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March 8, 2009

On the Beat

Settling In

by John Perrotto

The Tigers are going through a hype-free spring training this year, and that's quite a switch from what they went through in 2008. The buzz last spring was over a Tigers' offense so powerful it was expected to score 1,000 runs. In turn, 1,000 runs were supposed to lead to possible 100 wins. Unfortunately, the Tigers were instead one of the biggest disappointments in baseball last season; not only did they fail to even come close to scoring 1,000 runs, but they finished last in the American League Central with a 74-88 record.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland certainly did not expect to finish in fifth place with the third-highest payroll in the major leagues ($137 million), but last spring he had warned everyone that the expectations being placed on his club were unrealistic. "First of all, I think people underestimate how good the pitching is in the American League," said Leyland. "Everyone says that all the pitching is in the National League and all the hitting is in the American League. I don't buy that. It's not true. Second, do you realize how difficult it is to score 1,000 runs? That's over six runs a game. You're facing major league pitchers. You're not going to score six runs a game day in and day out. I know last year was a bad year, but asking any major league team to score 1,000 runs is crazy."

What really drove Leyland crazy was the lineup maneuvering that he felt compelled to do before the season was even a month old. While he has a knack for getting contributions from all 25 players on a roster, he's also a fan of lineup stability, yet before April had ended, third baseman Miguel Cabrera was moved across the diamond to first base, first baseman Carlos Guillen was moved to third base, and Brandon Inge, displaced as the third baseman because of the acquisition of Cabrera from the Marlins in a blockbuster trade at the Winter Meetings, wound up playing catcher and center field. "It was chaos," said Leyland. "We were shifting guys all over the place because the pieces didn't fit the right way, and we were trying to line our guys up so we could have them in spots where it would give us some decent defense. It might have been gingerbread for the writers, given them something to write about, but it was a headache for the manager, I'll tell you that much."

While the Tigers scored 821 runs—one less than when they had won the AL pennant in 2006—they still averaged 5.1 per game, good for fifth in the major leagues. The problem though, was that the Tigers were 27^th in runs allowed at 5.3 per game, and their .685 defensive efficiency was 23^rd, so they're trying a different approach this season. While they still have the heart of their offense that includes Cabrera (.298 EqA last season), right fielder Magglio Ordonez (.296), center fielder Curtis Granderson (.294), and Guillen (.288), the Tigers spent the offseason adding defense.

They acquired catcher Gerald Laird from the Rangers in a trade to replace Ivan Rodriguez, which will allow Inge to move out from behind the plate and back to third base, while Guillen shifts from third base to left field. Shortstop Adam Everett was signed to replace Edgar Renteria, who was allowed to leave as a free agent after his range had diminished to what one Tigers' source said was "from his left foot to his right foot, because he couldn't move at all." Everett had 8 FRAA, despite playing in just 48 games with the Twins last season because of a strained shoulder and bruised hand (Renteria was at -6).