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With all eyes on their rookies, it's time for Tigers to make their move
It is time for the Tigers to make their move.
From now until the All-Star break, the Tigers will face only one team, the American league Central rival Minnesota Twins, that was more than two games over .500 as of Thursday. The rest -- the A's, Indians. Royals, ChiSox, Pirates, Nationals (I still want to call them the Senators), Diamondbacks, Mets, Braves, Mariners, and Orioles -- stood a combined 64 games under .500!
Baseball doesn't get much easier than that.
Jim Leyland has maintained all along that the Tigers will go as far this season as their veteran sluggers -- Miguel Cabrera, Magglio Ordonez, Johnny Damon, and Carlos Guillen -- can carry them.
But it is the kids who have crashed the lineup, most notably May sensation Brennan Boesch and April's darling, Austin Jackson, who have everyone talking.
Boesch is batting .343. Seventeen of his 35 big league base hits have gone for extra bases. After only 27 games, he is tied for third on the team with 22 RBI.
One writer at SI.com recently named Boesch the best rookie in the AL and ranked Jackson second. Another placed Boesch third, behind pitchers Neftali Feliz of the Rangers and Wade Davis of the Rays -- and just ahead of Jackson.
Jackson, who batted .364 in April and who suffered that frightening beaning against the Dodgers, is hitting .335. Kudos to Tigers' scout Jeff Wetherby who stuck his neck way out in strongly recommending Jackson last fall when trade talks with the Yankees began.
Danny Worth, who was once supposed to be the Tigers' shortstop of the future, has demonstrated he can play second base, too. Whatsmore, after eight games, the kid is hitting .333. If Scott Sizemore fails to get himself turned around at Toledo, Worth could have Sizemore's job next year. Or Adam Everett's.
Outfielder Casper Wells has been sent back to Toledo -- but not before he gave management something to think about. In his brief big league cameo, Wells collected two hits, including a double, and knocked in two runs in nine at-bats. Mark my words: We haven't heard the last of Casper Wells.
From now until the All-Star break, the Tigers will face only one team, the American league Central rival Minnesota Twins, that was more than two games over .500 as of Thursday. The rest -- the A's, Indians. Royals, ChiSox, Pirates, Nationals (I still want to call them the Senators), Diamondbacks, Mets, Braves, Mariners, and Orioles -- stood a combined 64 games under .500!
Baseball doesn't get much easier than that.
Jim Leyland has maintained all along that the Tigers will go as far this season as their veteran sluggers -- Miguel Cabrera, Magglio Ordonez, Johnny Damon, and Carlos Guillen -- can carry them.
But it is the kids who have crashed the lineup, most notably May sensation Brennan Boesch and April's darling, Austin Jackson, who have everyone talking.
Boesch is batting .343. Seventeen of his 35 big league base hits have gone for extra bases. After only 27 games, he is tied for third on the team with 22 RBI.
One writer at SI.com recently named Boesch the best rookie in the AL and ranked Jackson second. Another placed Boesch third, behind pitchers Neftali Feliz of the Rangers and Wade Davis of the Rays -- and just ahead of Jackson.
Jackson, who batted .364 in April and who suffered that frightening beaning against the Dodgers, is hitting .335. Kudos to Tigers' scout Jeff Wetherby who stuck his neck way out in strongly recommending Jackson last fall when trade talks with the Yankees began.
Danny Worth, who was once supposed to be the Tigers' shortstop of the future, has demonstrated he can play second base, too. Whatsmore, after eight games, the kid is hitting .333. If Scott Sizemore fails to get himself turned around at Toledo, Worth could have Sizemore's job next year. Or Adam Everett's.
Outfielder Casper Wells has been sent back to Toledo -- but not before he gave management something to think about. In his brief big league cameo, Wells collected two hits, including a double, and knocked in two runs in nine at-bats. Mark my words: We haven't heard the last of Casper Wells.
posted by Jim Hawkins at
6:11 AM
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