Take 75 North - A Detroit Tigers blog

Written by Matt Wallace
Wednesday, 19 November 2008 11:29
I'm working on a project, and in my research it dawned on me the Mud Hens play a full month less baseball than the Tigers. Obviously, that's not news but for some reason it had never struck me before that they play only eighteen less games in one less month. That means the Triple A teams are working on a schedule that could easily knock a week and a half off if applied to the majors. I know the Triple A teams don't have to do cross-continent flights and an average of 28 or 29 games a month is pretty brutal. However, if baseball wants to keep a 162-game schedule and the current playoff format and improve the conditions in which the postseason is played, something is obviously going to need to change. I know some people want neutral site World Series, but would we really prefer no more World Series games in Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Boston or New York? That seems absurd to me, and trimming down the schedule (I means days, not games) seems like the reasonable alternative. Add comment (0) Hits: 26

Tigers' Top Second Base Prospects

Written by Matt Wallace
Tuesday, 18 November 2008 16:03
As I continue this series, this one took me a little longer because it wasn't as easy to pick the players. Well, the top three weren't too difficult but since I ranked them it was a little harder. I know I usually rail against ranking prospects, but these guys all play the same position so it makes more sense to me. Plus, it's that time of year and I caught the bug. Scott Sizemore, Lakeland 6'0", 185, Bats: R Born: January 4, 1985 PA: 234 AVG: .286 OBP: .365 ISO: .123 XBH%: 27.6 K%: 18.8 BB%: 10.3 BABIP: .348 I know some people may be surprised by my having Scott Sizemore as the top second base prospect in the system after what many would consider a disappointing season. It wasn't an easy choice between him and Mike Hollimon, but the fact that Sizemore is two and a half years younger swayed me in his favor. I would love it if he would show a little more power, and I have a feeling the pop will come as he settles in at Erie and Toledo the next couple years. Even if it stays at the same league average level he's shown the last couple years, I'd expect his average and on-base percentage to keep him productive. It'll be interesting to see how the Tigers handle Sizemore, Hollimon and Rhymes once they're all healthy in 2009. It'll be interesting but I'm still assuming Sizemore will get the starting job in Erie. Mike Hollimon, Toledo/Detroit 6'1", 185, Bats: B Born: June 14, 1982 PA: 410 AVG: .215 OBP: .302 ISO: .214 XBH%: 51.3 K%: 28.0 BB%: 11.2 BABIP: .269 If you're wondering why I still like Hollimon so much, it's because despite hitting just .211 this year in Toledo, he managed an OPS just a hair below the league average. Prop that BABIP up to something closer to .300 and with his batting eye, switch hitting, extra base power and middle infield defense he'll be a very valuable part of the system. I know he's going to be pushing 27 when he's able to take the field again (he's expected to miss time after shoulder surgery), but the Tigers don't have many position players who can step onto a major league field without embarrassing themselves. Once he takes the field in 2009, I'd look for it to be at shortstop for Toledo. That's assuming he comes back healthy, and if he does that I'd also look for him to be the first guy called up with a middle infielder goes down in Detroit. Will Rhymes, Erie/Toledo 5'9", 155, Bats: L Born: April 1, 1983 PA: 603 AVG: .307 OBP: .338 ISO: .103 XBH%: 19.3 K%: 11.6 BB%: 7.6 BABIP: .348 Just like I credit Hollimon for staying decently productive despite a low batting average, I nick Rhymes for needing an elevated batting average to keep his production around league average. We're seeing in the Arizona Fall League (where he's hitting .283/.321/.293) this season, and we saw in his stint with Erie last season (where he hit .265/.297/.323 in 171 PA) that his production is tied to closely with that unreliable number. The good news for him is his quickness, left-handed stance and ability to make contact might allow him to keep his batting average up at a level that keeps him in a job. I look for him to start 2009 as Toledo's second baseman in what is no doubt the most important season of his career. He'll be 26 and his Triple A performance will probably go a long way in determining whether somebody is willing to give him a shot as a utility infielder at the higher levels. *Others of note:* Justin Henry showed little power even when you take the power-sapping tendency of the Midwest League into consideration. Still, the Tigers like his ability to square up on the ball and hit line drives. I'd imagine they also like his approach at the plate since he's walked more than he struck out each of the last two seasons. Mix in decent speed and you have an intriguing player to watch...I think some people were surprised when Alden Carrithers wasn't taken until the 15th round. I was surprised when he spent the entire season in the GCL. He punished the pitchers there, but at 24 he'll clearly need to show his mettle at a much higher level to be taken seriously as a prospect. Add comment (0) Hits: 24

Comments

Written by Matt Wallace
Thursday, 13 November 2008 02:07
I apologize to readers for not replying to comments more quickly. I used to get an email that let me know when somebody had commented and for some reason, I haven't been getting those. I certainly appreciate the interest, and will be sure to stay on top of them from here on out. Add comment (0) Hits: 19

Tigers' Top First Base Prospects

Written by Matt Wallace
Tuesday, 11 November 2008 12:06
As we continue in my series of looking at the Tigers' top prospects at each position, we move on to the first basemen. Picking the top three prospects here was nearly as easy as picking the top three catchers. There may not be as big a dropoff from three to four as there is with the catchers, but I think there is a clear difference between the third and fourth best Tiger first base prospects. Again in alphabetical order, here are the top three. Jeff Larish, Toledo/Detroit 6'2", 200, Bats: L Born: 10/11/1982 PA: 551 AVG: .252 OBP: .334 ISO: .203 XBH%: 41.5 K%: 25.6 BB%: 10.3 BABIP: .311 I used to wonder why Baseball America always seemed so down on Jeff Larish. They'd give a nod to his obvious power and maybe compliment his willingness to take a walk, but then they'd talk more emphatically about his weaknesses. I sort of wrote it off as him just not being the kind of prospect they tend to like, but then I saw his swing this season. Quite frankly, it's ugly. It seems to stop way short of an ordinary swing, and I can certainly understand somebody seeing it and thinking, "That's not going to work in the big leagues." Yet, he continues to have value in the system with a power bat (voted the Best Power Hitter in the International League by Baseball America), an ability to get on base and defense at first that's good enough to make the Tigers think he should get a shot at third base. Of course, there are some reasons for concern. Almost all his offensive value comes from drawing walks and popping homers and while he did both of those things with the Hens, both walks (7) and homers (2) were noticeably absent from his plate appearances (111) with the Tigers. Those rates are even more unacceptable when you consider his strikeouts (34) removed any chance of making up for those deficiencies with batting average. Let's not throw up our hands on Larish yet, though. When he's had everyday jobs with Lakeland, Erie and Toledo he's given what we've come to expect. The problem he faces is he's very unlikely to be an everyday player as long as he's with the Tigers. That means he'll either have to find his production in a limited role or hope he's traded to a team who could use a player with his talents. For 2009, the Tigers seem to be trying to find a way to get Larish's left-handed pop onto the roster. They're having him continue his third base experiment in the Arizona Fall League, and if he makes the roster he'll be the likely beneficiary of off days for Sheffield, Guillen and Ordonez. His other time will come from pinch hitting, late inning replacements and Brandon Inge getting an occasional day off against a tough right-hander. Ryan Roberson, Erie/Toledo 6'5", 240, Bats: R Born: 8/1/1983 PA: 510 AVG: .286 OBP: .341 ISO: .211 XBH%: 35.3 K%: 24.9 BB%: 6.7 BABIP: .345 Roberson has the same problem Jeff Larish has except he has a layer added to his problem. Jeff Larish won't get the first base starting job in Detroit because Miguel Cabrera has seven years left on his contract and he's a better player than Larish. Ryan Roberson won't be next in line for the starting job in Detroit because Jeff Larish is in that spot and he's a better player than Roberson. Roberson's power might approach Larish's, but he doesn't take as many walks and I get the distinct impression his defense isn't nearly as good. An additional problem for Roberson is the fact that he has Ryan Strieby creeping up behind him. If Jeff Larish doesn't make the Tigers 25-man roster in 2009, Roberson could very well find himself being a man without a role in this organization. If that should happen, and he can't even get regular at bats as a DH with Erie or Toledo, I'd imagine he'll find a team willing to snatch him up pretty quickly. His power seems to be for real, and that's going to be appealing regardless of where he is. Incidentally, if you're thinking he got a boost from playing half his games at Jerry Uht Park, he had better road numbers (.290/.354/.516) than home numbers (.288/.339/.498) last season. Ryan Strieby, Lakeland 6'5", 235, Bats: R Born: 8/9/1985 PA: 478 AVG: .278 OBP: .352 ISO: .285 XBH%: 47.0 K%: 21.1 BB%: 9.6 BABIP: .302 Strieby may not yet be the best prospect of this group, but he certainly had the best 2008 of any of them. Not only that, but Strieby had a better season in Lakeland than either Roberson or Larish and he was able to do it in his age 22 season. Larish was 23 and going on 24 when he rolled through Lakeland. In short, Strieby had something of a breakout season in 2008 after disappointing in both 2006 and 2007. The power he displayed was impressive and finally in line with what you'd expect from somebody his size. He led FSL regulars in ISO and was second to Brian Dopirak in terms of the percentage of fly balls that cleared the fence. That included an amazing hot streak where he homered in six straight games and in seven of eight. It will be interesting to see where Strieby goes from here. Assuming the foot injury that ended his season early doesn't continue to cause problems - I can't imagine it would - does Strieby pick up where he left off in 2008? Or does he revert back to what we saw in West Michigan and Oneonta? One thing that would be nice to see from 2007 would be his walk-to-strikeout ratio. There was a little more distance between those two in 2008, and it would be nice to see that ratio creep back below two. On the other hand, if he continues to pulverize the ball and draw a good number of walks, he will be able to get away with a few more strikeouts. All of this newfound production and the questions that remain make Strieby an intriguing player for 2009. One question I don't anticipate being very intriguing is his placement for 2009. He seems like an obvious choice for the SeaWolves' starting first baseman. I'm anxious to see what wins out for him between an elevated level of competition and a hitting environment that is generally more hitter friendly than the Florida State League. The others: A level below Strieby, you had Chris Carlson. He hit pretty well (.277/.334/.425) compared to the average Midwest League hitter (.252/.322/.371), but I'd argue it wasn't well enough for a 24 year old first baseman at that level. Add comment (0) Hits: 22

Tigers' Top Catching Prospects

Written by Matt Wallace
Saturday, 08 November 2008 11:03
In what is going to be my first big offseason project, I'm going to take a look at the Tigers' top prospects at each position. I'm thinking the top three prospects at each position should do the trick, and when I get to the outfielders and pitchers I'll just have to think of another approach. Don't worry, though. This won't just be another irritating exercise where somebody talks about the guys who already get all the attention and you already know a lot about them. I'm going to focus on the top three prospects at each position, but I'll also take a cursory peek at others if they've caught my eye. Without further setup, let's get to this and take a look at the top catching prospects in the system (presented in alphabetical order). The numbers given are total 2008 stats regardless of level. Alex Avila, West Michigan 5'11, 210, Bats: L Born: 1/29/87 PA: 244 AVG: .305 OBP: .383 ISO: .080 XBH%: 23.1 K%: 16.8 BB%: 11.1 BABIP: .374 Avila's offensive talents make him a very intriguing prospect whether he can make it as a catcher or not. He obviously possesses the ability to hit for average and get on base, and it's believed he has good power potential despite signs to the contrary last season. Questions about whether he'll be able to stay a catcher aren't as much an indictment of his receiving skills as much as they're a result of people just not seeing him back there very much. He didn't move to the position until his junior year in college and that means 2008 was his first year playing the position at a high level. As recently as his season in the Cape Cod League, he was splitting time between first and third. Things I've heard seem to suggest he's learning back there and if you take a superficial look at his defensive numbers, they're nothing embarrassing. He threw out 18 of 55 runners with the Whitecaps and had four passed balls in 42 games behind the dish. Neither rate is fantastic, but you don't necessarily need Bill Freehan back there if he can handle himself at the plate. For next season, a promotion to Lakeland seems obvious. Some time in Erie wouldn't be shocking if he continues to swing a good stick. Dusty Ryan, Erie/Toledo/Detroit 6'4", 220, Bats: R Born: 9/2/84 PA: 469 AVG: .271 OBP: .350 ISO: .221 XBH%: 43.8 K%: 26.7 BB%: 10.4 BABIP: .359 You could be forgiven for writing Dusty Ryan off before this season. He was a 48th round pick out of a California JUCO back in 2003 and with that draft status, what he's done is already an achievement. After being selected and eventually signed, Ryan caught some attention with a nice showing in Oneonta in 2004. But the good news stopped there as his next three seasons were a mix of injuries and disappointing numbers. Coming into 2008, he was a 23 year old who had just completed a turn in the Hawaiian Winter Baseball league, made it through the Rule 5 draft despite being eligible and was being given a shot at Double A Erie despite pretty creaky numbers at Lakeland in an injury plagued 2007. That's not a fantastic resume, but the positives were that he had no prospects ahead of him and he had been named the system's Best Defensive Catcher by Baseball America heading into the season. Obviously, something clicked for Ryan because after he tore up Erie and Toledo, he was able to get some time in with the Tigers. Now, if the Tigers stick to Brandon Inge at third, he's just about the only catcher in the system who currently has any convincing argument for being a big league catcher in 2009. It's hard to know how that will shake out if it happens, but in his favor he has a willingness to take walks, impressive power and an absolute gun from behind the plate. There were times last season when he looked a little clunky in terms of keeping pitches in front of him, but he seemed at the very least serviceable. I wouldn't take issue with him being one of the Tigers' two catchers as the 2009 season opens. At the very least, he'll get big league innings and spend the rest of the season as the Hens' number one catcher. James Skelton, Lakeland/Erie 5'11", 165, Bats: L Born: 10/28/85 PA: 388 AVG: .302 OBP: .455 ISO: .098 XBH%: 19.1 K%: 18.8 BB%: 21.4 BABIP: .388 Skelton has to be the most fascinating prospect in the Tigers' system. He's a catcher who at the very least does a good job of controlling the opponent's running game, but he's built like a scrappy second baseman. Some people - me included - ask why a catcher needs to look like a Molina and traditionalists ask his biggest supporters to find another successful big league catcher in baseball history with his build. There's one argument about him, and believe me, it's a very popular one. Moving beyond the size, though probably related to it, you have his skills. He has an uncanny knack for drawing walks and that skill held up in Double A and in the HWB despite his exhibiting very little power. This is the source of another argument because believers say the walks will carry him and the skeptics will point out that pitchers at the highest levels won't walk him if they know he's not going to beat them with extra base hits. There's another argument about him. I suppose his high BABIP could spark a third argument, but that's secondary to the question of whether he can maintain his insane walk rates. I say that because if he can keep drawing walks, he'll be able to withstand a drop in batting average of even fifty or sixty points. Obviously, where you come out in these arguments leaves a lot of room for variance in what you think of Skelton as a prospect. So where do I stand? Well, I've been on his bandwagon since early 2007 and I'm firmly in the camp that says I'm a believer until I see evidence to suspect otherwise. But that doesn't mean I'm turning a blind eye to history. I realize there aren't catchers that have his build and I also realize you generally need more pop than he showed in 2008 in order to keep big league pitchers honest. But I also know scouting reports must have circulated about Skelton and whether he has been in the FSL, the Eastern League or the HWB, he's just kept drawing walks and slapping hits. If he keeps doing that at even close to the level he has been, he'll be a valuable part of the system even if he does eventually have to move to second base. In 2009, I'd look for Skelton to have a path similar to what Ryan did in 2008 as long as he continues to produce. That may not happen if the Tigers' decision makers are hung up on his size. He did, however, get an apparent vote of confidence with the HWB assignment. Another one could come if the Tigers move to protect him for the Rule 5 draft. Others of note: There isn't a lot after these three but from what I've heard, Jeff Kunkel is good enough behind the plate to keep a job for a while. The problem is he'll be 26 next season and his career line in three seasons of pro ball is .227/.276/.280. Add comment (0) Hits: 24

HWB Update for Tiger prospects

Written by Matt Wallace
Wednesday, 05 November 2008 13:29
I last looked in on the boys in Hawaii about a month ago, and if you haven't been keeping an eye on them yourself, you may be pleasantly surprised at how well they're doing. Each of their representatives, despite perhaps not being thought of as top prospects in a system that is widely panned as bottom third in the league, are certainly holding their own. Andrew Hess, P When we last checked in on Hess, he had only thrown in two games for a total of five innings but the limited exposure was promising as he had given up just one run and struck out five. Since then, he has thrown in seven games and picked up another 18.1 innings. He has been able to manage a respectable ERA of 2.70 by giving up just six more earned runs, but his peripherals have slipped a bit. In the 18.1 innings since we last checked in, he's allowed 7 walks and 16 hits against 12 strikeouts. That's neither dominant nor terrible, but it is a reminder to look beyond the ERA. (Site note: For god's sake, ALWAYS look beyond ERA) Perhaps a little more alarming than the middling peripherals have been his last three outings. He's been charged with at least one run in each of them, and while the 8 hits in 8.2 innings over those three games isn't terrible, he's walked and struck out four hitters over that time. Those three games have done most of the damage to his numbers to this point. That's the frustrating thing about a reliever in a short season league. A bad outing or two makes a lot of noise in the numbers and leaves you wondering where the real expectations should lie. Kyle Peter, OF Luckily, with a position player there is an opportunity to see them play with far more regularity. With Kyle Peter, I was a little skeptical as to how much playing time he would get but he's been in a fairly regular rotation and he's done well with the time he's received. His .353/.408/.416 line leaves him as one of the team's more productive hitters, and he's made good use of the time on base by swiping 10 bases in 12 attempts. These numbers don't come without caveats, however. The .353 batting average, while tops on the team, comes by way of a .429 batting average on balls in play. That's a lot of hits falling in, and with just four extra base hits, it's not like he's peppering the outfield walls. So while the production is there, it's a little more batting average dependent than you'd like to see. I don't want to sound too negative, though. The 2008 season and his time in Hawaii has shown Peter has good speed, good on-base skills and it would appear a reasonably good ability to hit for average. That skillset's not going to lead to the Tigers shopping Curtis Granderson, but it's served some very useful players well. James Skelton, C Being on what appears to be a fairly evenly split rotation with the CaneFires' other two catchers, Skelton hasn't been able to get quite as many at bats as Peter. Like Peter, though, he's made very good use of the at bats he's received. In 17 games and 50 at bats, he's hitting .320/.435/.440. That on-base percentage is sixth in the league and is helped considerably by his being able to draw 8 walks to this point. That's a good percentage and shows further evidence of good plate discipline when you consider he's struck out just 11 times. Now just to show I'm not a Skelton fanboy, I will point out pretty much the same red flags we saw with Peter. His batting average comes on the legs of a BABIP over .400 and none of his 16 hits have cleared the fences. That means he too is relying on balls finding grass rather than gloves. The good news for Skelton is there is a little more meat behind his numbers. It's true he hasn't gone yard, but 5 of his 16 hits have been for extra bases and that has given him a .120 isolated power that is right around average for both the team he's on and the league he's playing in. With his ability to draw walks, even average skill when it comes to getting hits and hitting for power is going to make him a very useful player when you consider he's likely to end up at a premium position. Some might question whether it's going to keep up, but pretty soon he's going to shift from "I'll believe it when I see it" to "I'll believe it until I see otherwise." Add comment (0) Hits: 27

Election Day Post

Written by Matt Wallace

Tuesday, 04 November 2008 09:17

I know I've been a little sparse with the posts lately. I apologize for that and promise there will be some interesting things coming up in the near future, with much greater regularity.

However, my posting today is a simple request that if you are reading this and are a registered voter, please take the time to go out and vote today.

I don't care which way you go - well, I do but I won't use this space to say - but it's very important that you take the time regardless. There are undoubtedly some very important issues on your state and local ballots and there is a good chance you will be surprised at how much you care about an issue you hadn't heard about until you step into the poll booth.

Not only that, but voter turnout is very important in letting politicians know what we value. If we don't vote, low turnout empowers politicians to turn to the special interests with deep pockets for their direction rather than their constituents.

I apologize for polluting a site you probably turned to in an effort to get away from the ubiquitous political talk, but I think it's important enough to go off topic.

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Tigers cut bait with Virgil Vasquez

Written by Matt Wallace
Tuesday, 28 October 2008 16:51
Virgil Vasquez was claimed on waivers by the Boston Red Sox. I can't say this tears me up too much. I didn't really buy him as a top prospect earlier in his career and I was skeptical of his impressive Arizona Fall League in 2006. When he followed that up with an even more impressive season in Toledo in 2007, I was intrigued by the increased strikeouts but still skeptical. That skepticism took a little more root when he got shelled his first time out and then the Tigers dismissed later success as having fooled some guys. The numbers in Toledo were appealing, but he just felt to me like a guy who might fill in for a rotation if things went right for him. Before 2007, he had been a flyball guy with low strikeout numbers and that's a hard way to make a living. When his 2008 was a major step backward and he never really got a whiff of major league time, I expected his spot on the 40-man would be gone this offseason as the Tigers moved to protect some valuable prospects. Of course, I also figured he'd clear waivers. The strange thing to me is I kind of thought Rick Knapp might take to Vasquez a little bit. He seemed like a guy who would have to live on his location and I thought Knapp might be able to help him keep the ball down and throw good strikes like he would need to in the majors. Now, if somebody teaches him to do what he needs to in the majors, it will be for the Beantowners. It'll be interesting to see if Leyland's prediction from earlier this year - he's going to make himself into a big league pitcher - comes true there. Add comment (0) Hits: 23

Looking at the Tigers' pitchers in the AFL

Written by Matt Wallace
Sunday, 26 October 2008 07:19
As the Arizona Fall League and Hawaiian Winter Baseball League march on, I'm taking periodic looks at the participants rather than daily updates. My first look was at the position players in the AFL and now I'm peeking in on the pitchers. Luis Marte Luis Marte is kind of the typical Arizona Fall League assignment for the Tigers. He's a promising starter who missed a number of starts and innings to injury and can therefore go there, get some work against top competition, and still not tax his arm too much. After his first couple starts, when he gave up eight hits and six earned runs in four combined innings, I was starting to wonder if the rehab route for his elbow wasn't going to cut it. That may still turn out to be the case, but his most recent start gives reason for hope. He struck out eight in four innings without walking anybody, while giving up just one earned run on four hits. That's more like the Luis Marte we hoped we'd be seeing when he earned his promotion to Erie this past season. Casey Fien A lot of people wondered why Casey Fien didn't get the call up to Detroit this past season when they were regularly trotting out guys like Casey Fossum and Gary Glover in high leverage situations. The likely answer is they didn't want to add him to the 40-man for a little time in a wasted season, but so far his time in the AFL is making it look like he could have handled the assignment. He's pitched in five games to this point, racking up 7.2 innings of work. Over that time, he's struck out nine, walked nobody and allowed just four hits. If he stays on this path, we'll have all the more reason to expect him to be in the mix for one of the open spots in the Tigers' 2009 bullpen. Rudy Darrow Darrow has worked his way into five games as well and he's avoided giving up a run in four of them. The sole exception was a game on October 9th when he gave up a couple runs on three hits and two walks. Overall, he's given up five hits and four walks in 6.1 innings while striking out seven. The other two walks came in his most recent outing on the 23rd. In his defense, it was his first time taking the mound in nearly a week so maybe he had to shake loose some cobwebs. Zach Simons Simons has had the toughest time of the Tiger relievers, but nearly all the damage was done in his first outing. On October 9th, he was roughed up for four hits and four runs - including two home runs - in two innings of work. Since then, he's thrown one inning four times and given up no runs on one hit and two walks while striking out a couple. Summary It would be nice if Marte could show his most recent start was more like what we should expect from him. His struggles since sitting out with the elbow injury - both at Erie and now in the AFL - are concerning. As for the relievers, I'm not going to put too much stock in AFL results for relief pitchers. It's such a small sample it's hard to get a feel for what the numbers mean without having seen them play. As long as nobody gets hammered every time they take the mound, I doubt anybody will hurt their stock too much. That said, Fien is continuing to show he can be very effective against this high level of competition and if he stays on this path I would expect a lot of ink about him during spring training. Add comment (0) Hits: 33

Lots of cuts in Tigers' system

Written by Matt Wallace
Wednesday, 22 October 2008 07:13
The Tigers made quite a bit of room on their minor league rosters by letting go fifteen players. They are as follows: Dario Carvajal, RHP Angel Castro, RHP Kelvin Cedano, RHP PJ Finigan, RHP Brandon Harrigan, C Justin Justice, OF Hayden Lackey, RHP Cory Middleton, OF Santo Mieses, RHP Hayden Parrott, OF Kyle Pearson, RHP Zach Piccola, LHP Carlos Ramirez, 1B/3B Derek Witt, RHP Danny Zell, LHP This list comes from Tigstown, and in Mark's notes he mentions there are only a few surprises on the list. He puts Hayden Parrott as one of them and I'd agree. He looked like a promising talent when he was drafted in the tenth round in 2006 and immediately started hitting in the GCL. Then he was moved to third base in 2007 and that appeared to be a bit of a disaster. This season, it was off to the outfield and his hitting went in the toilet. In other words, it was his talent that makes this move surprising more than the recent results. Mark didn't mention Cedano as one of the surprises, but I'm mentioning him because he caught my eye as a prospect in 2007. Unfortunately, he just couldn't seem to find his control and this move shows the Tigers aren't confident he ever will. Getting back to the list as a whole, you mostly have a bunch of guys who would struggle to get past the lower levels of the minors. What you might also notice is this move takes a pretty broad swipe at some marginal relievers in the system. With the Tigers making such a strong push for bolstering their relieving corps, it's not too surprising they needed to clear some space for those roster spots. Add comment (0) Hits: 49