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Post by elwoodbleus on Dec 11, 2007 19:13:45 GMT -5
I'm terrified about their bullpen. Even with all the offense, they're basically handing away two out of every five by sending Bonderman and Robertson out there. I love those guys, but they just can't seem to reach their potential. Plus, who knows how Rogers and Willis will really be? I think Willis will recover because he won't be carrying the team and he won't be the oldest guy on the team, but Rogers is, what, 43? Hopefully the offense can put the game away early. . .they certainly have the talent to do so.
Post by Hipster Doofus on Dec 12, 2007 8:46:13 GMT -5
elwoodbleus said:
Even with all the offense, they're basically handing away two out of every five by sending Bonderman and Robertson out there.
Huh?
First thing you have to remember is with Bonderman, he strained his elbow and should have been on the DL. Now it's his fault he didn't tell the team how bad it was, but as of 7/19 he was 10-1 with a 3.54 era. After that his era ballooned to 5.01, but it was at 4.73 before his last start where he gave up 6 runs in 1 inning. Basically what I'm saying is his final era wasn't indicitive of how well he pitched the entire season.
Robertson, who did have his worst season in three years, was still only slightly above the league average in era. He ended up at 4.76 while the league average is 4.51. If he's only giving up a quarter of a run per game more than the average pitcher, how is that giving it away, especially with this offense which should be way better than a quarter of a run above the average?
The bullpen and Rogers' health is definitely a concern, but for me the above two pitchers are not. I think they'll both be ready to bounce back from the worst season they've had in years. Both had decreased their era in each of the three seasons prior to 2007. I'll have faith that the injuries were the reason for this abberation and they didn't just forget how to pitch all of a sudden in the prime of their careers.
Post by kingofcheezwiz on Dec 14, 2007 22:36:04 GMT -5
Yes, it is the best lineup in baseball. That offense is going to score in droves. But that isn't what I'm worried about. The Tigers had something to prove in 2006. All of them did. They were a young team with tons of heart, surrounded by some great veterans that wanted to win. Now, two years later, they have tasted what it's like to be on the outside looking in. So what exactly is it that bothers me? The fact that we have no solid middle relief. If Bondo and Robertson are going to continue to tapper off in the latter half of the season, then who does Leyland give the ball to? Miner? Seay? Bautista beefed up the relief a little, but the Tigers are in desperate need of better relief pitching. That, and who knows when the "Roller Coaster" is going to start living up (down?) to his name again. Don't get me wrong, I know the Tigers are going to win a lot this year, but pitching wins championships. Especially when the offense goes stale (i.e. '06 World Series and '07 post All-Star break).
Post by Hipster Doofus on Dec 17, 2007 10:03:26 GMT -5
Miner and Seay were both great last year. Nothing wrong with those options. I think Bazardo has the potential to be a good middle reliever like Miner has been. If Rodney is hitting the mid 90's on his fastball like he has all of his career except for the first half of last season he's proven to be a very good 7th, 8th inning guy. Jones scares me too, but he's averaging over 38 saves a year over the last 3 seasons with a save percentage of 87%. Can't really bitch about that.
Again...if Zumaya comes back healthy the bullpen will be all right, but obviously the weak point of the team.
I think people are vastly underrating the starting rotation though. It will be one of the best in baseball next year if healthy.
