Team LVP (Least Valuable Player) – With most of the team breaking out of a slow start, there are only a couple of names that have consistently been under producing for the entire season. None more than Gary Sheffield. Missing nearly 40 games in the 1st half certainly doesn’t help, but the nearly 40-year old slugger has lost his luster and is on the downswing of a very illustrious career. In the 55 games that Sheff has appeared, mostly DH’ing he has put on an uninspiring performance, currently hitting a paltry .217, showing nearly no power (9 2B and only 5 HR) and even limited speed (3 SB) after last years’ pleasant surprise of 22 swiped bags.
Sheff hasn’t really cooked up anything this year
It’s sad to see, and even more sad to hear Sheff shrug it off as if nothing is going on. He still thinks that he belongs in the starting line-up on a day-to-day basis, but unfortunately with the situation that this team is in, they can’t risk putting him in daily if he is struggling like he is. He has shown flashes here and there, but the second he gives fans a hope or glimmer of putting it all together again, he goes on a 0-16 slump and drops right back to where he was.
Contact hasn’t been an issue. Early & late swings have
The power-swinging, former perennial all-star continues to fall deeper and deeper on the Tigers list of options, as youngsters Matt Joyce, Clete Thomas and even Jeff Larish are proving their names belong on the talent-laden Tigers line-up card. Jim Leyland is going to have a tough time finding at-bats for Sheff down the stretch as he has given him numerous opportunities to shake off the slump. To this point, every opportunity has come up snake eyes.
Unfortunately close, but not quite – SP Dontrelle Willis, OF Jacque Jones & CL Todd JonesTeam Jim
Hughey Award (Worst Pitcher Award Look him up folk. He was BRUTAL!!!) – SP Dontrelle Willis. I suppose that I don’t have to go into great detail about the downfall of Dontrelle. However, he is currently mulling along in A-Ball in hopes of finding his stuff, in order to justify his hefty contract extension. The D-Train was thought to bounce back from his troublesome 2007 season, where he went 10-15, with a 5.17 ERA, which was a far cry from his previous work accumulating a career record of 58-39, and a very respectable 3.78 ERA in the first four years of his career. With only five appearances in the old English ‘D’, this train not only de-railed, is crumpled together, was set on fire, cleaned up and nearly forgotten about.
“Man…I miss Detroit” - Dontrelle Willis, July 15, 2008Most true blue Tiger fans hope that he is able to get his stuff back on track, but I reckon that it won’t be this year in a Tigers uniform. He’s got a lot of work ahead of him and may even have to prove himself at next years’ training camp and actually earn a spot on the rotation. I expect many changes in his mechanics, as his current old school wind-up has damaged his knees, along with the extra weight that he has put on over the years, making a difference in his follow-through which has definitely made its’ mark. We hope he rediscovers the magic that his left arm has, but with the display that he put on in Detroit (21 BB’s in 11.1 IP, to go along with his 10.32 ERA) can he really get any worse?
Unfortunately close, but not quite – SP Nate Robertson, RP Casey Fossum & CL Todd Jones
Biggest Disappointment – Wow. A couple of names come up big on this list. Instead of continuing to dump all over Dontrelle and his inability to locate home plate, or shovel the enigmatic Gary Sheffield further, I’ll pick on someone that signed a lucrative 3-year extension of his own increasing expectations and hopes for him to turn a bend in his production. I’m talking about lefty Nate Robertson, the Tigers caboose in the rotation. A pitcher that is supposed to round out a great starting five has been lackluster at best. Putting together a 6-8 record, a 5.26 ERA while giving up 146 hits in his 116.1 IP. With control not necessarily being an issue (only 32 BB) Nate is simply getting knocked around with ease.
Nate, I’m calling you out! Sub-par is all that I can say
Even when Nate gets through a game with limited damage, he is constantly getting into trouble and working himself out. While you have to give a pitcher credit for the ability to work himself out of trouble, he is just flat out looking like an overpaid arm. It seems when Nate puts together a good start, he follows it up with a stinker. Not something that has garnered much fan fare, as I for one am getting frustrated. It used to be a lack of run support got in the way of Robertson picking up wins; however, that has changed to a great deal of run support being the only way that Nate can pick up a ‘W’.
Straighten up Nate, you’re getting a lot of money now. No more excuses!
Unfortunately close, but not quite – (Familiar names aren’t they?) DH/OF Gary Sheffield, SP Dontrelle Willis & the long gone OF Jacque Jones
So, there you have it folks. You may agree, or disagree, but those are my 1st Half Scoundrals for your Detroit Tigers. Hopefully we won’t have to continue to pile on to the aforementioned players, or add any new names to the list. Hopefully, this first half of mediocrity will be long forgotten or even laughed about while preparing for baseball in October.
