Miggy Starts at 1B

[Y08Marlin]

Miggy started at 1st today for the Tigers. Looked at the stats, turns out its the second time this season. Yes it is probably temporary caused by the injuries to Sheffield, Polanco, and Granderson (Guillen was the DH), but it is telling that they started Inge at 3B and Cabrera at 1B.

[Erick]

He hasn't had a good month of April thus far, all things considered.

 

He cost the Tigers the game the other day, with his 5th error of the year, at 3B.

It's funny how people keep complaining about Cantu on the radio, and sometimes here because he's so terrible defensively. From what I've seen, he covers more range than Cabrera. And thus far, he's hit just about as good as him (although soon, Miggy will start mashing...I'll predict that he won't stay hitting .270-.280, all year).

[Puma]

Cabrera is wayyyyy better off at 1B.

 

If the Tigers are smart, they keep him there and put Guillen at 3rd.

[Hammerhead]

Cabrera is wayyyyy better off at 1B.

He'd be even better off as a DH.

[Admin]

Anyone else think the Marlins never tried him there because they wanted to market him as a 3B and knew they were trading him as of opening day 2007?

[Puma]

Cabrera is wayyyyy better off at 1B.

He'd be even better off as a DH.

 

You're probably right, but I think I'd rather have Miguel Cabrera play a position in the field than Gary Sheffield, on the basis of age alone.

[CYmarlins]

Cabrera is wayyyyy better off at 1B.

 

If the Tigers are smart, they keep him there and put Guillen at 3rd.

 

true, deffinately sounds like the more reasonable thing to do.

[Hammerhead]

If the Tigers are smart, they keep him there and put Guillen at 3rd.

Even if Guillen had started more than 35 games at 3B in his career, Inge is still much better than him defensively. What they need to do is move Cabrera to DH and leave Guillen and Inge in their natural positions.

[JonDigital]

Looks like its permanent.

 

The Tigers announced that Miguel Cabrera will begin playing first base on a regular basis, with Carlos Guillen moving to third.

If they weren't trying to sign Cabrera to a long-term deal, there's a good chance they would have arranged it this way in the first place. Now that Cabrera is signed for eight years, he won't have to worry about a switch diminishing his value. As much of a liability as he was at third, he should prove to be quite a bit more valuable to the Tigers at first base. Fantasy leaguers, though, will be upset the team didn't wait another week to make the switch. He's played only 14 games at third, making it unlikely that he'll qualify there next year in most leagues.

 

 

http://rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/p...MLB&id=3702

[Rabbethan]

Looks like its permanent.

 

The Tigers announced that Miguel Cabrera will begin playing first base on a regular basis, with Carlos Guillen moving to third.

If they weren't trying to sign Cabrera to a long-term deal, there's a good chance they would have arranged it this way in the first place. Now that Cabrera is signed for eight years, he won't have to worry about a switch diminishing his value. As much of a liability as he was at third, he should prove to be quite a bit more valuable to the Tigers at first base. Fantasy leaguers, though, will be upset the team didn't wait another week to make the switch. He's played only 14 games at third, making it unlikely that he'll qualify there next year in most leagues.

 

 

http://rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/p...MLB&id=3702

:Clap :Clap :Clap :Clap :Clap

 

Good call Tigers!

[Puma]

Looks like its permanent.

 

The Tigers announced that Miguel Cabrera will begin playing first base on a regular basis, with Carlos Guillen moving to third.

If they weren't trying to sign Cabrera to a long-term deal, there's a good chance they would have arranged it this way in the first place. Now that Cabrera is signed for eight years, he won't have to worry about a switch diminishing his value. As much of a liability as he was at third, he should prove to be quite a bit more valuable to the Tigers at first base. Fantasy leaguers, though, will be upset the team didn't wait another week to make the switch. He's played only 14 games at third, making it unlikely that he'll qualify there next year in most leagues.

 

 

http://rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/p...MLB&id=3702

:Clap :Clap :Clap :Clap :Clap

 

Good call Tigers!

 

Psh, I'm the one that called it!

 

Cabrera is wayyyyy better off at 1B.

 

If the Tigers are smart, they keep him there and put Guillen at 3rd.

[Puma]

If the Tigers are smart, they keep him there and put Guillen at 3rd.

Even if Guillen had started more than 35 games at 3B in his career, Inge is still much better than him defensively. What they need to do is move Cabrera to DH and leave Guillen and Inge in their natural positions.

 

Strongly Disagree.

 

Where,then,would you put Gary Sheffield?

 

Brandon Inge's defense may be better than Guillen's, but it's not so much better that I'm actually gonna put him in my starting lineup and disclude Gary Sheffield.

 

Inge's OPS+ last year was an anemic 80, I'm not gonna put him in my lineup just because his glove is a little better than Guillen's is. To be honest, he probably wouldn't start on most Major League teams. Maybe a solid backup player, but he doesn't have any business starting on the Tigers.

 

Just to put it into perspective, here are the combined OPS's for my idea

 

840 (Shef)

+ 966 (Cabs)

+ 859 (Guillen)

2665

 

vs. your idea

 

688 (Inge)

+966 (Cabs)

+ 859 (Guillen)

2513

 

I dunno about you, but I'm not gonna sacrifice that much offensive production just so my defense could be a little bit better.

 

 

 

 

 

To make a long story short, Inge's bad bat outweighs his glove :whistle

[Hammerhead]

If the Tigers are smart, they keep him there and put Guillen at 3rd.

Even if Guillen had started more than 35 games at 3B in his career, Inge is still much better than him defensively. What they need to do is move Cabrera to DH and leave Guillen and Inge in their natural positions.

 

Strongly Disagree.

 

Where,then,would you put Gary Sheffield?

 

Brandon Inge's defense may be better than Guillen's, but it's not so much better that I'm actually gonna put him in my starting lineup and disclude Gary Sheffield.

 

Inge's OPS+ last year was an anemic 80, I'm not gonna put him in my lineup just because his glove is a little better than Guillen's is. To be honest, he probably wouldn't start on most Major League teams. Maybe a solid backup player, but he doesn't have any business starting on the Tigers.

 

Just to put it into perspective, here are the combined OPS's for my idea

 

840 (Shef)

+ 966 (Cabs)

+ 859 (Guillen)

2665

 

vs. your idea

 

688 (Inge)

+966 (Cabs)

+ 859 (Guillen)

2513

 

I dunno about you, but I'm not gonna sacrifice that much offensive production just so my defense could be a little bit better.

 

 

 

 

 

To make a long story short, Inge's bad bat outweighs his glove :whistle

Have you seen what Sheffield is doing so far this year? Plus he's a free agent next year. After '08, he has no future in Detroit and may not have a future in baseball. He hasn't hit .300 since 2003. So it's not like you're giving up the huge bat Sheffield used to be to get Inge's defense on the field.

 

And Inge's bat isn't as bad as you're making it out to be.

[Puma]

Have you seen what Sheffield is doing this year?

 

Have you looked at the calendar? It says April 23rd. Patience! I know he's old but Sheffield is still a way better player than Inge...

[Puma]

He hasn't hit .300 since 2003.

 

Because batting average matters. :lol

 

Try looking at OPS and OPS +

 

And even if you are a fan of batting average, Inge isn't very strong in that department either.

[Rabbethan]

Looks like its permanent.

 

The Tigers announced that Miguel Cabrera will begin playing first base on a regular basis, with Carlos Guillen moving to third.

If they weren't trying to sign Cabrera to a long-term deal, there's a good chance they would have arranged it this way in the first place. Now that Cabrera is signed for eight years, he won't have to worry about a switch diminishing his value. As much of a liability as he was at third, he should prove to be quite a bit more valuable to the Tigers at first base. Fantasy leaguers, though, will be upset the team didn't wait another week to make the switch. He's played only 14 games at third, making it unlikely that he'll qualify there next year in most leagues.

 

 

http://rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/p...MLB&id=3702

:Clap :Clap :Clap :Clap :Clap

 

Good call Tigers!

 

Psh, I'm the one that called it!

 

Cabrera is wayyyyy better off at 1B.

 

If the Tigers are smart, they keep him there and put Guillen at 3rd.

Please, I've been saying that since 2006.

[Hammerhead]

Have you seen what Sheffield is doing this year?

 

Have you looked at the calendar? It says April 23rd. Patience! I know he's old but Sheffield is still a way better player than Inge...

Last year, he was 7 for his first 59 on April 23rd. He ended the year with a .265 AVG. Take another one for example. Jim Thome was 15 for his first 44. He ended the season with a .275 AVG. There's many more examples but I think you get the picture. You can usually tell pretty early on in the season how a DH is going to perform.

[Hammerhead]

He hasn't hit .300 since 2003.

 

Because batting average matters. :lol

 

Try looking at OPS and OPS +

 

And even if you are a fan of batting average, Inge isn't very strong in that department either.

So OPS is the end all to be all?

[Out of the Past]

He hasn't hit .300 since 2003.

 

Because batting average matters. :lol

 

Try looking at OPS and OPS +

 

And even if you are a fan of batting average, Inge isn't very strong in that department either.

So OPS is the end all to be all?

 

Yes.

[Puma]

Last year, he was 7 for his first 59 on April 23rd. He ended the year with a .265 AVG. Take another one for example. Jim Thome was 15 for his first 44. He ended the season with a .275 AVG. There's many more examples but I think you get the picture. You can usually tell pretty early on in the season how a DH is going to perform.

 

This statement hurts your argument. People who base their opinions on batting average look at Thome's .275 batting average and think he had a "bad" year. Au Contraire. He had an outstanding year. He finished off the '07 season with an OBP of .410 with a 973 OPS (!)

Thome was the second best DH last year, behind Big Papi.

 

Gary Sheffield, .265 average last year. He "sucked", right? Wrong. He posted a respectable .378 OBP with an 840 on base percentage.

Sheffield was a top 5 DH last year.

 

 

So OPS is the end all to be all?

 

In a word, yes.

 

It is hands down the most important hitting stat in baseball.

 

That's not to say other stats mean nothing, but it is the most important. Ask anyone who knows a thing or two about baseball and they'll tell you the same thing. Well, beside Joe Morgan and Dusty Baker. But they're just dumb.

[Hammerhead]

Last year, he was 7 for his first 59 on April 23rd. He ended the year with a .265 AVG. Take another one for example. Jim Thome was 15 for his first 44. He ended the season with a .275 AVG. There's many more examples but I think you get the picture. You can usually tell pretty early on in the season how a DH is going to perform.

 

This statement hurts your argument. People who base their opinions on batting average look at Thome's .275 batting average and think he had a "bad" year. Au Contraire. He had an outstanding year. He finished off the '07 season with an OBP of .410 with a 973 OPS (!)

Thome was the second best DH last year, behind Big Papi.

 

Gary Sheffield, .265 average last year. He "sucked", right? Wrong. He posted a respectable .378 OBP with an 840 on base percentage.

Sheffield was a top 5 DH last year.

 

 

So OPS is the end all to be all?

 

In a word, yes.

 

It is hands down the most important hitting stat in baseball.

 

That's not to say other stats mean nothing, but it is the most important. Ask anyone who knows a thing or two about baseball and they'll tell you the same thing. Well, beside Joe Morgan and Dusty Baker. But they're just dumb.

For the record, I never said Thome had a bad year last year. I was simply disputing your claim that I'm jumping to conclusions too early in the season.

 

Last year, he was 7 for his first 59 on April 23rd. He ended the year with a .265 AVG. Take another one for example. Jim Thome was 15 for his first 44. He ended the season with a .275 AVG. There's many more examples but I think you get the picture. You can usually tell pretty early on in the season how a DH is going to perform.

 

This statement hurts your argument. People who base their opinions on batting average look at Thome's .275 batting average and think he had a "bad" year. Au Contraire. He had an outstanding year. He finished off the '07 season with an OBP of .410 with a 973 OPS (!)

Thome was the second best DH last year, behind Big Papi.

 

Gary Sheffield, .265 average last year. He "sucked", right? Wrong. He posted a respectable .378 OBP with an 840 on base percentage.

Sheffield was a top 5 DH last year.

 

 

So OPS is the end all to be all?

 

In a word, yes.

 

It is hands down the most important hitting stat in baseball.

 

That's not to say other stats mean nothing, but it is the most important. Ask anyone who knows a thing or two about baseball and they'll tell you the same thing. Well, beside Joe Morgan and Dusty Baker. But they're just dumb.

You've got a point. It's just not the first thing I personally look at when comparing hitters that aren't big time sluggers.

[FreshFish]

Good move by the Tigers, I expect Cabrera to put 20 pounds

[Eddie Altamonte]

He hasn't had a good month of April thus far, all things considered.

 

He cost the Tigers the game the other day, with his 5th error of the year, at 3B.

It's funny how people keep complaining about Cantu on the radio, and sometimes here because he's so terrible defensively. From what I've seen, he covers more range than Cabrera. And thus far, he's hit just about as good as him (although soon, Miggy will start mashing...I'll predict that he won't stay hitting .270-.280, all year).

Dude a flea can cover more range than Cabs. He has eaten his way out 3rd base, he has officially made himself a 1st baseman/dh. IT IS UNFORTUNATE BECAUSE HE COULD HAVE BEEN AN EXCELLENT 3RD BASEMAN WITH THAT ARM OF HIS

[Mephisto]

wow so Cabs not only ends up out-eating his way out off SS but 3b too, all before he's 27.

[Starbrownies]

but but but, he's the best young 3rd basemen in baseball!