Sometimes I want to rail on Major League Baseball about the lameness of so many things it does — the vapid celebrity softball game, the interminable Home Run Derby, the “this-time-it-counts” angle on the All-Star Game — but then I realize it’s probably me just getting old. The Tigers’ collection of All Stars is the largest since 1985 when the club sent six players to the Metrodome for the game managed by Sparky Anderson. Here’s a look at the largest classes of Tigers All Stars since 1984 and the team’s record that season: 1984 (104-58) Willie Hernandez Chet Lemon Jack Morris Lance Parrish Alan Trammell Lou Whitaker 1985 (84-77) Willie Hernandez Jack Morris Lance Parrish Dan Petry Alan Trammell Lou Whitaker 2007 (88-74) Carlos Guillen…
Jason Thompson Born: July 6, 1954 in Hollywood, Calif. Bats: Left Throws: Left Height: 6′ 4″ Weight: 200 lb. Acquired: Drafted by the Tigers in the fourth round of the 1975 amateur draft. Seasons in Detroit: 5 (1976-80) Uniform Number: 30 Stats: .256 avg., 98 HR, 354 RBI, .779 OPS Awards: Three-time All Star (1977, ’78 and ’82) On May 27, 1980, Tigers GM Jim Campbell traded my favorite player, first baseman Jason Thompson, to the California Angels for outfielder Al Cowens. The Hollywood native joined the Tigers full time in 1976 and played 123 games that year, hitting .218, with 17 home runs and 54 RBI. Two of the homers cleared the rightfield roof at Tiger Stadium. It was in 1977, though, that…
Here we are one week before Festivus and the Tigers have given fans mere stocking stuffers compared to the gifts White Sox, Nationals, Red Sox and, most recently, Phillies fans received. Then again, only in this offseason could a guy of Victor Martinez’s caliber be considered value-bin material. Now that the big names are off the board, the Tigers are left to browse the remainder table for their missing pieces — unless a trade goes down. In March 2009, my friends John and Steve came to town for some Cactus League action. The first game we attended was at the Indians and Reds shared facility in Goodyear, Ariz. (Though the Reds wouldn’t move to the Phoenix region until this past Spring.) We all agreed…
One by one, the Tigers’ alleged free-agent targets are signing with other clubs and in the case of Adam Dunn, with the hated White Sox. Now that Jayson Werth has sign a gargantuan deal with the Nationals — the Nationals? — Detroit is left to shoot for the moon (i.e., Carl Crawford) or swing another blockbusterish trade. I’m still betting on the latter, though the Tigers have fewer minor-league chips to parlay into an impact big-leaguer, and the ones they have — Andy Oliver, Jacob Turner — are the premier prospects. But who wants to see them dealt? Not many, I’m guessing. Meanwhile …
No Tigers baseball for a week, how are you managing? Here in Phoenix we’re prepping for another season of Arizona Fall League action. (More on that later.) In the meantime, here are some odds and ends from the last week: If you’re still coming to grips with the notion of Brandon Inge and Jhonny Peralta manning the left side of the Tigers’ infield next season, here’s something I noticed that will either make you feel better or worse – and nowhere in between. Based on this year’s stats, it appears that Inge and Peralta are practically twins: 2010 Stats Inge Peralta Games 144 148 At bats 514 551 Hits 127 137 Home Runs 13 15 RBI 70 81 Average .247 .249 On-base Percentage .321…
