Inge wants to compete for 2nd base job...

[Kamakzie]

Jason Beck @beckjason
Leyland: Inge has asked for chance to compete for 2nd base job. He'll get his shot. More to come on the site.

LOL!

[alwaysthrowheat]

ohhhh boy.

[The Truman Show]

Yeah, go for it skippy.

[IdahoBert]

Jim Leyland: Tigers' Brandon Inge will compete for job at 2B | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

Inge is like one of the walking dead with a pitchfork stuck in his chest. He will not die. Easy to laugh off, but admirable too. The man certainly wants to play.

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Brandon Inge will compete for a starting job at second base this spring training, Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland said today.

Leyland said Inge asked general manager Dave Dombrowski if he could compete at second.

Inge had been the team's third baseman before being displaced by Miguel Cabrera, who was displaced from first base by Prince Fielder.

The second base competition had been expected to be between Ryan Raburn, Ramon Santiago and Danny Worth.

More on this story to come from freep.com.

[mmwatkin]

eh...why not? I don't think he would be a better option than Santiago, though.

[Yoda]

Great. Now he can play another position while not producing.

[Kamakzie]

Crack the Mendoza line Inge and MAYBE we can talk. If this were any other player he would've been gone ages ago..

[mmwatkin]

Too bad he can't catch. Seriously. If we could have kept him as backup catcher and not had to sign Laird, I would have been happy. Last year spoiled me in having our backup catcher be able to be the DH and 1B. Seemed like we had an extra bench player.

But Inge is too old and his knees couldn't take it. Not to mention he would probably pout like a baby.

[Who is the Drizzle?]

sure, why not?

[jackson_cannery]

If he hits, play him wherever. It's not like he'd be worse than Raburn at 2nd.

[Kamakzie]

The problem is he doesn't hit..

[Who is the Drizzle?]

The problem is he doesn't hit..

Part of me says he can't be as bad as he was last year. But then I remember some of those swings where his foot would still not have planted with the ball 2/3 of the way to the plate, or those other swings where it seemed like his head was looking at the sky while his bat was in the zone.

In conclusion, I have no opinion.

[JayVee7777]

Heck yeah! More competition has got to be better, right?

[alwaysthrowheat]

This is dumb, because we have a decent platoon at second. He's not going to hit lefties better than Raburn. He's not a better hitter than Santiago, either. He has never played the position professionally. Please just go away. Please.

[Dirk Diggler]

This is dumb, because we have a decent platoon at second. He's not going to hit lefties better than Raburn. He's not a better hitter than Santiago, either. He has never played the position professionally. Please just go away. Please.

Not that I think he'll be a better option than what is already there, but he was a catcher before Pudge showed up and he had no problem then moving to a position "he has never played professionally". I don't think that's the issue, he could play defensively anywhere, it's his bat that's the problem.

[alwaysthrowheat]

Not that I think he'll be a better option than what is already there, but he was a catcher before Pudge showed up and he had no problem then moving to a position "he has never played professionally". I don't think that's the issue, he could play defensively anywhere, it's his bat that's the problem.

Catcher to 3B is a common transition (as far as positional transitions go), and that was eight years ago, when he had knees and was in the prime of his athletic career. Now he's a soon to be 35 year old man. Different set of circumstances.

[thefunk]

I love it. Love the idea of his glove at 2B. Let him compete for it!

[tiger337]

He'll need to learn new positions just to keep a spot on the roster. There's no harm in seeing what he can do at 2B.

[Jason_R]

This passion to play actually makes me think better of him.

I still wish he would stop talking to the press and swinging at the outside slider. But you can't fault a man for doing his damnedest to hang on to The Dream.

[T&P_Fan]

I love it. Love the idea of his glove at 2B. Let him compete for it!

I agree with you, like always.

This is good, competition is always good. I think Inge could handle the position just fine defensively. If he can hit .240-.250 with some pop again (not completely out of the question) than this is great for the tigers.

[TJ]

Yahhhhhh, one of the highest priorities for the Detroit Tigers should be to figure out some kind of way to keep a .197 hitter in the lineup.

Part of me says he can't be as bad as he was last year.

Uhhhhhh, actually, yes he can: in five of his 11 seasons in the major leagues, Inge has hit under .210.

Too bad he can't catch. Seriously..

Oh, he can -- he has just served notice that he refuses to, because it "hurts his hittng."

[sabretooth]

There's no question in my mind that Santiago and Worth would be better than Inge at 2B. Raburn is almost certainly more valuable overall at 2B than Inge, but it's possible that Inge could at least field better than Raburn there.

I don't mind trying it out but Laird when is the Inge Dynasty going to end??

[ROMAD1]

Is Gerald Laird going to get a shot at 2b too? :-0

[Detroit Rock City]

I wish Inge would just go away.

[Titus Tiger]

when it is slow, talk about Inge

[ROMAD1]

when it is slow, talk about Inge

This is true...and frankly, I'd rather talk baseball now anyway even if this is seemingly a tired act.

[Titus Tiger]

This is true...and frankly, I'd rather talk baseball now anyway even if this is seemingly a tired act.

If Inge is as bad as everyone thinks he is? Spring will be his demise. Plus, everyone who talks about him being a whinner (listening to WXYT), I think Leyland would have been done with him long ago

[THECATMAC]

Why is it I feel the Tigers will cut him or throw him in on a trade this spring? He has been on a downward trend the last 3 years in just about every hitting category. We need more than a .235 BA and 130+ strikeouts at 2nd, then again Santiago's numbers are not any better. Inge has a .692 OPS and Ramon has a .249 AVG and a .658 OPS... Raburn has a .269 BA and a .779 OPS... Hello Ryan...

[Titus Tiger]

Why is it I feel the Tigers will cut him or throw him in on a trade this spring? He has been on a downward trend the last 3 years in just about every hitting category. We need more than a .235 BA and 130+ strikeouts at 2nd, then again Santiago's numbers are not any better. Inge has a .692 OPS and Ramon has a .249 AVG and a .658 OPS... Raburn has a .269 BA and a .779 OPS... Hello Ryan...

I don't know the difference in Salary...

But Roman himself and the team sees Ramon as a utility player. Inge doesn't understand (regardless of his inflated salary) has utility numbers.

[T&P_Fan]

I wish Inge would just go away.

I don't. He bleeds for the Tigers and wants nothing more than to help them. He might go about it the wrong way, but Inge is good people, you don't wish those people away.

[TJ]

If Inge is as bad as everyone thinks he is? Spring will be his demise. Plus, everyone who talks about him being a whinner (listening to WXYT), I think Leyland would have been done with him long ago

It has long been astonishing to me that Inge has this widespread reputation as the ultimate team player, and Leyland also as an iron-fisted disciplinarian, when almost every single year there is some public controversy about Inge being unhappy about being displaced in the lineup (usually by a HOF-caliber player like Pudge or Cabrera), unhappy about what position he is going to play, unhappy with how he's being used in the batting order, and constantly sounds off to his buddies in the media about it.

The crazy thing is that every time Inge sounds off in the media about being unhappy about how he's being used, what position he's gonna play, if he's going to start or not, it is a slap directly in the face of The Manager of The Detroit Tigers Baseball Club, Inc., because what he's saying is, "IDGAF if you're the manager or not, I want to play a certain position and bat when I want, or else I am going to go piss and moan to my buddies in the media, etc etc.," and I have always been shocked Leyland doesn't go straight up to Inge and say, "listen buddy boy, you hit .197 last year, you're GD lucky to have any kind of job at all in the major leagues, you will play when and where and how much or how little as I tell you to play, you'll play once every 50 games if that's when I tell you to play, and you'll empty my ashtrays too if I tell you to, and you'll LIKE IT, and you won't go whining and wimping to your buddy pals in the media any more about it either. You get my drift, buddy boy???"

[Big Frame]

I think I have a better chance getting to 2nd base with Brooklyn Decker then Inge has at playing 2nd base for the Tigers.

[tiger337]

Inge haters...

hatersgonnahateinge.jpg

[Titus Tiger]

It has long been astonishing to me that Inge has this widespread reputation as the ultimate team player, and Leyland also as an iron-fisted disciplinarian, when almost every single year there is some public controversy about Inge being unhappy about being displaced in the lineup (usually by a HOF-caliber player like Pudge or Cabrera), unhappy about what position he is going to play, unhappy with how he's being used in the batting order, and constantly sounds off to his buddies in the media about it.

The crazy thing is that every time Inge sounds off in the media about being unhappy about how he's being used, what position he's gonna play, if he's going to start or not, it is a slap directly in the face of The Manager of The Detroit Tigers Baseball Club, Inc., because what he's saying is, "IDGAF if you're the manager or not, I want to play a certain position and bat when I want, etc etc.," and I have always been shocked Leyland doesn't go straight up to Inge and say, "listen buddy boy, you hit .197 last year, you're GD lucky to have any kind of job at all in the major leagues, you will play when and where and how much or how little as I tell you to play, you'll play once every 50 games if that's when I tell you to play, and you'll empty my ashtrays too if I tell you to, and you'll LIKE IT, and you won't go whining and wimping to your buddy pals in the media any more about it either. You get my drift, buddy boy???"

Where is the article that Inge went whining to the Media?

Every single Inge controversy I've seen over the years, is more about fans and talk show hosts arguing. Has anyone seen an article where Cabrera has said Inge is a Cancer on the Team....?

[hardyaf]

A lot of people have very hypocritical opinions here (not just on this board, but on 97.1 too).

When Cabrera first came to the Tigers, Inge said something along the lines of he wanted to play third base because he thought it would be best for the team. People fried him about saying that. Now Cabrera is going back to third, and Inge says he wants to learn a new position to help the team. The same people are up in arms again. What do you want Inge to say? "I really don't think I'm good enough to play, so I'm just going to wait to see how it pans out"? The same people would call him a lazy piece of dirt.

Look, it's well established Inge is what he is: A poor hitter with some pop. An average to plus defender (depending on who you talk to), and 35 years old. Is he worth the money he is being paid, no. But do we really have to stoop to faulting the guy for wanting to play? Seems a little dumb to me. Personally, I think the media is at fault for making him so relevant.

[Titus Tiger]

A lot of people have very hypocritical opinions here (not just on this board, but on 97.1 too).

When Cabrera first came to the Tigers, Inge said something along the lines of he wanted to play third base because he thought it would be best for the team. People fried him about saying that. Now Cabrera is going back to third, and Inge says he wants to learn a new position to help the team. The same people are up in arms again. What do you want Inge to say? "I really don't think I'm good enough to play, so I'm just going to wait to see how it pans out"? The same people would call him a lazy piece of dirt.

Look, it's well established Inge is what he is: A poor hitter with some pop. An average to plus defender (depending on who you talk to), and 35 years old. Is he worth the money he is being paid, no. But do we really have to stoop to faulting the guy for wanting to play? Seems a little dumb to me. Personally, I think the media is at fault for making him so relevant.

If I remember right, I don't believe Cabrera did very well at third... or maybe it was how band Carlos was at first...
I think this is a great point. Doesn't make Inge a better hitter

[Antrat]

If Inge hits, I have no problem with him going after second base.
Also, if I looked like Brad Pitt, I'd be going after third base with Kate Upton.

EDIT: BigFrame and I think alike (dirty). Didn't see his post when I posted.

[Shelton]

I think this is great. As a third baseman, he had little value to the team. I'm glad the team is being more open minded about a player that is under contract and actually trying to see if he can provide value.

He had a terrible year last season. In November, I was looking forward to seeing if he could bounce back. He was a 2war player in 2010. It's possible that he really was sick/hurt last year.

I like Inge. I want nothing more than to see him succeed at second. If he does, then maybe that forces delmon to dh more so raburn can play left.

I commend Brandon Inge for asking for this particular opportunity.

Notorious I-N-G-E

[Who is the Drizzle?]

I think I have a better chance getting to 2nd base with Brooklyn Decker then Inge has at playing 2nd base for the Tigers.

go for it. inge is.

[Who is the Drizzle?]

I think the Tigers should have Miggy, Don Kelly, Raburn, and Inge in the game all at the same time, and rotate them amongst 3B/2B/LF/RF, depending on batter handedness, pull tendencies, and ground ball/fly ball tendencies.