Justin Verlander Had a Big Day
Well folks, what we’ve all been expecting to happened has finally happened. Justin Verlander will be a Tiger (essentially) for life. Today he (effectively) signed the largest contract ever for a pitcher, coming in at a cool 7 years and $180 million with a vesting option for 2020 worth $22 million, for a potential total of $202 million, surpassing Felix Hernandez’s 7 year, $175 million deal from earlier this offseason.
After the Felix deal, I discussed what I thought Verlander was worth and guessed at what he would earn. I figured 8 years and $210 million if he signed this early, but it now looks like the Tigers effectively signed a seven year deal with an option for an eighth given that he is already under contract for 2013-2014. We can debate about whether or not that is a fair comparison, but let’s just think about the deal.
The Tigers now have Verlander through age 36 (37 with the option) and will pay him close to $26 million a season on average. Given the current going rate for a win above replacement (WAR), Verlander needs to be worth around 5 WAR per season on average to earn his keep, but that’s before we adjust for contract inflation which will likely mean he will need to average somewhere around 4.5 WAR per season for the rest of his career.
For now, that should be pretty easy given that he’s been averaging 6 WAR or better for the last four seasons, but we should expect some regression as he ages near the end of the deal. So long as he stays healthy and ages relatively well, the Tigers won’t regret this from a purely baseball perspective.
But it’s more than that. On the field, he’ll probably earn this deal or close to it given his skill level and durability, but he’s also worth a lot to the Tigers as a brand. If you go to Comerica Park, you’ll see more Verlander gear on fans than any other player. He’s the face of the franchise and a huge moneymaker in the pro shop. Plus he’s such a big supporter of the city and fan base as a whole.
I haven’t thought about this enough to be sure, but I’m not sure there is a more beloved athlete by his home fans than Verlander in sports right now. Maybe Tom Brady. Maybe Derek Jeter. But it’s a short list of contenders for a few key reasons. First, Verlander is homegrown. He’s only ever played for the Tigers. Second, he has absolutely no off-field problems like Kobe Bryant or Miguel Cabrera. Third, he embraces the relationship. Fourth, he is really good at baseball.
So I love this deal. It’s a fair price for the Tigers and Verlander gets to become the richest pitcher in the game until Kershaw signs his extension. But I love it because it means Justin Verlander, likely the greatest Tiger of my lifetime thus far, will be a Tiger for his entire career. He will go into Cooperstown having played for only one team. That’s rare today and it demonstrates a level of loyalty that is important to me.
I love athletes who are loyal to their team. Verlander has now locked in that status for life. The Dodgers or Yankees might have offered him more after 2014, but the Tigers offered him enough now, so he took it. He’ll spend the rest of his playing days trying to bring titles to the city that he loves, and more importantly the city that adores him.
If you’re not a Tigers fan, you might not have a good understanding. When Verlander is on the mound, Detroit (and Michigan) stop. When people say, “When’s he pitching next?” you don’t have to ask who they mean.
When he throws a gem, the standing ovation is on another level. We love Justin Verlander in a way that we can’t love most athletes anymore. Either their bad people in the private lives or they jump ship for more money or more glamour. Justin Verlander is neither. They don’t build statues for people who leave town for more money and they can start building his statue now.
He’s the real deal. If he blows out his elbow in two years, I won’t look back on this deal as a mistake. At this moment in time, he is worth it. He’s more worth it than any other pitcher in the game and he means more to Detroit than he ever would to anyone else.
Justin Verlander will be a Tiger for life. He will, for now, be the richest pitcher on the planet. Opening Day is in three days and his first home start should be eight days from now. I promise you, when he leads the team onto the field with “Til I Collapse” playing on the stadium speakers, Comerica Park could cave in.
Detroit has always loved Justin Verlander. Now we know he loves us too.
Editor’s Note: This was perhaps not even the coolest thing JV did today. See below.
Worth Optioned, Tigers Set for April
That’s it folks. Coming in hot off the presses, by which I mean Twitter, the Tigers have locked in their Opening Day roster.
It’s no surprise that Danny Worth was the odd man out, because Santiago makes more money and doesn’t have options left, despite probably being the better player at this point in time. Worth will be back soon enough.
The bigger news today was that Bruce Rondon failed to make the team and will start the year in Toledo with the Tigers going to closer by committee for the foreseeable future. I don’t like how they handled Rondon, but I am a big fan of closer by committee, so I can’t hate this too much. If Leyland actually sticks to a committee, this is going to be awesome to watch.
Pena, Kelly, and Tuiasosopo round out the bench and Downs locked down the final bullpen spot for now.
The rest of the team was pretty well set from the start and everyone remains healthy for the time being. It’s hard not to like the team on paper, with countless projection systems and prognosticators picking them to be one of the best teams in the league and the surest bet to make the playoffs of any club.
This time Monday, we’ll be watching the first game of the season and dreaming on what this team could do.
Not long now, friends. Not long at all.
2013 Preseason Playoff Predictions
In February, I wrote up Preseason Power Rankings (30-21, 20-11, 10-1) and Win-Loss predictions for all thirty clubs. The next step in any process of this kind is to discuss how these predictions will manifest in October.
Let’s review who made the cut.
American League (listed by seeding):
Detroit Tigers
Tampa Bay Rays
Texas Rangers
Los Angeles Angels
Toronto Blue Jays
National League:
Washington Nationals
Cincinnati Reds
San Francisco Giants
Atlanta Braves
St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers (tied for WC #2)
And now let’s play it out!
NL Tiebreaker:
Cardinals over Dodgers
NL Play-In Game:
Braves over Cardinals
AL Play-In Game:
Blue Jays over Angels
NLDS:
Nationals over Braves (3-1)
Reds over Giants (3-2)
ALDS:
Tigers over Blue Jays (3-2)
Rays over Rangers (3-0)
NLCS:
Nationals over Reds (4-2)
ALCS:
Tigers over Rays (4-2)
World Series:
Tigers over Nationals (4-3)
Think October will go differently? Let us know in the comments or on Facebook. Should October actually go differently, feel free to pretend you never read this.
2013 Preseason Awards: American League Cy Young
In continuing our preseason awards series, we have arrived at the boring one. Sorry about that, but these things happen. Sometimes the pick is too obvious and the drama is lacking. This is one of those times.
On Sunday, I ran down our list of the The Nine Best AL Starters for 2013 and there are a lot of great names on that list. Felix Hernandez, David Price, Yu Darvish, and my breakout pick Matt Moore are all going to make a run at the top pitching honor in the AL, but the award will be outside their grasp.
And the award will go to…
A photo from directly above the author’s desk.
Justin Verlander (SP – Tigers)
You knew this was coming. Verlander enters his eighth major league season as the front man of one of the best, if not the best, rotations in all of baseball. He’s been a machine and continues to mix dominance with durability.
He has run off four 6 WAR or better season in a row and has a Cy Young and MVP from his 2011 campaign. Heck, he should have won another Cy Young last season.
Verlander is the best pitcher on the planet, and there are really only a handful of guys who really compare. Anything can happen, but it usually doesn’t. Usually, Goliath beats David and the Soviet Union wins the 1980 Gold Medal.
This seems like one of those times. Justin Verlander is simply too good at throwing a baseball to not pick him for the Cy Young. I just couldn’t pick anyone else, even if I wanted to. It’s certainly possible that he doesn’t win the award in 2013, but if I picked anyone else I would simply be making a bold prediction just for the sake of doing so, and I hate people who do that.
Justin Verlander is the best starting pitcher in the American League until someone proves otherwise.
2013 Detroit Tigers Season Preview
Well folks, the time has come. Less than two weeks from now, the Tigers will be at Target Field taking on the Twins and getting the 2013 season under way. It has seemed like a quiet offseason for the defending AL champs, but they actually made some big moves by signing Torii Hunter to a two year deal and re-upping with Anibal Sanchez for five seasons.
The Tigers have two consecutive division titles under their belts and a pennant flying this season for their work thwarting the rest of the AL in 2012. With essentially the entire team coming back in addition to the aforementioned additions and a healthy Victor Martinez, all signs point to another big season for the Tigers. Things can go wrong, but the expectation surely is that the Tigers will repeat as AL Central champs.
You can read my AL Central preview here, my preseason power rankings here, and my standings prediction here, all of which point to my agreement with the conventional wisdom about the Tigers chances. I think they’re going to be very good and a force with which to be reckoned. Here’s why.
The Starting Pitching
The Tigers have six starters who belong in a major league rotation. The staff is led by Justin Verlander, who is the best pitcher in the game according to most, and backed up by three pitchers who can make a strong claim to #2 starter status: Doug Fister, Max Scherzer, and Anibal Sanchez. Those potential number twos are the strength of the rotation because it makes them extremely deep. It would surprise no one if any of those pitchers accomplished something close to a 4 WAR season (they’ve all done it before), and it would be incredible if they all managed to do it.
Think about this, Verlander is the oldest member of the rotation. The Tigers have three pitchers in their primes with a history of strong performance behind the game’s best starter. That’s pretty good.
And then there are Rick Porcello and Drew Smyly. Both of which deserve to start this season. I wrote here that I’d go with Porcello and he is making his case this Spring with an excellent strikeout to walk ratio and a much better breaking ball. To his credit, Smyly isn’t struggling either. It’s a good problem to have.
I would argue the Tigers have the best rotation in baseball and I can’t make a case for them being any worse than third entering the season. In the next two weeks, the Tigers are going to trade, send to the pen, or demote a pitcher capable of a 2-3 win season. That should be all you need to know.
The Lineup
At this point, it just sounds like I’m naming parts of a baseball team, but the lineup is very good. Austin Jackson was a top five AL outfielder last season and is joined by fellow top ten AL outfielder Torii Hunter at the top of the lineup. If that wasn’t enough, MVP and elite hitter Miguel Cabrera follows them, sitting ahead of Prince Fielder and Victor Martinez.
If there is a better first five hitters in the sport, I haven’t found them. Behind that force lurks the underrated Andy Dirks, the on-base machine Alex Avila, and the poised for a bounce back Jhonny Peralta. Omar Infante will hit ninth and hopefully prevent anyone whining about second base this season.
The Tigers are blessed with exceptional depth on the bench, but the overall quality of the lineup is impressive. They can’t replace many of their players, but they should be able to weather one serious injury at a time without much problem. Every player in the Tigers lineup has either been an All-Star or had an All-Star type season very recently with the exception of Dirks. The infield defense is sub par, but with a much improved outfield defense and strikeout inclined starters, they can probably outslug any problems.
Experience
On occasion, pundits overrate the value of experience over talent, but in the Tigers case, it should help. The Tigers have been to the playoffs in consecutive seasons with a very similar roster and the experience of having worked through long seasons with trials and tribulations should play to their advantage. The Tigers players should be well conditioned for October baseball after seeing what it takes to keep themselves in top condition over the last two seasons deep into the Fall.
The Leadership
Again, this is a quality that is somewhat controversial, but the Tigers have a lot of personalities in their clubhouse that will nurture a winning environment. Losing streaks will be handled appropriately and there shouldn’t be any infighting or problems. Victor Martinez’s presence will be welcomed back this season along with the addition of Hunter and the ever-present Jim Leyland, whom everyone seems to adore. Experience and leadership are hard to measure, but if they matter at all, they should work in the Tigers favor.
The Bullpen, Even the Bullpen
I wrote at length recently about why Rondon will succeed as the closer and why it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t. Benoit, Dotel, Coke, Downs, Below, Putkonen, and others are all available out of the pen. The Tigers don’t have anyone like Craig Kimbrel or Aroldis Chapman, but they have many, many pitchers who could be solid, reliable relievers. The position is volatile and unpredictable, but the Tigers are well stocked with potential arms in the pen. They won’t lead the league in bullpen-ness, but they won’t be bad.
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I don’t think it is too bold to say that the Tigers are among the best teams, on paper, entering the 2013 season. I would argue they are the second best team, behind Washington. Things can always go wrong, but they go wrong for every team. I always hedge and say that so long as the Tigers are no less unfortunate than their competitors, they should win the division quite easily.
The Royals and Indians are better and the White Sox aren’t pushovers, but the Tigers are the class of the Central. With upheaval in the East and a strong West, the road to another pennant will be trying, but it is certainly within the Tigers’ grasp.
With elite level star power in Verlander, Cabrera, Fielder, and others, it’s hard not to dream on the Tigers 2013 potential. They have it all, including a chip on their shoulders after a poor showing in the Fall Classic.
For the Tigers, this could be the year that the roar is officially restored.
Happy 10th Birthday, 2003 Tigers!
It was ten years ago that the worst baseball team of the last generation, perhaps of the last half century, began their season in earnest. Here are the facts.
The team, managed by Alan Trammell, went 43-119. They scored 591 runs and allowed 928. They finished a whopping 47 games out of first place in the AL Central. Somehow, the Tigers still outdrew Tampa Bay in 2003.
But it was so much more than the bare facts. It was year two of the Dombrowski administration and year one of the three year experiment with Trammell at the helm. It was the bottom of the bottom.
119 losses.
The only offensive player to post higher than 1.0 WAR was Dmitri Young (2.1). The position players, as a whole, posted a negative 0.7 WAR. The only team of position players to be worse in my lifetime was the 1998 Twins (-2.0).
The pitching was better, if you can call it that. The pitchers combined for a 3.8 WAR, which is only 12th worst since 1990. But for perspective, let’s remember that 25 individual pitchers posted WARs of 3.8 or higher last season.
That’s really terrible.
Let’s add a little context. Who was this team? Who played the most at each position? Ladies and gentleman, your 2003 Detroit Tigers!
Catcher: Brandon Inge
First Base: Carlos Pena
Second Base: Warren Morris
Shortstop: Ramon Santiago
Third Base: Eric Munson
Left Field: Craig Monroe
Center Field: Alex Sanchez
Right Field: Bobby Higginson
Designated Hitter: Dmitri Young
I don’t know, that isn’t so bad. If I was evaluating that offense, I’d consider them one of the worst four teams in the league, but I don’t think I’d put them down for 119 losses or anything. The pitching staff?
Nate Cornejo, Mike Maroth, and Jeremy Bonderman pitched full seasons and Adam Bernero, Gary Knotts, Matt Roney, Wil Ledezma, Nate Robertson, Chris Mears, and Shane Loux all made several starts. Some of those guys had decent runs in their careers, but none of them happened during 2003. If this was my rotation in 2013, I would probably be looking for a new one.
So these names are certainly a blast from the past. Lots of Tigers from the days before the Tigers were Verlander and Cabrera.
The 2003 Tigers were very terrible. It was sad and comical and a mess. But there is another side of the story that we often divorce from this team.
This was the beginning of the baseball renaissance in Detroit. It was this terrible season that earned the Tigers the #2 pick in the 2004 draft (At this time, the first pick alternated leagues so the Padres went first).
With that pick, the Tigers chose Justin Verlander and everything began to change.
Dombrowski chose Verlander, who is now the Tigers ace. They signed Pudge Rodriguez that offseason and traded for Carlos Guillen. Both played major roles in the Tigers resurgence.
Then Magglio Ordonez came to town. The Tigers took a chance on him when no one wanted to and he rewarded them greatly. And then there was Kenny Rogers and Jim Leyland. And breakout seasons from Inge and Granderson. Monroe and Thames.
DD took Maybin and Miller in the 2005 and 2006 drafts and later turned them into Miguel Cabrera.
A magical run in 2006 came before a string of extended success. The Tigers have finished below .500 just once since that 2006 season.
The seeds of the current powerhouse, big spending, contending Tigers were planted among the ashes of the 2003 Tigers. The hapless, terrible 2003 Tigers gave us Justin Verlander, and soon, a real winner.
Mike Illitch brought in Dave Dombrowski who showed Mr. I what a winner could look like in Detroit. Now Illitch backs up the money truck and fans storm the turnstiles. Detroit is a place for premier free agents. Fans have astronomical expectations each season and anything short of 90 wins seems like a disaster. People revere the Old English D instead of pity it now.
This wonderful run of baseball at Comerica Park happened for a lot of reasons, but the 2003 Tigers deserve some credit. They were so bad that things finally started to change. Verlander through the draft. Pudge through a mitzvah of his own. Maggs as the marriage of a broken player and a team looking for a savior.
Then the floodgates opened. Cabrera and Fielder and Scherzer and Fister. Anibal Sanchez, Torii Hunter, Alex Avila.
Just ten years ago, the Tigers were drawing poorly and losing more games than any American League team ever had. But then, as it usually does in times of great struggle, everything changed.
Maybe that never happens if the Tigers hadn’t bottomed out like they did. We’ll never know. But as we “celebrate” the ten year anniversary of the worst team I’ll ever cheer for, let’s also remember it was that devastation that led to this great era of Tigers baseball.
The Tigers enter the 2013 season as the division favorites and World Series contenders after back to back playoff berths and an AL Pennant, but they do so on the backs of a 119 loss club that came ten years before.
Here’s to the 2003 Tigers. Happy birthday, guys.
The Nine Best American League Starting Pitchers for 2013
The previous eight weekends have featured lists of The Nine best players at each of the main field positions for the 2013 MLB season. You can access these lists here all season long and I will provide status reports of these lists as we proceed through 2013.
There will be no list for relief pitchers because there are so many of them and their range of performance is so small that making a list isn’t very interesting. There will also be no DH list because there just aren’t enough full time DHs to make it worthwhile. Only 15 teams can have a DH and some of them employ platoons. Picking 9 DHs out of like 13 guys seems silly.
But starting pitching is a place of great interest and I struggled to decide how to break it down. With more than 150 players receiving starts in a given season on the hill versus a number closer to 30 for the field positions, I’ve decided to break it in half. I thought about lefties and righties, but decided American League and National League would be more fun.
Here, without more nonsense, are The Nine best American League starting pitchers for 2013 according to SABR Toothed Tigers. The list is difficult to make because there are many excellent candidates, so as always, don’t get too worked up about it.
9. Max Scherzer (Tigers)
Scherzer will turn 29 during the upcoming season, which will be the fifth full one of his career. The strikeouts shot up last season and he kept his walk rate below 3.00 per 9 for a second straight season. He had some arm issues late in the season, but pitched well enough in the playoffs to make us think the winter off was enough to reset his aching body. He’s a flyball and strikeout pitcher, which will work well with the Tigers defense and last season was his most complete effort in the sense that he didn’t go through long stretches of poor performance. I still wonder if he can repeat his delivery and keep his awkward mechanics in line, but if he can continue on the path he started last year, he has a shot to be a force in the AL.
8. R.A. Dickey (Blue Jays)
Dickey is coming off two and a half very good seasons and an NL Cy Young. We can’t worry too much about his age given his knuckleballing ways, but we should worry that he’s moving to a less pitchers’ friendly Rogers Centre and slightly better AL East. Dickey won’t do quite as well under those conditions, but we can control for those context type factors. I don’t think he’ll be a Cy Young again, but his ability to make the ball dance should be enough to keep him on this list for another season.
7. C.C. Sabathia (Yankees)
Sabathia showed signs of aging in 2012 for the first time after 11 above average to great seasons leading up to it. He’s still a workhorse with great control and hasn’t had an ERA above 3.38 since 2005, with much of that time spend in the tough AL East. CC is probably making his final appearance on this list for his career, but he will remain one of the best pitchers in the AL for 2013.
6. Doug Fister (Tigers)
Fister had a higher WAR than all but 12 AL pitchers last season, despite only making 26 starts due to a nagging oblique injury during the first half of the season. Had he pitched at the same rate over 34 starts as he did over 26, he would have easily been a top nine pitcher last season. There is no reason to think anything but injuries would stand in his way. The strikeout rate is on the way up and his control has been excellent in a Tigers uniform. He’s only 29 and could easily be poised for another fine season. He also happens to be my favorite pitcher to watch. His mix of modesty and control with great fastball movement makes for excellent viewing. He’s also super tall. That’s fun too.
5. David Price (Rays)
The reigning Cy Young winner in the AL is fifth on this list, not because I don’t like him, but because I like his opponents more. Price has three straight 4.0+WAR seasons and is right in the middle of his prime. All signs point to another great year from Price, but I think he’ll be just shy of Cy Young conversation in 2013.
4. Matt Moore (Rays)
So when I previewed the AL East, I said Moore would be the Cy Young of the division. In doing so, I also decided he would be a better pitcher than his teammate David Price. Perhaps that was foolish, but I’m bullish on Moore and think people overlook him. He was a top three prospect entering last season and had made an excellent late season cameo in 2011. A year of control issues later, and everyone seems to be looking past him. I’m not. Moore is not yet 24 and has a lot of developing left to do. He throws gas from the left side with two solid offspeed pitches. He was a solid #3 starter in his first big league season. I don’t see any reason to think he can’t make the leap to #1 a year after he was the best prospect in the league.
3. Yu Darvish (Rangers)
Darvish tied Price last season for third in the AL in WAR and should still be on his way up. The strikeout rate was superb and if he can limit the walks at all, he’ll be an elite starter. After a year in the states, he should be poised for a better season because he won’t be adjusting to life in America and can focus solely on pitching. The stuff is great and his first year of results matched that.
2. Felix Hernandez (Mariners)
Felix is about to turn 27 and already has 38.3 career WAR and four straight 230 IP + seasons. The velocity ticking down is the only thing to worry about with the game’s richest pitcher, but he’s shown the ability to be effective at all speeds and is coming off one of his best seasons as a pro. He’s an ace and a stud and any word you can think of to describe a top pitcher. The only thing he isn’t is number one on this list.
A photo from directly above the author’s desk.
1. Justin Verlander (Tigers)
I’m not sure what needs to be said about Verlander. His first three seasons were very good and his last four have been phenomenal. He has a ROY, Cy Young, MVP, and has never missed a start in seven seasons. He’s entering his age thirty season as the game’s best and more reliable starting pitching. With four above average to elite pitches, the two time no-hitter thrower is every hitter’s worst nightmare.
How would you rank the AL’s arms? Sound off. Check back next weekend for the NL list.
The Over/Under Guide to the 2013 Detroit Tigers
Many people like betting on sports and many people also like talking about sports as if they were betting on sports despite having no actual intention of doing so. This is a post for both types of people, but with more emphasis on the latter because some of these are quite specific and probably couldn’t get much action.
Below are my 2013 Detroit Tigers Over/Unders. Comment and share this post and let’s get a little contest going. I have set the numbers at where I think they are most likely to fall, meaning I believe it is equally likely that the outcome will be over and under and I am indifferent as to which to choose.
1. Team Wins (93.5)
2. Justin Verlander Strikeouts (249.5)
3. Austin Jackson Diving Catches (0.5)
4. Longest Winning Streak (7.5)
5. Longest Homerun Hit by a Tiger (448.5 ft)
6. Times FSD Shows Rod Allen Charging the Mound in Japan (1.5)
7. Times Mario and Rod Make Reference to Torii Hunter and Victor Martinez’s clubhouse value (140.5)
8. Cliches Doug Fister Uses in Postgame Interviews (724.5)
9. Miguel Cabrera Homeruns (36.5)
10. Times Alex Avila Gets Hit with a Foul Tip (∞)
11. Longest Rain Delay During a Non-Suspended Game (2:45.5 hours)
12. Comerica Park Sellouts (37.5)
13. Justin Verlander Near No-Hitters [defined as six or more no-hit innings] (1.5)
14. Games Played by Victor Martinez Not at DH (10.5)
15. Highest Batting Average for a Tiger Who Qualifies (.325)
16. Extra Inning Games (8.5)
17. Walk-Off Wins (4.5)
18. Max Scherzer’s K-Rate (10.5)
19. Lynn Henning Hate Tweets About Jhonny Peralta (85.5)
20. Date at Which Bandwagon Fans First Jump Ship (May 11)
21. Playoff Clinching Date (September 21)
22. Stolen Bases for Team Leader (19.5)
23. Number of Times Tom Brookens Pulls a Gene Lamont (2.5)
24. Tigers All-Stars (5.5)
25. Tigers Players with UZR’s > 4.0 (1.5)
26. Times Mario and Rod Discuss Non-Baseball Topics at Length (5.5)
27. Tigers Grand Slams (4.5)
28. Starts for Andy Dirks (120.5)
29. Number of Fans At Game 162 [Played in Miami] (9,850.5)
30. Games that Will Be Fun (160.5)
Post in the comments with you bets or on Facebook or Twitter. The winner will have next year’s contest named after them!
Tigers Release Brennan Boesch
Today, the Tigers parted ways with OF Brennan Boesch after three seasons. Boesch was released when it became clear that he would not have a place on the team and it was still early enough to save on his $2.3 million salary. The Tigers will now owe him less than $500,000 for 2013. (Boesch signed with the Yankees on 3/15)
There were trades suitors for Boesch this offseason, but none who were willing to offer what the Tigers were searching for, and Dave Dombrowski decided to give Boesch a shot to make someone else’s roster this Spring.
Boesch was many things, but he’ll always be a case study in fan misperception. Boesch has and always will be a flawed player. His approach at the plate is poor and his defense is bad. But man does he have power. And for periods of time, he flashed the ability to make good contact. But he was streaky and it never lasted.
He burst onto the scene with such fury in 2010 that fans thought that Boesch was the real Boesch. It wasn’t. Prior to 2010, he had never been the brilliant player he was during that half season run, and it showed in the second half. In 2011, he recovered some from the rough end to 2010, but missed the end of the season with a thumb injury.
In 2012, he was one of the worst big league regulars in the sport, posting a -1.3 WAR. He never walked, struck out too much, and couldn’t overcome those shortcomings because he didn’t hit for power and played ugly defense.
Boesch was never much of prospect and was generally on a fourth outfielder track prior to a great first half in 2010. So many saw that and only that. They saw him as something that he wasn’t, so he came crashing down. Which isn’t his fault. The expectations were too high after that three month run. He could never live up to them.
But Boesch had some glorious moments and big hits. He made diving catches in a clunky, ungraceful way that made you want to cheer and laugh at the same time. By all accounts, he’s a good dude too. He speaks Spanish with his teammates who struggle with English and gets along with his brothers in arms on the whole. He’s from Rod Allen’s hometown, so Rod Allen loves him a little extra.
The female Tigers fans also seemed to fancy Boesch for his boyish charm and blonde locks. All in all, there are worse things in the world than playing professional baseball in a city that loves you. Many, many worse things.
So I’m sorry to see Boesch go. I was never a believer in his talent, but I badly wanted him to prove me wrong. I’d eat all the crow in the world for another magical Brennan Boesch streak. I imagine someone will give Boesch a shot just for his power. The Yankees could probably benefit from taking a flyer. I hope he has a few more good weeks in him, even if he doesn’t have many great years.
Boesch was a frustrating player at times, but always seemed like someone worth cheering for. We at SABR Toothed Tigers wish him the best of luck and look forward to seeing him again.
On a final note, because this won’t ever be relavent again. Brennan Boesch and Andy Dwyer (from NBC’s Parks and Rec) might be the same person. Think about it.
Five Things to Worry About
Many people have worried a lot this winter about Bruce Rondon as the closer, but they shouldn’t. They’ve worriedly about Porcello and Smyly over stuffing the rotation, but they shouldn’t.
Perhaps people just like to worry? In that case, here are five better things to worry about this Spring Training.
5. Jim Leyland not getting his nicotine fix in light of new anti-smoking laws.
4. Doug Fister bumping his head on the dugout ceiling.
3. Alex Avila standing near flammable substances, because one time, sparks literally came off his mask.
2. Andy Dirks needing a new dress shirt, because is neck is way out of proportion to his body.
1. Rod Allen developing a Justin Verlander meets Miguel Cabrera level man crush on Torii Hunter.
Needless to say, I think people worry too much. But if you insist on worrying, let’s worry about important things.
New English D 