Friday, November 19, 2010
Season Update
24 games into the season and the Wolverines find themselves ontop of the divison by 3 games with a record of 14-10. The NL North is only seperated by 4 games amongst all 4 teams at this point, as no team is pulling away. Offense was our weakness last season and our main goal to improve this season. The Wolverines find themselves hitting a team .270 avg. which is above the ML average line but find themselves way below in HR (29) and RBI (102). Once again our pitching is carrying the club, 3rd in the ML in era (3.46) even though some of our starters struggled out of the gate. To help with our offense, Eliezer Arrojo has just been called up from AAA where he was hitting .389 with 6 HR and 21 rbi is 95 at bats. He'll be batting third in the lineup, in front of Mitch Carter who we needed to produce better than last season and who has not disappointed. Carter's hitting .308 with 9 HR and 20 RBI in 24 games this season.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
S11 Pitchers
As disappointed as management was in the Wolverines offense last season, our pitching was the best. We finished with a ML best team era with .390, 2nd in WHIP with a 1.29, 5th in strike outs, 6th in HR allowed, and 3rd in hits allowed. We had no problem allowing all pitchers to come back this season and expect another great season with the arms we have.
Starting Pitching
Ching-Lung Komatsu (SP) - Komatsu's stats from last season are deceiving as he posted an 8-16 record with a 3.64 era in 35 games. He simply did not recieve any run support from the offense last season. Going into his 3rd arb season management decided to lock him into a long-term contract, giving him 5 more years of being a Wolverine. We decided on giving him a $4M bonus this year to decrease his contract for S14 and S15 at only $6.0M which we think is a steal for a pitcher of his talents. Hopefully the offense will allow him the opportunity to win some games for us.
Quilvio Lima (SP) - Lima posted a 13-11 record with a 3.29 era in 33 games last season. At 31 he is the Wolverines oldest SP and will continue to be in the lineup until at least S13. He was our bright spot in the playoffs last season going 3-0 with a 2.61 era in 3 starts.
Teddy Conway (SP) - Conway won the #3 spot having gone 12-10 with a 3.52 era in 32 starts. At 30 he is considered a veteran for the Wolverines. He went 3-3 in postseason play in 6 starts with a 1.14 WHIP.
Julio Johnson (SP) - Johnson is a guy that the pitching staff can't figure out. On paper he looks like he should put up better numbers than what he's producing gonig 10-12 last season with a 4.35 era in 31 starts. He gave up 35 HR's last season which was double what he gave up in S7 and almost S9. We traded in S8 thinking he would be a #2 pitcher for us but so far he's not getting the job done.
Artie Hinch (SP) - Hinch won out the #5 spot from Herm Thompson who pitched great for us last season but we thought that Hinch deserved the chance. At 30 and signed cheap at $360K in his 2nd arb contract, we'll be keeping a close eye on Mr. Hinch. He started for us in S7 and went 16-8 but Thompson has always put up good enough numbers to keep him in the rotation.
Bullpen
Herm Thompson (LR) - At 33 Thompson is going to start coming out of the bullpen, although if Hinch can't handle the #5 position we have no problems throwing Thompson back into the starting rotation. In the last 4 seasons he's gone 41- 27 with a 3.34 in 105 starts. His contract ends up at the end of the season and if it wasn't for his health he'd have an extension right now but we'll see how things work out for him.
Don Creek (LR) - Creek got his call-up late last season and we decided it was time for him to stay in the majors. At 27 he's got great control and 3 solid pitches and has put his time in the minors where he went 19-2 in AAA last season. He only has pitched 1.0 innings at the majors but he'll have his chances this season.
Alex Franco (LR) - At 25 Franco found himself on the trading block this season but had no one interested. He has spent the last 4 seasons at the majors for the Wolverines with a career 3.96 era. He's always worked out of the pen but could find himself at the #5 spot every once in awhile depeding on rest this season.
Rico Rivera (Setup) - Rivera was another late callup last season but will remain with the major league club to start S11. He found himself pitching in 5 games for 3.2 innings of work with a horrendous 7.36 era but at 23 and being an international free-agent in S10, we know that Rivera is capable. His ratings are already good enough for the majors and he's only projected to get better, especially in his control.
Roy White (Setup) - White was a guy that we worried about this season. He was up for arb, but in roder to trade Navarro, we had to offer him arb, so our budget wouldn't allow us to sign White to a long-term contract. Luckily White didn't mind going to arb three times, and signed a three year extension with us. In 96.1 innings White had an impressive 1.87 era and 0.97 WHIP. At 28 the Wolverines have White locked in for another 4 years at under $5.5M and consider him a bargain.
Ronald Berger (Setup) - Berger started out S10 hot, winning player of the week and being consider for the Fireman of the Year award. At 27, we're looking for him to stay consistent this season and expect even better things out of him this season.
Johnny Fossum (Setup) - At 23 we are expecting great things from Fossum. He pitched in 8 games at the majors last season for only 9.2 innings but had a 1.86 era and 0.72 WHIP. Fossum could find his way into spot closing situations but will likely be used for the 8th inning this season.
Karim Cabeza (Setup) - As of no Cabeza is put into the closer role although any of the setup guys may find their way into that role as the season goes on. Last season Cabeza struggled putting up a 6.97 era in 41.1 innings when he managed a 2.52 era in 75.2 of work at the majors before then. At 26 he helps make up a young bullpen that only looks to improve but we'll have to see how they perform before we lock in the roles for the season.
Starting Pitching
Ching-Lung Komatsu (SP) - Komatsu's stats from last season are deceiving as he posted an 8-16 record with a 3.64 era in 35 games. He simply did not recieve any run support from the offense last season. Going into his 3rd arb season management decided to lock him into a long-term contract, giving him 5 more years of being a Wolverine. We decided on giving him a $4M bonus this year to decrease his contract for S14 and S15 at only $6.0M which we think is a steal for a pitcher of his talents. Hopefully the offense will allow him the opportunity to win some games for us.
Quilvio Lima (SP) - Lima posted a 13-11 record with a 3.29 era in 33 games last season. At 31 he is the Wolverines oldest SP and will continue to be in the lineup until at least S13. He was our bright spot in the playoffs last season going 3-0 with a 2.61 era in 3 starts.
Teddy Conway (SP) - Conway won the #3 spot having gone 12-10 with a 3.52 era in 32 starts. At 30 he is considered a veteran for the Wolverines. He went 3-3 in postseason play in 6 starts with a 1.14 WHIP.
Julio Johnson (SP) - Johnson is a guy that the pitching staff can't figure out. On paper he looks like he should put up better numbers than what he's producing gonig 10-12 last season with a 4.35 era in 31 starts. He gave up 35 HR's last season which was double what he gave up in S7 and almost S9. We traded in S8 thinking he would be a #2 pitcher for us but so far he's not getting the job done.
Artie Hinch (SP) - Hinch won out the #5 spot from Herm Thompson who pitched great for us last season but we thought that Hinch deserved the chance. At 30 and signed cheap at $360K in his 2nd arb contract, we'll be keeping a close eye on Mr. Hinch. He started for us in S7 and went 16-8 but Thompson has always put up good enough numbers to keep him in the rotation.
Bullpen
Herm Thompson (LR) - At 33 Thompson is going to start coming out of the bullpen, although if Hinch can't handle the #5 position we have no problems throwing Thompson back into the starting rotation. In the last 4 seasons he's gone 41- 27 with a 3.34 in 105 starts. His contract ends up at the end of the season and if it wasn't for his health he'd have an extension right now but we'll see how things work out for him.
Don Creek (LR) - Creek got his call-up late last season and we decided it was time for him to stay in the majors. At 27 he's got great control and 3 solid pitches and has put his time in the minors where he went 19-2 in AAA last season. He only has pitched 1.0 innings at the majors but he'll have his chances this season.
Alex Franco (LR) - At 25 Franco found himself on the trading block this season but had no one interested. He has spent the last 4 seasons at the majors for the Wolverines with a career 3.96 era. He's always worked out of the pen but could find himself at the #5 spot every once in awhile depeding on rest this season.
Rico Rivera (Setup) - Rivera was another late callup last season but will remain with the major league club to start S11. He found himself pitching in 5 games for 3.2 innings of work with a horrendous 7.36 era but at 23 and being an international free-agent in S10, we know that Rivera is capable. His ratings are already good enough for the majors and he's only projected to get better, especially in his control.
Roy White (Setup) - White was a guy that we worried about this season. He was up for arb, but in roder to trade Navarro, we had to offer him arb, so our budget wouldn't allow us to sign White to a long-term contract. Luckily White didn't mind going to arb three times, and signed a three year extension with us. In 96.1 innings White had an impressive 1.87 era and 0.97 WHIP. At 28 the Wolverines have White locked in for another 4 years at under $5.5M and consider him a bargain.
Ronald Berger (Setup) - Berger started out S10 hot, winning player of the week and being consider for the Fireman of the Year award. At 27, we're looking for him to stay consistent this season and expect even better things out of him this season.
Johnny Fossum (Setup) - At 23 we are expecting great things from Fossum. He pitched in 8 games at the majors last season for only 9.2 innings but had a 1.86 era and 0.72 WHIP. Fossum could find his way into spot closing situations but will likely be used for the 8th inning this season.
Karim Cabeza (Setup) - As of no Cabeza is put into the closer role although any of the setup guys may find their way into that role as the season goes on. Last season Cabeza struggled putting up a 6.97 era in 41.1 innings when he managed a 2.52 era in 75.2 of work at the majors before then. At 26 he helps make up a young bullpen that only looks to improve but we'll have to see how they perform before we lock in the roles for the season.
S11 Lineup - Position Players
The Wolverines had a pathetic offensive season last year and we'll be heavily scrutinized this season. Management will not continue to be as patient as they have in the past. Here is the lineup for S11 although it will be subject to change frequently until we can find the right solution.
Manuel Guillen (RF) - He hit .279 last season with a .352 OBP. We'll try him out in the #1 spot and see how he does. The Wolverines lineup will change a lot as the season goes on as management is not looking to repeat the offensive production that last season's team put together.
Jimmie Alicea (2B) - He brings a nice bat to the #2 spot, nice contact and eye. He's locked in for 2 more seasons at which point management will have to make a decision as to keep him or call up the young guys.
Eddie Sanford (1B) - Sanford was really are only bright spot in the lineup last season, hitting 37 HR with a solid .287 avg. The Wolverines are really relying on him to have another season like last year.
Eliezer Arrojo (LF) - Once he's called up he'll be batting in the 4th spot. Hopefully he'll respond well to pressure because they will be a lot of it put on his young shoulders.
Mitch Carter (C) - Even though he hit 27 HR last season, Carter was a big disappointment. He hit for .232 which his ratings say should be much better than that. If he can get back to his ratings then we'll have a nice 3-4-5 lineup.
Buster Wiggins (3B) - Wiggins may switch spots with Carter depending on how the two are hitting. His bat was on track last season but he failed to hit the long ball. We signed Wiggins to an extension with the hopes that he gets back to his old numbers and that last season was just a fluke. With his contract, we feel that we could move him based on his ratings for a team that believes a change of scenary is all it would take if we had to.
Elvis Swann (CF) - Swann hit for a nice .281 avg the last 2 seasons. Defensively he can handle 2B or CF for us which is why he is in the lineup. Tyson Seaver had a nice spring training and if Swann doesn't get off to a good start management has already decided to call Seaver up and make Swann a bench player that can fill in mulitple spots for days off.
Bert Christopher (SS) - Christopher was on our radar from the beginning of FA but was asking a little too much for us. We continued to keep an eye on him and finally picked up his contract late in spring training. We needed a SS and he'll split time with Mark Shaw but we like Bert's power and speed on the bases.
Manuel Guillen (RF) - He hit .279 last season with a .352 OBP. We'll try him out in the #1 spot and see how he does. The Wolverines lineup will change a lot as the season goes on as management is not looking to repeat the offensive production that last season's team put together.
Jimmie Alicea (2B) - He brings a nice bat to the #2 spot, nice contact and eye. He's locked in for 2 more seasons at which point management will have to make a decision as to keep him or call up the young guys.
Eddie Sanford (1B) - Sanford was really are only bright spot in the lineup last season, hitting 37 HR with a solid .287 avg. The Wolverines are really relying on him to have another season like last year.
Eliezer Arrojo (LF) - Once he's called up he'll be batting in the 4th spot. Hopefully he'll respond well to pressure because they will be a lot of it put on his young shoulders.
Mitch Carter (C) - Even though he hit 27 HR last season, Carter was a big disappointment. He hit for .232 which his ratings say should be much better than that. If he can get back to his ratings then we'll have a nice 3-4-5 lineup.
Buster Wiggins (3B) - Wiggins may switch spots with Carter depending on how the two are hitting. His bat was on track last season but he failed to hit the long ball. We signed Wiggins to an extension with the hopes that he gets back to his old numbers and that last season was just a fluke. With his contract, we feel that we could move him based on his ratings for a team that believes a change of scenary is all it would take if we had to.
Elvis Swann (CF) - Swann hit for a nice .281 avg the last 2 seasons. Defensively he can handle 2B or CF for us which is why he is in the lineup. Tyson Seaver had a nice spring training and if Swann doesn't get off to a good start management has already decided to call Seaver up and make Swann a bench player that can fill in mulitple spots for days off.
Bert Christopher (SS) - Christopher was on our radar from the beginning of FA but was asking a little too much for us. We continued to keep an eye on him and finally picked up his contract late in spring training. We needed a SS and he'll split time with Mark Shaw but we like Bert's power and speed on the bases.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
S11 Outlook
S11 Detroit Wolverines
S10 Record: 80-82 (1st in NL North); Lost in NLDS
Free-Agency: No major losses or pickups
Trades: Lost SS/3B Tomas Navarro
The Wolverines would still like to move a pitcher or two to add another powerful bat into the lineup but most teams wanted Arrojo included in the trades and we just didn’t see how trading a young power hitter along with pitching was going to help us.
Rookies: Johnny Fossum, Don Creek, and Rico Rivera were all called up late last season and look to remain on the ML roster this season to help lock down the best era pitching staff from last season. After turning down multiple trade offers, LF Eliezer Arrojo, will be called up after the 20 game mark to help produce some offense for the team. P Harry Medrano and 3B/RF Lynn Prior will probably be called up at some point as well although it will depend on how the team is performing.
Outlook: The Detroit Wolverines will once again look to battle for the NL North division (either 1st or 2nd last 6 seasons) and make their way into the playoffs for the 5th straight season. While not a lot of changes were made, owner tk21775 felt this team underachieved last season and not a lot of moves needed to be made. The Wolverines had the ML best era staff last season at 3.90 and only got stronger with some call-ups. Out of the 13 pitchers on the roster, 9 are 28 or younger and we still have some young arms to call up. We will rely heavily on Arrojo to produce some big offensive numbers as he’ll find himself in the lineup with 1B Eddie Sanford (37 HR, 85 rbi, .287 avg.), Buster Wiggins (17 HR, 67 rbi, .274 avg.) and Mitch Carter (27 HR 74 rbi and .232 avg.). The goal this season is to find a way past Syracuse and compete for the NL title as well as the WS.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Management Speaks Out
Management Speaks Out
Detroit Wolverines' management spoke out for the first time since their playoff run ended, thanks to the Syracuse Orange, as the winter meetings began to wind down. "Last season was a big disappointment here in Detroit. To finish with a sub .500 record was an embarrassement to the fans of Detroit. Sure we won our division but that's not saying much considering it was the weakest division in the majors last season. We've got some good guys here but we need to get back to playing baseball."
That was about all the excitement Detroit fans witnessed as little else was done with the team. Tomas Navarro was traded to the Bearcats for a minor league 1B player, Roy White Ching-Lung Komatsu and Manuel Guillen were all signed to long-term contracts but the Wolverines struck out on the few players they were after on the trading market. With most of their money tied up in arb cases, there looks to be even less activity on the FA market for the Wolverines.
Detroit Wolverines' management spoke out for the first time since their playoff run ended, thanks to the Syracuse Orange, as the winter meetings began to wind down. "Last season was a big disappointment here in Detroit. To finish with a sub .500 record was an embarrassement to the fans of Detroit. Sure we won our division but that's not saying much considering it was the weakest division in the majors last season. We've got some good guys here but we need to get back to playing baseball."
That was about all the excitement Detroit fans witnessed as little else was done with the team. Tomas Navarro was traded to the Bearcats for a minor league 1B player, Roy White Ching-Lung Komatsu and Manuel Guillen were all signed to long-term contracts but the Wolverines struck out on the few players they were after on the trading market. With most of their money tied up in arb cases, there looks to be even less activity on the FA market for the Wolverines.
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