C – Ivan Rodriguez
Has been very good of late. Showing lots more patience and providing the team with some clutch hits. Stellar defense as always, and always scares off the oppositions running game.
Grade: B+1B – Miguel Cabrera
Has certainly looked much more comfortable at his new position. The hitting will come in time, the guy is locked down and has shown flashes of what he is capable. Overall, a steady start for the youngster.
Grade: B
2B – Placido Polanco
His slow start stunned many, but he has been white hot in raising his average to .302. A clutch timely slap hitter, that plays steady defense. Although he has made more errors this year than in the past, Polanco is almost guaranteed to make any play that is hit to him.
Grade: B+
SS – Edgar Renteria
Streaky has been the fault of the Tigers Shortstop to this point of the season. Edgar struggled in his only previous season in the AL, and while he hasn’t been horrible, he’s been a bit of a disappointment. Mid-range at short has been a tad of an upgrade.
Grade: C-
3B – Carlos Guillen
Has been solid. Defense and footwork at 3rd base has been greatly improved of late, and Carlos always provides a threatening bat. The only Tiger representative at the All-Star game has been a bright spot, providing big hits and as protection in the order for Maggs & Cabrera.
Grade: B+
RF – Magglio Ordonez
What can you say about Maggs? Scheduled to come off of the DL tonight, he has for the most part been the Tigers go to guy for the big RBI shot. He consistently knocks the ball to open field, and although not your typical clean-up hitter, Maggs gets it done. His defense is under-rated, and most importantly, you can tell when he’s not in the line-up. He’ll be welcomed back no doubt.
Grade: A-
CF – Curtis Granderson
Starting the regular season on the shelf, Curtis took some time to re-acquaint himself with Major League pitchers, and seems to be back to the level that he was in last years’ breakout season. Great jump on the ball out in the Abyss of the Comerica outfield, and brings energy in the lead-off spot.
Grade: B
LF – Marcus Thames/Matt Joyce
Anyway you spell it, the Tigers have gotten a nice contribution from both of these guys that have been splitting duties in LF. It has really allowed them to spread their slumping offense. Conveniently, when inserted on the line-up card, each of these classy gamers have contributed offensively. While Joyce provides better overall defense and an element of speed that Thames lacks, the raw power that Thames contains is second to none on Detroit.
Grade: A-
DH – Gary Sheffield
Sheff is having a rough go, and with only 68 games remaining on the schedule, many wonder whether or not he can get it all back on track.
Grade: D+
Key Bench Players:C/CF/3B – Brandon Inge
It’s hard to call “Mr. Versatile” a bench player as he is typically in the line-up, but I suppose without an everyday position, he belongs on this list. When called upon, Brandon has provided excellent defense, and a little bit of pop. He hasn’t necessarily flourished in this role yet, but has handled himself professionally and with great flair.
Grade: B
2B/SS - Ramon Santiago
A pleasant surprise for the Tigers, when slotted into the line-up Ramon has yet to be a downgrade. He has provided some clutch hits, and great defensive play.
Grade: B+
2B/3B/OF – Ryan Raburn
Usually a late inning defensive replacement, or in a pinch hitting situation, Raburn hasn’t really been given enough AB’s (only 89 in 53 games) to get into a groove. Usually provides a good at-bat, as his plate patience has been greatly improved.
Grade: C
DH – Jeff Larish
The youngster has shown a flash here or there, but for the most part hasn’t looked 100% comfortable hitting at the Major League level. Must improve his knack of swinging at bad pitches and taking more pitches (13K’s in 47 AB’s, with only 4BB’s)
Grade: N/A (too soon to judge)
OVERALL GRADE: B-
The funny thing about this line-up, is they have someone that is an intimidating hitter at every spot. They get into funks though, and have a tendency to show signs of urgency which leads to a lot of strikeouts, and lost opportunities. This can be understood simply by recognizing their 10 shutouts through 94 games. For a line-up full of pure hitters, that is unacceptable.
They can pound out double digit hits nightly if they are locked in, and have shown the ability to score in bunches. They started out slow, but now rank up in the upper echelon of the league at the All-Star break. However, with too much Jekyll and Hyde like performances, this team needs shake off that element in order to compete in the drive for a post-season appearance.
If I were to stress a major concern it would be that they tend to struggle to grind out a run, and depend on the long-ball or the extra base his too much. That over time, will cost you a win here and there, and has definitely been the case.
