Detroit Tigers
Leyland and Company Ready to Go
2008 Campaign Brings Great Expectations
By John Rogatski
With manager Jim Leyland’s lineup virtually set for the upcoming season, few questions remain for a Detroit Tigers team that is expected to contend for a World Series title in 2008. Unlike their improbable run to the series in 2006, this year’s team is expected to grace the stage of baseball’s fall classic. With the additions of starting pitcher Dontrelle Willis and third baseman Miguel Cabrera to an already potent line-up, the Tigers and their fans will not settle for anything less than a solid playoff run. Only Joel Zumaya’s mysterious off-season shoulder injury, and Brandon Inge’s mishandling of his new role with the team have clouded an otherwise clear view of a team ready for a season of great expectations.
With only 10 days to go before pitchers and catchers report to Lakeland Florida for the beginning of spring training, there appears to be only one roster spot undecided. Assuming that Leyland will go north with 12 pitchers, the only roster opening is for a middle relief specialist in the bullpen. The starting rotation is set with Justin Verlander, Kenny Rogers, Dontrelle Willis, Jeremy Bonderman, and Nate Robertson. The eighth and ninth innings will go to Fernando Rodney and Todd Jones respectively, and the long relief will be handled by Jason Grilli and Zach Miner. Both Tim Byrdak and Bobby Seay return to handle the “left-handed” situations, leaving only one vacancy on the staff. “The Zumaya thing was a big blow, to be honest with you,” manager Jim Leyland said. “But there’s still a lot of talent here. I think our bullpen will be fine. I’m not as concerned about our bullpen as everybody else is.” General manager Dave Dombrowski agreed with Leyland’s assessment. “We know we’re all right long in the bullpen. We also know we’re all right middle, and we like our lefties. They’re sort of unsung, but they did a good job for us last year. So you’re really talking a seventh-inning type guy.” That seventh-inning guy could already be on the roster. If Francisco Cruceta (signed as a minor league free agent from Oklahoma City) is ready for prime time or if newly acquired Denny Bautista can perform like he did last year for the Colorado Rockies Triple-A club at Colorado Springs (3-2, 2.92 ERA in 51 appearances) the decision could be fairly easy. Bautista has a legitimate power arm, and can hit 100 MPH on the radar gun. “You’re not going to find many better arms than his,” Dombrowski said. “I got a call from a couple of organizations afterward asking, ‘How’d you pull that off?’” The Tigers acquired Bautista from Colorado for right-hander Jose Capellan this winter.
The Inge Factor
After the block-buster deal with Florida involving Cabrera displaced Brandon Inge at third base, the only real off-season drama in “Tiger Town” began. Inge, who was obviously disappointed in losing his starting job, made matters worse by demanding to be traded and then refusing to make himself available for the media. Attempting to grant Inge’s request, Dombrowski found moving Inge a difficult task. Coming off a poor season in which he hit only .236 with 14 home runs and 150 strikeouts, his performance was well below his annual salary of $6 million. Not wanting to give Inge away, or pay a portion of his salary while Inge played for another team, Dombrowski acknowledged that the Tigers wanted to keep Inge in the role of “super-sub” and backup catcher to Pudge Rodriguez. Going as far as saying that Inge could be an “All-Star-caliber catcher,” Dombrowski and Leyland began the task of convincing their former third-baseman to embrace his new role with the team. After weeks of silence, Inge broke his self-imposed hush after discussing his status with Dombrowski. “I didn’t ask to be put in this situation,” Inge said on January 28th. “I signed a four-year deal because I wanted to play third base for four years. I always want to be in Detroit. It’s the Tigers who decided they want to go in this direction. It’s frustrating, I’m not happy with it at all, but this is the hand I’ve been dealt and I have to make the best of it.” What Inge apparently failed to realize is that he contributed to the Tigers decision to go in a different direction by hitting .236 with150 strikeouts last season. With numbers like that, Inge isn’t the only one frustrated. Had Inge taken the high road and made the best of the situation from the start, he would have made himself more marketable for the Tigers to find an acceptable deal, and avoided the unnecessary drama that has placed him and the Tigers in this uncomfortable position. Now with his recovery from elbow surgery taking longer than expected, it appears Vance Wilson will not be ready for the beginning of the season, making the retention of Inge even more important.
Unless the market for Inge changes during spring training, which is possible, don’t look for the Tigers to make any significant splash before opening day which arrives this year on March 31st against the Kansas City Royals.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
