Carlos Guillen Ceremony

[tiger337]

When the Tigers had a special day for Magglio Ordonez a few weeks ago, I wondered whether they would do the same for Carlos Guillen. It turns out they are having a ceremony for him on August 4. It's easy to forget how good Guillen was his first five years with the Tigers and how much he contributed to the 2006 pennant. He was a quiet contributor, but an excellent all around player before the injuries hit. I think he deserves to be remembered as much as Ordonez.

"@DKnobler: Tigers announce Aug. 4 ceremony to honor Carlos Guillen"

[jackson_cannery]

Should have done it before one of the Angels games.

[catswithbats]

Should have done it before one of the Angels games.

Would have been better if Weaver had been starting.

[tigernut]

That would have been perfect,he could have thrown out the first pitch,and turned and thrown it at Weaver in the Halo`s dugout.Now that`s my idea of a 1st pitch!

[Motor City Sonics]

That would have been perfect,he could have thrown out the first pitch,and turned and thrown it at Weaver in the Halo`s dugout.Now that`s my idea of a 1st pitch!

He would have dislocated his shoulder doing that.



All joking aside, I am glad the Tigers are taking a few moments to say thanks to some players. It's a nice touch.

[KleShreen]

He would have dislocated his shoulder doing that.



All joking aside, I am glad the Tigers are taking a few moments to say thanks to some players. It's a nice touch.

This time next year, we'll probably get a Joel Zumaya day/ceremony.

Too soon?

[tiger337]

The response to Ordonez is "Thanks for being a Tiger. you made the Tigers relevant again. You are the reason I'm a fan" and the response to Guillen is jokes about his fragility. That does not seem right to me. Ordonez was pretty fragile as a Tiger too and Guillen was just as good if not better during his tenure as a Tiger.

[ToledoTigerFan]

I like when the Tigers do this. It sends a message to active players(AKA as future free agents) that the organization remembers and appreciates the contributions of its players. It also give fans the chance to focus on just one player and tell him "thanks".

[ballmich]

Guillen was awesome, plain and simple. I don't know that every player deserves a celebratory day, but Guillen was as good as it gets at the SS position from 2004-2007.

The Guillen trade was probably the trade of the 2000's, just like Bagwell was the trade of the 1990's.

[tiger337]

Guillen was awesome, plain and simple. I don't know that every player deserves a celebratory day, but Guillen was as good as it gets at the SS position from 2004-2007.

I don't really know that either Ordonez or Guillen deserves a day for himself. I would reserve those kinds of days for the Kalines, Whitakers and Trammells. Verlander is going to be that kind of player if he stays a Tiger. Still, there is no harm in honoring more players if the fans like it. I just wouldn't have one for Ordonez and not Guillen. It would probably make more sense to honor a group of players from 2006 together.

[Antrat]

I'm waiting for the Brandon Inge day.

[slim pickens]

lol @ carlos guillen day

[PuNk42AE]

They need to celebrate Shane Halter day.

[tiger337]

So, you guys think Guillen was a joke? This is where he ranked among AL shortstops between 2004-2007:

OPS
Guillen .883
Tejada .862
Jeter .850

OBP
Jeter .387
Guillen .377
young .365

SLG
Guillen .506
Tejada .501
Young .469

WAR
Jeter 19.8
Tejada 19.2
Guillen 17.0

Batting Runs
Jeter 93
Guillen 89
Tejada 88

[Corky]

lol @ carlos guillen day

Why?

[Jason_R]

So, you guys think Guillen was a joke? This is where he ranked among AL shortstops between 2004-2007:

OPS
Guillen .883
Tejada .862
Jeter .850

OBP
Jeter .387
Guillen .377
young .365

SLG
Guillen .506
Tejada .501
Young .469

WAR
Jeter 19.8
Tejada 19.2
Guillen 17.0

Batting Runs
Jeter 93
Guillen 89
Tejada 88

Thanks for this post. I didn't realize how well he stacked up against the competition.

[catswithbats]

The response to Ordonez is "Thanks for being a Tiger. you made the Tigers relevant again. You are the reason I'm a fan" and the response to Guillen is jokes about his fragility. That does not seem right to me. Ordonez was pretty fragile as a Tiger too and Guillen was just as good if not better during his tenure as a Tiger.

Agreed. Guillén was amazing to watch in '04 and he was still quite good until age/injury caught up to him. I count him up there with Magglio and Pudge.

[DET Mr Malefic]

The response to Ordonez is "Thanks for being a Tiger. you made the Tigers relevant again. You are the reason I'm a fan" and the response to Guillen is jokes about his fragility. That does not seem right to me. Ordonez was pretty fragile as a Tiger too and Guillen was just as good if not better during his tenure as a Tiger.

+1

I'd go so far as to say that Guillen was the MVP of the '06 Tigers. In fact, from '04-'07 he was their best player period. During his entire Tigers tenure he was 297/366/476, and that includes the last three injured seasons. In the '06 playoffs he was 17-for-47 (.362) with a home run and six walks.

One of the quirks that I remember most about Guillen was that he was always money with the bases loaded. Seriously:

2004: 6-9 (.667), 3 doubles, 1 triple, 1 walk
2005: 0-3 (.000), 2 RBI
2006: 7-18 (.389), 4 doubles, 1 walk
2007: 10-22 (.455), 1 double, 2 home runs, 1 walk
2008: 4-8 (.500), 1 double, 1 walk
2009: 1-4 (.250), 1 double, 2 walks
2010: 5-11 (.455), 1 double
2011: 0-3 (.000)

33-78 (.423), 11 doubles, 2 home runs, 6 walks

[slim pickens]

I dont think anyone is saying he wasnt a decent player, but you dont need a special day for a player playing a couple of seasons with a team. I reserve this for very special players, or ones who spent an entire career with the team. This just reminds me of a way for Dombrowski to pat himself on the back for moves he has made. So I guess a Pudge day will be next, maybe followed by a Kenny Rogers day.

[sagnam]

I don't think having a single special day out of 81 home game days for a particular player who was one of the best at their position for 4-5 years is really all that excessive.

The all time greats are already memorialized in other ways. It also makes sense to do it now they are newly retired and while the success is fresh. There won't be a Carlos Guillen day in 10 years. It might be Austin Jackson day instead.

[drownwithyou]

a player playing a couple of seasons with a team.

He appeared in 8 seasons for the Tigers...


Guillen put up great years at the SS position for the Tigers, and was a big part of the Tigers' return to relevance. Hell, in 2006 he was 10th in the MVP vote! I'm surprised that fans are so dismissive of him. He was one of my favorite Tigers while he was playing, I guess I'm biased but I don't see how acknowledging him for his good play before a game is a big deal. It isn't like they're retiring his number or something. Give the guy a day where he can be appreciated by the fans with some applause, give him a watch or some other memento, and then let's play some ball. It is like a glorified ceremonial pitch, but he actually contributed to the Tigers.

[mickeyb105]

He appeared in 8 seasons for the Tigers...


Guillen put up great years at the SS position for the Tigers, and was a big part of the Tigers' return to relevance. Hell, in 2006 he was 10th in the MVP vote! I'm surprised that fans are so dismissive of him. He was one of my favorite Tigers while he was playing, I guess I'm biased but I don't see how acknowledging him for his good play before a game is a big deal. It isn't like they're retiring his number or something. Give the guy a day where he can be appreciated by the fans with some applause, give him a watch or some other memento, and then let's play some ball. It is like a glorified ceremonial pitch, but he actually contributed to the Tigers.

I appreciate the offense and character Guillen brought to the Tigers, and to some extent, he left a legacy for others to follow. It is important to keep this guy in the organization if they can, especially given the team's influence in Venezuela.

That said Delmon Young was 10th in the MVP vote a few years ago.

If we could have afforded to DH this guy to keep him healthy, maybe we could have stretched his career out a few more years. Doing that probably wouldn't have made us a better baseball team, though.

[Oblong]

For a few years Guillen was my favorite Tiger. For my 33rd birthday I got a Tigers road jersey and my son made me a card with Tiger stickers all over it and drawings. It also had the #9 and #28 on it because he knew those were my guys.

The reason he may get lost in the shuffle is that it's the whole pre-2006 thing where a lot of fans aren't sure the team even existed.

Thank God that the failed physical prevented his trade to Cleveland and that the Tigers were turned down by a few FA.

[sabretooth]

I don't have any opinion about the proper standards for having a player day, but Guillen was clearly one of the top players in baseball from 2004-2007, a super hitter at a defensively critical position, and from 2004-2006 he was average/above average defensively before disappearing defensively in 2007.

[jackson_cannery]

I have no problem with the ceremonies. They're before the game, lots of people won't even know it happened.

I feel like in a way the team is saying "good job, we're going to recognize you, but you're not getting a statue."