SB Nation - Miguel Cabrera

11/4 - Red Sox National Pedro Day

bs.uf15bosox9bears23 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:00:14 -0000

I declare it so. I don't care that I don't have the authority to do so, in my world, it's officially Pedro Day again in the Nation.

Game 6 script perfect for [Pedro] Martinez - The Boston Globe

Oh, man, this is going to be SWEEEEEEET: it's the first time that we've had a really good reason to not care what logo is on Pedro's cap since he left us. In fact, more than just one reason...

Jim Donaldson: 27 reasons to root against the Yankees - The Providence Journal

In case anyone was leaning towards Mazz's crazy side.

Now, in more directly related news:

Red Sox pitcher Buchholz prepared to play mind games - The Boston Globe

Sounds like he's maturing. I would absolutely love to see Buch prove me wrong and become the ace that replaces Beckett as Lester's partner in crime. Also, we're pretty damn spoiled to be able to talk about phasing one of a pair of aces out with another one. Of course, we'd be rotten to keep all three, right?

Valuing Josh Beckett - Yawkey Way Academy

Going against popular opinion here; an argument FOR signing Beckett to a relatively large extension.

After the jump, more links, likely in rapid fire mode, because it's hard to focus with it being a national holiday and what not.

Tito says splitter is key to Papelbon’s success - The Bottom Line

Pitch F/X'd. But if Tito knows this, why isn't Paps acting on it? Perhaps Farrell and Tito are having a bit of disagreement?

Is Johnny Damon a fit in Boston? - The Bottom Line

Not unless a lot of stuff doesn't go our way.

Red Sox Tasked With Finding Bench Coach, Role for Jason Varitek - NESN.com

Envision one of those Saturday morning cartoons where the cat gets its punk head beat in by the mouse (sorry, dog person here). Now imagine the shaking vision view from the cat's perspective, where everything is in multiples, and slowly stabilizing into one solid picture. The bench coach role and Jason Varitek are like that, to me - and no, I didn't get my head beat in by a rodent. Unless I did, and I just can't remember...

The Batter's Box Quiz 2 - NESN.com

Boredom kill. First one is beyond obvious, even to someone who apparently lost a fight with a mouse.

Should baseball expand replay? - Extra Bases

Yes. If the fairweather fans don't like it, they can go spend their money on something that will instantly gratify them - microwaveable pasta.

BoSox AFL Update - Fire Brand of the American League

Uh oh, USG's got competition. Well, maybe. I still prefer to see all the stats laid out along with the story.

2010 Red Sox Preview: Catcher - Yawkey Way Academy

Interesting point about the gain from a full season of Vic starting. Maybe we don't need to worry about losing out on Bay if we go after Holliday after all?

Negative Team WAR - 2009 Edition - Beyond the Box Score

Hey, we sucked the second least!

Patience Is A Virtue: Looking Back At The Ramon Ramirez Trade - Bleacher Report

So while visions of trading for Adrian Gonzalez, Miguel Cabrera or Felix Hernandez dance in our heads, it's important to note that even the smallest trades can become impact moves. A one-for-one deal in December can pay dividends in July, even if it doesn't involve sexy names or big contracts.

Pretty good article, actually. Every once in a while, BR surprises me; would be nice to see more authors using better stats in their articles though. Oh, wait, that's pretty much what most SB Nation users do. Seriously, it's amazing how this network seems to filter fans down to the most intelligent and committed (not always both though).

Regressing UZR toward the Fans’ Scouting Report - Inside the Book

The comments section is where the meat is here - lots of good points about considering the connections between stats before deciding to regress one to another, among other things. If anyone wants to use the formulas they present to project, say, Ells, be my guest. If not:

Trade Market: Center Fielders - MLBTradeRumors.com

I really hope Ells can develop an eye for reading balls off the bat, but there are some options available.

Adrian Gonzalez Trade Talks - MLB Daily Dish

Might as well help out another SB Nation blog.

Links, comments, favorite Pedey stories - let it all out.

Purple Row Awards: AL Most Valuable Player

Poseidon's Fist — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:00:22 -0000

by Mark Avery - AP

The man swinging this bat was Purple Row's unanimous MVP

View full size photo »

Three of the six Purple Row Awards garnered a unanimous winner, and this - the AL MVP - is the second. Good thing too, because after the season this fellow had, I would ban the entire staff if the votes turned up any differently.

I always figured a Triple Crown winner would yield a unanimous MVP. And so it makes sense...what, there was no Triple Crown winner? Okay, so Yaz is still the latest to win the traditional Triple Crown. However...winning the slash stat Triple Crown is more impressive to me anyway, and our winner not only did so, but he trounced the American League competition in all three categories.

Below is a table of those slash stats showing Purple Row's chosen MVP against his three closest followers (who should be noted are embodied by different hitters in all three stats). To appease the SABR crowd as well, I have included Runs Above Replacement and wOBA, in which our golden boy proves to be a god among men.

	Avg	OBP	SLG	RAR	wOBA
PR AL MVP	.365	.444	.587	56.0	.438
AL #2	.352	.413	.569	43.8	.413
AL #3	.334	.406	.565	40.9	.408
AL #4	.324	.405	.562	40.2	.405

It is abundantly clear one slugger outclassed the rest of the league, leaving other incredible talents in the dust. He hit .417 in the playoffs and was involved in arguably the most talked about play in the ALDS. He was one of five AL hitters to walk more than he struck out. Seriously, is there any way our choice for MVP could be any more impressive?

....

Well...he could be a catcher...

1. Joe Mauer

#7 / Catcher / Minnesota Twins

Height: 6-5

Weight: 225

Bats: L

Throws: R

Born: Apr 19, 1983

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Joe Mauer	138	523	94	191	30	1	28	96	76	63	4	1	.365	.444	.587

The three-time batting champion really should be (though he might not be) the unanimous choice for the actual award. Check his Baseball-Reference page and marvel at all the stats he finished first. For a 26-year-old catcher (coming off a Gold Glove year) to accomplish that in a league with a DH while calling a strong pitcher's park home...I'm speechless. Even though he missed all of April, his fantastic year led Dave Cameron to write "This very well could go down as the best season any catcher has ever had." I can't argue with that.

****

The staff made up for their consensus number one by submitting very different ballots 2 though 5, including six different second place votes. As a staff, we gave in so much to the East Coast Bias that we managed to fit five AL East hitters into the final four slots:

2. Mark Teixeira

#25 / First Base / New York Yankees

Height: 6-3

Weight: 220

Bats: B

Throws: R

Born: Apr 11, 1980

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Mark Teixeira	156	609	103	178	43	3	39	122	81	114	2	0	.292	.383	.565

Teixeira was the only other player who appeared on all six ballots. He actually managed to finish with 0.1 more runs created (wRC on Fangraphs) than Mauer for first in the American League, though Mauer still leads in B-R's calculations. He is clearly the best hitter on MLB's best team, as he led the American League in both home runs and RBI.

t-3. Kevin Youkilis

#20 / Third Base / Boston Red Sox

Height: 6-1

Weight: 220

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Mar 15, 1979

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Kevin Youkilis	136	491	99	150	36	1	27	94	77	125	7	2	.305	.413	.548

Youk was second in the AL in OBP, fifth in slugging and second in wOBA, trailing only Mauer. He gave Terry Francona flexibility by providing plus defense at both first and third combined with much needed production in the middle of the order to counteract the MIA bat of Big Papi.

t-3. Evan Longoria

#3 / Third Base / Tampa Bay Rays

Height: 6-2

Weight: 210

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Oct 07, 1985

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Evan Longoria	157	584	100	164	44	0	33	113	72	140	9	0	.281	.364	.526

I personally don't think Longoria was the best hitter on his own team, though he certainly is an elite hitter. He finished fourth in the AL in RBI, eighth in HR and first in GIDP. The former Dirtbag did manage to finish 4th in the league in WAR, greatly due to his defense: he saved more runs (RAR) than any full-time infielder in the majors.

t-5. Ben Zobrist

#18 / Second Base / Tampa Bay Rays

Height: 6-3

Weight: 200

Bats: B

Throws: R

Born: May 26, 1981

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Ben Zobrist	152	501	91	149	28	7	27	91	91	104	17	6	.297	.405	.543

Zobrist really? Don't laugh. Unless it's about his name or mug shot. Zobrist finished the season with 8.5 WAR - more than Mauer, more than Utley, more than even Pujols, more than any MLB player in 2009. How? He played seven defensive positions and was above average at nearly all. UZR loved Zobrist more than it hated Dexter Fowler, but given his small sample sizes all over the place, the legitimacy of those numbers (and thusly his WAR) could certainly be questioned. But you can't question his .405 wOBA, which was good for third in the AL. Hitting at that level while fielding well at seven positions spells value to me.

t-5. Derek Jeter

#2 / Short Stop / New York Yankees

Height: 6-3

Weight: 195

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Jun 26, 1974

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Derek Jeter	153	634	107	212	27	1	18	66	72	90	30	5	.334	.406	.465

Derek Jeter has graded out as a below average defensive shortstop for years, yet this season he has a very solid UZR, helping him to the third best WAR in the AL. He also finished fourth in runs created, third in OBP and ninth in wOBA and is the captain of the best regular season team in the majors.

Here's your ammunition to personally refute any individual writer:

AL MVP	RMN	PF	togb	Russ	Silverblood	Jabbs
1	Joe Mauer	Joe Mauer	Joe Mauer	Joe Mauer	Joe Mauer	Joe Mauer
2	Kevin Youkilis	Ben Zobrist	Kendry Morales	Evan Longoria	Mark Teixeira	Zach Greinke
3	Mark Teixeira	Mark Teixeira	Mark Teixeira	Derek Jeter	Ichiro	Evan Longoria
4	Ben Zobrist	Kevin Youkilis	Derek Jeter	Mark Teixeira	Kevin Youkilis	Mark Teixeira
5	Miguel Cabrera	Derek Jeter	Miguel Cabrera	Miguel Cabrera	Evan Longoria	Justin Verlander

The ballots were weighted on a 50-40-30-20-10 scale, yielding the following total rankings:

1 - Joe Mauer (300)
2 - Mark Teixeira (170)
3 - Kevin Youkilis (80)
3 - Evan Longoria (80)
5 - Ben Zobrist (60)
5 - Derek Jeter (60)
7 - Kendry Morales (40)
7 - Zach Greinke (40)
9 - Miguel Cabrera (30)
9 - Ichiro (30)
11 - Justin Verlander (10)

Tomorrow, Silverblood will wrap up the Purple Row Awards series by revealing our controversial choice for the National League MVP.

Morning Prowl: Granderson the Union Man, Missing Miguel Cabrera, and Creating Trade Rumors

Ian Casselberry — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:00:24 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

How will Aubrey Huff's terribly disappointing stint with the Detroit Tigers affect his value on the free agent market this winter?

Browse more photos »

Curtis Granderson was quoted in this ESPN.com piece by Amy K. Nelson about the $11 million compensation package Donald Fehr will receive when he steps down as head of the MLB Players Association. As a member of the players' union sub-committee, Granderson explained the thinking that went into the decision.

DesigNate Robertson posts its final grades for the 2009 Detroit Tigers. How do those marks compare to Rogo's midseason grades? Well, you have to click over and see.

MLB Trade Rumors wonders what the market for Aubrey Huff will be this offseason. No Tigers fans seemed to have commented in the discussion. Too soon? Or too painful, after Huff's .189/.265/.302 batting line in 117 plate appearances with Detroit.

This is a premium article at Baseball Prospectus, but you can read Kevin Goldstein's thoughts on Cale Iorg (and his hitting struggles) and former Tigers prospect Andrew Miller, both of whom are playing in the Arizona Fall League, before running into the paywall.

Speaking of Miller, Lynn Henning shares some thoughts from a colleague who covers the Florida Marlins. The general consensus in Miami is that the Tigers made out way better on that Miguel Cabrera deal.

Detroit Tigers Den (we're overdue in welcoming this new addition to the Tigersosphere) takes a month-by-month look at the Tigers' 2010 schedule. July and August look strong. But that Interleague Play home schedule in June is ugly.

Coming up with trade rumors is a popular pastime during the offseason, and there was a ridiculous one circulating from Bleacher Report over the weekend about Zack Greinke and the Brewers. That compelled Sam Mellinger to write about just how difficult it is to come up with a viable trade proposal, including a conversation he once had with a Royals executive on the subject.

We're behind on this (and this was mentioned in the comments of Tuesday's open thread), but The Sporting News named White Sox third baseman Gordon Beckham as its American League Rookie of the Year. Beckham batted .270/.347/.460 with 14 homers and 63 RBIs in 103 games (430 plate appearances) this season, after being called up to the majors in early June.

Anthony Castrovince looks at the four candidates to be the Cleveland Indians' next manager. That list does not include former Tiger Travis Fryman, who apparently wasn't invited back for a second interview. Former Tiger Torey Lovullo is among the four finalists, however.

One of the other finalists, Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly, was profiled by Nick Cafardo in last Sunday's Boston Globe. Mattingly could be in line to take over for Joe Torre in L.A. after next season.

For its other awards so far, TSN named Greinke as its AL Pitcher of the Year and the Angels' Mike Scioscia as the AL Manager of the Year.

As mentioned yesterday in the FanShots, Rudy Jaramillo reached agreement with the Chicago Cubs to become their hitting coach. And he got paid. Jaramillo received a three-year deal from the Cubs worth $2.42 million.

Over at Twinkie Town, Jon Marthaler wonders if Joe Nathan has lost something off his fastball, whether it was at the end of this season or over the last couple of seasons. (Tiger Town just said, "Yes, please.")

Who Would You Rather Have: Miguel Cabrera or Joey Votto?

raygu — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:00:26 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

about 1 month ago: Cincinnati Reds' Joey Votto singles in the seventh inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates during a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009. The Reds won 12-2. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Browse more photos »

I am not a mixed league player, but I have a feeling that the Tigers Miguel Cabrera would probably be drafted higher than the Reds Joey Votto. But after analyzing their stats for 2009, I am not so sure Miggy should be drafted that much higher than Votto.

Let's take a look at their 2009 stats courtesy of www.fangraphs.com:

Name	AB	H	2B	HR	R	RBI	BB	SO	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Miguel Cabrera	611	198	34	34	96	103	68	107	6	0.324	0.396	0.547	0.942
Joey Votto	469	151	38	25	82	84	70	106	4	0.322	0.414	0.567	0.981

As you can see, in 150 less ABs, Votto drove in only 14 less runs, and hit 9 less HRs. Votto's BA, OBP, SLG and OPS are either better or very competitive to Cabrera's. Keep in mind that Votto was out for about a month with depression, so we don't know how long his performance was impacted by his condition. What we do know is Votto hits in a hitters park and is still maturing as a hitter.

Going into 2010 drafts, you may want to pass on drafting Miggy, maybe get that stud third baseman instead, and draft your first baseman a few rounds later. Should you land Votto, you won't be disappointed.

Poll

Who would you rather draft in 2010-Miguel Cabrera or Joey Votto?

Cabrera-he's Pujols lite

61 votes

Votto-2010 will be his monster year.

51 votes

112 votes | Poll has closed

The Trap Game That's Too Obvious to Be a Trap Game

ericj69 — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 06:52:47 -0000

Cheer up, Twins fans. We still have Purple Jesus. And scantily clad women with strategically placed footballs that like to wear his jersey.

View full size photo »

(Editor's note: I'm writing this article right after the Twins' gut-wrenching loss on Friday night. So if I sporadically throw in random rants about the game, please bear with me. I need an outlet to vent before I light myself on fire to REDUCE the pain of that loss.)

It has all the ingredients, doesn't it?

The Vikings are traveling to St. Louis on a short week after an emotional victory over the Packers Monday night.

Minnesota hosts Baltimore and heads to Pittsburgh in the next two weeks, who just happen to be the two teams that met for the AFC Championship last year.

The Vikes are undefeated. The Rams are 0-4 and three of the four losses have been ugly blowouts. They've already been shut out twice this season. The Rams have looked uglier than a Marshawn Lynch/Jim Kleinsasser lovechild.

In theory, the Vikings should slap the Rams around like they were Miguel Cabrera's wife.

(Low blow? Sure was. I don't care. It makes me feel better that the Twins defeated a wife beater on Tuesday. It's just too bad that a steroid-abusing, purple-lipped cheater decided to have the first good playoff game of his career tonight. DAMMIT!!)

However, whenever analysts talk about "looking ahead" and "playing down to the level of their competition", this is more or less the blueprint for what they're talking about. All signs point to Week 5 being a dreaded "Trap Game" for the Vikings. In the past, it's exactly the kind of game the the Vikings have either made way too close (the "moral defeat" as the Bill Simmons put it in today's article) or lost outright.

But you know what? I'm not buying it. I say the Vikings methodically take care of business this week. This is the 2009 Vikings, and it looks like they might just know how to close out games they should win.

(Speaking of closing out games they should win...Joe Nathan. Really?! I mean, really?! You're one of the best in the game, but you're going to be forever remembered as the guy who allowed the first (and probably only) clutch hit of A-Rod's career. DAMMIT!!)

If you've read my articles before, you're probably aware I'm not exactly huge on "research" or "fact checking". But here are some numbers to let you know why I just don't see a close game on Sunday:

The Vikings have scored at least 27 points in each game this year and average 29.5 a game. The Rams have scored 24 points the entire season thus far.
The Rams have lost 14 consecutive games.
The Rams have recorded seven sacks in 2009. The Vikings recorded eight on Monday night alone.
Darren Sharper has three more interceptions than the St. Louis Rams.
Adrian Peterson's rushing yardage by game: 180, 92, 85, 55. I'm going out on a limb here and saying that he reverses this trend and have one of those games where he reminds everyone that he's the still The Best Player in the NFL Period. I see around a buck fifty and a couple scores for Purple Jesus. (I'm Eric's fantasy team and I approve this message.)
When a ball lands fair and bounces over the wall, it is considered a Ground Rule Double, not a foul ball.

(Sorry, that last one didn't have to do with the Vikings or Rams at all. But apparently it needed to be stated after tonight's absolutely awful call. On the bright side, it's good to see that Tim Donaghy found a new job umpiring left field at Yankee Stadium. DAMMIT!!)

It doesn't sound like Marc Bulger will play, leaving the immortal Kyle Boller more than likely to get the start. If Bulger can't go, the backup QB will be someone named Keith Null. So the Rams' depth chart at QB is probably as follows:

QB1: Boller

QB2: Null

As a Computer Science major, I find this completely hilarious. It looks like their second quarterback doesn't exist! I don't care if you get it or not--that joke was for me and the other nerds of the world.

Although it's the prototypical trap game, I say it's too obvious when you add it all up. But just in case you needed more proof, I stopped over and browsed the Turf Show Times threads to see what Rams fans were saying about the game. Under a "Keys to the Vikings Game" Fan Post, a Rams fan commented "Lose by less than 30 points and score a TD". Not exactly lofty expectations right now in St. Louis.

Prediction: Vikings 34, Rams 13 (That's right, I'm predicting less than 30 points AND a Rams TD! They'll be dancing in the streets in St. Louis!)

The rest of my Week 5 NFL picks are after the jump. (I'm hitting at over 75% this year!)

(GO TWINS, AND F*CK THE YANKEES! Hopefully the Dome still has enough magic left to ward off the Evil Empire a couple times.)

Hope team in CAPS:

RAVENS over Bengals: The battle for first place in the AFC North. I know, I can't believe the Bengals are involved in it either. If I'm wrong here and Cincinnati is in sole possession of first place after five weeks, I would suggest stockpiling canned goods. Armageddon can't be too far behind.

Browns over BILLS: That's right, I'm going with winless Cleveland on the road. The Bills seem to enjoy giving teams their first win of the year. The Browns looked slightly frisky last week, so I'm picking Cleveland here along with Dick Jauron getting canned by next weekend. If so, it's definitely better in the long run for the Bills. Every time I see Jauron on the sidelines, it reminds me of Weekend at Bernie's. Not a good thing.

PANTHERS over Redskins: There may have never been a worse 2-2 team than the 2009 Washington Redskins. How bad are they? Well, they're getting points from the an 0-3 team and the Human Turnover, a.k.a. Jake Delhomme.

Steelers over LIONS: Big Ben is going to plow through the Lions defense like they were hotel employees.

Cowboys over CHIEFS: Can we call this the "Hmm, Maybe our Quarterback Isn't All That Good After All" Bowl?

GIANTS over Raiders: My eliminator pick of the week. Do you think JaMarcus Russell struggles horribly with accuracy in all parts of his life, or just on the football field? If a buddy asks JaMarcus to toss him a beer, does he throw the beer 5 yards over his friend's head? When he goes to the bathroom, does he just miss the bowl altogether? I'm serious.

EAGLES over Buccaneers: McRibb is back and the Eagles are coming off a bye week. Meanwhile, the Bucs are obviously celebrating the 33rd anniversary of their franchise by playing exactly like their inaugural 1976 team. Way to pay tribute Tampa!

49ERS over Falcons: I know Frank Gore is still out, but I think Patrick Willis & Co. can shut down Tony Gonzalez and stuff Michael Turner. The Patriots proved that if you do that, the Falcons aren't much of a threat offensively.

CARDINALS over Texans: The Jekyll and Hyde Bowl! I seriously have no idea what to make of either team, so I'm taking the home team coming off a bye.

SEAHAWKS over Jaguars: It sounds like Matt Hasselbeck will be back, so I like his team this week. What I don't like is his EAS commercial. Really EAS? A balding guy wearing a non-flattering purple workout shirt is supposed to make me get ripped by buying your product?

Patriots over BRONCOS: McDaniels knows a ton about the Pats, but I still say the sensei beats the pupil. I also say that Elvis Dumervil will get a 15-yard penalty during a crucial drive for sneezing in the general direction of Tom Brady.

Colts over TITANS: Wow, the Titans are staring 0-6 straight in the face. (They head to New England next week.) But maybe all Tennessee needs to win is for me to stop picking them to win every week. So, um, here you go Titans! Enjoy!

DOLPHINS over Jets: I kind of sense an addition by subtraction with the Fins here. With Chad Pennington's injury, it looks like Miami is just going to pound the ball on the ground and mix in a few shots down the field with Chad Henne, who's actually capable of making those throws. Playing to your team's strengths--what a novel concept! (Don't worry Tony Sparano, it took Childress almost four years to figure that out. You're doing it in your second year coaching.)

Last week: 11-3

Season so far: 47-15

Dave Dombrowski Speaks on Miguel Cabrera, 2009 Season

Ian Casselberry — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:05:43 -0000

More photos » by Carlos Osorio - AP

Detroit Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski talked to the press about his team's performance and Miguel Cabrera Thursday morning.

Browse more photos »

[Updated at 3:30 p.m.]

Detroit Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski met with the media for an hour this morning. Dombrowski addressed the performance of his team this season, and the trade deadline acquisitions that ultimately didn't work out.

But as you might imagine, the main topic of discussion was Miguel Cabrera and where he and the Tigers go from here.

As reported in Tom Gage's article on the presser, Dombrowski admitted that he thought Cabrera was capable of playing last Saturday. (Though as Buster Olney points out today [Insider], BigMig could've still been drunk when he took the field.) Previous experiences with such situations in his 20 years as a general manager, along with whatever legalties surrounded the incident, factored into the decision.

While Dombrowski was certainly angry when picking Cabrera up from the Birmingham police station on Saturday morning, he knew no constructive conversations on the matter would take place until later in the day:

"You're at home at 7:30 in the morning, and you get a call from the police station to come and pick up one of your players.

[...]

"But you also have to realize that you have step-by-step issues that you have to deal with. The first thing is that the person needs some sleep.

"You're not going to have a logical conversation with somebody at that time of the morning. They need some sleep. But we've had numerous conversations with him and his representative."

Dombrowski emphasized, however, that he's "confident" that Cabrera knows he made a mistake and is taking the necessary steps to address whatever problems he may have.

From John Lowe's article on Freep.com:

"He (Cabrera) has acknowledged — we know, he made a mistake. We all know that. He knows he made a mistake.

"I feel confident he is going to address the issues that he needs to address to take care of the problem that he has. Those issues will remain personal and private."

No word on whether or not Cabrera will talk to the press (or the fans) again about the matter. Perhaps he feels he did so before Tuesday night's game. How do you guys feel about that? I think it'd be a pleasant surprise if Cabrera acknowledged his mistake directly to the fans, rather than through remarks to the media or an issued statement. But I don't really expect that to happen.

Dombrowski also admitted that the Tigers' offense was a major shortcoming, causing more day-to-day anxiety over the team's performance than expected.

Again, via Gage's article:

"To me our biggest shortcoming was the offensive part of the club. You could almost write the same story about every game we lost. Normally we pitched well. Normally we played good defense. We didn't score enough runs.

As someone who did write that same story about every game the Tigers lost, believe me, Double-D: I wholeheartedly agree with you.

"I thought we would have a better offense. It was a club that befuddled me. Every day was a struggle, even when we were in first place.

"Was there any player that had a career year offensively? I don't think so. We hung in there, but you never felt 100 percent comfortable."

Addtionally, Dombrowski said it was "very disappointing" that the Jarrod Washburn and Aubrey Huff deals failed to help the Tigers win the AL Central and make the playoffs:

"If they would have worked, we would have won. Washburn was an unfortunate situation because a (knee) injury we knew he had came to the forefront -- and he won only one game for us.

[...]

"In Huff's case, he just didn't hit for us. I'm not really sure why. I didn't expect him to come in and carry the club, by any means. But I thought he'd be a good bat for the middle of the lineup.

Finally, Gage noted that Dombrowski wouldn't say that the team might not make any coaching changes.

UPDATE: On his blog, Jason Beck said that Dombrowski gave Lloyd McClendon "a vote of confidence," calling him "a very good hitting coach." He also admitted, however, that he and Jim Leyland haven't yet fully discussed the coaching staff.

Beck has plenty more on Dombrowski's remarks, including a possible hint at Placido Polanco's future with the team, so be sure to click over there. (Like you needed me to tell you.)

No word on whether or not anyone asked about that salmon mock turtleneck Dombrowski was wearing Tuesday night.

Pride in Defeat: Twins 6, Tigers 5

Ian Casselberry — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:45:49 -0000

More photos » by Jim Mone - AP

There was no champagne in the Detroit Tigers' clubhouse on Tuesday night, but high-fives, forearm bumps, and handshakes were much deserved.

Browse more photos »

In the days and weeks to come, the collapse will probably be the story. Post-mortem examinations will be performed on the 2009 Detroit Tigers, and plenty of people will point to what they see as the cause of loss. And we have nothing but time in which to go over that stuff.

But for now, hours after Carlos Gomez glided across home plate and then jumped in the air just before his Minnesota Twins teammates swarmed him in celebration, the game should be the story. And maybe, just maybe, the game will be a determining factor in how this season is ultimately perceived. Maybe the little picture deserves to overtake the big picture. Just this once.

Because this game was that good. It had drama. Suspense. Triumph. Despair. Anger. Jubiliation. And unfortunately, for the Tigers and their fans, defeat.

Years from now, many people might still be talking about where they were on October 6, 2009, and the five hours they spent watching the Tigers and Twins fight it out for a division title. And though there is most certainly disappointment in the final result among Tigers fans, there's no need for shame. Under the big spotlight, the Tigers showed what they were made of.

Roar:

Miguel Cabrera took out four days' worth of humiliation on the baseball, crushing it to right-center in the third inning. After weeks of waiting for him to come up big when his team needed him, he did so. Magglio Ordonez continued the revival that looked all but improbable during the summer, hitting a game-tying homer in the eighth inning.

Rick Porcello showed everyone that he grew out of rookie status months ago, striking out eight batters in less than six innings, while allowing only one earned run.

Ryan Raburn became the latest victim of the optical illusion that is the Metrodome roof, losing sight of Michael Cuddyer's sinking liner to left and letting it get past him for a triple. Yet in that very same 10th inning, Raburn redeemed himself by throwing Alexi Casilla out at home plate after he tagged up badly on Nick Punto's shallow fly ball.

Fernando Rodney - the guy who shouldn't ever pitch in a non-save situation, and is never used more than one inning - pitched three innings of relief, throwing 48 pitches. Yes, he ended up allowing two runs, including the game-winner. His name gets the "L" next to it in the boxscore, but when he was the best pitcher the Tigers had in late innings, he gave the Tigers the chances they needed to win the ballgame.

Whimper:

You could feel Tiger Town's collective cringe when Zach Miner took over for Porcello in the sixth. Yet the man had pitched 12 straight scoreless innings before Tuesday night. No one's going to remember that, though. Not after he gave up four hits in less than one inning. Not after Orlando Cabrera's drive to left just snuck over the left-field wall for a two-run homer to give the Twins a 4-3 lead.

The game went far beyond that, but those looking for a scapegoat have a convenient target in Miner.

Jim Leyland will also surely receive plenty of criticism for how he leaned so heavily on Brandon Lyon and Rodney. (Or choosing Miner to take over for Porcello.) Not pinch-hitting for Gerald Laird in either the eighth, 10th, or 12th innings (especially in the 12th, with the bases loaded) is worth revisiting, also. (Laird went 0-for-6, with 10 men left on base.)

And home plate umpire Randy Marsh ought to be a favorite target of Tigers bloggers for years to come. Calling Placido Polanco out on strikes on a pitch in the ninth inning that was almost a foot inside? Or how about refusing to acknowledge that a pitch grazed Brandon Inge's jersey in the 12th? With the bases loaded, that would've forced in a run. Even the Minnesota writers focused on that play.

Perhaps such a game shouldn't have been decided on such a call. But it stinks that Marsh's interpretation was so pivotal.

Okay, that might be a little bit of the bitterness bubbling up. And really, there shouldn't be any of that today.

Comment of the Night:

I've gone from loving baseball to hating baseball to loving it again in a very short amount of time

It’s very confusing

by Dberg

And your runner-up. What an amazing night. You guys really, really brought it. Eight overflow threads! More than 4,600 comments! And that's not even including the 480 comments posted after the game. The BYB community made a spectacular showing of itself, and your grace in defeat was noticed.

Congratulations. And thank you.

Playoff Teams Defense Analysis - How They Got There and What to Expect - American League Edition

Jeff Zimmerman (TucsonRoyal) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:32:12 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

about 1 month ago: Los Angeles Angels center fielder Gary Matthews Jr. catches a fly ball in front of a mural honoring Los Angeles Angels rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009, during practice in preparation for the team's upcoming playoff baseball game in Anaheim, Calif. Adenhart died in a car accident last April. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Browse more photos »

A couple days ago I publish the look at the defensive stats of the teams that made the playoffs in the National League. Now it is time for the American League. For this analysis, I will be using UZR data from from Fangraphs.com. I computed the numbers a few days ago and waited for the season to end. Fangraphs updates their numbers on Monday so these UZR are not from this Monday but the Monday before that.

First, here are the totals of all the AL teams in the playoffs:

As it can be seen, the Angel's defense this season was the best of the four teams with them saving about 30 more runs than the Yankees and Red Sox and about 45 more runs than the Twins.

Besides the team totals, the UZR can be broken down to individual positions. Here is a comparison of each of the 4 teams by position totals.

None of these team were great in the field and shows by the variations from position to position.

Even though these graphs show how a team did during the season, it doesn't show what to except in the post season. For example, the Angels missed Tori Hunter for a while due to injury and the players that replaced him might explain the low ranking in CF for the Angels (actually Tori had a pretty bad year in CF). For each team, I went ahead and calculated the true UZR value of each player projected to start in the playoffs.

For those that need to know, it was a 5-4-3-2 weighted average of seasonally regressed values to 125 games with no final age adjustment. For example, Derek Jeter had a 6.4 UZR for 2009, but taking into account his previous seasons his true talent level is near -1.7 UZR.

So here is a look at each team's 2009 numbers and the true talent level of the players expected to play during the post season (I will add more as needed - when injuries happen or if I happened to miss someone).

Minnesota Twins (2009 UZR Results and True Current UZR Seasonal Talent Levels)

Pos	Name	UZR
1B	Justin Morneau	0.67
1B	Michael Cuddyer	-0.13
2B	Nick Punto	0.81
2B	Alexi Casilla	-2.73
3B	Matt Tolbert	-0.03
3B	Joe Crede	7.44
3B	Brendan Harris	-1.2
SS	Nick Punto	2.59
SS	Orlando Cabrera	-0.11
LF	Delmon Young	-10.2
LF	Denard Span	2.12
CF	Carlos Gomez	7.6
CF	Denard Span	-0.72
RF	Jason Kubel	-1.39
RF	Michael Cuddyer	-7
RF	Denard Span	1.82

LA Angels (2009 UZR Results and True Current UZR Seasonal Talent Levels)

Pos	Name	UZR
1B	Kendry Morales	3.0
2B	Howie Kendrick	1.8
2B	Maicer Izturis	1.5
3B	Chone Figgins	6.6
SS	Erick Aybar	3.7
SS	Maicer Izturis	1.0
LF	Juan Rivera	5.9
CF	Gary Matthews Jr.	-5.4
CF	Torii Hunter	-6.0
RF	Bobby Abreu	-11.3
RF	Gary Matthews Jr.	-1.0

New York Yankees (2009 UZR Results and True Current UZR Seasonal Talent Levels)

Pos	Name	UZR
1B	Mark Teixeira	1.5
2B	Robinson Cano	-1.9
3B	Alex Rodriguez	-3.7
SS	Derek Jeter	-1.7
LF	Johnny Damon	-2.4
CF	Melky Cabrera	-1.5
CF	Brett Gardner	3.2
RF	Nick Swisher	2.1
RF	Eric Hinske	0.6
RF	Melky Cabrera	-0.3

Boston Red Sox (2009 UZR Results and True Current UZR Seasonal Talent Levels)

Pos	Name	UZR
1B	Victor Martinez	-0.1
1B	Kevin Youkilis	3.2
1B	Casey Kotchman	4.5
2B	Dustin Pedroia	6.9
3B	Mike Lowell	2.3
3B	Kevin Youkilis	-0.1
SS	Alex Gonzalez	4.5
SS	Nick Green	-2.0
SS	Jed Lowrie	4.2
LF	Jason Bay	-9.6
CF	Jacoby Ellsbury	-6.7
RF	Rocco Baldelli	-0.6
RF	J.D. Drew	4.6

--------------------------------------------------------------------

First, thanks to Justin for supplying the graphics and let me know if any players might be seeing playing time in the first 2 rounds. I am not going to go through all possible lineups once the DH is added and removed in the World Series until two teams qualify.

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:07:20 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

Casey McGehee, seen here being congratulated by Felipe Lopez after hitting a home run in July, was the National League Rookie of the Month for September.

Browse more photos »

Some things to read while learning a new skill.

It's a light news day, so the biggest story is probably the unveiling of 2010 ticket prices, which I'm having a hard time getting developing an opinion about either way. Prices are going up slightly, but not enough to really get upset about. (FanShot)

That might have been the most lackluster opening paragraph in a Mug all year. Maybe I need to check into Casa de Machado's starting lineup from yesterday.

Casey McGehee was named NL Rookie of the Month for September, a pretty fitting cap on a surprising season for a guy who quickly became a great story (FanShot).

Speaking of rookies, Alcides Escobar will technically still count as a rookie next season, as he narrowly avoided the 130 AB cutoff. Mat Gamel, on the other hand, spent more than the maximum 45 days on a major league roster this season, so he's not eligible.

Speaking of Escobar, Chris Mehring of Rattler Radio received the latest copy of Baseball America and noted that Escobar was the first team shortstop on their all levels all star team this season. Brett Lawrie was also the second team second baseman, and Eric Farris and Evan Anundsen made the all Advanced-A team.

Speaking of shortstops, Adam Guttridge of The Hardball Times took a first look at attempts to project J.J. Hardy's performance for next season, and thinks the team that eventually acquires him from the Brewers is going to get a great deal.

With the regular season officially over, it's time for Plunk Everyone to look back at the season that was. Jason Kendall, Dave Bush, Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder and Felipe Lopez all make an appearance in their NL awards.

Fielder and Braun also show up on this somewhat more prestigious list: The top ten batters in the majors, ranked by OPS+. Fielder finished third, behind Albert Pujols and Joe Mauer, and Braun finished tied with Ben Zobrist for tenth place.

These probably don't go together, but I'm lumping them together anyway as "Power Rankings and whatnot:"

WhatifSports ranked the Brewers #16 in their final power rankings of 2009.
The Dugout Doctors ranked Bernie Brewer as baseball's fifth best mascot.

There are three hot stove notes today that pertain to the Brewers in one way or another:

The Brewers can almost certainly be considered the early favorite to sign Doug Davis, especially considering he's not expected to return to the D-Backs.
The Padres may be looking to sign a center fielder this offseason, and Mike Cameron's name has come up.
The Astros exercised their half of a mutual option on pitcher Brian Moehler. If Moehler accepts (and it's pretty likely he will), he'll make $3.5 million next season. He'll be 38 before spring training and posted a 5.47 ERA in 154.2 innings this season. Don't be surprised if this is mentioned as justification for bringing back Braden Looper: If Moehler, who is older, posted a higher ERA and pitched fewer innings than Looper, is actually worth $3.5 million, then $6.5 million for Looper can be spun as a decent deal.

Elsewhere on the hot stove:

White Sox: Exercised 2010 options on pitchers Freddy Garcia and Matt Thornton.

There was only one major league game yesterday, but it was a classic. If you missed it, you can relive it through the FanGraphs Win Expectancy Graph. Coming into the weekend, I didn't really have a strong rooting interest in the Twins-Tigers race, aside from a slight inclination to see the Twins win so we'd keep getting baseball analysis from Aaron Gleeman's mom.

With that said, the Tigers (and Major League Baseball's) handling of the Miguel Cabrera situation made me a whole-hearted Twins fan for the day yesterday. After the game, Cabrera seemed to understand the gravity of the situation, but that doesn't change the fact that he shouldn't have been allowed to play. Furthermore, Jim Leyland's decision to brush off questions about a domestic assault investigation by calling it "gossip" is absolutely deplorable.

On a lighter note, yesterday's game did give us a preview of the upcoming TBS playoff coverage, and the early reviews aren't very good. I've probably seen a dozen or more complaints about Chip Caray this morning, but he was only the second worst part of yesterday's broadcast to me, behind the incessant airing of the same commercial for George Lopez's new show. By the end of the divisional round, even Frank Caliendo is going to be sick of it.

It's a rough week for anyone who works in the front office of a baseball team, as firing season has clearly opened. Paul DePodesta, the Padres' Assistant GM who's been fired as a GM once himself, has an inside view of what it's like to work in a business where friends can come and go so quickly.

Need a mental warmup today? Try naming the career home run leaders by last initial. (Hint: There are two former Brewers.) I got 13, but also got frustrated and gave up with over four minutes left.

Once your brain is warmed up, turn it on to this task: The Eastern League team formerly known as the Connecticut Defenders is moving to Richmond, and they need a new name. Their existing options universally suck, so CNBC's Darren Rovell is asking for your help to generate some new ones.

Happy birthday today to Tim Unroe, who appeared in 48 games as a Brewer between 1995 and 1997 and turns 39 today, and to West Bend native Ryan Rohlinger, who turns 26.

Drink up.

AL Central Applesauce - Hernandez SNY contract dispute, Mets look hard at Backman, 7th overall pick

Joe Budd — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:05:19 -0000

Nice moment for Carlos Gomez last night (scoring division title-winning run) and for the Twins. Not so much though for the Tigers who look like they've got a serious image problem on their hands with Miguel Cabrera. Imagine what would have happened in this town if during the 2007 Met collapse David Wright also had a DUI.

Meet the Mets

SNY has posted a few strong columns this week from both Ted Berg and Howard Megdal. Berg urges Omar to avoid selling his players at low points. Megdal writes about his visit to Citi on the last day of the season.

Keith Hernandez took to discussing his contract negotiations in the broadcast on Sunday. No news yet on whether Hernandez will be back in the booth next season.

The Mets are LIKELY to give Wally Backman a job in the minors.

New York will draft 7th and Carlos Delgado and Fernando Tatis will be Class-B free agents.

Well done. I can't really take issue with that.

Minaya is looking to bring Kevin Towers and JP Ricciardi into the Met fold. That is confidence.

Around the NL East

The Phillies gave their last roster spots to Kyle Kendrick, Antonio Bastardo, and Miguel Cairo. Cairo got the nod over Eric Bruntlett.

Just to make you feel a little bit more nauseous about the Phillies, their World Series trophy traveled 34,292 miles over the past year.

Phil Sheridan writes a fluff piece about Charlie Manuel.

The Marlins cleaned a little house in the coaching staff, reassigning pitching coach Mark Wiley and first base coach Andy Fox.

Fish Stripes takes issue with the Bobby Valentine courting.

Jair Jurrjens was named the NL Pitcher of the Month for September.

Around MLB

Congratulations to the AL Central Champion Minnesota Twins. Caught the game on the radio in the car. Definitely fun. Check out the win probability graph from last night. Brandon Inge is still upset that the umpire didn't rule that he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

The Miguel Cabrera story just gets stranger and stranger. Now he is accused of mocking a fat kid.

Another strange and sad story, a worker passed away in the Dodger Stadium press box. No word on cause of death yet.

More crime to report, Shawn Chacon was arrested for trying to pay $50,000 in gambling debts with bad checks.

And in baseball news, Rob Neyer talks about Bobby Abreu's impact on the Angels.