Panic Time in Detroit
Published April 15, 2008
If you think it's premature to push the proverbial panic button in Detroit you are sadly mistaken. A popular preseason pick to go to and, by many estimations, win the World Series, the much hyped Detroit squad has scored less and been scored upon more than any team in Major League Baseball. Compounding upon this stark reality, their vaunted lineup has been shut out four times already this year and to date is showing only minimal signs of offensive life.
The reality is, one would have been completely in the right had they pushed said button before a single game was played this season. Sounds like revisionist history doesn't it? I can hear the volleys now, singing of the ease of perspective when viewed in retrospect.
Truthfully, the signs that this team would struggle were all present long before the first Tiger pitch cut through the frigid Midwest winds in '08. Lost in the delirium and delusions that the euphoria from one's team spending money can create were obvious weaknesses bubbling right at the surface of the Detroit roster like a boil on the landscape of blind optimism.
A valid starting point, the Tigers bullpen is - even on paper - atrocious. During their World Series season of 2006 it was already shaky; easily the weakest facet of a talented team. Now their bullpen is down right decrepit; completely ineffective and without the forward looking potential of the '06 squad. Leading the charge for this stable of misfits, Detroit began yet another year with Todd Jones as their closer.
As any Tiger fan - or anyone who regularly watches the games — can attest, a save situation involving Jones is a nerve rattling and abrasive experience. Balls pounded to the farthest reaches of cavernous Comerica Park, the bases seemingly constantly loaded with runners awaiting a go ahead, clutch stroke, chomping at the bit to reach home plate; these are regular staples of a Jones save situation - and those are on the good days.
At his worst Jones is a highly hittable pitcher with an unspectacular repertoire that has only been dulled by his advanced years. In the game today - where starters are on stringent pitch counts and rarely hurl complete games — a dominate closer is a vital piece of a championship ball club. While Jones can, at times, somehow get people out he is a far cry from the likes of Mariano Rivera or Jonathan Paplebon.
Bridging the gap between the starters and Jones, there are no signs of hope. With former phenom set up man Joel Zumaya on the shelf with a bad shoulder — struck down by another ever so common tale of box moving gone horribly wrong - and serviceable Fernando Rodney out with shoulder tendinitis, the Tigers find themselves turning to the likes of legacy Tiger Jason Grilli and the terrible trio of Bobby Seay, Zach Miner, and Aquilino Lopez. This lack of depth in itself should have been enough to set off some major alarms in Tigertown.
- Panic Time in Detroit
- Published: April 15, 2008
- Type: Opinion
- Section: Sports
- Filed Under: Sports: Baseball
- Writer: Anthony Tobis
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Totally valid points.
In the case of Lopez he has definately put up good numbers. From a pure talent evaluation standpoint (however qualified I am to make one of those) he reminds me of Matt Anderson or, at best, Kyle Farnsworthless. You need more then just a fastball once the league gets a book on you, but we'll have to wait and see if he can develope a second pitch to offset his speed.
As for Jonsey, yeah he's kept it together thus far but seriously, does any Tiger fan really feel good about that guy closing ball game? He gave up 64 hits in 61.3 innings last year and in 06 he gave up 70 in 64. That's a little much.
Clete is awesome but what does his success say about the Tigers' offense? With a guy nearly replicating Granderson-like stats they still can't generate any offensive fluency. Maybe when Curtis comes back they can find a place for Clete in left, giving them something to work with at the top, but that's up to Leyland.
Forgive my skepticism on his long term prospects but the Tigers have definately had their share of Chris Sheltons and Ryan Rayburns, as have all teams.
If Clete can keep it up they really could have something nice with the two of them.
"You need more then just a fastball once the league gets a book on you, but we'll have to wait and see if he can develope a second pitch to offset his speed."
You don't necessarily need to change speeds, but a breaking pitch can be just as effective. I looked at Aquilino's pitching splits on ESPN, and it looks like his out pitch is actually a slider. Fastball and slider -- those were Zumaya's pitches too. (Now, Lopez is 32, so he's not exactly a budding phenom.)
"As for Jonsey, yeah he's kept it together thus far but seriously, does any Tiger fan really feel good about that guy closing ball game?"
Even though one needs more than the prescribed dosage of Maalox while watching him ... at least I do. At face value, when you hear about a closer who allows a lot of baserunners and is probably last among closers in strikeouts, you'd think he's horrible. But he blew six games last year. 13 other closers blew more than that, some with fewer saves. It's at this point that you basically have to throw out the stats and numbers and just concede that Todd Jones is an old, old man with a slow, slow fastball, and somehow does the job good enough.
Of course the other edge to that sword is that he'll have the job until he blows three straight games with a 7-run lead. But this won't be until he's 53 years old.
"Forgive my skepticism on his long term prospects but the Tigers have definately had their share of Chris Sheltons and Ryan Rayburns, as have all teams."
Understood, but Granderson will be back soon, and Thomas did his job as a replacement player. Furthermore ... Raburn was certainly a shot of Red Bull for them in the second half last year but ... is he really a Shelton-y flameout already? He's still with the team. Shelton never even made it back to the majors a few months after The April To Remember.
You can definately make that assertion about Jones, and there are definately are a good deal of closers who are far worse then him, that goes without saying.
Jones just isnt championship caliber and neither is the rest of their pen.
My point was never that the Tigers are a horrible team. Like I said in the piece, the Yanks of the 1980's won more games than any other franchise in that decade. They just didn't have the pieces in their rotation or their bullpen to bring it home.
The team is good, they just aren't championship caliber as they were projected to be. They will crush some teams like they did last night but in the end I don't predict that to be enough.
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Well, it's a two-game winning streak later, and while I thought any winning streak would be the result of bashing and no bullpen relief, consider:
• Aquilino Lopez, horrible? His ERA is 0.73 -- One run allowed in 12 innings.
• Todd Jones gave up his first run tonight in six games, moving his ERA to 1.50.
Also, Clete Thomas is filling in nicely for Curtis Granderson. He's hitting over .300 in his absence.
They've got holes, but when nothing was working in the first two weeks, it's really hard to gauge exactly what their problem is. Maybe their bullpen will actually be very good and the starting pitching will be horrible.