SB Nation - Zach Simons

Winter Meetings Catch-Up 12/07/09

Ian Casselberry — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:00:18 -0000

Okay, with the assorted FanShots and main page posts, let's have one place to chat until some more news or rumors break at the Winter Meetings. I ask that you please continue to post links as FanPosts, just so people know where to look on the blog main page. I may repeat those stories on the front page, just to add more details and for distribution purposes.

If this has made things a bit confusing, I apologize. But I think it's the best way to facilitate discussion among regular commenters and anyone who may be clicking over here (for the first time or otherwise) to check on the latest developments.

Here's the day so far from Indianapolis:

Adam Everett has re-signed with the Tigers, agreeing to a one-year, $1.55 million contract.
Clay Rapada was traded to the Texas Rangers for a player to be named later (or cash considerations).
Several teams are interested in trading for Edwin Jackson, but according to FOXSports.com, the Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks may be closest to a deal.
The Yankees are among the clubs interested in both Jackson and Curtis Granderson, but based on what Buster Olney reported on ESPN, the Tigers may have asked for more than the Yanks were willing to trade.
Jon Paul Morosi reported that the Angels are also "still in" on Jackson and Granderson.
Perhaps the Washington Nationals can also be counted among those pursuing Jackson, according to the Washington Post's Dave Sheinin.
In all, 12 teams are reportedly making offers for Jackson that the Tigers are now sifting through.
Fanhouse's Ed Price mentioned a rumor that the Mets had acquired Jackson. But the key word there was "rumor," and this eventually proved to be false news.
Via Yahoo! Sports' Tim Brown, the Tigers are one of four (and maybe five) teams looking at reliever Kevin Gregg. This year, Gregg compiled 23 saves (in 31 chances) for the Cubs, with 71 strikeouts and 30 walks in 68.2 innings. He beat out Carlos Marmol for the team's closer job, but eventually lost it in mid-August.
Detroit also signed minor league pitcher Brad Thomas, as reported by The Detroit Tigers Weblog. Thomas, a 32-year-old lefty, last pitched in the majors in 2004, playing the last two years in Korea.
Finally, the Tigers outrighted reliever Zach Simons to Triple-A Toledo, removing him from the 40-man roster (where Thomas replaces him).

Did we miss anything? Until anything new arises, this can be a place for general discussion. Thanks for your cooperation.

More Call-Ups For the Tigers?

Ian Casselberry — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:35:24 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

Armando Galarraga wasn't listed among the Tigers' September call-ups yesterday, but he'll rejoin the team on Saturday, when his required 10-day minor league assignment is completed.

Browse more photos »

Today is the day major league teams can expand their rosters, and the Detroit Tigers announced six players they're calling up from Triple-A Toledo. But could more be on the way?

According to Jason Beck, the Tigers plan on adding more players once the Mud Hens' season ends next week. Foremost among them will be the one name that was conspicuously absent yesterday (yet we didn't mention), pitcher Armando Galarraga.

Apparently, the Tigers are sticking to the 10-day assignment normally required for options to the minors, rather than move pieces around on the 40-man roster to get Galarraga back up here sooner. Perhaps they want him to rest that elbow more. Or maybe Nate Robertson's start on Saturday was impressive enough to temper any urgency.

Galarraga is eligible to be recalled from Toledo on Saturday. In the meantime, he's scheduled to pitch for the Mud Hens on Friday.

So who else could be coming up to bolster the roster? Freddy Dolsi, Clay Rapada, and Zach Simons could each give the Tigers' bullpen a fresh arm to use. Simons (62 strikeouts in 66.1 innings) would be the most appealing of the three, given that we haven't seen him pitch in Detroit yet. Alfredo Figaro might be someone who can help fill in if any starters need a rest, as Tom Gage points out.

On the position side, it's a little trickier, since players like Don Kelly and Scott Sizemore aren't on the 40-man roster. Sizemore seems unlikely to get the call, as he's one of the players the Tigers will send to the Arizona Fall League. It's probably more important for his development to play regularly there, as opposed to sit on the bench in Detroit.

Kelly, however, can play virtually every position on the field and supplies a decent left-handed bat, though not much power. He hit .250/.308/.354 in 19 games with the Tigers through most of June and early July, playing almost exclusively in left field. With the Mud Hens, however, he has a .329/.402/.465 average, which puts him in contention for the International League batting title. But to add him, the Tigers would have to do something like move Jeff Larish to the 60-day DL.

Lunchtime Prowl: D-Train's Pitching, Huff the RBI Man, Smoltz Talk, and Reviewing Comerica Park

Ian Casselberry — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:30:12 -0000

As it turns out, Dontrelle Willis will be making a rehab start tonight for Triple-A Toledo, after all. Willis was originally scheduled to pitch Monday, but that was pushed back due to a sore hip. He was initially scratched for tonight, as well, but it appears he got the "all clear" sign from the doctors.

In today's Freep, Jo-Ann Barnas looks at Willis's effort to get back. Tonight will be his first pitching appearance since June 14, when he was put back on the DL for anxiety disorder.

Over at Tiger Tales, Lee analyzes the popular notion that Aubrey Huff is "a RBI man." Does he really seem to focus more or hit better with men on base? And between him and Miguel Cabrera, which should be expected to drive more runs in from here on out?

Dave Dombrowski says some in the Tigers' organization believe that left field could be Huff's best position, according to Tom Gage. However, he hasn't played the outfield since 2006. Huff himself says he's most comfortable at first base or DH, but that's also where he's played most recently. How does he feel about possibly playing outfield at Comerica Park?

"It's been a while since I've played the outfield. I'm going to take some fly balls and see how it goes. But I don't think I've ever played in an outfield like this -- lot of ground to cover."

Here's another "Huff-ington post": (That's just not going to catch on, is it? Sorry, Billfer.) After taking another day to think about it, Fire Jim Leyland thinks acquiring Huff was "a move just to make a move."

Mike wrote more about the deal for Beyond the Box Score, comparing the trade to Dave Dombrowski rearranging furniture in his basement.

Did you catch Terry Foster spreading a rumor on Facebook that Dombrowski and John Smoltz had lunch over the weekend? Foster added an update today, saying the Tigers offered Smoltz a bullpen role, but the Cardinals are offering a starting pitching job, and that's what he'd prefer.

I'm skeptical, though Dombrowski did shoot down any possible interest to Jon Paul Morosi. Smoltz had also been attached to rumors with the Marlins, Rangers, and Dodgers. It's a moot point, however, as it looks like he'll be going to St. Louis.

Baseball America published its annual managers' survey, ranking the top three players in a variety of categories (best power, best change-up, etc.). MASN.com's Roch Kubatko posted the list, and several Tigers came out favorably.

Mack Avenue Tigers has a profile of pitcher Zach Simons, who could be the next reliever called up to Detroit for bullpen help. Simons has split time between Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo this year, compiling a 3-2 record, 2.61 ERA, and three saves in 37 games. He's struck out 59 batters and walked 23 in 62 innings.

(Love that Asheville Tourists hat in his roster photo!)

One of the writers at Royals Review took a trip to Comerica Park over the weekend, and liked what he saw. I think I agree with most everything RoyalsRetro said in his review, especially regarding the scoreboard.

Sticking with the Royals, there's some disagreement in the K.C. blogosphere over the decision to demote Alex Gordon to the minors. Royals Review thinks this is the type of move that a bad team makes, demoting a player to delay his service time and subsequent free agency. Sam Mellinger believes, however, that this was all about Gordon's performance. Fangraphs' R.J. Anderson comes down somewhere in the middle.

And let's end on a laugh, shall we? Did Brett Favre come out of "retirement" to sign with the Minnesota Vikings... or the Minnesota Twins? The Dugout tries to figure out what's going on in Favre's head. Good luck with that.

Tigers Reassign Six Players to Minors

Ian Casselberry — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:00:12 -0000

Per Jason Beck via Twitter, the Detroit Tigers passed out minor league assignments to six players this morning.

Catcher Alex Avila and shortstop Cale Iorg were reassigned to minor league camp. Pitcher Chris Lambert, infielder Michael Hollimon, and outfielder Casper Wells were dispatched to Triple-A Toledo. And pitcher Zach Simons was assigned to Double-A Erie.

The cuts leave the Tigers with 49 players remaining in major league camp.

Notable Omissions From the 40-Man Roster

Ian Casselberry — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:15:05 -0000

I'm behind my fellow Tigers bloggers on posting something about the 40-man roster that the team officially released yesterday. Fortunately, a few of you took it on yourselves to discuss in the comments of yesterday's last post. (Thank you for that.) As it turns out, however, being slow may have worked out, since more information has since been released and one player's status needed to be clarified.

Presumably, the big news was the five players the Tigers added to the roster: Starting pitchers Guillermo Moscoso and Alfredo Figaro, reliever Zach Simons, and outfielders Wilkin Ramirez and Casper Wells.

Those additions put 38 players on the roster, which leaves some wiggle room for any transactions or signings to be made in the next few weeks.

Of course, the natural impulse is to focus more on the snubs, the players left off the roster and thus eligible to be taken by another team in next month's Rule 5 draft. I thought Will Rhymes was a surprising omission, given how well he played last season (.307/.363/.392 average) and his participation in the Arizona Fall League. But since pitching often seems to be at a premium in the Rule 5 draft, perhaps Detroit thinks a small infielder with not much power will slide through without being claimed.

That's why the Tigersosphere was up in arms when Luis Marte wasn't listed on the 40-man roster. Starting pitchers who throw 78 strikeouts in 103 innings (along with 22 Ks in 17 1/3 innings in winter ball) aren't in abundance throughout the Tigers' organization. After further review, however, Detroit didn't need to protect Marte. He isn't eligible for the Rule 5 because he was 18 years old before signing with the Tigers.

But the one omission that's raising the most eyebrows in the Tigersosphere is catcher James Skelton. Skelton is perhaps the most intriguing Tigers prospect, not just because of the dearth of catchers in the minor league system, but due to a small body type (5'11", 165 lbs.) not normally associated with that position.

Perhaps his physical measurements are the reason Detroit left him unprotected, thinking the other teams in baseball would look at Skelton's height and weight and write him off. But Skelton has shown a gift for throwing out basestealers (28 of 73) and getting on base (.416 OBP in five minor league seasons), two skills that should be coveted. He also bats left-handed, which makes him a possible platoon partner with Dusty Ryan, if the Tigers felt they could go young at that position next season.

Leaving Skelton unprotected is a decision the Tigers could end up sorely regretting if he's drafted by another major league team and ends up as their starting catcher down the line. For an organization in need of young catching talent, it's a curious, almost baffling maneuver.