More Good News

[Rebbiv]

Christin Stewart either needs to be starting with the Tigers in 2018 or with another team. Yes, he is abysmal in the outfield. I was hoping they would cut ties with Victor and make Stewart the primary DH.

 

[dale675]

Christin Stewart either needs to be starting with the Tigers in 2018 or with another team. Yes, he is abysmal in the outfield. I was hoping they would cut ties with Victor and make Stewart the primary DH.

That doesn't sound like a bad idea. Maybe they give VMart a month or 2 to see how he rebounds. When he hits he does add value. If he's hitting it's possible they trade him somewhere along with 1/2 his salary to save themselves a few bucks. If he is sucking it up maybe then it's time to cut ties and let Stewart show us if he can hit at the MLB level. :shrug:

 

[Rebbiv]

That doesn't sound like a bad idea. Maybe they give VMart a month or 2 to see how he rebounds. When he hits he does add value. If he's hitting it's possible they trade him somewhere along with 1/2 his salary to save themselves a few bucks. If he is sucking it up maybe then it's time to cut ties and let Stewart show us if he can hit at the MLB level. :shrug:

Victor is a cancer. He needs to be gone. Stewart needs to start the season on an MLB roster, either here or elsewhere. Having him start the season in the minors until if or when Victor pans out is pointless for his development. He will be 24 years old. It is now or never.

Yes he is a liability in the field, however his bat grades out very well.

 

[tomdalton22]

Victor is a cancer. He needs to be gone. Stewart needs to start the season on an MLB roster, either here or elsewhere. Having him start the season in the minors until if or when Victor pans out is pointless for his development. He will be 24 years old. It is now or never.

Yes he is a liability in the field, however his bat grades out very well.

I agree 100%. V-Mart needs to go. Even if Stewart is a liability in the field, at least he can play a little out there. He could DH most of the time and play some games in LF if needed.

 

[Mitchrapp]

Teams don't like using 24 year old players as a DH. Victor or not Stewart will still most likely be our starter in the OF or be left in the minors ..

 

[tomdalton22]

Teams don't like using 24 year old players as a DH. Victor or not Stewart will still most likely be our starter in the OF or be left in the minors ..

most AL teams use older players that aren't useful in the field as their DH. If Stewart is a liability in the field he may be destined to be a DH. If his bat is ready, I say get him in the linup.

Oakland used Ryon Healy (25) mostly as a DH last year after playing 3B his rookie year. I don't know if he was moved their because he is a liability in the field or just trying to keep his bat in the lineup.

 

[Mitchrapp]

most AL teams use older players that aren't useful in the field as their DH. If Stewart is a liability in the field he may be destined to be a DH. If his bat is ready, I say get him in the linup.

Oakland used Ryon Healy (25) mostly as a DH last year after playing 3B his rookie year. I don't know if he was moved their because he is a liability in the field or just trying to keep his bat in the lineup.

That's why I said most.

I'm curious if Victor has a buy-out this season? If not I'm suspect they release him and I don't see anyone trading for him.

 

[Mitchrapp]

Just checked 18m, no buy-out. They won't sit an 18m guy.

 

[tomdalton22]

Just checked 18m, no buy-out. They won't sit an 18m guy.

no....they won't sit him. IMO they have two options.

1) Hope he retires.
2) Cut him


Here is a good article explaining the situation

https://www.blessyouboys.com/2017/9...-victor-martinez-justin-verlander-brad-ausmus

 

[Mitchrapp]

18m, that's hard to say no thanks. I don't see him being cut but anything is possible.

 

[Rebbiv]

Victor serves no purpose (cannot really play the field anymore) and is a negative in the clubhouse. He needs to be gone, $18 Mil be dammed.

There are a few examples of players becoming full time DHs at a young age. although most don't stick (see Chris Shelton).

David Ortiz 24
Billy Butler 25
Adam Lind 25

Now, keep in mind in the last 3 years, only 5 players have over 300 games as a DH. So technically, they aren't many that DH solely. The reason is that you need roster flexibility. So a DH has to be able to field a position somewhere. Victor cannot do anything but 1B, and has been limited there as of late (15 games in the last 3 years).

Christin Stewart is the same skillsets as Adam Dunn, in all areas. Even Adam Dunn got an everyday LF job in MLB, eventually moving to 1B (he also sucked there). If he had more spent time in the AL, he would have become a DH earlier than he did.

The Tigers have had plenty of defensive players who suck at offense (Iglesias for one). Why not try Stewart (he is about 2 echelons better offensively than Castellanos)?

This team is not going anywhere anytime soon. Spending roster spots on veterans that serve no purpose is a luxury this team can do without. There are plenty examples of cutting guys making undue monies.

 

[turok]

In hindsight signing Martinez to another 4 year contract was foolish, 2 years would have been much more appropriate, considering that he couldn't even play 1B much anymore, and that he was becoming ever slower on the basepaths.

I would offer him an extra $2 million, if he would agree to retire and annuitize the last year of his contract to $5 million per year over the next 4 years.

Christin Stewart looks like Adam Dunn in the K and BB categories, than HR. He could top 200 Ks moreso than hitting 40+ HRs, the latter @ least for a couple of seasons. Being a LH batter with some power is an asset, being poor defensively is a big liability. Put him on the bench as a PH and PT DH.

 

[Rebbiv]

In hindsight signing Martinez to another 4 year contract was foolish, 2 years would have been much more appropriate, considering that he couldn't even play 1B much anymore, and that he was becoming ever slower on the basepaths.

I would offer him an extra $2 million, if he would agree to retire and annuitize the last year of his contract to $5 million per year over the next 4 years.

Christin Stewart looks like Adam Dunn in the K and BB categories, than HR. He could top 200 Ks moreso than hitting 40+ HRs, the latter @ least for a couple of seasons. Being a LH batter with some power is an asset, being poor defensively is a big liability. Put him on the bench as a PH and PT DH.

HRs by Aaron Judge in the minors his last 3 years (through age 24):

17, 20 and 19

.261 BAVG .345 OBP .465 SLG .810 OPS 24.4 PA/HR

HRs by Christin Stewart in the minors last 3 years (through age 23):

10, 30 and 28

.262 BAVG .363 OBP .508 SLG .871 OPS 20.6 PA/HR

And based on his 2017 Strike out rate, Stewart would have to get over 800 Plate Appearances to strike out 200 times.

Why is it so many are reluctant to give a kid a chance? I am not saying he will have a season like Judge.

last 3 year full minor season stretch

R. Howard (through 24) .292 BAVG .374 OBP .537 SLG .911 OPS 19.1 PA/HR
C. Stewart (through 23) .262 BAVG .363 OBP .508 SLG .871 OPS 20.6 PA/HR
D. Travis (through 23) .323 BAVG .388 OBP .478 SLG .867 OPS 43.2 PA/HR

A. Judge (through 24) .261 BAVG .345 OBP .465 SLG .810 OPS 24.4 PA/HR

M. Joyce (through 23) .260 BAVG .339 OBP .455 SLG .794 OPS 31.0 PA/HR
S. Moya (through 24) .266 BAVG .299 OBP .492 SLG .791 OPS 19.9 PA/HR
T. Collins (through 24) .264 BAVG .343 OBP .430 SLG .773 OPS 34.7 PA/HR
A. Dirks (through 24) .287 BAVG .349 OBP .416 SLG .764 OPS 52.4 PA/HR

J. McCann (through 24) .271 BAVG .318 OBP .383 SLG .701 OPS 79.6 PA/HR

Compare Stewart's last 3 years with any other player's last 3 years through 23 or 24, and they compare at the extreme high end. Yes, he is a liability on defense. But in LF, or maybe even eventually 1B, that liability is negligible compared to the offense he could provide.

He won't hit more than say .250, but his OBP should be about 100 points higher than his BAVG. There is no reason to not believe he hits at least 30 HRs on a regular basis. Again, Adam Dunn is a fair comparison and that isn't a knock on him at all.

 

[dale675]

18m, that's hard to say no thanks. I don't see him being cut but anything is possible.

Which is why I see them giving him a chance to hit. In the eyes of Chris Illitch, if Victor can hit .250 with a little power, they may be able to trade him and get a team to take on a small portion of his salary. We are not in win mode this season so don't expect any logical decisions to be made. It's clear they are in save money mode, so if there is any chance of recouping even a fraction of that 18m, I see them going for it.

 

[tomdalton22]

Which is why I see them giving him a chance to hit. In the eyes of Chris Illitch, if Victor can hit .250 with a little power, they may be able to trade him and get a team to take on a small portion of his salary. We are not in win mode this season so don't expect any logical decisions to be made. It's clear they are in save money mode, so if there is any chance of recouping even a fraction of that 18m, I see them going for it.

that is certainly one way to look at it. He would have to start red hot for a team to even consider him given his past season.

 

[tomdalton22]

Angles showing some interest in Kinsler?

http://www.espn.com/blog/mlb/rumors/post/_/id/37657/rumor-central-angels-pursuing-tigers-ian-kinsler