VaTigersFan

In response to some of the comments above, I am a Tigers fan, and I am not rooting for Miller and Maybin to fail. I was never as high on them as some - because while both have a lot of raw talent, they also have significant flaws. I think you have seen them with Miller, and Maybin's AA stats don't point to a polished hitter (he strikes out and hits the ball on the ground too much). I am happy that Miller finally turned in a decent start for the Marlins. When he is controlling his pitches and able to use more than his fatsball, he can be very good. It looks like he was very efficient with his pitches, too, which is a good sign. The trade hasn't exactly worked out that well for either team so far. Willis is rehabbing in the minors after his leg injury, and showed no control before it. Cabrera is hitting okay, but I haven't been as impressed by him as I thought I would be. I guess I expected more from him at the plate. He seems to be a boom or bust hitter right now. And he already had to be shifted to 1B because his defense at 3B was attrocious (Guillen is killing the Tigers at 3B now.)

Miller has 2 fastballs. He throws his 2-seam in the upper 80's, and his 4-seam in the low 90's. He can reach 97-98 at times. His problem is he doesn't command his fastball, and his secondary pitches are not very developed. IMO, the Tigers rushed him to the majors last year, and the Marlins aren't doing him any favors by having him get shelled in the majors either. He needs development time to work on his delivery/mechanics - so he can hone his control. That's the first step. After that, he needs to work on developing his secondary pitches, and learn how to pitch. Miller is still very raw at this point. This is not the place for him to hone anything. I don't care if his stupid face isn't shown again in the majors until 2010, nobody should be allowed to suck THAT bad at this level. Again, people pay to watch these games- it is a business, not a sandlot. I think you misunderstood my post. Maybe I didn't make it clear enough; I think Miller should be in the minor leagues. I thought so all of last year when he pitched for the Tigers, and he doesn't seem to have improved any since then. You are right. MLB is results-oriented. The minor leagues are where players who still need development time should be playing.

Miller has 2 fastballs. He throws his 2-seam in the upper 80's, and his 4-seam in the low 90's. He can reach 97-98 at times. His problem is he doesn't command his fastball, and his secondary pitches are not very developed. IMO, the Tigers rushed him to the majors last year, and the Marlins aren't doing him any favors by having him get shelled in the majors either. He needs development time to work on his delivery/mechanics - so he can hone his control. That's the first step. After that, he needs to work on developing his secondary pitches, and learn how to pitch. Miller is still very raw at this point.

Dontrelle's release point is a mess right now. The 7 batters he walked in his 5+ innings last night are actually an improvement over how he performed in Spring Training. He needs to pull himself together, or else he will need to be sent to AAA to work out his mechanics. I didn't like having Andrew Miller in the rotation because his control was total garbage, and at this point, Dontrelle looks worse. Cabrera has looked like crap to start the season, too. He's been an automatic double play or pop out at the plate, and a statue on defense. With his track record, I think he'll turn it around, though.

Spring Training stats don't mean anything. I wouldn't compare Miller and Willis until the regular season starts. I have been pleased with Willis' velocity, but a little concerned about his lack of control. He doesn't appear to have consistent mechanics. He really has the same problem Miller has - no consistent mechanics. Miller had no control (and weak secondary pitches) when he pitched for the Tigers last year. I don't think his Spring Training stats indicate he has put those problems behind him.

Miller mostly relies on his fastball. His two seamer is in the upper 80's, and he gets a lot of ground balls with this pitch. His four seamer is mostly in the low 90's, but I've seen him dial it up to 97-98 when needed. He did not show the same slider he had in college last year. It seems to have lost some of its bite, and his control of the pitch was awful. That really is his main problem - control. Hopefully the Marlins' pitching coach can iron out his delivery, so he is able to gain better control. He needs to develop a changeup, or another third pitch as well.

I think it is sadistic when people comment that they get pleasure from shooting defenseless animals. It really makes me think less of their character. Kensing is not hunting these animals for food, and it is not a fair fight when he's shooting them from helicopter. Kensing remarks that the animals are destroying his ranch. The pigs are only doing what is natural and instinctual for their survival. Perhaps he could find a more humane way to deal with the wildlife who live on his ranch. Maybe if he left food out for the pigs in a specific area, they would learn to leave his property alone. I don't know what the answer is, but this sounds like a cowardly and sadistic way to get his kicks.

Tigers fan here to give my opinion of Maybin and Miller. I think both have great raw talent, but they are both also pretty raw. I think you will have to be patient with both of them. I wouldn't expect them to produce right out of the gate. Miller has a great fastball (can get it up to the upper 90s as a lefty, and his 2 seamer has a ton of movement), and his height and delivery don't even give lefthanders a chance to hit him. But the Marlins will have to refine his delivery. He throws across his body, leaving him at risk for injury and negatively affecting his command. His command is his big problem right now. If he starts for the Marlins this year, I would expect a lot of walks and inefficient pitch counts, leading to short outings - at least at the beginning of the year. Miller is also too reliant on his fastball. The Marlins will have to work with him to perfect his slider, and develop a changeup. Maybin is a great athlete. He has all the tools, but he will have to work on his batting (I'm no scout, but his swing looked long to me, and he could be had on offspeed pitches), outfield routes and throwing. His game is raw at the moment, so I think he would benefit from spending time in AA. I hope they (and all the players who were traded) work out for you.