Power Pros Forum

May Recap

Editor's Note: All Standings and statistics (except monthly awards) are as of the end of June 1st, NOT May 31.

Monthly Awards
American League
-AL Batter of the Month: Tigers 1B Miguel Cabrera (.391 AVG, 5 HR, 20 RBI, 25 R)
-AL Pitcher of the Month: Yankees SP C.C. Sabathia (5-1 W-L, 45.2 IP, 2.76 ERA, 39 K)
-AL Rookie of the Month: Mariners CF Rusney Castillo (.330 AVG, 8 HR, 23 RBI, 21 R)

National League
-NL Batter of the Month: Dodgers 1B Adrian Gonzalez (.360 AVG, 8 HR, 18 RBI, 20 R)
-NL Pitcher of the Month: Dodgers SP Zack Greinke (4-0 W-L, 50 IP, 1.62 ERA, 54 K)
-NL Rookie of the Month: Diamondbacks SS Chris Owings (.387 AVG, 2 HR, 12 RBI)

MLB Standings
American League
East
Place - Team - Record - GB
1. New York Yankees - 35-21 - -
2. Toronto Blue Jays - 33-25 - 3
3. Tampa Bay Rays - 32-26 - 4
4. Boston Red Sox - 26-30 - 9
5. Baltimore Orioles - 24-32 - 11

Central
Place - Team - Record - GB
1. Detroit Tigers - 36-20 - -
2. Chicago White Sox - 30-28 - 7
3. Minnesota Twins - 25-30 - 10.5
4. Cleveland Indians - 25-33 - 12
5. Kansas City Royals - 24-33 - 12.5

West
Place - Team - Record - GB
1. Oakland Athletics - 37-20 - -
T-2. Houston Astros - 27-31 - 10.5
T-2. Los Angeles Angels - 26-30 - 10.5
4. Seattle Mariners - 23-34 - 14
5. Texas Rangers - 21-36 - 16

National League
East
Place - Team - Record - GB
1. Washington Nationals - 37-19 - -
2. Miami Marlins - 34-23 - 3.5
3. Atlanta Braves - 28-29 - 9.5
4. Philadelphia Phillies - 24-32 - 13
5. New York Mets - 23-34 - 14.5

Central
Place - Team - Record - GB
1. St. Louis Cardinals - 32-26 - -
2. Milwaukee Brewers - 29-28 - 2.5
T-3. Chicago Cubs - 27-29 - 4
T-3. Pittsburgh Pirates - 27-29 - 4
5. Cincinnati Reds - 24-32 - 7

West
Place - Team - Record - GB
1. Los Angeles Dodgers - 37-20 - -
2. Colorado Rockies - 29-28 - 8
3. San Diego Padres - 28-29 - 9
4. Arizona Diamondbacks - 26-32 - 11.5
5. San Francisco Giants - 24-34 - 13.5

Tigers Stats/News

Hitting


Pitching


Minors


Top Prospects

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Anything else you guys want to see? Let me know.

Also, yes, we have been on a pretty good hot streak lately (7-3 in our last 10), but I also hope we cool off a little bit, as well. Hopefully not as much as the Tigers in real life (that 9-20 stretch...*shudders*), but at least enough to make it a bit more realistic.

Damn the AL West sucks.

Why would you want to do badly

Yes, I was quite surprised to see the Astros in 2nd place in the AL West, until I saw their record. That's how bad the AL West is this season outside of Oakland.

Also, I only said that, because I interpreted the last couple posts as us doing too well, but I'll just keep on playing and take what the computer gives me, outside of the first games of series.

Oh, I don't think you're doing too well. I was just poking fun at the real Tigers

June 2-5, 2014

Weekly Awards
American League Player of the Week: Tigers 1B Miguel Cabrera (.444 AVG (12/27), 2 HR, 4 RBI)
National League Player of the Week: Padres 3B Chase Headley (.542 AVG (13/24), 1 HR, 3 RBI)

Power Rankings
The Tigers (36-20) jumped up to the #3 spot in this week's Power Rankings, with a score of 125.7. The Nationals were the #1 team this week, with a score of 126.9.

League News
June 2
-Red Sox trade SP Clay Buchholz to Indians for 23-year old MiLB CF Tyler Naquin and 20-year old MiLB Vicmal De La Cruz.
June 3
-No News
June 4
-No News
June 5
-No News
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June 2 - Day Off
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Game 57 - June 3, 2014

Detroit Tigers (36-20, 1st in ALC, -GB) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (33-25, 2nd in ALE, 3 GB)
Matchup: Max Scherzer (7-1, 2.81) vs. Dustin McGowan (4-3, 5.16 ERA)

Blue Jays - 10 | 10 | 1
Tigers - 3 | 7 | 0

W - McGowan (5-3)
L - Scherzer (7-2)

TOR:
Encarnacion: 3-3, 2 HR (14), 6 RBI
Bautista: 1-4, HR (7), 3 RBI
McGowan: 7 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 K, 3 BB, HR
DET:
Cabrera: 3-4, 2 2B, RBI
Castellanos: 1-3, HR (5)
Scherzer: 5 IP, 6 H, 6 R/ER, 6 K, 4 BB, 2 HR (91 pitches)

Full Detroit Box Score
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Game 58 - June 4, 2014

Detroit Tigers (36-21, 1st in ALC, -GB) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (34-25, 2nd in ALE, 2 GB)
Matchup: Rick Porcello (6-4, 2.06 ERA) vs. Drew Hutchison (4-3, 3.72 ERA)

Blue Jays - 13 | 15 | 0
Tigers - 5 | 12 | 2

W - Hutchison (5-3)
L - Porcello (6-5)

TOR:
Gose: 4-6, HR (1), 2 RBI, 3 R
Bautista: 2-6, 2B, HR (8), 4 RBI
Navarro: HR (6)
Hutchsion: 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R/ER, 5 K, 3 BB, HR (113 pitches)
DET:
Castellanos: 2-4, HR (6), 2 RBI
Hunter: 4-5, 3B
Porcello: 2.2 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 3 ER, 2 K, 2 BB, HR (76 pitches)

Full Detroit Box Score
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Game 59 - June 5, 2014

Detroit Tigers (36-22, 1st in ALC, -GB) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (35-25, 2nd in ALE, 2 GB)
Matchup: Anibal Sanchez (5-3, 3.06 ERA) vs. Brandon Morrow (8-4, 4.18 ERA)

Blue Jays - 2 | 11 | 0
Tigers - 3 | 12 | 1
F/13

W - Chamberlain (2-2)
L - Jeffress (1-1)

TOR:
Reyes: 2-6, 2B, 2 RBI
Morrow: 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R/ER, 3 K, 2 BB, HR (91 pitches)
DET:
Castellanos: Walk-off 2B in 13th, 2-5, RBI
V. Martinez: 2-3, HR (4)
Sanchez: 7.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 6 K, 2 BB (101 pitches)

Full Detroit Box Score
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Meh. Getting homered to death in the first two games was NOT fun, but at least salvaging the 3rd game was good.

The next post will recap the Tigers' first 10 picks in the MLB Draft! Stay tuned!

2014 Draft Recap

This year, the Tigers had the 25th pick in each of the 35 rounds of the MLB First-Year Player Draft. Here's how they did with their first 10 picks, with commentary attached:

(all ratings are by Head Scout Dave Dombrowski, not OSA)

Round 1
-SS Ti'quan Forbes - 17 years old - .5* Overall/5* Potential

Comments: Forbes, the second SS to go off the board in the draft, has real 2-way potential, with the bat and the glove. Even though his personality is introverted, his work ethic and intelligence are great, making him a scout's dream. He got offered the slot money ($1.3M), and hope to hear from him soon to sign on.

Round 2
-RHP Garrett Fulenchek - 17 years old - .5*/3.5*

Comments: Even though he's listed as a MR, he will probably be a starter in our organization. Fastball needs work, but offspeed stuff is his calling card. He is a good influence to have on a team, and if he fulfills his potential, could be a future middle-rotation starter. Offered slot ($830k).

Round 3
-CF Tanner English - 21 years old - .5*/3.5*

Comments: Could be a stretch here in the 3rd round to select this guy, but if he wasn't picked now, he could have been gone by the time my pick rolled around next. Why? His defense. We're talking (on a 100-point scale) high 90s-100s in OF Range, error resistance, and arm, and he has plus speed as well. His hitting is very suspect, and could be the Jose Iglesias of the OF, at best. Offered slot ($410k)

Round 4
-RHP Touki Toussaint - 17 years old - .5*/2*

Comments: His top speed is fantastic, around 96-98, and he has the potential to have deadly stuff in a future starting five. However, he dropped to the fourth round, due to concerns about his work ethic and how much he will improve going forward. I feel like we might have gotten a steal in the fourth round if he improves to his potential, and gets around his work ethic problems. Offered slot ($260k)

Round 5
-C Tommy Pincin - 18 years old - .5*/4*

Comments: Has potential to be an average player, with a bit of pop at the position. Average defensively, and could be a backup if he reaches his potential. Offered slot ($190k).

Round 6
-1B Josh Ockimey - 18 years old - .5*/4.5*

Comments: He has outstanding power potential, however, my experience shows that that can deteriorate quickly, especially with high school players. This could be a gamble in the 6th round, but could pay dividends if he pans out. Possibly future DH. Offer pending.

Round 7
-RHP Brandon Murray - 18 years old - .5*/.5*

Comments: Good stuff, and an electric fastball (95-97mph). However, his control has a lot to be desired, has a lack of movement on his pitches, and his breaking stuff is not as good as his fastball. Could have a hard time signing him, though, because of his >$2M demand.

Round 8
-LHP Guy Melton - 19 years old - .5*/.5*

Comments: Just like Murray, he has a great fastball, and good stuff. On the other hand, his control is better than Murray's, and he has better breaking stuff, with a fastball-curveball-changeup combo that has potentials from the high 60s to low 80s on the 1-100 scale. He should be pretty easy to sign.

Round 9
-RHP Zack Engelken - 18 years old - .5*/1.5*

Comments: Engelken doesn't have a regular fastball in his repertoire, just a sinker and slider, which are average at best. His movement and control are good, but his stuff needs just a bit of work to get to the high minors.

Round 10
-2B Ricky Moreno - 17 years old - .5*/2.5*

Comments: Projects to be the next Jose Altuve - literally. At 5'4", 130 lbs. (but still heavier than your dear author), he has a lot of physical projection left, and his speed and defense are above average. Might be a steal if his projections pan out. However, he might be very hard to sign.
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How do you think I did with the first ten picks? Please let me know!

June 6-8, 2014

League News
June 6
-Tigers demote LF J.D. Martinez to AAA Toledo, recall LF Tyler Collins from AAA Toledo
-Mariners trade 2B Dustin Ackley to Cubs for 3B Mike Olt and 17-year old MiLB 3B Wladimir Galindo
-Diamondbacks trade MR Joe Thatcher and $1.875M to Mariners for 19-year old MiLB 3B Angel Jimenez, 18-year old MiLB RF Nick Buckner, 24-year old MiLB CF Xavier Avery, and 19-year old MiLB SS Erick Mejia
-Diamondbacks trade SP Brandon McCarthy to Blue Jays for 19-year old MiLB RF Jesus Gonzalez, 19-year old MiLB SS Dawel Lugo, and 22-year old MiLB CF Jonathan Davis
June 7
-No News
June 8
-Orioles trade SP Josh Stinson to Mariners for 22-year old MiLB RF Austin Wilson and 19-year old MiLB SS Johmbeyker Morales
-Mariners trade MR Danny Farquhar to Cubs for 19-year old MiLB SP Duane Underwood
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Game 60 - June 6, 2014

Detroit Tigers (37-22, 1st in ALC, -GB) vs. Boston Red Sox (27-32, 5th in ALE, 9 GB)
Matchup: Drew Smyly (4-3, 3.82 ERA) vs. Jon Lester (5-3, 3.21 ERA)

Red Sox - 2 | 7 | 1
Tigers - 12 | 11 | 0

W - Smyly (5-3)
L - Lester (5-4)

BOS:
Nava: 2-4, HR (1), 2 RBI
Lester: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 3 K, 4 BB (103 pitches)
DET:
Davis: 3-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI
Castellanos: 1-3, 3B, 3 RBI
Cabrera: 2-4
Smyly: 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R/ER, 7 K, 2 BB, HR (105 pitches)

Full Detroit Box Score
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Game 61 - June 7, 2014

Detroit Tigers (38-22, 1st in ALC, -GB) vs. Boston Red Sox (27-33, 5th in ALE, 10 GB)
Matchup: Justin Verlander (7-2, 3.30 ERA) vs. Jake Peavy (8-3, 3.91 ERA)

Red Sox - 4 | 11 | 1
Tigers - 3 | 7 | 1

W - Peavy (9-3)
L - Verlander (7-3)
S - Uehara (13)

BOS:
Napoli: 1-3, HR (16)
Bradley, Jr.: 3-4, 2B, R
Peavy: 8 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 K, 1 BB, HR (117 pitches)
DET:
Cabrera: 2-3, 2B, HR (15), 2 RBI
Martinez: 1-3, RBI
Verlander: 8 IP, 11 H, 4 R/ER, 10 K, 3 BB, HR (125 pitches)

Full Detroit Box Score
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Game 62 - June 8, 2014

Detroit Tigers (38-23, 1st in ALC, -GB) vs. Boston Red Sox (28-33, 5th in ALE, 10 GB)
Matchup: Max Scherzer (7-2, 3.29 ERA) vs. John Lackey (2-6, 4.44 ERA)

Red Sox - 7 | 12 | 2
Tigers - 4 | 5 | 0

W - Lackey (3-6)
L - Scherzer (7-3)
S - Uehara (14)

BOS:
Victorino: 2-3, 3B, HR (2), 3 RBI
Bradley, Jr.: 3-5, 2B
Lackey: 7.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 K, 2 BB, 2 HR (119 pitches)
DET:
Castellanos: 2-4, 2B, HR (7), 2 RBI
Kinsler: 1-4, HR (11)
Scherzer: 5.1 IP, 9 H, 7 R/ER, 10 K, 2 BB, HR (108 pitches)

Full Detroit Box Score
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Bit of a tough series against a last place team, but there were some positives to take away from it. One, Miguel Cabrera has a 14-game hitting streak, plus Nick Castellanos is hitting like he's a ROTY candidate. The next series is a big one with the second-place White Sox. We've gotta do good in that series, or else this division's gonna get a bit tighter.

Draft looks pretty good... How'd you get a 2.5 star potential guy in the 10th round though??

There are a lot of guys with good potential (at least from my scout) in the early late rounds. In fact, there's an undrafted FA that has my scout rating at a 4.5 star potential on the FA market right now. However, I think the computer-controlled teams rate these kind of players lower than what my scout rates them, and that's why I was able to pick him up in the 10th round. I know for a fact that that 4.5* potential guy on the FA market right now has a solid 1* potential from OSA.

Oh so one of them is way wrong, either OSA or your scout.

Yeah, pretty much. There's usually always a discrepancy (of varying degrees) between scouts and OSA on pretty much every player, though, so I usually trust my scout to do a good job (Dombrowski has Legendary ability on scouting Majors, Outstanding ability on minors and amateur scouting, and Excellent on International scouting).

June 9-12, 2014

Weekly Awards
American League Player of the Week: Orioles SS J.J. Hardy (.500 AVG (11/22), 2 HR, 6 RBI, 5 R)
National League Player of the Week: Cardinals RF Jon Jay (.588 AVG (10/17), 1 HR, 6 RBI, 6 R)

Power Rankings
The Tigers (38-24) remain in 3rd place in this week's Power Rankings, with a score of 110.3 points. The Los Angeles Dodgers (41-22) take 1st this week, with a score of 124.1 points.

League News
June 9
-No News
June 10
-Rangers fire Manager Ron Washington after 6 seasons as manager.
-Mets SP Rafael Montero no-hits the Braves! He only gave up 1 walk in his performance.
-Angels 3B David Freese and Athletics MR Evan Scribner suspended 9 games each for instigating brawl
June 11
-Tigers sign 16-year old Antillean SS Gerben Brouer to International Complex
-Phillies trade SP A.J. Burnett to the Rangers for 18-year old MiLB RF Jairo Beras, 18-year old MiLB 3B Juremi Profar, 20-year old MiLB CF Nick Williams, and 20-year old MiLB LF Carlos Arroyo.
-Brewers 1B Kendrys Morales and Mets SP Jenrry Mejia suspended 3 games each for instigating brawl.
June 12
-Phillies trade MR Antonio Bastardo to Cubs for 21-year old MiLB 1B Dan Vogelbach and 17-year old MiLB LF Luis Ubiera.
-Orioles trade MR Brian Matusz to Dodgers for 20-year old MiLB RF Joey Curletta.
-Red Sox trade CL Koji Uehara to Cardinals for 17-year old MiLB 2B Luis M. Flores, 19-year old MiLB SP Alex Reyes, 17-year old MiLB RF Jonathan Rivera, and 21-year old MiLB CF C.J. McElroy.
-Tigers option SS Andrew Romine to Toledo (AAA), call up SS Hernan Perez from Toledo (AAA).
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Game 63 - June 9, 2014

Detroit Tigers (38-24, 1st in ALC, -GB) @ Chicago White Sox (33-31, 2nd in ALC, 6 GB)
Matchup: Rick Porcello (6-5, 2.34 ERA) vs. Erik Johnson (4-5, 5.17 ERA)

Tigers - 7 | 18 | 0
White Sox - 3 | 10 | 2

W - Chamberlain (3-2)
L - Lindstrom (4-6)

DET:
Avila: 3-5, 2B, HR (2), RBI
Hunter: 1-7, HR (6), 2 RBI
Kelly: 4-6, 2B, 3 RBI
Cabrera: 2-6, 2B (15-game hiting streak)
Porcello: 7.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R/ER, 3 K, 4 BB (121 pitches)
CHW:
Gillaspie: 3-6, 2 2B, RBI, R
Johnson: 7.2 IP, 10 H, 2 R/ER, 4 K, 4 BB, HR (113 pitches)

Full Detroit Box Score
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Game 64 - June 10, 2014

Detroit Tigers (39-24, 1st in ALC, -GB) @ Chicago White Sox (33-32, 2nd in ALC, 7 GB)
Matchup: Anibal Sanchez (5-3, 2.91 ERA) vs. Jair Jurrjens (3-1, 3.90 ERA)

Tigers - 7 | 9 | 0
White Sox - 2 | 8 | 0

W - Sanchez (6-3)
L - Jurrjens (3-2)

DET:
Cabrera: 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI
Kinsler: 2-4, 3B, 2 R
Sanchez: 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R/ER, 7 K, 2 BB, HR (113 pitches)
CHW:
Dunn: 2-4, HR (4), RBI
Ramirez: 3-4, R
Jurrjens: 2.1 IP, 8 H, 7 R/ER, 1 K, 1 BB (61 pitches)

Full Detroit Box Score
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Game 65 - June 11, 2014

Detroit Tigers (40-24, 1st in ALC, -GB) @ Chicago White Sox (33-33, 2nd in ALC, 8 GB)
Matchup: Drew Smyly (5-3, 3.75 ERA) vs. Wade Miley (1-6, 7.41 ERA)

Tigers - 4 | 10 | 0
White Sox - 5 | 8 | 0

W - Miley (2-6)
L - Coke (2-1)
S - Lindstrom (14)

DET:
Castellanos: 2-4, 2B, HR (8), 2 RBI
Martinez: 2-5, 2B, HR (5), RBI
Cabrera: 1-4
Smyly: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R/ER, 3 K, 2 BB (90 pitches)
CHW:
Abreu: 2-4, 2B, HR (8), 3 RBI
De Aza: 2-2, 2B, RBI
Miley: 7.1 IP, 8 H, 3 R/ER, 4 K, 3 BB, 2 HR (114 pitches)

Full Detroit Box Score
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Game 66 - June 12, 2014

Detroit Tigers (40-25, 1st in ALC, -GB) @ Chicago White Sox (34-33, 2nd in ALC, 7 GB)
Matchup: Justin Verlander (7-3, 3.40 ERA) vs. Chris Sale (7-5, 3.00 ERA)

Tigers - 4 | 8 | 0
White Sox - 2 | 7 | 0

W - Verlander (8-3)
L - Sale (7-6)
S - Nathan (16)

DET:
Martinez: 2-3, 2B, HR (6), 3 RBI
Cabrera: 2-4, 2 R
Verlander: 7+ IP, 6 H, 2 R/ER, 4 K, 2 BB (112 pitches)
CHW:
Viciedo: 1-4, 2B, RBI
Corporan: 1-4, 2B, RBI
Sale: 6.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R/ER, 10 K, 1 BB, HR (105 pitches)

Full Detroit Box Score
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I'll call that a successful series! Taking 3 of 4 from the White Sox is pretty good, especially beating Chris Sale in the last game of the series.

The next series is against Minnesota at home, and that should be a pretty good series, as well!

Those are some incredible trades by Philadelphia!

I like the draft, especially those top 4 and #10.

Seems like you're having an easier go of it than I am...

I'm probably having an easier go of it than you, because I've made less trades.

But seriously, I have a couple trades possibly in the works. I did the Andrew Romine/Hernan Perez swap for a reason...

Also, trading is harrrrrrrrd.

And, I will agree, Philly made some damn good trades. Now, if only they did that in real life...