TIGERS: Sign Freddy Garcia
August 13, 2008
Free agent starting pitcher Freddy Garcia signed a minor league contract to play the rest of the season for the Detroit Tigers.
BOTTOM LINE: The goal is to have him ready to pitch in the big leagues by August 31, so he can be playoff eligible. This is a nice addition for Detroit, as they can certainly use the pitching depth.
YANKEES: Acquire Pudge Rodriguez
July 31, 2008
Former Detroit Tigers catcher Ivan Rodriguez has been traded to the New York Yankees in exchange for reliever Kyle Farnsworth, according to Buster Olney.
BOTTOM LINE: This trade came out of nowhere, and it makes sense for both teams. Farnsworth could end up having some fantasy value if Fernando Rodney’s troubles as closer continue. For the Yankees, Pudge fills a void left by the injured Jorge Posada at catcher, and is now a must start in all leagues. Both players are free agents at season’s end.
TIGERS: Rodney Now the Closer
July 28, 2008
Detroit Tigers reliever Fernando Rodney will now be the full-time closer, following Todd Jones’ third blown save in the last month, according to head coach Jim Leyland.
BOTTOM LINE: Jones has been awful since June 28, as hitters have batted a whopping .375 aginst him since then. Rodney will take over for the time being, unless the Tigers acquire a closer before the deadline. Until then, he could be a nice source of saves in your lineup.
TIGERS: Miggy Explodes
July 22, 2008
Detroit Tigers outfielder Miguel Cabrera exploded Monday, going 5-for-6 with a career-high six RBI during the Tigers’ 19-4 win over the Royals.
BOTTOM LINE: Cabrera has been good recently, and his numbers are on pace to be exactly what you would expect. His resurgence is a big reason why the Tigers are winning again.
TIGERS: Verlander is Back
July 14, 2008
Detroit Tigers starter Justin Verlander is 5-0 over his past seven starts with 42 strikeouts in 36 innings pitched.
BOTTOM LINE: He is a long way away from being CY Young, but the Tigers are going to need him to be on top of his game if they have any chance in the Central.
TIGERS: Cabrera Awakes From Slumber
July 9, 2008
Detroit Tigers third basemen Miguel Cabrera went 4-for-4 and launched two home runs in Tuesday’s win over the Indians.
BOTTOM LINE: Cabrera’s stats have gotten better each month, but he hasn’t reached the level the Tigers hoped yet. This is a sign of good things to come.
TIGERS: Pudge is on Fire
July 9, 2008
Detroit Tigers catcher Ivan Rodriguez has been on a hot streak for his past 19 games. He is hitting .419 over that span.
BOTTOM LINE: The plan before was to have Brandon Inge alternate with Pudge behind the plate, but that’s probably less likely now that Pudge’s bat has come alive.
TIGERS: Sheff is Cooking
June 27, 2008
Detroit Tigers designated hitter Gary Sheffield is 6-for-13 with two home runs in three games since returning from the disabled list.
Bottom Line: He should be picked up if he was dropped in any shallow leagues.
TIGERS: Sheffield Return Looming
June 24, 2008
Detroit Tigers designated hitter Gary Sheffield is set to be activated from the disabled list on Tuesday. He went 2-13 with two homers for single a lakeland.
BOTTOM LINE: The Tigers have been doing well recently and Sheffield’s bat would definitely be a plus. We will have to see how he does.
TIGERS: Pudge Finding Stride
June 18, 2008
Detroit Tigers catcher Ivan Rodriguez has been tearing it up since being told he would now play every other day. He is 10 for his last 17 over that stretch and his average has raised to .273.
BOTTOM LINE: We all know Pudge isn’t the dynamic player that he once was, but he is still capable of being an above average contributor at the catcher position. Jimmy Leyland will go with whatever works for now, but if he starts struggling again, they may try the everyday thing again.
April Shakeout
May 2, 2008
By: Chris Starbonell
Update! Writer
It’s rather amusing how stead-fast some people are in letting you know that, since it is only April, the first month of fantasy baseball is rather insignificant. Last I checked, if you miss the playoffs by one game, that loss you suffered in the first week of the season matters just as much as the one in Sept. Sure some hot / cold starts can become straightened out and injuries, tough schedules and poor weather certainly have an impact on the early goings of the baseball season, but let’s not act as if the month of April should be tossed out the window. This first month has shown us a lot about the landscape of the sport in 2008 and Update! selected some of the more lasting impressions from the first few weeks of the season:
Comment: The D-backs have such a great balance of offense and pitching, that it’s hard to imagine them not running away with National League crown. They have a nasty one-two starting pitching punch in Brandon Webb and Dan Haren, a lineup filled with emerging young superstars (Justin Upton, Mark Reynolds, Conor Jackson, Stephen Drew, Chris Young), solid veteran leadership (Eric Byrnes and Orlando Hudson) and a stable bullpen (Brandon Lyon and Chad Qualls). Add a healthy Randy Johnson to mix, along with the development of pitchers Micah Owings and super-prospect Max Scherzer, and you have a recipe for success. The NL West division is theirs for the taking. The only concern with this team is seeing if their young lineup (average age of team is 26.6) can sustain consistent production over an entire season.
Comment: Yes, they have a loaded offense, but manager Jim Leyland’s team has some major problems too glaring to ignore. Dontrelle Willis has been a major bust and Justin Verlander, Nate Robertson and Kenny Rogers all have ERAs over 6.00. Entering Tuesday, the team defense had 15 errors, five of which have come from prized slugger Miguel Cabrera, whose play in the field has been so bad, the team moved him over to first base. Their bullpen, surprisingly, has held up well, but do you really expect Todd Jones (1.80 ERA) and Aquilino Lopez (0.49 ERA) to pitch this well all season? The Tigers don’t have the starting pitching to match up against AL Central teams like Cleveland, Chicago or even Kansas City and that’s going to cost them a playoff berth in 2008.
Comment: Fantasy owners that took a chance on him after his sub-par 2007 must be patting themselves on the back. If the Dodgers make the post-season, expect Furcal to be a serious candidate for an NL MVP award. Los Angeles has been underwhelming this season, but you can’t blame any of it on their starting shortstop, who has a .363 batting average through 25 games to complement his six stolen bases and 22 runs. The most impressive aspect of his game is the fact that he’s been so hot so early despite having a long history of atrociously poor starts.
Comment: He came into 2008 with a career .241 April batting average, so a slow start was to be anticipated. What was not expected, however, is his appalling line through 27 games: .153 AVG, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 5 R. Cano has looked like a rookie at the plate thus far this season, being far too aggressive at the plate as pitchers abuse him virtually every at-bat. He makes a pretty good buy-low candidate for fantasy owners because of this awful start, but just hope that this funk isn’t so bad that he can’t recover in 2008.
Comment: Once touted as the second coming of Pedro Martinez, Volquez had been plagued by control issues his whole career. After putting together some strong performances late last season for Texas, Cincinnati took a chance on him by trading for his services in the off-season. So far it has paid off big time as Volquez has been stellar, going 4-0 with a 1.23 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 29.1 innings. He’s looked like the real deal on the mound and should continue to dominate in 2008.
Detroit Tigers, SP
Comment: Despite good, not great, ratios in 2007 (3.66 ERA, 1.23 WHIP), fantasy owners were enamored with Verlander heading into 2008 based on his potential to win 20-plus games on a potent Tigers offense. Well, he’s been a terrible option thus far for fantasy owners and while his high WHIP and ERA will surely come down, it has become quite obvious that he is not going to be the elite pitcher many thought he would this season.
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