Tigers willing to let AJax "mature" @ leadoff

[Mitchrapp]

[quote author=mitchrapp board=tigertalk thread=4471 post=110299 time=1325804758]Why didn't we win? Partly because our offense was not very good. We lost to Texas, by scoring 2, 2, 3 and 5. Too many holes. [/quote

Texas had very good pitching.

With Ogando, Adams and Feliz, that bullpen was tough.

The Tigers were 4rth in runs last year, which is pretty competitive. The Tigers were well above average offensively.

Because we had some high end players. I posted this before but my take on who will decline in 2012: Jv, Fister, Peralta, Avila, Mart, Velverde. The same, 2nd left and 3rd and Miguel.

 

[turok]

[quote="Mitch":g9emag7u]Why didn't we win? Partly because our offense was not very good. We lost to Texas, by scoring 2, 2, 3 and 5. Too many holes.

True, but the team with the best offense is not guaranteed a win in the playoffs, ask the Yankees.

We came within a few innings of the World Series, i look at that as a positive, not a negative.[/quote:g9emag7u]

Agree, however our ALCS foe has taken a big, expensive, albeit very risky gamble in an attempt to improve their chances to win it all on their possible third consecutive attempt, next postseason, as has their suddenly much more formidable divisional rivals.

There are obviously no guarantees for the Angels and/or Rangers that both of their moves so far, will result in immediate returns in the form of winning 90+ games next season, as well as clinching the ALWD title or the AL WC and then one or the other winning the ALDS/CS +AL pennant and playing in the '12 World Series.

But time stands still for no contending MLB team, and absent making moves to improve each off-season, star players get older/become injured/leave via FA as contracts expire, salaries escalate, money gets tighter, and the WS championship window gets that much smaller if not shuts close entirely, often causing a somewhat stagnant franchise with a weak farm system, that gambled and got burrned, to go into rebuilding mode....or aka Chicago White Sox, post '05...lol.

Maybe the now "Miami" Marlins have had the best scheme in the past, stockpile talent while buying the necessary FA parts that are missing, win a WS championship, then hold a fire-sale the following off-season, selling high, and striking while the "iron" is still hot.

Beats the hell out of winning a WS about once a generation (more or less), if your MLB franchise is middle-market or lower.

 

[mhughes0021]

[quote author=mitchrapp board=tigertalk thread=4471 post=110299 time=1325804758]Why didn't we win? Partly because our offense was not very good. We lost to Texas, by scoring 2, 2, 3 and 5. Too many holes. [/quote

Texas had very good pitching.

With Ogando, Adams and Feliz, that bullpen was tough.

The Tigers were 4rth in runs last year, which is pretty competitive. The Tigers were well above average offensively.

STL shelled that BP...we didnt. The BP didnt get worse in a week....STLs hitting was just better than ours. We struggled in each series at the plate....just got bailed out in the yankees series on numerous occasions or they could have easily all been 10+ run games against us lol.

 

[turok]

[quote author=mitchrapp board=tigertalk thread=4471 post=110299 time=1325804758]Why didn't we win? Partly because our offense was not very good. We lost to Texas, by scoring 2, 2, 3 and 5. Too many holes. [/quote

Texas had very good pitching.

With Ogando, Adams and Feliz, that bullpen was tough.

The Tigers were 4rth in runs last year, which is pretty competitive. The Tigers were well above average offensively.

STL shelled that BP...we didnt. The BP didnt get worse in a week....STLs hitting was just better than ours. We struggled in each series at the plate....just got bailed out in the yankees series on numerous occasions or they could have easily all been 10+ run games against us lol.

Ordonez turned out to be a waste of FA dollars, in hindsight they would have been better off resigning Damon instead, but not much that the Tigers could do when the overlong/paid contracted, creaky and brittle Carlos Guillen was "AWOL" on the DL almost all season+postseason, Boesch became injured and was out for the entire postseason, overused Avila was gassed, VMart was playing hurt, and Young was apparently in pain as well.

Not complaining at all though, as the Tigers wisely signed VMart instead of all "Dunn" and they acquired Fister late in the season, who (along with Delmon's boost offensively) was a huge reason behind why the Tigers ran away with the ALCD afterwards.

 

[jimrice]

[quote author=mitchrapp board=tigertalk thread=4471 post=110299 time=1325804758]Why didn't we win? Partly because our offense was not very good. We lost to Texas, by scoring 2, 2, 3 and 5. Too many holes. [/quote

Texas had very good pitching.

With Ogando, Adams and Feliz, that bullpen was tough.

The Tigers were 4rth in runs last year, which is pretty competitive. The Tigers were well above average offensively.

STL shelled that BP...we didnt. The BP didnt get worse in a week....STLs hitting was just better than ours. We struggled in each series at the plate....just got bailed out in the yankees series on numerous occasions or they could have easily all been 10+ run games against us lol.

That's the way it works sometimes, maybe it was overuse. Anything can happen in a short series. Is JV suddenly average because he was only OK in the playoff run? Is Avila garbage because he had a bad run? Of course not.

The Tigers were 4rth in offense last year. That's over the course of 162 games, so it's not a fluke.

I think it's a mistake to ignore a season's worth of stats in favor of a 6 or 7 game series. Sample size has to count for something.

 

[Mitchrapp]

But a lot things went right for Detroit last season. I love JV but 24 games and 2.40 most likely wnt happen again. Career year by Peralta, uncertainties with Avila and Boesch. Valverde, no way he doesn't blow a save. I just wish and still hope we can grab a 2B.

 

[Mitchrapp]

Is anyone real confident with two guys on, no outs with our 9-1-2 coming up. Sanchez, Inge/Kelly, Aj doesn't scare anyone.