Yardbarker: Miguel Cabrera

AccuScore: MLB Prospect Watch

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:24:56 -0500

With the futures game coming up, AccuScore fantasy expert Tim Williams look at some current fantasy stars who were former participants of the futures game, and also looks at some of this year's participants who could be future fantasy stars.

Weekly Fantasy Dish-Awards

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:58:11 -0500

This week's fantasy dish is going to be different than that of previous ones. I am going to be giving out awards for the 1st half of the fantasy baseball season. These awards will be for both the good and bad performances so far this season. Let's get things started with the first award of the half-season…. The Lance Berkman Award for a player not showing up in the first half and expected to have a big second half goes to…… Mark Teixeira 1B ATL- Tex got off to an atrocious start this season and only recently has begun to start raking in the Homeruns and RBI's. Last season Teixeira's numbers were decent at the midway point. Right now at 16 HR and 62 RBI, Tex is already on pace for a better year than last year. His .276 Batting Average is low for him but he should perform better in the 2nd half of the season. You need proof? After the all-star break last season Tex hit 6 more HR and drove in 23 more runs in less games than he did before the break. This season he has only started to inflate his stats with a 3 HR game a week ago and a couple more dingers spread out. In 2006, Tex's post all-star break numbers dwarf his numbers before the break. He hit an outstanding 15 more HR in 14 less games. The Scooby Doo Award for biggest "mystery" of the fantasy season goes to….. Miguel Cabrera 1B,3B DET- Miggy was supposed to push the Tigers from being a contending team in the putrid AL Central, to the best team in the galaxy. With only 11 HR and 48 RBI, fantasy owners are furious with the 1st round picks they spent on the youngster. There hasn't been many signs of him turning around and I don't think he will push his numbers to the point where he is a 1st round pick. In Yahoo! he is ranked 120th overall. Ian Kinsler was the runner up to this award because he is a player i just can't figure out. Is he the number 2 ranked player in fantasy baseball? Or will he drop out of the top 25 like Jude Law out of important movie roles. The Ben Sheets Award for a player who is injury prone and has stayed healthy so far this season but in the end will finish the year on the DL goes to…. Ben Sheets SP MIL- I think Sheets has won this award about 4 times in his career and he hasn't turned 30 yet. So far this season Sheets has stayed relatively healthy, and being dominant as usual. When he isn't dominating the 60-day DL, Sheets usually dominates on the mound. So far this season, Sheets is 9-2 with a 2.83 ERA a 1.07 WHIP and 91 K's. He has also thrown in 3 Complete Games and 1 Shutout. Be patient Sheets owners, you will have to save a spot for him on the DL at some point this season and the good news is, Mark Mulder pitched last night so pick him up!!!!! Once Sheets gets hurt of course. Would it be nuts to say Ben Sheets could be one of the greatest pitchers of our generation if he wasn't hurt all the time? I don't know, I probably shouldn't have even brought that up. This next award is called the Most Likely To Become Archie Bunker Award and the winner is… Bobby Jenks RP CWS- Just looking at this man, it is hard not to think that he will become Carol O'Conner in about 15 years. Jenks is listed at 275 pounds but i don't think that's right. Nonetheless, if Archie Bunker could throw a baseball like Jenks, maybe he wouldn't have sat in his chair all day. Jenks has 18 saves with a 1.95 ERA and 19 K's. With the White Sox scoring more and more runs lately, Jenks opportunities may dwindle but he should still get his 35 saves. The final award is known as the Justin "Fans Want to Have Your Children" Timberlake Award, one of the most prestigious in fantasy baseball. This year's award goes to… Evan Longoria 3B TB- David Wright and Grady Sizemore were close to taking this award away from Evan "I'm not married to Tony Parker" Longoria. The reason why he wins is because of how he and his fellow Rays have helped bring Tropicana field to life. Longoria attracts women to the ballpark which could alone double the attendance of last seasons Ray's home games. With 15 HR, 47 RBI, and 41 runs scored, Longoria is also performing very well in his rookie season. Watching him play is like watching a smooth jazz player going off on a riff on his saxophone. He is a big time celebrity in Tampa and this may sound cheesy but the sky's the limit for this kid and his devilish smile.

Hey look, more injured Tigers

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:56:46 -0500

So Miguel Cabrera slides into the clean-up spot with Magglio Ordonez hitting the disabled list. And promptly gets hurt himself. The diagnosis is hip flexor and the duration is day-to-day. To add injury to injury, Pudge Rodriguez has spent the entire game grimacing and moving as if he is also in pain. [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Hey look, more injured Tigers", url: "http://www.detroittigersweblog.com/2008/06/hey-look-more-injured-tigers/" });

Hey look, more injured Tigers

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:56:46 -0500

Pujols Set to Return for Cardinals

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 23:41:40 -0500

Albert Pujols is now expected to be activated from the disabled list when first eligible Thursday. The All-Star worked out prior to the Cardinals game Tuesday in Detroit, taking batting practice and running the bases. Perhaps the good news inspired the Cards'. Brian Barton, Skip Schumaker and Brendan Ryan led St. Louis to an 8-4 win over Detroit on Tuesday night.

Game 75: Tigers at Padres

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:52:05 -0500

PREGAME: The Tigers rap up their road portion of interleague today in San Diego. The pitching match-up will be Justin Verlander and Randy Wolf. Miguel Cabrera is Hungry Like A Wolf (I know, it's awful) with 22 career plate appearances, 10 hits, 2 homers, and 3 walks against Randy. Lefties have been hitting [...]

The Daily Whine: NBA Finals on my mind

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 08:41:04 -0500

As someone who grew up worshipping Larry Bird and the '80s Celtics, the NBA Finals bring back some of the only good memories from my childhood. Am I as passionate now as I was then? You would think I'd have a better appreciation of a winning Celtics team, since it has been so long. But as you'll see from my Finals Preview, I haven't really grown up gracefully.

The Daily Whine: All right Hamilton!

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 11:09:35 -0500

Whenever I see Josh Hamilton's numbers I turn into Jeff Spicoli at the end of Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Hamilton has an obscene 63 RBI as the calendar switches to June. In the Rotowhine.com 2008 Baseball Preview, I predicted Hamilton would finish the year with 76 RBI. I think he's going to do a little better than that, if I can go out on a limb once more.

Detroit: Pulling Up The Rear

Wed, 28 May 2008 16:12:27 -0500

First, the Tigers were forced to move Miguel Cabrera from third base because the former Marlin and current fatty didn't seem comfortable manning the position. Well now, Jim Leyland says Carlos Guillen had some comfort issues of his own, while playing third base:

Meet Carlos Quentin

Sat, 24 May 2008 21:44:14 -0500

Trades during the winter meetings are a staple in baseball's offseason today. It's the time when franchises realize that they can no longer afford their superstars and feel pressed to ship them off to bigger market clubs in return for up-and-coming prospects. The Minnesota Twins had to part ways with two-time Cy Young winner Johan Santana while the low budget Florida Marlins dealt both Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to Detroit. Ironically enough, the biggest splash came not from said blockbusters, instead from an under-the-radar move on the first day of the meetings..

Roger Clemens is Barry Bonds, except he's...

Fri, 23 May 2008 15:01:56 -0500

As much as it pains me to do this, I am going to have to acknowledge the blatant racial discrimination in the treatment of Barry Bonds during the whole steroids, BALCO, Victor Conte saga. At the time, I thought that Barry was just getting the treatment he deserved as a cheater and an all around poor human being. However, the recent Roger Clemens debacle has changed my view on a few things regarding Barry Bonds. Roger Clemens is Barry Bonds; just white. Just look at the facts. From age 35 to age 39 (2000-2004 seasons), Barry Bonds averaged over 51 homeruns and never hit fewer than 45 in that time span. Barry was clearly getting better as he entered the ages where most players start experiencing diminishing skills. Roger Clemens' stats during the same period should have triggered the same type of witch hunt Bonds endured. From age 35 through age 43 (1997-2005) he had an ERA over 4.00 only twice (he spent time on the DL in both seasons: 1999 & 2002), over 180 Ks in every season except 1999, over 200 IP in every season except '99 and '02 and double-digit win totals every year! That kind of excellence and durability just doesn't happen among pitchers once they hit their late-30s. Yet here we are in 2007, a few years after the whole steroids issue blew up and Roger Clemens is just now taking some heat. It was all too clear that Roger Clemens had been using steroids for a long time. If someone's production seems too good to be true, it usually is. So while Bonds faced fans booing, throwing things at him and holding up signs ranging from a simple asterisk to extremely inappropriate comments, Roger Clemens gets his nice day in front of Congress, and that is about it. Honestly, it seems like Clemens was the big story for a week or two, and that was it. Even the whole alleged affair with Mindy McCready has not resulted in the feelings of hatred or outrage toward Clemens that Bonds experienced for steroid use. Baseball fans were screaming for Bonds to be suspended, for his records struck from the record book and for him to be burned at the stake live in Times Square. Yet the same fans seem to be content with letting Roger Clemens be. In fact, the Astros reported that they have not ruled out the possible signing of Roger Clemens to pitch for them this season. In looking at Roger Clemens, let's just skip the whole steroids issue first and look at the alleged affair with McCready. Assuming that everything is true (and let's face it, Clemens hasn't exactly appeared to be Mother Theresa lately), Mindy McCready was only 15 years old when the affair began and Clemens was 28 and married. At the time, Clemens was pitching for the Boston Red Sox. Statutory rape laws in both Florida, where the two first met, and Massachusetts prohibit adults from engaging in sexual activity with a minor under the age of 16 (15 < 16 for the math nerds). Therefore, if this affair is found to be true, Roger Clemens should, but won't, face up to 15 years in prison. Of course, fame and money will never allow that to happen (I call this the OJ effect). But the point is that nobody cares! I haven't seen Clemens on TV in the past week. The only thing I have heard about anything Clemens-related is that he is "not retired" and the Astros may sign him. So that brings us to the idea that Bonds may be the victim of collusion among the MLB teams to keep him out of baseball for good. At first glance, this appeared to me to be ridiculous too. But you know... there may be something to this. In 2007, when he played, Barry Bonds was still a very serviceable hitter; we won't mention fielding. Last season, Bonds still hit 28 home runs, walked 132 times and had an OPS of 1.045. He did all of this with only 340 ABs, meaning he homered every 12.1 at bats. You mean to tell me that someone couldn't use this guy in the middle of their lineup? He can't play the field well anymore, so let's stay in the AL and look at two teams that have been mentioned numerous times as possible fits for Bonds; Detroit and Seattle. With Gary Sheffield injured (and mostly worthless), the Tigers, who have been this years biggest disappointment, desperately need a power boost, especially one from the left side of the plate. Drop Bonds between Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera and that offense in bound to get better. The better fit would probably be Seattle, where Jose Vidro is the best option they have at DH. Yes, that Jose Vidro who couldn't stick as the second baseman for the Nationals! Vidro has only hit 20 HRs in a season once, and that was 8 years ago! He has never had more than 100 RBIs in a season and is only slugging .304 this year. Isn't the designated hitter supposed to be someone who drives in runs and provides some power? Vidro barely even gets on base (OBP .254) and when he does, he doesn't run (1 SB) and he doesn't score (12 Runs). Barry Bonds could step in with a tiki torch and provide more production than Jose Vidro. Not to mention Ichiro and Ibanez are the only two regulars who bat left-handed. Bonds would come relatively cheap and immediately and drastically improve that offense. Something fishy must be going on for Bonds not be in a Tigers or Mariners uniform by now. What about Clemens? Well, last year looked like this for him: 18 appearances, 99 IP (5.5 innings per appearance), 6 W, 6 L and a 4.18 ERA. Not to mention he wore out the bullpen and had to skip a number of starts due to injuries, fatigue, etc. Is it just a coincidence that once they started more stringent testing for steroids, his performance severely diminished? While players with talent will always get second and third and fourth chances, there comes a time when the bad outweighs the good. Then again, if the double-standard continues and nobody cares about what (or who) Roger Clemens did, what is the risk? Roger Clemens would now, at best, be a marginal starting pitcher. At least U.S. Olympic Baseball GM Bob Watson realized what Clemens is: an average pitcher and a ticking time bomb. You won't hear me say this often, but the treatment Barry Bonds received was racist and unjust. The idea has been out there for a while, but unlike many other instances, the race card is justified. For Roger Clemens to be allowed to just fade out of view, or even to possibly be signed to pitch again, while Barry Bonds was all but ridden out of baseball on a rail is discrimination. So play the race card loud and proud! I want Al Sharpton preaching at a press conference. I want Jesse Jackson leading a parade in Barry's name. Steroids or not, Barry Bonds is still one of the greatest players in the history of baseball. For him to be forced out while his Caucasian equivalent is ignored or embraced again is absolutely wrong!

Someone Has to Win the Central…

Thu, 22 May 2008 09:18:28 -0500

The division has been probably the biggest disappointment in baseball this year. WFNY asks bloggers from around the A.L. Central to stand up and say why their team will prevail- up first the Tigers...

Fantasy Rundown: Cabrera Ready for Primetime

Wed, 21 May 2008 06:16:37 -0500

Daniel Cabrera is getting harder and harder to ignore. For years he has teased the Orioles and fantasy owners with his potential, and now he finally appears to be fulfilling it in his fifth major league season. It was a good day for starting pitchers as Justin Verlander showed signs of progress, Chad Billingsley continued his recent run of dominance, and another young Red Sox prospect shut down the Royals.

All-Star Game '08: Top Players from the NL & AL

Mon, 19 May 2008 02:28:49 -0500

I love the All-Star game. At no other point in the season does more discussion take place on player performance, merit, entitlement, etc. on a game that doesn't even matter. Still, I vote. It's a yearly event and I love it.

Did Ryan Braun Get Ripped Off?

Sun, 18 May 2008 12:23:08 -0500

On May 15th, Ryan Braun signed an 8 year, $45 million dollar contract. $45 million dollars is nothing to sneeze at, but compared to the other top third basemen in baseball, the contract doesn't measure up. His numbers are in line with theirs, so why isn't his contract?