WTFchris
04-30-2008, 07:22 PM
Grading the Tigers one-sixth into the season
The Tigers have played 27 games, which marks the one-sixth point of the season.
It's also easy to see what sort of pace the team and player is on. The Tigers are 12-15, so they're on pace to go 72-90.
We can all rest assured that they will do better than that.
Anyway, here are the grades for the first of six marking periods:
Starting pitching: D. Amazingly, this would be an E if not for rookie Armando Galarraga (2-0, 1.50 ERA), who has stepped in and replaced Dontrelle Willis with great results. The rest of the rotation has been extremely disappointing: Justin Verlander (1-4, 6-50), Kenny Rogers (2-3, 6.75), Jeremy Bonderman (1-2, 4.28), Nate Robertson (0-3, 6.91) and Dontrelle Willis (0-0, 7.20).
Relief pitching: B. This was the area of most concern coming into the season, but it actually has been pretty decent. The grade would be even higher of not for a slow start the first week. Todd Jones is 5-for-5 in save opportunties with a 2.45 ERA, and Denny Bautista has been fine in the setup with a 2.25 ERA. Aquilino Lopez has been a big surprise at 0.49 in 18 1/3 innings. In fact, six relievers currently on the team have lower ERAs than any of the starters except Galarraga. And there is help on the way with Francisco Cruceta throwing well in Toledo.
Offense: C+. The numbers are there, but the consistency has not. They have scored 136 runs in 27 games, an average of 5.04 (to score 1,000 runs, they would have to average 6.17). To make matters worse, they've been shut out four times. It is obvious that Curtis Granderson makes a huge difference in the lineup, and having both Gary Sheffield and Placido Polanco battling injuries has not helped. It's likely that this offense will not get a grade this low the rest of the season.
Defense: C-. The Tigers already have shuffled their infield because of poor defense. Miguel Cabrera looks like he has lead feet, and he was a liability at third base. Carlos Guillen was having trouble with his footwork at first base, so that switch was a natural one that should improve the defense. Edgar Renteria is fine at shortstop, but it looks like he's lost a little range from his younger days. Although he was not billed as a defensive liability, the Tigers have decided to replace Jacque Jones defensively in late innings. A good defense can save a struggling pitching staff, and the Tigers weren't equipped to do so with Cabrera at third. Things should improve with the gloves as the season goes on.
Coaching: C. Manager Jim Leyland can't get a pass here because that's where the buck stops. He didn't have this team ready to go when the bell rang. However, he did seem to light a fire under them after they suffered back-to-back shutouts in Chicago. He's also done a great job utilizing the bullpen, and he wasn't afraid to make the Cabrera-Guillen switch.
Outlook: The Tigers seem to have survived the 0-7 start. They're tied with the Indians, still the most likely top contender for the AL Central Division title, and they're just three games behind the White Sox. Still, the bottom line lies with the pitching. If the rotation gets straightened out, the playoffs are very possible and maybe even likely. If the rotation is a mess for most of the summer, October baseball won't be played in Detroit.
From
(http://blog.mlive.com/curveballs/2008/04/grading_the_tigers_onesixth_in.html)
The Tigers have played 27 games, which marks the one-sixth point of the season.
It's also easy to see what sort of pace the team and player is on. The Tigers are 12-15, so they're on pace to go 72-90.
We can all rest assured that they will do better than that.
Anyway, here are the grades for the first of six marking periods:
Starting pitching: D. Amazingly, this would be an E if not for rookie Armando Galarraga (2-0, 1.50 ERA), who has stepped in and replaced Dontrelle Willis with great results. The rest of the rotation has been extremely disappointing: Justin Verlander (1-4, 6-50), Kenny Rogers (2-3, 6.75), Jeremy Bonderman (1-2, 4.28), Nate Robertson (0-3, 6.91) and Dontrelle Willis (0-0, 7.20).
Relief pitching: B. This was the area of most concern coming into the season, but it actually has been pretty decent. The grade would be even higher of not for a slow start the first week. Todd Jones is 5-for-5 in save opportunties with a 2.45 ERA, and Denny Bautista has been fine in the setup with a 2.25 ERA. Aquilino Lopez has been a big surprise at 0.49 in 18 1/3 innings. In fact, six relievers currently on the team have lower ERAs than any of the starters except Galarraga. And there is help on the way with Francisco Cruceta throwing well in Toledo.
Offense: C+. The numbers are there, but the consistency has not. They have scored 136 runs in 27 games, an average of 5.04 (to score 1,000 runs, they would have to average 6.17). To make matters worse, they've been shut out four times. It is obvious that Curtis Granderson makes a huge difference in the lineup, and having both Gary Sheffield and Placido Polanco battling injuries has not helped. It's likely that this offense will not get a grade this low the rest of the season.
Defense: C-. The Tigers already have shuffled their infield because of poor defense. Miguel Cabrera looks like he has lead feet, and he was a liability at third base. Carlos Guillen was having trouble with his footwork at first base, so that switch was a natural one that should improve the defense. Edgar Renteria is fine at shortstop, but it looks like he's lost a little range from his younger days. Although he was not billed as a defensive liability, the Tigers have decided to replace Jacque Jones defensively in late innings. A good defense can save a struggling pitching staff, and the Tigers weren't equipped to do so with Cabrera at third. Things should improve with the gloves as the season goes on.
Coaching: C. Manager Jim Leyland can't get a pass here because that's where the buck stops. He didn't have this team ready to go when the bell rang. However, he did seem to light a fire under them after they suffered back-to-back shutouts in Chicago. He's also done a great job utilizing the bullpen, and he wasn't afraid to make the Cabrera-Guillen switch.
Outlook: The Tigers seem to have survived the 0-7 start. They're tied with the Indians, still the most likely top contender for the AL Central Division title, and they're just three games behind the White Sox. Still, the bottom line lies with the pitching. If the rotation gets straightened out, the playoffs are very possible and maybe even likely. If the rotation is a mess for most of the summer, October baseball won't be played in Detroit.
From
(http://blog.mlive.com/curveballs/2008/04/grading_the_tigers_onesixth_in.html)