What a Time for the Kubitza Family

Here's a fun trivia question for you baseball fans out there: what brothers have the most career home runs in the Major Leagues? When I was asked this question at the Hall of Fame last summer, my first guesses included the Boone brothers, heck maybe the Molinas with three of them? Maybe The LaRoches? 

The Aarons. Hank's brother Tommie played 7 seasons with the Braves and hit 13 career home runs, which gives them a grand total of 768 home runs, the most of any pair/set of brothers to play professional baseball in America. 

I found that fun intro both factual and transitional into the topic of today's post, about the Texas native Kubitza brothers, Kyle and Austin.

Both Kubitzas went to Colleyville Heritage High School, which is where current MLB pitcher James Russell attended. Just over a year apart, older brother and third baseman/outfielder Kyle attended Texas State University in San Marcos and was drafted in the 3rd round overall by the Braves. Austin, a crafty yet powerful right-handed pitcher, was drafted out of high school but chose to play college ball for the legendary coach Wayne Graham at Rice University in Texas. He was then drafted by the Tigers in the 4th round of the 2013 draft and I had the pleasure of watching him pitch for the Whitecaps this season. 

They've never faced each other, though. Not when they were in college, travel ball, even little league, Austin told MLive reporter Lenny Padilla. He's waiting for when they both make it to the Majors for that opportunity. 

But anyway, the title of my post implies that they're not just a pair of brothers trying to make it to the show. They are incredibly talented, as you could have guessed from Kyle's high draft position and Austin's high draft position both times (7th round out of high school). Kyle, a lefty hitter who posted an absurd .405 OBP last season, stands at 6'3", 215 and his younger brother (not little brother) is 6'5", 225 pounds. That's an intimidating size for both guys.

Imagine a David Freese sized guy but from the other side of the plate and hitting for a better average. Many scouting reports will say that he lacks power to be an effective third basemen in the Braves lineup, but if you're Fredi Gonzalez, how can you refuse a .295 batting average and a .405 on-base from a lefty? He's only gotten better from joining the minors; after a stunning .321 average in rookie ball in 2011, his average plummeted almost 100 points to .239 in 2012, but after many long hours in the cage, raised it to .260 in 2013 and then to .295 in 2014. The hard work paid off for Kyle, as he was named to the Braves' 40-man roster yesterday. Chris Johnson is the current Braves' third basemen and with the trade that sent right fielder Jason Heyward to St. Louis, there is an opening in the corner pasture. I don't think Kubitza will be the starting right fielder in 2015 but I think he could perhaps get a September call-up. With his naming to the 40-man, he will almost certainly start 2015 for AAA Gwinnett and then see how he hits there; it will be the best pitching he'll have seen to date. 

Here is the link for his prospect watch page courtesy of MLB Pipeline. He is the Braves' 12th ranked prospect, and, as you see on the page, is predicted to make his debut in 2015. Scouts gave him a 50 power (out of 80 as a ceiling) and a 60 arm, which will bode well if the Braves give him a chance as their right fielder or third baseman of the future, as both positions require the ability to sling the ball long distances. Working in his favor are the prospects in front of him, which may sound backwards, but of the 11 other prospects in front of him according to Pipeline, there is only one outfielder and one middle infielder, the rest are pitchers or catchers. Seeing as the Braves management would rather grow their talent rather than buy it, I think he has a good shot to not only get a shot but seize it and becoming a starter. Being selected to the 40-man is a good start. 

Austin saw similar success for Low A West Michigan in 2014. He is ranked the #5 prospect for what is a very weak Tigers farm system (seeing as they traded away their #1 to the Blue Jays last week), but don't let that convince you that Kubitza is not major league material. His 2014 stats were nothing short of dominant, going 10-2 with a 2.34 ERA, a 1.076 WHIP (get this: 3.25 K/BB ratio - wow), and 140 K's which was 4th in the Midwest League. Kubitza was an All-Star representative for the Whitecaps (one of their 4 starting pitchers to be named to the roster) and will likely start the 2015 season at AA Erie for the Tigers. 

I may have been an employee when I saw him pitch, but I couldn't help but sneak a peek to watch him practice his craft. He had a great combination of power fastballs and a sharp slider to go with a changeup that dropped off the table to make hitters swing and miss. His scouting ceiling may only be a 45 currently, but going 10-2 with a 2.34 ERA and finishing 4th in the league in strikeouts might make some people change their mind. 

Like the title said, what a time for the Kubitza family. They have two sons on the verge of reaching the biggest stage for baseball players and here I am refusing to turn the heat on in my house because I want to save the extra money. 

Where did I go wrong?

Thanks for reading. 

Dad's Birthday

So first things first I want to wish my dad a happy 60th birthday today. The man who cleans teeth for a living and reads Civil War books for fun

See, I'm not kidding. This is us at Fort Macon in North Carolina.

 also taught me how to throw a baseball and hit a pitch thrown overhand. Even though he hates to admit it, I am indeed bigger than him now, but that doesn't mean I can't look up to him and here is a birthday post to you, Dad.

Knowing that all of you are so great at math, my dad was born in 1954 in Detroit. As he began to grow up, the Tigers came into their own after a rebuilding phase between the 1940s slugging teams of Greenberg and York and the 1960s intimidating defense with Denny McLain and Mickey Lolich. When we would watch October baseball together in the past, he would always reminisce of how his teachers would stop whatever they were doing in class so they could turn the Tigers on the radio in the '68 World Series against the Cardinals (the MLB wouldn't dream of having a weekday World Series game now). And then he would share some memories of his favorite players, Willie Horton and Gates Brown. 

Willie Horton had a blue collar career, so to speak. Born in Virginia, Horton went to high school in Detroit and was drafted shortly after his graduation. Two short years later, he debuted as a 20-year old man (I saw man and not boy because look at these arms)

He's listed as 5'11"/209 lbs, I'm pretty sure his biceps were 20 pounds. Each. Screenshotted from YouTube.

 in the first game of a doubleheader in September of 1963 against the Washington Senators. Horton was a pinch hitter (remember no DH yet) for pitcher Hank Aguirre and promptly laced a single to centerfield off of Jim Hannan. Horton would round out his brief 1963 season with a .326 average, two steals, and his first career home run in only his second career plate appearance! 

Now I said he had a blue collar career, not because he played for a team that's primary collar is blue, but because of his work ethic. Horton, or so my dad says, always played the game hard and played it the right way. He showed up every day, did what was asked of him, and did it well. He wasn't the best player on the field, especially with a guy named Al Kaline playing the other corner of the outfield, but he usually played every game of a season. A 4-time All Star, Horton's best season came in 1968 when the Tigers won the World Series (coincidence?). At age 25, he hit for a solid .285 average with 36 home runs, 85 RBIs, and 20 doubles. All in all, he slugged .543, good for 3rd best in the MLB, and was 2nd in the AL in at-bats per home run. 

He brought is lunch pail every day and simply went to work. Horton was a career .273 hitter with 325 home runs and narrowly missed 2,000 hits - he finished with 1,993. Not the greatest player on the field, but always a tough out and power threat. He was fun to watch, says my dad, and rightfully so considering he was in the lineup every day and part of one of the best Tigers' teams in history. 

Gates Brown was basically Horton's backup for the duration of his career. He served as a pinch hitter and leftfielder for the Tigers from 1963 to 1975, and was essentially the 60s' Don Kelly (no wonder my dad loved him). Interestingly enough, Brown was a Tiger from 1963-1975 and Horton was from 1963-1976 before going to the Rangers, so they almost had the exact same tenure at the same position. That's what I call a neat-o fact. Brown, like Horton, was a good player and a better man. Being a career role player isn't easy (just ask about my varsity basketball career), but Brown did as he was asked and did it well. Hey, he got a ring, after all. That's all any player wants.

So happy birthday to a great dad and a great man.
Thanks for teaching me to throw.

Thanks for reading.

Storybook Endings

When I was growing up both as a boy and as a baseball fan, there are two things that symbolize my youthful introduction into the beautiful game: Derek Jeter and Tiger Stadium. Seeing as my first Little League team was the Yankees, my dad would always call me in to watch some baseball if the Yankees were on. Even though I wasn't the same analytical nerd as I am now (some 7-year old I was), I knew there was something right about the way Jeter played the game. Maybe it was Joe Buck and Tim McCarver heaping their praises during the postseason when I would beg to stay up an extra half hour to watch the Subway Series, maybe it was the way my parents encouraged me to carry myself like Jeter, maybe it was because every single time I watched him, it seemed that he was at the center of the play, doing the right thing at the right time to bring home a win. 

While the Yankees were amidst their dynasty of 4 rings in 5 years, the Tigers were slowly scuffling along, churning out average Major Leaguers and playing semicompetitively for the most of the 90s and early 2000s. Either way, I always rooted for the Tigers because they were my hometown team and because of where they played. I don't remember a lot about Tiger Stadium but I remember one thing: huge. The roof was stories upon stories above my head and if I looked too long, my neck would hurt. I realize now that hitting it out of the park was actually something to be achieved usually by the likes of Cecil Fielder crushing one out to Michigan and Trumbull as opposed to now where the ball just carries the fence and lands in the stands at most parks. The outfield was expansive, and the flag pole in play would always give Gabe Kapler fits if the ball somehow rolled the 440 feet out to left-center. There was no break or hitter's eye, either - the field was surrounded 360 degrees by crazy Detroiters, amplifying the noise of the blue collar auto industry, which made me feel like every single pitch mattered. 

To a 7-year old new fan, Tiger Stadium felt larger than life; a perfect analogy for the game that was played there. 

Today is the 15th anniversary of Tiger Stadium's last home game, and I figured with Jeter's last home game and my home team's last home game, I should write a little about how truly perfect their sendoffs really were.

Any baseball fan by now knows that Jeter hit a walk-off single on Thursday against the Orioles in the bottom of the 9th. I had this gut feeling that Jeter would hit a walk-off home run, but looking back on it, that wouldn't be Jeter. He doesn't hit home runs, he hits inside pitches that would saw off 98% of hitters and turns them right around to right field to frustrate even the best pitchers. So when Jeter came up with a man on second with a huge gap on the right side of the infield (Orioles 2nd basemen Kelly Johnson was holding the runner on second), you just knew he would lace whatever he got to right field for the game winner. There's no other way to describe it other than saying it was so Jeter for a number of reasons. 

First, the hit. Just look at his spray chart for 2014. 

Courtesy of FanGraphs.

Jeter is notorious for turning balls the other way, no matter what type of pitch. Except for groundballs, the majority of his hits go the other way. That's why this one wasn't particularly surprising.

Second, the clutch situation. There are so many Jeter moments where he came up huge for the Yankees, especially in the postseason, and this is no exception. Jeter, also known as Captain Clutch, thrives on the high pressure situation and came through when it mattered most all throughout his career. That's why he was loved so dearly by one of the most ruthless sporting cities in the world. Check out his clutch stats: 

Courtesy of Baseball Reference.

Amazing.

Third and finally, the celebration. The first thing Jeter did even before rounding first was to make sure the run scored. Watch any replay from any angle from anybody filming and Jeter looks back and forth from right field to home plate. He didn't bask in his own glory that he was the hero, he was basking in a team victory. 

Courtesy of Ryan Field (@RyanFieldFS1) on Twitter

His teammates came out to mob him and celebrate the win, but here's the difference: while Jeter celebrated the win, the teammates celebrated Jeter.

On the Dan Patrick Show on Friday morning, Dan Patrick made a great point that it's almost a good thing that David Robertson blew the save because Jeter started to drift away into emotion. With a safe lead while sitting at shortstop, Jeter began to get caught up in the moment, finally realizing that it is the last time he would wear the pinstripes as a player. But then two home runs later, and he's back into uber-competitive-Jeter mode. When the game became tied, it didn't matter that it was his last game. It became another game to win. And that's just what he did.

Selfless, classy, driven, focused, Captain. There was no better way to end his career in pinstripes than a walk-off single to right field.

Now on to Tiger Stadium. 15 years ago today the Tigers and Royals suited up for the final game at The Corner. Unlike today, the Royals were 33.5 games back of first and the Tigers were 30, so even though this had absolutely no playoff implications, it was still special. 

Tiger Stadium had seen some amazing memories, the best being the 4 World Series Detroit won in 1935, 1945, 1968, and 1984. It saw Hall of Famers like Hank Greenberg, Al Kaline, Hal Newhouser, and Charlie Gehringer. It saw monster home runs that left the park from sluggers like Reggie Jackson, for one. It also saw infuriated right fielders as the overhang would take home runs instead of turning them into warning track outs. It saw some of the best of the Tigers and also some of the worst. As the 90s were coming to a close, the Tigers were playing bad baseball (when Dean Palmer is your best player, it might be time for some new talent) and Tiger Stadium was aging poorly. Before its deconstruction, some held it in regard with Wrigley Field and Fenway Park as one of the prototypical historical parks with more engaging stories than architectural sound. But with a new millennium, century, decade, and season around the corner, management found it fitting to move forward not only with the team but also with the stadium.

On September 27, 1999, with Comerica Park looming downtown on Woodward, the Tigers kissed the stadium goodbye with a better ending than Jeter's if you ask me. The Tigers took a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the 8th, and any Tigers fan will remember that with Todd Jones in the bullpen, a little insurance was always welcome. The insurance to follow was perfect. Dean Palmer led off with a double down the left field line, followed quickly by a Damion Easley single off of Jeff Montgomery to advance Palmer to third. Karim Garcia walked, and Gabe Kapler grounded into a fielder's choice, reaching first but eliminating Palmer's run at home. What happened next was a combination of all the beautiful history of Tiger Stadium rolled into one single swing from DH Robert Fick: a moonshot of a grand slam that landed on the right field roof and landed softly in the grass in front of KC rightfielder Jermaine Dye, giving the Tigers an 8-2 lead. 

Fick rounded the bases as Tiger Stadium shook to the core from the Detroiters screaming their heads off. Even though the season was a wash to that point, Fick sent the home run to right and the fans into a nostalgic pandemonium. Jones retired the Royals in order in the top of the 9th and with that, baseball at The Corner was no more. It was the best final 6 outs you could have asked for to say goodbye to a stadium that had been standing since 1912.

As frustrating as sports can be sometimes, it's moments like these that make us all realize why we all care so much. When it really matters, someone will deliver.

It was an emotional night for Derek Jeter. It was an emotional night for Detroit 15 years ago today. But they are both nights we will ever forget.

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend. 

The Future of Max Scherzer

The past two years, the Tigers have been beneficiaries of the best starting rotation in the American League, if not baseball. The wheels have fallen off the bus a little bit this year with Justin Verlander pushing an aggressive 12-12 record, Anibal Sanchez out with a strained pectoral muscle, and David Price allowing 8 runs two starts ago against the Yankees, an opponent whom he has faced numerous times when he was in the AL East with the Rays, and 5 against the Giants yesterday. Rick Porcello has stepped up big time this year, adding a cushion of confidence for the rotation, posting a 15-10 record with a 3.30 ERA. Through thick and thin for the past few years, the Tigers have been able to count on one man no matter what: Max Scherzer.

Scherzer, 2013's AL Cy Young winner, is 15-5 this year with a 3.25 ERA and arguably the hottest topic for free agency come winter. Oakland's Jon Lester is another highly touted free agent-to-be, but chances are he'll go back to Boston after the season. The difference between he and Scherzer, however, is a big one: Lester wasn't offered a six-year, $144 million contract in the offseason.

Scherzer was, and walked away from it. 

Scott Boras, Scherzer's agent, is known as a money hawk for his clients. General managers and team owners think he's a vulture, waiting patiently with his client until the right time to sign a mega-contract into the 4th dimension for more money than I even knew existed in America. For example: Boras also represents teammate Miguel Cabrera, who signed a record 8-year, $248 million extension before this year's Opening Day. 

I don't think Scherzer will be in a Tigers uniform after this season. Especially if they don't make the playoffs, I think he'll seek greener pastures (especially financially). The Tigers deal of 6-years, $144 million wasn't disrespectful like Robinson Cano's was (or so he says), but Scherzer wants a longer deal than that, but with Verlander signed through my wedding and birth of my first born, Sanchez signed for another 4 years, and most likely David Price as the newest addition of the long term rotation, the Tigers don't have room for another pitcher who is past his peak. Scherzer turned 30 this season and only time will tell how his arm will hold up, especially with his funky mechanics and heavily torqued elbow: 

Verlander is certainly past his prime (he still throws like a power pitcher despite maxing out at 92 MPH), and Sanchez has proven to be fragile and good for only 20-25 starts and fewer than 200 innings. Price is 29 and shows no signs of age but you don't want 4 pitchers 30 or older to anchor a rotation. 

Scherzer has been very consistent throughout his career in terms of hits and earned runs allowed, and I think as he ages, he'll adjust his pitching (more disappearing changeups) to match his slowing arm speed (Scherzer can max out at 98-99).

So where will he end up?

As a free agent, Scherzer can sign anywhere the heck he wants to go. There are no draft pick compensations, no players to be named later, no whatever else a team wants, he'll just sign there. Depending on the market, it will be for probably 7 years, maybe $170 million. If his contract cracks $200 million, I'll eat my hat.

There are a number of teams I can see him going to, first of which being the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs traded away Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel earlier this year to Oakland for Addison Russell, a middle infielder which they truthfully didn't need, but that left them in the lurch for starting pitching. Youngster Kyle Hendricks has been a bright spot for the Cubs since the departure of the two aforementioned hurlers going 6-1 with a 2.02 ERA in 10 starts, but the rest of the rotation leaves something to be desired. 

Cue Scherzer. The Cubs haven't had a Cy Young winning pitcher on their roster since 2006, but he was 40 years old and went 9-11. The Cubs haven't had a Cy Young winning pitcher since 1992 (I was 6 months old when that was awarded), and it was again, Greg Maddux. That's almost ten years without a Cy Young winner even on the roster, and more than 20 years without a Cy Young winner. That's why I think Scherzer could be their guy. Scherzer has ace stuff for any team in the league except for maybe the Dodgers, but with him at the helm, good things could happen. If the Cubs and GM Theo Epstein want to spend the money on him, they'll have the best prospect class (see my blog about the Cubs from last month), and an experienced stud of a veteran. The Cubs front office will typically choose to grow talent, but Scherzer talent is rare and difficult to grow (like starfruit). With him as an ace, Hendricks, and homegrown 3-4-5 starters, the Cubs could have a solid rotation. 

The Mets could also be compelling suitors. Matt Harvey showed promise back in 2013, when he went 9-5 with a 2.27 ERA before being shut down for 2014 with a torn UCL and Tommy John surgery. When he comes back, he'll be 26 and have to carry the team on his back. Bartolo Colon

Ladies. *tips cap*

will probably be back for another year, but he'll be 42 and still just as sweaty. Rookie phenom Jacob deGrom will be back for more as will underperforming prospect Zack Wheeler (9-9, 3.45, 1.314). Scherzer would play a similar role in the Big Apple as he would in the Windy City; ace arsenal with playoff/award experience that most of the rotation does not have. It would also be very cool to see the 2013 All-Star Game starters (Harvey and Scherzer) on the same roster. That hasn't happened since 1990 when Frank Viola and Dwight Gooden (starters of the 1987 All-Star Game) both pitched for: the Mets. It's fate.

I know my predictions have been off recently, so if you don't believe me, here is a Bleacher Report article about this exact topic. As a Tigers fan, if he doesn't come home, just get him out of the AL Central. 

Thanks for reading. 

Torii Hunter

As I woke up this morning and was browsing the old Instagram, I've started to notice the Tigers dedication to high quality and tailored suits. Go through any of the players' feeds and somewhere in the distance you'll hear Tim Gunn applauding. 

Last Thursday, the day of the trade deadline and the infamous day when David Price became a Tiger (sorry Rays fans), JD Martinez posted a video of Austin Jackson (you're welcome Mariners fans) showing off his new suit with superhero comic strips lining the inside, and just this morning David Price tweeted that the Tigers locker room looks like the red carpet of the ESPYs. 

The Rays have their own fun getaway days with their goofy themes. Joe Maddon brought a snake into the clubhouse last year and other times the Rays will do team dress-up days. They have theirs, the Tigers have theirs. 

Hunter and Tigers' pitcher Justin Verlander have an ongoing competition for who looks better on travel days. Hunter began the contest two weeks ago today when the Tigers traveled from Detroit to Arizona for their last west coast swing of the year with a photo of him leaving Comerica Park with the hashtag #lookbetterthanJustinVerlanderDay.

Despite the length of this hashtag, Hunter has consistently posted nothing but his nice suits since then to show his competitiveness with the former Cy Young winner. 

Let me say, I love this and I think it's absolutely hilarious. That's who Torii Hunter is, though. He makes the game exactly that: a game. Sure, it's his fulltime job and baseball is indeed a business, but he keeps it light. Instagram and nice suits are all fun to look at, but at the end of the day, they aren't as important as the play between the foul poles. Aside from his infectious smile and lighthearted play, Torii Hunter is a terrific player who I think has been overlooked throughout his career. 

Now a fresh 39 years young, Hunter has played for only 3 teams in his 17 year career; the Twins, Angels, and Tigers. He's been an All-Star at least once with all of those teams (very spread out too, first in 2002 and most recently in 2013) and has played alongside some of the bigger names of our generation: Big Papi in Minnesota from 1997 to 2002 and Mike Trout 2011 and 2012 and now Miguel Cabrera and his fashion rival Justin Verlander. He's been on some big teams, but has never won a ring.

Hunter's first big league appearance came in 1997 - it is the absolutely definition of a cup of coffee. Hunter came on in an August 22nd game when the Twins were fighting a losing battle to the Orioles (down 3-1 in the 9th inning) and a losing battle to the 1997 season (Twins were 52-74). Hall of Famer and current Twins hitting coach Paul Molitor flew out to center to lead off the 9th. After a Scott Stahoviak walk and Terry Steinbach single, O's starter Scott Erickson was removed from the game to make way for closer Randy Myers, who would eventually retire the next two batters - but a young 21 year old pinch runner Torii Hunter came on and didn't leave first base for the game. He didn't see playing time the rest of the season. 

Hunter would not break rookie status for another two years in 1999 when he hit .255 with 9 home runs and 10 steals. An aggressively average season, and certainly an experience from which he has learned, considering he is now a .279 hitter with a career .466 slugging %, 9 Gold Gloves, and over 2200 hits. 

I reference Mike Trout earlier. Trout is obviously one of the biggest names in the game today, yet referred to Hunter as his mentor. Coming from Trout, who has led the galaxy in WAR the last three years and will have a bevy of MVPs in his future, that is high praise for Hunter. Angels columnist Alden Gonzalez has a full write up here. 

That's what makes Hunter so great. He's great to have on the field, but he's great off the field. Not just from his nice watches and suits, but because he makes the other players around him so much better. I'm not saying Big Papi owes all of his success to Hunter or that Trout should share his awards with Hunter but considering the similarities in their mindset: humility, gratitude, thankfulness to coaches, etc., it is obvious that he rubs off on a lot of young players. I'd be willing to bet that when Austin Jackson's career is said and done, he'll tribute some of his success to Hunter too. We'll see.

Hunter is a great player and an even better person. Here's some of my favorite tidbits:

• His postgame interview last summer when the Tigers and White Sox game got a little chippy.
• In his first All-Star Game, 26-year old Hunter robbing Barry Bonds of a home run after Bonds set the single season home run record.
• His interview with Jim Rome after LeBron James left Game 1 of the NBA Finals this year (warning: colorful material).

Here's to you, TNutts. 

Thanks for reading. 

The Birthday Extravangaza!

May is a very busy birthday month in my life. First of all, I'd like to wish my beautiful grandmother the happiest of birthdays. Brandon Inge and I are next week, and a few other notable folks born on this particular date include Lou Whitaker and Yogi Berra.

Whitaker, a career Tiger, played from the young age of 20 in 1977 to age 38 in 1995. He was always a durable second baseman, averaging 138 games played from '78 to '93. He was also known for incredibly slick defense, winning three consecutive Gold Gloves in 1983, World Series winning 1984, and 1985. Whitaker is one of 19 second basemen of all time to win 3 or more Gold Gloves - he's no Alomar (10) or Mazeroski (9) but he was always dependable, finishing his career with a .984 fielding percentage, good for 50th all-time. In fact, Bleacher Report named Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker the best double play combination in history. Matt Snyder, author for CBS Sports, declares that though the stats wouldn't rank them at the top, Tram and Whitaker were organizational strongholds for more than a decade and both churned out defensive durability on the regular. 

The greatest double play combination of all time. 

Whitaker was never an offensive weapon, but he was dependable. Finishing his career with a .276 average and 2,342 hits in his career, Lou spent most of his time as either the leadoff (4,268 plate appearances) or second hitter (3,461 plate appearances), where he hit .283 for his career, so when he shifted down, things went south. Also very interesting, he hit .313 in Tigers' wins and only .235 in Tigers' losses, which goes to show how important he was to the Tigers' wellbeing. 

Is Whitaker a Hall of Famer? Defensively and intangibly, I think so. He was an amazing leader and great leadoff hitter (career .363 on-base percentage), and a top-of-the-line defender. He only received 2.9% of the vote in his first year on the ballot for the Hall, which means that he had to be removed from the ballot, and now his only hope is the Era Based Committee. If I had a vote, I don't think I'd give it to him, unfortunately. Great player, but not one of the top 1% of all time. 

I'm just realizing how bad of a birthday present that is. Sorry Lou. 

Yogi can eat his birthday cake in the Hall of Fame for all he cares, but only if he can get his hardware out of the way. Yogi may be the most decorated player of all time, with 10 World Series rings (yes, TEN), 3 MVPs, and All-Star selections from 1947 to 1962.

Yogi Berra and his hardware.

I don't really think anything I say will do justice to his illustrious career, but to have played for the Bronx Bombers for so long and still be so successful I think is absolutely incredible. What an amazing career, and remember, if there's a fork in the road, take it (words from Yogi himself). 

Happy birthday one and all and thank you for reading. 

Spring Training Recap

So who missed me?

**crowd goes wild**

That's what I thought. Thank you, thank you. We got in from Lakeland late last night to the dreary Holland snowy weather. If nothing else, it was nice just to be in warmth for a few days - I'll take 75 and sunny over 6 months of winter any day. Here's my recap of the games we say:

Game 1: Tigers 14, Astros 3

The predictions about the Astros were true as of March 16. After the 2nd inning, the Tigers were up 10-0. Lucas Harrell got pounded, giving up a home run to Ian Kinsler and hobbled home with 9 earned runs (10 total) on 12 hits in 1.2 to suffer an ERA implosion of 10.13. Currently while I am writing this though, he has pitched 4 scoreless innings - so I'm glad to see he's recovered. On the other side, Scherzer (whom we saw at dinner on Tuesday night) pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on some very hard hit balls in the gaps. In a postgame interview he said he was not entirely happy with the start but he did not walk anyone - very good for a strikeout pitcher. After Scherzer, pitchers Blaine Hardy, Ian Krol, Jhan Martinez, and Luke Putkonen all pitched scoreless innings to keep the Astros to 3 runs. Torii Hunter stayed scalding hot, going 2 for 3 with a double, sending his average up to .367 for the spring. Tigers outfielder Tyler Collins continued to turn heads, ending the game a double short of the cycle. Also, I am making the conclusion that Astros first round pick Carlos Correa is just like Starlin Castro: amazingly smooth fielder, but a lengthy swing will create some offensive stagnation in the future. 

Game 2: Tigers 2, Nationals 1

Boy what a thriller - even for Spring Training. The Nationals' stadium, Space Coast Stadium, is really cool. Despite there being a strong lack of shade and a visible speedometer for the fans to witness how fast Verlander was throwing, it's a nice place. 

The game itself was exciting. We got there late and couldn't witness the first Tigers run, but got to witness Verlander mow down the Nationals, giving up one hit (to Zimmerman in his last inning of work) and threw fewer than 50 pitches to 16 batters. Incredible efficiency for his first start coming off of oblique surgery, solidifying manager Ausmus' choice to name him the Opening Day starter. The Nationals scored a run on an Evan Reed passed ball, and the game was locked 1-1 for another few innings until Danny Worth laced a double down the left field line, his fourth of the spring, scoring Steve Lombardozzi who had just stolen 2nd and 3rd consecutively against his former team. While it was a nice pitchers duel, the Nationals only collected three hits the whole game (never in the same inning) and struggled to even push a runner past second, confirming my fear that they live and die by the long ball. Similarly, the Tigers RISP woes continue from last year against good pitching, going 1-11 the game. Granted, a lot of the guys playing late will be AA or AAA players but the point rings true. We'll be seeing both of them in October, regardless. The pitching was incredibly high quality. Important note: Don Kelly got an RBI. 

Game 3: Tigers vs. Nationals, cancelled

Though this game was rained out, the Nats took batting practice maybe 30 feet away from where we parked, necessitating these photos: 

Aside from the skies looking ominous, I really enjoyed getting this close to some of the players. Tyler Clippard looks exactly like one of my English professors and Jamey Carroll is a great fielder. The ageless wonder.

Game 4: Tigers 18, Blue Jays 4 (SS) 

Yes, you read that correctly. I was pumped to see the Jays because when you think about it, with a lineup of Reyes, Cabrera, Bautista, Lind, Rasmus, Izturis, they can do some serious damage. Though they did not do any damage today. Tigers starter Drew Smyly had an incredibly efficient 5 innings of work, walking one, allowing two hits, and striking out three. Smyly is growing into his craftiness, finding a comfortable array of offspeed pitches to complement his respectable fastball. Jays starter Ricky Romero had serious control issues, walking 5 batters in 2 2/3 innings of work and allowing an opposite field home run to Austin Jackson (who is also scalding hot this spring). The real woes came in the 5th inning, when Marcus Stroman came in and allowed 7 runs while only getting a single out. Marcus Walden came in to mop it up but apparently did bring a good enough mop, allowing 5 runs himself. I guess they really dislike pitchers named Marcus. The Tigers scored in 6 out of their 8 offensive innings, collecting 17 hits (and walked 11 times) - and they still left 7 men on base. The best part of this game, hands down, is the Don Kelly grand salami in the fifth. I don't think I've ever lost my voice faster than that.  

This game confirmed my suspicions about the Jays - great offense, but bad pitching. Short of Mark Buehrle and RA Dickey, they are stretched thin. Through 19 Spring Training games, they have scored 80 runs (26th in MLB), and have allowed 105 (8th worst) with a team ERA of 5.73 (4th worst). In the AL East, that won't fly. Their only runs came off of a shaky Blaine Hardy 6th inning. 

This was such a fun trip. Not just because of the weather or three Tigers wins, but because of how exciting it is to see that baseball is back and I got a job interview tomorrow! Wish me luck! 

Thanks for reading, folks! The regular season is right around the corner! 

PS - We saw the Lego Movie on Monday when the game was rained out. Do yourself a favor and go see it - I was in stitches. 

More Predictions (Lucky You)

With the divisional races and postseason awards handed out, I think now is the time to determine the postseason. Here's what the scene looks like with my predictions right now:

AL East: Boston 100-62 (1 seed)
AL Central: Detroit 95-67 (2 seed)
AL West: Oakland 92-70 (3 seed)
AL WC 1: Cleveland 93-69 (4 or 5, depending on their head-to-head with Tampa in the regular season - for sake of argument, I think the Indians will be 4)
AL WC 2: Tampa Bay 93-69 (5; see above)

ALDS 1: Tampa over Boston, 3-2
ALDS 2: Detroit over Oakland, 3-2
ALCS: Detroit over Tampa, 4-1

I think Tampa will take the play in game. David Price in clutch situations is just too much to handle, unless Jason Giambi steps up big time and has yet another walk off home run. They're just deeper at every position except manager, and playing in a stronger division, they'll be battle tested compared to the Indians, who get 40 games against the White Sox and Twins.

The Rays made a compelling argument last year to beat the Red Sox in the ALDS but couldn't quite complete the upset. I think this year is their year - with Price back and now Grant Balfour at their back end - look out. On the other side, we'll see the third straight Tigers/A's ALDS and get another Tigers berth in a thrilling series. Detroit however is a much stronger team offensively than the Rays, making them my choice to go to the World Series. The Rays one win will come from Price.

NL East: Atlanta 94-68 (3 seed)
NL Central: St. Louis 102-60 (1 seed)
NL West: Los Angeles 98-64 (2 seed)
NL WC 1: Cincinnati 94-68 (4 seed)
NL WC 2: Pittsburgh 93-69

NLDS 1: St. Louis over Cincinnati, 3-1
NLDS 2: Los Angeles over Atlanta, 3-1
NLCS: St. Louis over LA, 4-2 
So other than the Wild Card game, this is identical. I really don't see this happening any other way, I mean maybe the Nationals can squeeze into a playoff spot but they won't get past the DS - they're too streaky, and it all depends on how hot they are at the end of the year. I'm not putting my money on anyone but the Cardinals this year.

World Series: 2006 rematch, Tigers vs. Cardinals. We don't know who will have home field advantage until July of this year, and I think that will play a big factor. If the Tigers want to have a shot, they'll need to have home field and win the first two in the Motor City. Without home field, it will be nearly impossible to win - last year, the Cardinals went 54-27 at Busch Stadium, the best home record in the MLB. 

My prediction: Cardinals over Tigers, 4-2
I'm a Tigers fan. This kills me to say, but the Cardinals are just too good. Flawless defense, deep hitting at every position, and a deep pitching rotation led by the unflappable Adam Wainwright. Sure the Tigers are great too, the best hitter in the game and 2 of the last 3 Cy Young winners, but their role players just can't quite get the job done. Especially in an NL park, the bench players need to be able to shine in a pinch - I don't have a lot of faith in Steve Lombardozzi or Andy Dirks with the game on the line. The Cardinals were two wins away last year.

The Tigers were four. 

If this matchup plays out, then expect very low scoring, toughly fought, gritty and scrappy baseball games. It will be a battle of two of baseball's oldest and most historic teams battling it out for yet another crown. St. Louis is looking to add to their NL record 11 championships, and the Tigers are seeking their first since 1984. It should be one of the most exciting ones in recent history. 

I'm excited, but also heartbroken by this. I hope I'm wrong. 

What are your thoughts? Thanks for reading!

2014 Predictions: AL Central

The AL Central was a tough one to decide. A lot of teams are on the upswing right now and truthfully I think between the Tigers and Indians, it's anybody's race with the Royals playing an excellent spoiler. Give it a few years and I think we could see them at the top of the list here too. Here's what I have going into 2014:

1. Detroit 95-67
The Tigers went through a major facelift this offseason, removing some of their major power in Prince Fielder and acquiring more speed in Rajai Davis (45 steals in 108 games in 2013), a balanced attack in 3-time All-Star Ian Kinsler (.277, 15 steals, 13 home runs, 72 RBI's in 136 games). The bullpen, consistently the Tigers' worry for the past few years, was also revamped, signing closing stud Joe Nathan to two years as well as Joba Chamberlain to bolster the back end of the bullpen. Expect Bruce Rondon to pick up more innings as he hones his offspeed pitches in Florida. Jose Iglesias will be the every day human-highlight reel, locking down the middle infield with the sure-handed (sometimes) Kinsler. Under new management, April will be slow (when isn't it for the Tigers), especially with highly touted rookie Nick Castellanos starting at third, but Ausmus will right the ship and the league's best rotation will right the wrongs. 

2. Cleveland 93-69
Opposite of the Tigers, the Tribe will have their classic hot start, but they won't be as inconsistent as last year (2 5-game losing streaks, ending the season with a 10-game winning streak). Ubaldo Jimenez has gone to Baltimore, so that will put more weight on youngster Danny Salazar to perform well in his number two position. I can see him having a great year, between 15-20 wins and a 3.30 or so ERA. Chris Perez is also gone, which is honestly a blessing. Last season, he pitched in 54 games but only completed 25 saves. In addition, the bullpen lost submariner Joe Smith and Vinnie Pestano, but did pick up veteran hurler John Axford, who has been shaky as a closer to say the least. Pitching aside, the Indians can just plain hit. Last year they finished 4th in the AL in runs scored and that should only go up this year. Bourn is a demon on the base paths, and Kipnis/Cabrera both had down years (hard to believe .284 is down for Kip). Rumor has it Santana may move to third to give slugging Brazilian backstop Yan Gomes a shot at the everyday catching position. With the addition of David Murphy, Michael Brantley's extension, and Raburn holding down the right field corner, the Indians outfield crew is legit. With the veteran (and incredibly bro-tastic) leadership of Nick Swisher, Jason Giambi, and Tito, expect to see the Tribe in October. I would not be surprised with them win the division, but their rotation is an area of concern.

3. Kansas City 86-76
Another great young team that I think has an outside shot at the wild card, if not the division. Once the Royals hired George Brett as their hitting coach, they went on a tear and did not look back. With James Shields, Jeremy Guthrie and newly acquired Justin Vargas heading the rotation, their team ERA will be very good and bullpen will not have to do a lot of work, even if they do have All-Star Greg Holland waiting. Bruce Chen also always is a respectable spot starter, going 9-4 last year, and Danny Duffy will get the ball more often as well. On the other side of the ball, the Royals have one of the youngest lineups in the league. Eric Hosmer, Billy Butler, Mike Moustakas (coolest name in the league if you ask me) and Salvador Perez all are still under the age of 28, and Alex Gordon is reaching his prime and just turned 30 earlier this month. Omar Infante is the elder statesmen (hard to believe) of Kauffman Stadium, entering his age 32 season and coming off of an incredible .318/.345/.450 campaign in division-rival Detroit. The Royals are still very young and need a few more pieces to the puzzle, like an everyday right fielder. If their tablesetters do their job, then Hosmer and Butler will have a blast. 

4. Chicago 71-91
There is not a whole lot to be excited about on the South Side this year other than Abreu and Chris Sale. Adam Eaton is a great pick up from Arizona, finally securing an everyday center fielder who can get on base consistently, but they had to give up Addison Reed, leaving the back end of the bullpen exposed. Avisail Garcia will be the everyday right fielder, supplying a healthy balance of power and speed to the lineup. He still has a lot of maturing to do, but when he's grown into his absurdly athletic frame, he'll be fun to watch. Last year, the only pitcher that had a winning record was Jake Peavy, who is now in Boston wearing a big old championship. Sale went 11-14 still with nasty stuff, and a lot of that is in part of the lack of offense. Hopefully Abreu can help with that but with the infield essentially as a revolving door and Alexei Ramirez as the defensively worst shortstop in the league, the Sox won't be much of a threat.

5. Minnesota 69-93
Even less of a threat will be the Twins up north. If the snow ever goes away, they'll finally get to playing up in the beautiful Target Field. With Justin Morneau gone to Pittsburgh, Mauer will have a lot of pressure on his head and shoulders (please tell me you got the joke), but adding veteran Kurt Suzuki will help foster the rotation. Byron Buxton, one of the most talked about prospects in modern years, will probably make his debut, and let's be honest, the Twins don't have a lot to lose in the outfield so he might as well start every day. The rotation picked up Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes, both solid guys that won't be in the Cy Young conversation but will get 10-12 wins each. Legend Paul Molitor joined the coaching staff as well, so they have a recipe for success, but there still a few AAAA (players too good for minors but not good enough for majors) plugging the remaining holes such as Oswaldo Arcia, Chris Parmelee, and Aaron Hicks. Also, I will go on record that Glen Perkins is one of the best closers in the league, but he so rarely gets save opportunities so he can never really shine. I had him on my fantasy team last year and he was an absolute stud - 2-0, 2.30 ERA, 36 saves, and only blew 4. Gardenhire knows what he's doing and the Twins won't be in the cellar much longer, but this won't be the Twins year. 

Roy Halladay, Pt. 1

When Roy Halladay announced his retirement last fall, being the huge baseball fan that I am, I went directly to his Baseball Reference page, curious to see if he had the credentials to make it into the Hall of Fame. We'll get to that in a little bit but for now I want to highlight a special game in his pre-rookie season. We probably all remember Halladay for having inhuman stamina, rarely missing the strike zone, and even more rarely missing a start. But the way he kicked off his career should not be forgotten.

September 27, 1998, the 162nd game of the season. The Tigers entered the game 65-97, miles away from playoff contention, as were the Blue Jays. They entered the game 88-74, which is quite good and would have been good enough for a half game out of first in the Central, and tied for first in the West. However, since the Yankees went off for 114 wins, the poor Jays good season was for naught, putting them in third in the East. At this point in the season, both teams had nothing to lose, so the Jays decided to bring up 21-year old Denver native named Roy Halladay (I assume hundreds of people called him Holiday by mistake for a year or two). Halladay's Major League debut was good, not great, pitching five innings against the Devil Rays, giving up 8 hits and 2 earned runs. It was his second career start that set the pace for his workhorse of a career.

It was a sunny Sunday afternoon at 78 degrees in Toronto, actually a record warm for this late in the year. 38,000 fans filed into the Rogers Centre to see the finale of the 1998 campaign against the international rival Detroit Tigers. Doc began the game smoothly, striking out two of the first three batters, likely from his nasty cutter. On the other side of the ball, Tigers starter Justin Thompson also had a relatively smooth inning, walking leadoff man Shannon Stewart and then retiring the next three. The subsequent innings showed that Halladay meant business in the game of baseball. The top of second brought the heart of the Tigers order: Tony "Tall Glass of Water" Clark, Luis Gonzalez, and slugging Robert Fick. Two easy groundouts, and a strikeout looking on only 8 pitches. 

The rest of the start was much like the first two innings. Halladay was so dominant, he only had one 3-ball count. In fact, out of 29 batters faced, only six of them had an at-bat long enough to get to ball 2. Only three innings required more than 10 pitches to retire the Tigers. 

All in all, he racked up 8 strikeouts, 5 swinging, 95 pitches, 0 walks, and one hit.

It is that one hit that would prevent Halladay from achieving history. At 21 years and 4 months, he would have been the second youngest pitcher to throw a no-hitter in American League history, second to Vida Blue. He would have joined Bobo Holloman and Wilson Alvarez to be the only pitchers throw a no-hitter in his first two starts (Clay Buchholz would join that group in 2007).

It wasn't just any hit. It wasn't a third inning line drive. It wasn't a sixth inning bloop that would draw some disappointment from the more attentive fans. It wasn't an eighth inning bunt that would draw booing and jeering from the Toronto faithful. Oh no, it was an absolute dagger that resulted in sheer anger and exasperation: a ninth inning, two out, opposite field home run. 

In the top of the fourth inning, Jays second basemen Craig Grebeck was taken from the game and replaced with Felipe Crespo. Crespo botched the very first ground ball he saw, allowing Clark to reach first on his error. Had Crespo fielded this ball cleanly, Halladay would have had a bid at a perfect game going into the ninth. Instead, he had to settle for a no-hit bid. Ho hum.

Halladay was not phased; he struck out five more batters and allowed only two balls out of the infield from the 4th to the 9th innings. 

At this point late in the game, Halladay took the mound only three outs from history. The Tigers had 8-9-1 coming up to try to stave off the embarrassment of a no-hitter. Gabe Kapler lined out sharply to left fielder Shannon Stewart to lead off the inning.

One down.

Paul Bako, pinch hitting for the smiley and young Deivi Cruz, weakly grounded to second after a relatively respectable at-bat (he was one of the few to work a 2-ball count). 

Two out, and one more relatively easy out in Kimera Bartee who had already struck out twice and was only hitting .194 on the season. 

Manager Larry Parrish, grasping at straws for any type of offense, then called on Bobby Higginson to pinch hit for center fielder Bartee. Higginson was having a solid season, batting .284 with 24 home runs to this point. He had never faced this young stud in Halladay. None of the Tigers had, and boy did it show.

The lightly goateed slugger toed the plate and calmly served the first pitch he saw to the left field bleachers. All 38,000 fans at the Rogers Centre assumably sat down in disbelief that this kid had just been robbed of a golden opportunity to assert himself as one of the best rookie performances in history. 

I have scoured the internet to find any hint at how he reacted. The New York Times merely says the rookie pitcher was one out away from history. The free Detroit Free Press archives do not go back far enough to include this game. Similarly, the Detroit News archives begin January 1, 1999. In a postgame interview, the Toronto Star reported Halladay saying "I'm going to feel that there's a lot of pressure next year, probably some more expectations." Did he throw his glove down in disgust? Did he shake his head out of incredulousness or upset that he threw a bad pitch? Did he curse into his glove? Probably not, Halladay is a classy guy. But as a 21-year old, who knows. 

Knowing him, he probably shook his head, asked for a new ball from home plate umpire Jim McKean, and threw his nastiest pitch of the afternoon to nail Frank Catalanotto, who lined out to short on the next pitch to end the game. The game took only an hour and forty-five minutes. 

Jays 2, Tigers 1. Halladay's one mistake and Higginson's 379 foot rocket cost him a place in history. 

As always, thanks for reading. I'll do another post in the near future about his Hall of Fame credentials and why he was the last of a dying breed.

Happy Birthday!

Happy 34th birthday to Donald Thomas Kelly, also known as DK32, also known as my favorite player in the world. DK recently celebrated an aggressively average season, hitting .222, but he also hit the weights, blasting 6 home runs and 23 RBI's. He also only struck out 28 times in 112 games, which was a huge improvement from his 2012 campaign, when he struck out 22 times in only 75 games. 

This past year, DK was also honored with the 10th Man Award from the Detroit Baseball Society. Playing primarily as a sub for numerous players and positions, he honestly didn't really have much competition from the Tigers bench. Other subs that came to mind are Brayan Pena (one of the funniest guys to follow on Twitter, even if he's not on the Tigers anymore, @cuban2727), Ramon Santiago, Hernan Perez, and Matt Tuiasosopo. Pena was an awesome catching replacement, hitting a career high .297 in 71 games (one off of his career high). He also had a highlight reel of a game against the Yankees in the middle of the summer in which he had a home run and two singles. While Pena brought an offensive jolt compared to the free swinging, glorious facial hair growing Alex Avila, his defense was lacking. In terms of fielding percentage he was fine, but throwing out runners was not as good as the starter. For that reason, I think Pena was eliminated from competition for 10th man. Santiago and Perez, virtually spitting images of each other in all aspects, scuffled at the plate (Santiago had a higher average than DK, but shhh), hitting .224 and .197, respectively. They both are excellent fielders, but not as versatile as DK (in 2011, he played everything except second and short). Tuiasosopo, of whom I am a big fan, was hitting the cover off the ball at the beginning of the season, or at least until opposing pitching staffs realized offspeed pitching is his kryptonite. As of July 28th, he was hitting .301. Two months later, he was hitting .244. In an interview with mLive writer James Schmehl, Tui recognized that pitchers were facing him differently and that he needed to fix his approach. He admitted he was swinging at a lot of bad pitches in the dirt and then it threw off his mojo. Understandable, but not acceptable. Like I said, I'm a huge fan of Tui, and if he had made the proper adjustments, I think he would have been the right choice. 

DK is arguably the most defensively versatile player in the game today. He is the only active player to have played all nine positions. In 2011, he was brought on to pitch against the Mets in a 16-9 fiasco of a loss, where he got Scott Hairston to fly out to center on a 71 mph breaking ball. Yes, you read that right. His fastball hit 86. Not bad.

I love DK because he's a hustler. He gives 100% every day, regardless of what the skipper needed. He's a good example of hard work and dedication for young players. He went to an NAIA school and got drafted by his hometown Pirates, and recently signed his first million dollar contract with the Tigers. He's not a diva, he's not a prima donna, he just does his work. He might not always hit .350 with 45 home runs, but he comes through when he needs to. Prime example: August 6 against the Indians (right in the middle of the Tigers 10 game win streak against the Indians or something like that). The Tigers won 5-1 over Justin Masterson, thanks to DK. He went 3-4 with 3 RBI's and run scored. That was a big game with big implications for the AL Central. He stepped up when he needed to. 

So happy birthday, Deek. Not the most glamorous player, but certainly the hardest working. I mean, if anyone can pick up Prince Fielder, how can you not be the hardest working? 

As always, thanks for reading.