Mailbag: Injury prevention
Why didn't the Tigers make a serious attempt to acquire Tony Batista? He would
have fit Detroit's need for a power-hitting third baseman. Instead he signed wi
th Japan. -- Paul B., Hemlock, Mich.
Making a serious run at Tony Batista is one thing. Giving Batista a two-year, $
15 million contract is something completely different. This is what is known ar
ound the Majors as "stupid money," though in this case it came from Japan. Rega
rdless, the Tigers don't like to play that game, and rightfully so.
Granted, Batista's numbers last season in Montreal were impressive ... except f
or the .241 batting average, .272 on-base percentage and 19 errors at third bas
e. There was no way any big-league team was going to match that kind of salary
for him, especially for a 31-year-old whose defense didn't figure to get any be
tter with age. If the Washington Nationals were willing to sign Vinny Castilla
for two years and $6.3 million, that should say something about what they thoug
ht of Batista.
Jason, I see that a lot of the people who email you are curious about the progr
ess of Kyle Sleeth and Justin Verlander, as am I. However I was wondering why y
ou never talk about Kenny Baugh. Is he a bust or something? -- Brian C.
It's hard to call him a bust since an injury was the reason his development slo
wed so much. Given that, though, he has something to prove before he earns a ca
llup to the Majors. He has basically put up consecutive .500 seasons at Double-
A Erie, though his other stats in 2004 were better than his record would sugges
t. I think he can succeed at the velocity where he's pitching with solid contro
l, and the fact that he's earned a likely promotion to Toledo is encouraging. B
ut at age 26 before Spring Training opens, he desperately needs a good start wi
th the Mud Hens to force something at the big league level.
In light of multiple injuries to young pitchers last season (Fernando Rodney, N
ate Cornejo, Chris Spurling, Preston Larrison, and Rob Henkel), I'm curious to
know what the Tigers staff is doing to prevent pitcher injury. I've heard of a
tandem starting system in the minors and limiting innings for guys like Wilfred
o Ledezma. Are you aware of other methods they're currently using? -- Dave, Det
roit
The basic methods in the upper levels are the innings limits, Dave. That was on
e reason for Ledezma's promotion to the Majors to get some limited starts befor
e his innings ran out. Pitch counts are another limit. Beyond helping managers
limit innings, they encourage starters themselves to work towards quick outs, w
hich is an underrated trait these days when strikeouts are a worshipped statist
ic.
I'm a Detroit Tiger fan from California and a big Alan Trammell fan. My questio
n to you is why are there so many "free" agents who don't respect the "Old Engl
ish D." Do they not understand that the Tigers have as much history as the Yank
ees and Red Sox? Yes, I understand that the Tigers don't have the championships
, but come on, the history of players such as Ty Cobb, Hank Greenberg, Mickey L
olich, Alan Trammell, Kirk Gibson, etc?? I just think the Detroit Tigers DESERV
E to be one of the best teams in the game and competing for a playoff spot and
championship most every year, because I respect the "Old English D."
P.S. The Magglio Ordonez situation puzzles me, due to the fact that last year,
in watching every Tigers game on the Major League Baseball package from Direct
TV, they had mentioned that Ordonez's knee problems were more than a surgery an
d rehab could correct. Has this changed?? I thought it was career-ending?? --
Fritz, San Jose, Calif.
Fritz, it's not the history of a franchise! In most cases, it's how lucrative o
f a contract they're willing to offer! Most players who sign with the Yankees c
an talk about the team's history all they want, but it's not like they turned d
own more money from another club, though in Carl Pavano's case it's not so cert
ain.
As Clint Eastwood said to Gene Hackman in the movie Unforgiven, "Deserves got n
othing to do with it."
P.S. According to the surgeon that performed a non-surgical procedure on Ordone
z, if that makes any sense, his knee injury should not be career-ending. I thin
k how Ordonez performs in workouts for various clubs should go a long way towar
ds proving whether or not he deserves a multi-year contract.
I know that Dave Dombrowski has a history of loving the hard-throwing left-hand
ers in the rotation and it seems that we have a few. Based on production last y
ear, how do you feel about Mike Maroth and his chances of staying in Detroit? N
ot only did he come back from a disappointing year in 2003, but it seems that w
hen the Tigers needed a big game, he provided that, especially in the heart of
the season. I am a big Maroth fan and to me, he is the heart and soul of this t
eam. What are your feelings? -- Karen K., Troy
Unless something comes up late, Karen, Maroth is staying put. The Tigers like h
is tenacity and ability to pitch aggressively with the pitches he possesses. He
could be a Tom Glavine in the making. Whether the Tigers try to work out a dea
l with Maroth before he's eligible for arbitration at season's end depends on h
ow he performs in this coming season.
And given the scarcity of hard-throwing lefties, I think everyone loves those g
uys. That's why most everyone in trade talks with the Tigers likely ask for Nat
e Robertson and Wilfredo Ledezma.
It has been reported that the starting five-man rotation will be Jeremy Bonderm
an, Nate Robertson, Maroth, Jason Johnson and Ledezma -- with Gary Knotts, who
figures to be the long man out of the bullpen in the competition because no one
will be given a job this season. But I have not heard about Cornejo. Will he h
ave recovered from shoulder surgery? Can he push Johnson or Ledezma out of the
rotation? -- Jeff M., Toledo, Ohio
Cornejo is still rehabbing from his surgery, Jeff, and I think the fact that he
was not invited to big-league camp says a lot about where he stands in this or
ganization. He's ticketed for the minors when the season starts, meaning he's o
n the outside looking in. Given that, he'll have to make an impression on Tiger
s officials in his first half at Toledo to earn another shot at Detroit or some
where else in the Major Leagues.
--
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--
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