's Verlander's mentor? Or Inge's?

I'm not saying Miguel is doomed to fall off the wagon, or anything like that. I hope he's able to beat his addictions. But the fact that the team felt the need to hire a mentor for him concerns me.

[Eric Cioe]

Wasn't Ricky Henderson brought in to be someone's basestealing coach? Or was that someone else? I think the player was Jose Reyes, I forget who the retiree was.

[zimm]

Originally Posted by Eric Cioe

Wasn't Ricky Henderson brought in to be someone's basestealing coach? Or was that someone else? I think the player was Jose Reyes, I forget who the retiree was.

this is correct-it was Rickey

[DennisDubay]

A base stealing coach and a mentor are two different things if you ask me. If Andres is going to be a private hitting coach to Miguel, then we have some more questions to ask.

[Duane B. Sims]

I'd be surprised if AG is being brought in to mentor Miggy on baseball-related matters. I thought Miggy was making great strides in his switch to 1B. And while Galarraga was quite a hitter, I doubt he's being brought in to teach Miguel in that department.

[tiger337]

There is always a strong possibility that an alcoholic will have a relapse when they he tries to quit so of course they think there might be a problem. Hiring a mentor can only help.

[Duane B. Sims]

Originally Posted by tiger337

There is always a strong possibility that an alcoholic will have a relapse when they he tries to quit so of course they think there might be a problem. Hiring a mentor can only help.

In some cases, yes. But not necessarily.

Everyone reacts differently to different things. Some people might resent the fact that their bosses publicly announced they're bringing in a babysitter, and the move could backfire.

[apabruce]

It's routine in AA to have a mentor after you've dried up. They're not paid, of course.

[DennisDubay]

Originally Posted by apabruce

It's routine in AA to have a mentor after you've dried up. They're not paid, of course.

Their also not called mentors. They are called sponsors.

[tiger337]

Originally Posted by Duane B. Sims

In some cases, yes. But not necessarily.

Everyone reacts differently to different things. Some people might resent the fact that their bosses publicly announced they're bringing in a babysitter, and the move could backfire.

I doubt they would have publicly announced it if Cabrera did not want them to. They could have easily spun this as Galarraga being brought in as an extra instructor for spring training.

[Scottwood]

Originally Posted by Duane B. Sims

I'm not saying Miguel is doomed to fall off the wagon, or anything like that. I hope he's able to beat his addictions. But the fact that the team felt the need to hire a mentor for him concerns me.

Nah, its pretty normal for anyone who has an addiction to have some kind of mentor to lean on. I'm sure Cabrera signed off on it, too.

[roarintiger1]

So Andres is joining the Tigers???? Can he play left field?

[Hart]

I am surprised so many people are skeptical of this. I like the move. I don't care if you are 40 years old and great at your job. It never hurts to have somebody a little older and wiser there to mentor you.

[DennisDubay]

Originally Posted by Hart

I am surprised so many people are skeptical of this. I like the move. I don't care if you are 40 years old and great at your job. It never hurts to have somebody a little older and wiser there to mentor you.

So everyone on the team should have a mentor ... or there is a bigger problem that should be addressed ... that's why some are skeptical of the issue.

[hueytaxi]

Originally Posted by Duane B. Sims

Dennis, I read your column and agree 100 percent.

Huey, I agree in some instances it can be good to hire a more experienced person to help. But if baseball teams did it with each player the locker room would get pretty crowded. Who's Verlander's mentor? Or Inge's?

I'm not saying Miguel is doomed to fall off the wagon, or anything like that. I hope he's able to beat his addictions. But the fact that the team felt the need to hire a mentor for him concerns me.

Multi million dollar investments often require special interests; thus the cost of doing business. I think in business those who return a higher dollar on your investment receive larger benefits than others with lesser returns may receive.

[The Truman Show]

Maybe this is also a factor of, Miggy is the only impact hitter on the team and they need to extract as much production out of him as humanely possible.

This might also be a precursor of replacing or minimizing Lloyd McLendon, for obvious reasons. He might be Miggy's mentor, but I'm sure he'll be watching the other guys and their hitting.

I just don't know what there is to be skeptical of. Even if this is entirely about the alcoholism, just because the organization wants to hedge their bets doesn't mean that Cabrera needs to be babied. Like Scottwood said, pretty normal for anyone coming off an addiction, and we already knew Cabrera had an alcohol problem. This certainly doesn't tell us anything we didn't already know about Miguel.

If this were someone else, well, it wouldn't matter as much because those people aren't the most important player on the team. Miguel is.

[DET Mr Malefic]

Originally Posted by Hart

I am surprised so many people are skeptical of this. I like the move. I don't care if you are 40 years old and great at your job. It never hurts to have somebody a little older and wiser there to mentor you.

Agree. I was surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative/cynical response here. So what if other players on the team don't have a mentor? If other players on the team had Miguel's potential and Miguel's lengthy contract and Miguel's recent trouble, perhaps they would. Protect your investment. Bear in mind, Cabrera will still be under contract when Verlander's expires.

[sportz4life]

In other professions it's common place to have an entourage of various types of personal assistants for a 20MM dollar employee. Movie star, NBA player, CEO etc..

Whats so different about this..

The guy has a problem they are attempting to not only preserve their asset, but be kind and protective of him as a human being..

Is there something a matter with that??

[Scottwood]

Originally Posted by DennisDubay

So everyone on the team should have a mentor ... or there is a bigger problem that should be addressed ... that's why some are skeptical of the issue.

Cabrera is a HOF talent, one of the 10 best hitters in the game and someone we have invested $20+ million a year too. It is also very common for someone with an addiction to have a mentor or sponsor to lean on. Honestly, this does not surprise me at all. I figured the club was going to hire someone to help him with this as I'm sure the treatment center would recommend it. The fact they made it public is somewhat surprising, but I don't see the big deal.

Maybe he is getting some special treatment. I'm not sure. But, when you have his amount of talent, a club is going to do whatever it takes to make sure he's ok. It is that way in any business and that is what a number of us were saying after the incident the final week of the season was exposed to the public. The Tigers were not just going to trade a future HOF player b/c of an addiction. Instead, they were going to help him out in any way possible. This is part of the process. I don't understand the skepticism in this thread. This is a positive step taken by the Tigers and will help Miggy Cabrera as a ballplayer and, more importantly, as a person.

[Scottwood]

Originally Posted by Duane B. Sims

So what happens when Andres goes back home and the Tigers roll into Miami or New York for a three-game series? The Tigers obviously have concerns about this. Thus, so do I.

In times of trouble or if he feels tempted to drink, he'll be able to call Galaragga and talk to him. Andres doesn't need to be with him to have an impact. A phone call in situations like that can make a big difference. Spring training will be a good way to establish a connection and then they would take it from there. Its not like he would be with him for spring training and then leave and never check in with him again. If he's willing to come to spring training to mentor him, then there is obviously some emotional investment there between the two of them and they will continue to maintain contact. Miggy would also have other people to call and I'm sure he has people at the treatment center who will be checking in with him. Galaragga is simply another person Miggy could rely on and since he probably looks up to him, then he is a person who would naturally have a big impact on his actions.

This is not about Miggy being babysat. This really is just standard procedure for someone who has an addiction. Relapse is very common for anybody and Cabrera is going to be tempted a lot on the road. Having a close connection with a guy he looks up to will go a long way to helping him get through this problem.

[ToledoTigerFan]

Originally Posted by Motor City Sonics

What's he gonna do, show the Tigers how to inject steroids?

Was Andres Galarraga a juicer? I don't recall him being linked to 'roids.

[toadhunter911]

Originally Posted by ToledoTigerFan

Was Andres Galarraga a juicer? I don't recall him being linked to 'roids.

Me either. As a matter of fact, I remember Big Cat being a stand-up guy who was highly respected throughout baseball, and revered in Venezuela. I can't see anything negative about this, Miguel is a 25 year old superstar in whom several million of Mr I's money is invested. To quote Rich Rodriguez, "Why do you guys always have to be negative? Can't we just be positive?" or something like that...

[potthole]

I don't really see any harm in this. I think it has the possibility of being a good thing for Miguel both as a ballplayer and (more importantly) a person.

[Scottwood]

Somewhat off topic, but Cabrera was not really that efficient last year in the win probability stats. He had a -1.88 clutch rating (3rd worse in baseball) and his WPA/LI and REW were well below his wRAA. His context neutral stats made him look a little better then he performed last year. Considering the variability and noise in stats like that, we could simply score more runs next year and have a better offense if Cabrera doesn't have a string of bad luck like he did last year with RISP. His 1.59 WPA was only 59th in MLB last season. DD didn't really mention in, but I think one of the reasons he may think our offense will improve is b/c he probably doesn't think Cabrera will perform like that again with RISP and has the ability to return to his Florida playing level days.

Here are his BA/RISP from 05 to 09:

2005: .322
2006: .378
2007: .378
2008: .295
2009: .296

In 08, his BA pretty much matched what he did with RISP. But, 09 is really the only year where he underperformed in that area and a lot of that is probably b/c of the small sample size and random variation. When he performs better in those situations this year, we will see an increase in runs and it could compensate for some of the loss of offense with Granderson leaving.

Cabrera's ISO was also below his career average last season and that coincided with an increase in GB%. I think we will see him try to hit more fly balls this season, and I think he will work on being a more patient hitter and cut down on his swing % and outside swing %.

[catswithbats]

Originally Posted by Duane B. Sims

It seems fairly obvious why. If the Tigers feel the need to hire a mentor for Cabrera, that means there's potential trouble they're trying to avoid.

The idea that a grown man would need to have a special mentor brought in concerns me. I assume Big Cat isn't going to be giving Miggy batting tips. He's likely being brought in to make sure Miggy doesn't start hitting the sauce again.

So what happens when Andres goes back home and the Tigers roll into Miami or New York for a three-game series? The Tigers obviously have concerns about this. Thus, so do I.

I guess I don't really see the problem with them bringing someone in to mentor him?

[Chopper]

Originally Posted by ToledoTigerFan

Was Andres Galarraga a juicer? I don't recall him being linked to 'roids.

He had some outlandish numbers at age 35 and 36 which automatically puts him on the steroid possible user list.

I don't have a problem with the Tigers wanting to make sure they get everything they can out of their investment. Sometimes people need help and it's the Tigers money to spend, not mine.

I can already see the forums this year when he has a bad game. He must of been drunk the night before...

[tiger337]

Originally Posted by Chopper

I can already see the forums this year when he has a bad game. He must of been drunk the night before...

The media will do the same. The stories have already been written. If he has an off-season, it will be because he couldn't stay away from alcohol. If he has his best season, it will be a feel good story about how he changed his life around.

[DennisDubay]

Originally Posted by tiger337

The media will do the same. The stories have already been written. If he has an off-season, it will be because he couldn't stay away from alcohol. If he has his best season, it will be a feel good story about how he changed his life around.

Hence, this hiring will be a distraction.

[tigersrok]

Originally Posted by tiger337

If he has an off-season, it will be because he couldn't stay away from alcohol.

Maybe the alcohol is what made him such a productive hitter

He has allegedly been an alcoholic for a while, and he's been a productive major league hitter during that period of time. I don't see how a bad season could be blamed on alcohol abuse.

[tiger337]

Originally Posted by tigersrok

Maybe the alcohol is what made him such a productive hitter

He has allegedly been an alcoholic for a while, and he's been a productive major league hitter during that period of time. I don't see how a bad season could be blamed on alcohol abuse.

I don't either but if he does have a bad season, the story will be written.