By: Kurt Snyder & Holly Horning
Saturday’s segment is a day to touch on as many issues as possible. Once again, readers have the opportunity to read and think about a wide variety of topics.
Take a look and see what our writers have on their minds during this holiday weekend.
KURT
QUESTION
In my 20 March Thoughts a few days ago, assumed bullpen arms included Hardy, Verhagen, Parnell, Greene and Alex Wilson. Well, with Hardy out and Wilson out and Greene more than likely heading to the starting rotation, inserting Rondon and Ryan to fill 2 of those holes seems like a fair bet. As for the remaining vacancy, is Michael Fulmer a candidate again for bullpen duty?
QUESTION
If the Tigers are forced to start the season with VMart on the DL, who’s our DH? More importantly, it’s a matter of adjusting the lineup so the meat of the order remains strong. Something to consider would be shifting Iglesias to lead off and Upton to fifth in the order, with VMart’s replacement spotted somewhere 7th or 8th in the lineup.
COMMENT
It looks like we can quit worrying about the ever popular topic of the shift of Miggy to third and VMart to first in Miami to start the season. The Tigers poor health has “bailed out” Ausmus again. He won’t be allowed to consider that move.
HOLLY
QUESTION
Daniel Norris joins fellow pitcher Montreal Robertson on the DL – both having injured themselves in the weight room in “workouts gone wrong.” The Tigers have been picking up speed in the injury department and now have 7 guys unable to play, with 5 of them being pitchers. Injuries are part of the game, but doesn’t it seem that the current system has gotten a little sloppy in oversight with no sense of urgency about diagnosing and treating players – esp. given that Norris injured himself 2 weeks ago?
COMMENT
The Tigers certainly dodged a bullet in not going after Yoenis Cespedes. He allowed the opponents to score an inside-the-park HR because he refused to retrieve a ball that had fallen in fair territory by the fence, was not trapped and easily retrievable. Even after an umpire jogged out and physically showed him that the ball could easily be picked up, Yoenis simply shrugged and smirked.
CONCERN
In a recent interview, Al Kaline expressed concern about Bruce Rondon’s mental fortitude as a reliever. Quite shocking for a company man like Kaline to go public with his thoughts within an organization known for keeping a tight lid on comments to the media. And ironically, Rondon may just make the squad given that 5 pitchers are currently injured.
Totally Tigers 
Love the idea of having Iglesias lead off & moving Upton to the 5th spot if VMart is on the DL. The big question… will Ausmus? What is going on w/ the team’s ability to diagnose & treat injuries? Based on Norris’ comments, it seems that players can still hide injuries from mgt. Felt optimistic when we traded Cespedes last year – feeling better every day!
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Fulmer is a starter, and will always be a starter. With the fragility of the rotation, Fulmer can stay in AAA until needed to start in Detroit. Just my opinion.
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Interesting choice of words Kurt…” Bailed out Ausmus again.” My exact feelings. Holly knows my feelings on Tiger injuries, so I’ll address the Kaline “concern.” Did the interviewer misrepresent Kaline or did Rondon “disrespect” Al to the point that Kaline would comment. Al always has had his “line in the sand” since he was an 18 year old rookie.
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We’ll see come October, but that might be the story of the season. “Injuries bailed out Ausmus again.” It seemed to work that way last year.
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The start of the season is shaping up very badly for a team that depends on limiting injuries. Victor is critical to the lineup. A bullpen that looked much better no longer looks that way. Norris is a must to get better quickly for the rotation. The walking wounded list at 7 before a pitch has been thrown in an official game is a harbinger of trouble.
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I said it before and I’ll say it again: The training methods (or lack thereof) of the Tigers are atrocious. A whole new training staff and some sports medicine specialists should be brought in to implement and monitor all training (on and off season) and any injuries!!
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