• I was bummed out by the passing of Bill Lajoie and began writing a little something … and then realized I’d already written it back in November.

• Peter Gammons put together a roundup of 10 “overlooked baseball success stories” from the past year and placed at number-three Miguel Cabrera:
  

  Cabrera is on the outskirts of history. Whatever mistake he made in September 2009, he addressed, and he has now placed in the top five in the MVP race four of the past six seasons. In his eight seasons playing for the Marlins and Tigers, in ballparks that were not exactly built for hitters, he has averaged just under 31 homers and 110 RBIs. His .388 on-base percentage speaks volumes about his growth, and his OPS+ through age 27 is 145. Pujols’ was 167 at that age, Henry Aaron’s 153, Ken Griffey’s 150, Frank Robinson’s 148. That is the air Miguel Cabrera breathes. In his seven full seasons in the Majors, he’s averaged more than 157 games played. He turns 28 on April 18. The next day, Joe Mauer turns 28.

• So Zach Miner signs with the Royals.

  “There were a few teams that checked in, and the Tigers and the Royals were the most aggressive,” Miner wrote in an e-mail to MLB.com. “But in the end, we just felt like K.C. was going to be a very good opportunity going forward, not only for this year, but for a few years down the road.”

  I can understand the guy wanting a fresh start if he’d had a bad experience in another city, but if the choices are Detroit or Kansas City, how do you choose the latter? I suppose you choose it based on your chances of seeing more action, though I thought Miner had a decent shot at supplanting Armando Galarraga at the backend of the Tigers’ rotation. Maybe not. I thought this quote in Jason Beck‘s story was interesting: “I … loved playing for Jim Leyland.”

  He did? Whenever Leyland came out to the mound when Miner was pitching, it seemed as if Miner wanted to run and hide.

• Mark Simon at ESPN’s Stats and Info Blog has written a couple of interesting posts on the Tigers’ offseason moves — one here on Joaquin Benoit, another here on Victor Martinez. If you listen to ESPN’s Baseball Today podcast, you’ve no doubt heard Simon from time to time. I enjoy his stuff and, if you haven’t already, recommend you add him to your daily rotation.

It’s almost kickoff time for Michigan State and Michigan. Enjoy the bowl games and have a Happy New Year.

1. MLB announced the rosters for the Futures Game held prior to the All-Star Game in Anaheim and the Tigers will have two representatives: Double A Erie — and soon-to-be-big-league — lefthanded pitcher Andy Oliver and Triple A Toledo outfielder Wilkin Ramirez. Oliver was named to the U.S. Team, while Ramirez was selected to the World Team. Ramirez saw action in the Futures Game at Yankee Stadium in 2008.

2. I was asked to give readers of MetsToday.com some insight into the 2010 Tigers. You can see how I did here.

3. According to the Tigers press notes, the club enters tonight’s game hitting .285 with 69 runs scored, 27 doubles, a triple and 14 home runs in 14 games during interleague play in 2010. Detroit is fifth among all major league clubs with a .285 batting average during interleague action this season. Wow. It certainly doesn’t feel that way, does it?

Finally, Happy 91st Birthday to Al Molinaro, who played Al, the owner of Arnold’s, in “Happy Days.”

Well, we’re not going to see Miner at all this season, and who knows if we’ll see him again in Tigers uniform. The club announced today that the right hander will have season-ending — wait for it — ligament reconstruction surgery — a.k.a. Tommy John surgery — on Friday in Los Angeles.

Miner, a valuable if not altogether aggressive part of the Tigers bullpen the past few seasons, is not signed after this year and may not return. As Lynn Henning notes:

[A]lthough he will remain Tigers property until he comes off the disabled list, at which point his roster situation will be determined.

With Miner lost, it looks like Brad Thomas can breathe a tad easier — again. Now if word comes that Bobby Seay (left shoulder strain) is officially through for the year, Thomas can stop going month-to-month on that condo lease.

But the more I watched and considered the situation, the better I felt. After all, the Tigers only needed three to four innings out of Thomas and they could hand it over to Eddie Bonine, then the back end of the ‘pen.

Both guys were solid and showed a national TV audience why the Tigers are hanging around the upper floors of the A.L. Central: the relief corps, of course. This is a much more preferable scenario than the tension that normally accompanies a Dontrelle Willis start.

Other thoughts rattling around my brain:

• While it wasn’t ESPN Sunday Night Baseball, it was an ESPN national broadcast, and it sure was nice to see the Tigers perform capably. In case you hadn’t noticed, they’ve stunk up the airwaves during their ESPN appearances since 2008.

• Speaking of pitching, the Thomas experience has worked out twice this season, but I think we’d all agree that we’d rather see a bona fide starter. And who would Fungo readers like to see in that rotation, if given the choice? Here are the results of last week’s Fungo Pulse Check:

  Who Would You Rather See Join the Tigers Rotation?

  • Armando Galarraga (49%, 119 Votes)
  • Eddie Bonine (23%, 56 Votes)
  • Someone Else — Anyone Else! (20%, 48 Votes)
  • Zach Miner (8%, 20 Votes)
  • Total Voters: 243

  Be sure to vote in this week’s poll –>

• I posted this on Twitter last week but it’s worth mentioning again: James Finn Garner crafted a nice poem on Ernie Harwell at Bardball.com. As usual, it’s great. Check it out here.

• With the win Monday night, the Tigers are now 508-470-6 all-time at home against the Yankees, and 20-20 all-time at Comerica Park.

That’s all I got.

1. I’ve long been a fan of the Oakland A’s. Admittedly, it was because I loved their gold, green and white ensemble they wore in the 1970s, but also because of Billy Martin‘s Oakland clubs in the early ’80s. The other day I picked up “Champions: The Story of the First Two Oakland A’s Dynasties and the Building of the Third” by Glenn Dickey, at the library.

   The first chapter, fittingly, is about long-time A’s owner Charlie Finley. Dickey shares this nugget: Before Finley bought the Kansas City A’s, one of his many failed attempts to buy a club included the Tigers. Can you imagine? Denny McLain and Charlie Finley? And we thought Jim Campbell was cheap…

2. I can’t abide by Batting Stance Guy.

3. If you’re an autograph hound, and I mean that lovingly, you can score a Zach Miner and Clete Thomas autograph on Saturday. Just donate new or gently used baseball equipment, or who provide a cash-money donation, at ABC Warehouse at 30280 Plymouth Road in Livonia from 12:30-1:30 p.m.

   The donations benefit Gloves For Kids, a program designed to provide Detroit’s youth the proper sporting equipment to participate in organized baseball and softball. Tell them The Fungo sent you…and be prepared for a blank stare.

Wanted to mention a couple of housekeeping items. Over the years I’ve grappled with the notion of advertising on The Fungo; I don’t want to clutter up the site with stuff that you have no interest in. You might have noticed that I added an Amazon block ad to the sidebar and Google Ads w-a-a-a-y down the page. A couple of things to point out. I control the Amazon ad and I’ve customized it so it shows only Tigers-related books. So, if you click on the ad and end up buying a copy, I get a morsel of revenue. And I mean morsel.

The Google Ads are there more as an experiment than anything else. I’ve had an Adsense account for about five years and in that time I’ve accrued a whopping $50 in revenue. (Google only cuts checks for $100 or more, so at my current pace I’ve got another five years before I get paid.) Of course, if you feel moved to click an ad, by all means do so.

Bottom line: I’m not going to get rich on these but every little bit helps.

• According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Tigers’ six runs in the eighth inning to overcome a 4-0 deficit yesterday afternoon against the Rangers marked the first time the Tigers have won a game after trailing at least 4-0 in the eighth inning or later since July 2, 1993. The frustrated club that day was also the Rangers, also 6-4 and also in Detroit.

• Miguel Cabrera is among the major league leaders in numerous offensive categories during the month of April since the start of the 2004 season. Cabrera is tied for second among active players with 100 RBI during that stretch, while he is fourth with a .600 slugging percentage, tied for fourth with 88 runs scored, fifth with 31 home runs and seventh with a .328 batting average.

• Yesterday’s victory capped a three-game sweep of the Texas Rangers, marking the Tigers first sweep of a season-opening series at home since winning both games of a two-game set against the Oakland Athletics April 13-15, 1993. The three-game winning streak to start the home schedule is the longest by a Tigers team since winning the first five games at home April 13-18, 1993.

• Still worried about the bullpen? Yes, it’s early, but hey, Tigers relievers have now retired 24 consecutive batters dating back to the ninth inning of Friday’s game against the Rangers. After allowing seven runs — five of them earned — in the first two games of the season, the bullpen has posted a 2-0 record and 1.76 ERA (15.1 IP/3 ER) over the last five games. Opponents have batted .098 (5 for 51) against Tigers relievers during that stretch.

Finally, a word about today’s starter, Zach Miner. Since the start of the 2007 season, Miner has posted a 2-3 record and 3.16 ERA in 11 appearances (two starts) against the Chicago White Sox. Miner has recorded the win in each of his last two starts against the White Sox, posting a 2.25 ERA.

• 4-3, 1st Place in A.L. Central, .5 games ahead of Chicago
• Streak: W3
• Home Record: 3-0 / Road Record: 1-3

Who’s Hot:

• Miguel Cabrera: .520 avg., .586 OBP, .960 SLG, 3 HR, 10 RBI
• Placido Polanco: .346, .393 OBP, .462 SLG
• Gerald Laird: .318, .400 OBP, .455 SLG
• Brandon Inge: .304, .448 OBP, .870 SLG, 4 HR, 7 RBI

Who’s Not:

• Carlos Guillen:.182, .345 OBP, .273 SLG
• Adam Everett: .238*, .333 OBP, .286 SLG
• Curtis Granderson: .241, .281 OBP, .483 SLG

*Though, wouldn’t we all be happy with .238 for the season from Everett?

Up Next: White Sox

• Today: Zach Miner vs. Gavin Floyd
• Tomorrow: Rick Porcello (0-1, 7.20) vs. John Danks (0-0, 0.00)
• Wednesday: Armando Galarraga (1-0, 1.29) vs. Jose Contreras (0-1, 7.20)

Tigers vs. White Sox

• All-Time Record: 990-979-15
• All-Time at Home: 523-458-5
• All-Time at Comerica Park: 32-49
• All-Time at Chicago: 467-521-10

Nevertheless, we want to continue our series of player profiles today with The Nater for two reasons — actually three, I just thought of a third: First, he made more starts last season than either Miner or Willis. Second, I already had the profile written. Last, we’ll do our friend and avowed Nater Hater, Ian Casselberry, a favor and get it out of the way.

Nate Robertson #29

• Height: 6′ 2″ | Weight: 225
• 2008 Stats: 7-11, 6.35 ERA

The Tigers had no shortage of pitching frustrations in 2008 and one could argue that the most perplexing of all was Robertson. Once considered a core member of the rotation, the lefthander’s performance in ’08 raised questions about whether he could physically and mentally take his game to a higher level. In fact, Robertson’s season was so off-kilter that he found himself in the bullpen after a 5-8, 5.26 ERA first half.

Things improved little after the All Star Break and the 31-year-old enters 2009 as a major question mark. However, if any Tigers pitcher is likely to adopt the mantra of new pitching coach Rick Knapp – throw first-pitch strikes – it’s Robertson, who had above-league-average success in this area in ’08. (Nearly 60 percent of his initial offerings were strikes.)

A reversal of fortune for the Tigers in 2009 will be tied closely to Robertson’s ability to rediscover his command – especially his slider – and log quality starts. The club hopes an off-season exercise regimen designed to improve his flexibility will help him in the short and long term. Barring a Spring Training meltdown, expect him to return to the rotation in 2009 and to stay out of the bullpen.

What are we to make of the pitching lineup this week in Arlington?

• Willis vs. Brandon McCarthy (1-1, 4.22)

• Zach Miner vs. Kevin Millwood (9-9, 5.15)
• Freddy Garcia vs. Dustin Nippert (3-4, 6.20)

Two-thirds of it looks like a game out of 2003.

I don’t want to be a defeatist here, but let’s face it. Unless something magically unforeseen happens, the Tigers could depart Texas with the back end of a .500 season intact — i.e., 81 losses. Which means they’d have to run the table and have the Twins and White Sox tied on Sept. 28 — requiring game 162 be played in Chicago — and win that game to finish 81-81.

Doesn’t look promising, does it? Take heart. Word out of Detroit is that Milt Wilcox is starting game one in Cleveland Friday night.

• So how did July end up for the Tigers? Even. As in 13-13. Here are some other tidbits that helped shape a so-so month in this so-so season:
  • Losses to the Twins on July 1 and the Indians on July 31 bookend the month.

  • Top hitter: Magglio Ordonez: .386; however he played in only 15 games. We’ll expand this to the two players that played in the most games last month: Curtis Granderson (26 games) .324, and Miguel Cabrera (25 games) .330.
  • Most hits: Granderson, 36; Cabrera, 25
  • Most homers: Cabrera, 8.
  • Top pitcher, wins: Justin Verlander, 4
  • ERA, starter: Zach Miner, 1.29
  • ERA, reliever: Bobby Seay, 0.79
  • Saves: Todd Jones, 3.

• The good news heading into a new month is that the Tigers are just 5.5 games out of first place with two months to play. The bad news? The Tigers are just 5.5 games out of fourth place. Savor that for a moment, won’t you?

• According to the results of The Daily Fungo Pulse Check unscientific poll, 57 percent of Fungo readers said they expected the Tigers to be buyers at the trade deadline, 43 percent thought the Tigers would sell. Interestingly, I noticed a mini-surge in “sellers” votes after the Pudge deal was announced. Be sure to cast your vote in this week’s new poll.

• The big media outlets released power rankings for this week. The Tigers certainly have the look of a middling team according to:
  • ESPN.com: 11
  • Fox Sports.com: 18
  • CBS SportsLine.com: 14
  • BaseballProspectus.com Hit List: 13
  • SportsIllustrated.com: 14
  • MLB.com’s Fab 15: 14

• Does anyone else feel like it’s Sept. 20 and not Aug. 1? This season is exhausting.

Finally, on Aug. 1, 1974, at Milwaukee’s County Stadium, Ron LeFlore made his major-league debut for the Tigers. Ralph Houk put him in the leadoff spot against the Brewers’ Jim Slaton and LeFlore struck out thrice. It wasn’t until his fourth at bat that he put a ball in play: a grounder to third baseman Don Money for the first out of the eighth.

The Tigers won the game 2-0 behind a masterful performance by Woodie Fryman: a complete-game one-hitter. Woodrow struck out 10 and walked three. Norm Cash drove in both runs with a solo homer and an RBI single.

Wondering who caught Fryman’s gem? Gene Lamont.

Have a great weekend.

The Score: Tigers 19 – Royals 4

The Gist: Awesome: Zach Miner (6 IP, 0 R, 3 singles, 1 BB, 1 K), Miguel Cabrera (5 for 6, 6 RBI), Matt Joyce (4 for 6, 5 RBI and a homer), Carlos Guillen (3 for 4, 5 runs), Curtis Granderson (3 for 5, 1 BB, 4 R). Not Awesome: The Royals’ poor Jimmy Gobble: 1 IP, 7 H, 4 BB, 10 R (all earned).

The Quote: “Zach Miner’s only 26?” — Mike McClary

The Stat: 3. The number of times the Tigers have scored 19 runs in a game this year.

Up Next: Tigers @ Royals

Kenny Rogers (7-6, 4.62) vs. Kyle Davies (3-1, 4.59)

The Gist: Magglio Ordonez goes deep twice, Jeremy Bonderman continues to frustrate and Jacque Jones is added to the injury list, yet the Tigers finally reach double digits in wins, defeating the Rangers 8-2. What else?

• Curtis Granderson led off the Tigers half of the first with a home run
• Zach Miner continues his Jekyll and Hyde act with a solid 3.1 hitless innings pitched, one walk and three strikeouts
• Ryan Raburn sort of slammed his first homer of the year (replays show that it could very well have been touched by a fan in right)
• Placido Polanco returns but still struggles at the plate, going 0 for 3 with a walk. He’s hitting .140 on the year.

The Quote: “I felt like I owed the starters at least one game like that.” — Zach Miner

The Stat: 111. The number of pitches thrown by Bonderman in a mere 4.1 innings pitched.

Up Next: Angels at Tigers

Nate Robertson (0-2, 7.48) vs. Ervin Santana (3-0, 2.67)

ESPN highlights available here.

The Gist: Justin Verlander got lit up. Again. This time the Tigers’ 0-3 ace allowed five runs on seven hits in five innings to take the loss. The 11-1 loss to the Indians, leaves the Tigers with a Lions-esque record of 5 and 11. The Tigers had Cleveland starter Fausto Carmona on the ropes in the first inning but couldn’t push across a run.

The Quote: “We let it get out of hand.” Jim Leyland.

The Stat: The prominent number in Zach Miner‘s pitching line from Thursday night: 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER — all in just one inning.

Luckily, we have the non sequiturs to keep us loose:

• ESPN.com released its Power Rankings for the week and the Tigers sit in the bottom half: #18. The good news is the folks in Bristol believe a 1-8 Detroit team is still better than the 4-6 Giants.
• Stop Me if You’ve Heard This One Dept.:
  

  Court officers from Wayne County and Livingston County were at Denny McLain’s Hamburg Township residence this afternoon seizing property under a search warrant issued in Wayne County, police said.

  It’s true what the song says, “There’s never been any like Denny McLain.”

• Yes, yes, I take back what I said about the bullpen in general and Zach Miner specifically. Let’s see if Clay Rapada can avoid the gopher ball this time around.
• I was going to recap what Jayson Stark had to say about the Tigers this morning but Ian, as usual, does it much better. Warning: The Dontrelle Willis rumblings aren’t good.
• Speaking of national correspondents, Ken Rosenthal says the Tigers have “issues, not problems.”
  

  They remain a good bet to reach the postseason despite their 0-6 start. Yet, their weaknesses are not easily dismissed.

  – snip —

  Tigers reliever Joel Zumaya, the executive says, was a candidate for a breakdown because he has a violent delivery and lands on his heel. Verlander also lands on his heel, the exec says, with his front toe turned toward first base. His delivery increases the stress on his shoulder and makes it difficult for him to keep the ball down.

• I’m trying to figure out what Brandon Inge‘s half-decent start means in the big scheme o’ things. Does it improve his trade value an iota? Does it mean he’s happier in Detroit with all these unforeseen at bats? Does it mean anything? Discuss.

Finally, be sure to send along birthday wishes today to the following former Tigers: Sean Bergman, John Martin, Sid Monge and Mike Kilkenny.

But what, pray tell, if it’s not?

I, for one, refuse to buy into the bullpen as Achilles’ heel conspiracy theory, and here are three reasons why:

1. Healthy starters
2. Dave Dombrowski
3. Zach Miner

1. Healthy starters. Among the many problems last season, the one that stands out most prominently for yours truly is the regularity with which Jim Leyland had to go to his bully in the sixth inning or sooner. Not only did it wear a path from the dugout to the hill, it prevented the bullpen from getting the rest required to be fresh when it was really needed. Instead, by Aug. 1 the Tigers bullpen was spent and Joel Zumaya‘s return proved to be too little, too late.

Oh, we’re all concerned that the Tigers staff has lingering questions including Kenny Rogers‘ age and ability to pitch deep into games — and the season. There’s concern over Dontrelle Willis‘ declining stats the past two seasons and whether he’ll pitch closer to 35 rather than his actual age. And, let’s not forget Fungo-favorite Nate Robertson. Can he at last shed the Tough Luck Nate label and win some close games?

By all acounts, Jeremy Bonderman‘s elbow is sound and should be helped by the change-up he’s supposedly improved — if not mastered. That leaves Justin Verlander. So far, so good and let’s keep it that way.

In all, the only health concerns surround Rogers and he appears good to go. The healthy outlook of the starting five should mean more quality starts, more starts lasting into the seventh or eighth innings and a more-rested relief corps.

2. Dave Dombrowski. Let’s assume — for a moment — that the bullpen underachieves. Then what? I’m betting that Dave Dombrowski will find the right arms (or, I suppose, left arms) to keep the bullpen afloat until either Zumaya or Fernando Rodney get healthy.

By now hasn’t Dombrowski proven to Tigers fans that, with the exception of Neifi Perez, he’s pulled the trigger on the right deals for the Detroit Nine?

And let’s not forget that Dombrowski has a potentially rock-solid chip to parlay into bullpen depth: Brandon Inge. Whether it’s May 1 or July 31, Inge will be gone and you can bet in return the Tigers will have acquired the reliever they need.

And who knows, Francisco Cruceta might have resolved his visa issues by then and logging valuable work in the seventh and eighth.

If I had to have GM at the wheel in this scenario, I’d want it to be the Tigers’.

3. Zach Miner. I’m a Zach Miner Fan Boy. There. I said it. Miner, in my view, is the Tigers most versatile and under-appreciated pitcher. All he’s managed to do since he came to Detroit is eat innings and fill the roles of spot starter and middle-relief guy with aplomb. Sure, he cratered in the second half of the 2006 season — his first in the bigs — but according to Baseball Prospectus 2008:

Miner kept the ball down on the way to an effective [2007] season, posting a 2.3 G/F [groundball to flyball ratio] and allowing just 14 extra-base hits in 232 opponent plate appearances. Miner was also effective with runners on, stranding 24 of the 30 he inherited. Of the Tigers three garbagemen, Miner has the most upside.

(In their assessment of Miner, BP included Chad Durbin and Jason Grilli as the others in the Garbage Time Trio.)

Granted, it’s not a rousing endorsement but if nothing else, the Baseball Prospectus folks do their homework. If they thought Miner was a dog, they’d say it.

Bottom line: If the first two in my recipe fail to hold up their end of the bargain, I feel considerably better knowing that Zach Miner is around to start, mop up or close shop.

Brandon Inge
If you recall prior to the 2004 season Mr. Inge acted like a petulant little child when the Tigers signed Pudge Rodriguez. He whined and complained about how the catching job was his and he wasn’t giving it up without a fight. Of course he turned into a super-sub of sorts (playing 139 games, logging 400+ ABs at five different positions) and eventually won the starting third base job.

Fast forward four seasons and Mr. Inge no longer wants to be a catcher; he fancies himself a third baseman apparently. Though not as loudly, he appears to be lobbying to move out of town now that Miguel Cabrera appears to be the Tigers’ new third baseman. I don’t believe for a minute the Tigers can trade him and the $18 million left on his contract and receive anything close to good value. With that said, I suggest Brandon close his yap, buy a few extra gloves, learn how to scoop balls at first, play all three outfield positions, and get comfortable in the tools of ignorance again. Return to the role of super utilityman for this season. Milwaukee Brewer Bill Hall logged over 500 ABs in a similar role in 2005, playing three different positions. If Inge can play 3B, 1B, OF, and even a bit of C, I would expect enough at bats will come his way to keep him happy.

The goal, or promise to Inge, is that he becomes your full-time catcher effective 2009. He’ll have this year to study the pitching staff, pick Pudge and Vance Wilson‘s brains, and relearn the position. With the offense that will be surrounding him, Inge would merely have to concentrate on his fielding — any hitting would be a bonus. And if you’re really trying to do the hard sell, remind him the staff he would have to catch would include Justin Verlander, Dontrelle Willis, Jeremy Bonderman, and — at some point — Rick Porcello.

Dontrelle Willis

I heard Willis’ first interview on local radio following the trade. WXYT had him on and I liked what I heard. He has a passion for the game, he has a personality, he’s energetic, and he should endear himself to the Detroit fanbase. Will he be able to pitch? The good news, I suppose, is that Detroit isn’t counting on him to be the ace. All they really need from him is 200+ serviceable innings. Ideally (with the bullpen the Tigers have) that’s what they’d like to get from all five starters — save Rogers I suppose. Chew up innings boys. The bats should get enough runs to keep this team in virtually every game.

One other item about Willis. Don’t underestimate the impact another African-American will have on the Tigers’ fan base. Willis is an inner-city kid and, like Curtis Granderson, has a personality that will make him popular. For a city that’s attempting to make a comeback, I think it’s outstanding the youngsters in town will have a couple of role models on the home team to look up to.

By the way, has anyone else noticed an entire Hispanic infield? Non hablas Espanol?

The Mitchell Report

Nothing surprises me (nor should it), but I’d like to launch a conspiracy theory on Roger Clemens. I wonder if his decision to stall his comeback each of the past couple of seasons was due merely to making sure he had it in him or rather he had it in him? I’m certainly no expert on performance enhancing drugs, but doesn’t it suddenly seem plausible that The Rocket was taking a late-winter cycle of PED’s before deciding to come back? Are unsigned free agents subjected to the testing? If not, it wouldn’t surprise me if Clemens got his body finely tuned and then gave his body time to flush the evidence before signing. So much for all those stories of his legendary workouts that I always admired as a younger man.

Mitchell Report Part II

Nook Logan? Mark Carreon? Alex Sanchez? This is our Detroit connection? No wonder our home team stunk during the Steroid Era!

Clearly Carreon wasn’t on the juice when he was a Tiger. He hit a career-low .232 that year.As for Sanchez — the first to be busted — it’s a good thing he was on the stuff, otherwise half of those swinging bunt singles he had would’ve rolled foul at the plate, right?

And Nook? Well, I got nothing for Nook.

Bullpen

If the starters can get into the seventh inning I don’t feel too bad about things. It’s that middle/long relief that gives me the Guillermos. I know Zach Miner will be serviceable and I shouldn’t fret about Jason Grilli, but neither instill a lot of confidence — especially if they get thrown into roles they’re not comfortable in.

I actually feel pretty good about the two situational lefties they’ll enter camp with: Tim Byrdak and Bobby Seay. Seay was especially effective the last half of the season when used correctly. Speaking of using folks correctly, Memo to Jim Leyland: Todd Jones can only pitch one inning this year and it should be at the start of the inning, not mid-inning with runners on base.

I’m not expecting Joel Zumaya to contribute anything this year.