Detroit Tiger's Report

Latest Team Information

Tiger's Starting Rotation under goes changes.
Gets even younger!

Wil Ledezma 2-2 W/L 4.05 ERA 1.28 WHIP is replacing Adam Bernere.
Ledezma has good stuff with movement and has shown good control. He has been impressive most of the time, with opponents marveling at his stuff after seeing him in relief outings. He has pitched 40 IP giving up only 35 Hits with 16 BB and 27 K's
It will take a few outing for him to get his pitch count up to last into the sixth and seventh inning where he can get wins. I expect Wil to do very well, but he is only 22 years old and it's going to be two or three years before he is a steady starter.
Matt Roney 1-2 W/L 3.40 ERA 1.21 WHIP has taken over for Greg Knotts who was sent down to Triple A
Matt is 23 years old and has pitched 50.1 IP giving up just 39Hits 22BB 25K's. He knows how to pitch and has good stuff. Roney won his first game July 1 2003 by shutting down a good hitting Blue Jay team with only one hit in seven innings.
Bernere will move into the bullpen in a long relief role. He has a lot of prombles with his control, often leaving the ball up in strikezone where he is hittable, in 99 IP he had given up 104 Hits 39BB 7 HBP 14 HR's and had just 54 k's going 1-12 with 6.05 ERA. It would not be suprising to see him send down to AAA soon.

Breaking News

Outfielder Bobby Higginson Has been placed on the DL on July 4th, Higginson has low back injury that affects the sciatic nerve that runs down the leg. This was belived to of been a hamstring injury at first.

Local View

It can't get any worst can it?
Manager Allan Trammel is getting just flat out disgusted, and it's starting to show with him giving up on some the players and sending them on their way.
The pitching is much better that expected, with both Mike Maroth and Jermery Bonderman are showing that they are top of rotation pitchers. Nate Cornejo is having mixed success. Does fine when he keeps pitchs down but getting hammered when he pitches without the slider dropping down. Tigers have no need for a closer because they never are in games after the 7th inning, the state of the bullpen is weak. But it looks like Chris Mears will get save chances along with Fernando Rodney both just called up from AAA.
The hitting has been well... dreadfull. Other than a hot hitting Dmitri Young nobody has shown much. Promising hitters are OF Craig Monroe 2B Warren Morris 3B Eric Munson, 1B Carlos Pena, DH Kevin Witt, and OF Alex Sanchez.
The play on the field and basepath reminds me of rookie softball league game, dropped balls, no cutoff men, no one covering base, missed signs, not knowning how many outs there are, not blocking pitchs, letting ball get by in outfield, not running out groundballs/popups, watching hittable pitches go by on hitter counts, not hitting flyballs with runners at 3rd with less than two out, and bunt attemps fouled off or popped up. All this in one game at MLB level!!!
The only real hope is that Tigers keep shipping out those who repeat errors without learning from them. It's not even possible to blame the coaching staff for these whacky plays.

Rumor Mill

Rumors are that the Tiger's will not make any moves by the midseason trade deadline, instead will setup themselves for a busy off season with a solid idea who will make it at this level and who will not. Team payroll will lose the bad contacts baggage of former GM Randy Smith era. Freedom to spend money has been granted to add Free Agents and to make trades taking on payroll. I would not be surpise to see couple of moves to get those who failed out of the Tiger system, to be dump for draft picks or rule five players on other teams.
This year players will have to mature in hard ways, dealing with the little hope to avoid the worst season ever seen in major league history!

On the Farm

Right now the farm down at AAA has the players that have a lot to prove having failed at the major league level, and it will not be easy for them to earn their way back either. Closers Matt Anderson, and Franklyn German, SS Omar Infante, C Brandon Inge, SP Greg Knotts, and OF Greg Kingsale. And so far none of them have done anything about making their way back.

Fanasty Value

Only OF/1B/DH Dmitri Young has any value to a fanasty team at this point.
Dmitri is hitting .325 for the last month to bring his avg. up to .294 with 16HR's 46 RBI's 42 RUN's .364 OBP .544 SLG. .908 OPS
Sleepers/Keeper leagues look at 1B Carlos Pena, 3B Eric Munson, SP's Jermey Bonderman, Mike Maroth, Matt Rodney, and Wil Ledezma these are players who will be solid fanasty players in the next couple years or could breakout in the secound half of season.
OF Alex Sanchez is a stolen base value, but it's begining to look like he is lacking on the field with misplayed balls lately, and he will lose playing time doing that.