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So I went to Tigerfest down at Comerica on Saturday. It was fun and if you havent done it, try it next year. But I listened to Dave Dombrowski talk for an hour and some other guys like Leyland and some of the players. Heres what i garnered:

* Laird is definitely the full-time catcher. some guy we signed, whose name i cant recall, they think is a competent backup. Avila could start the year in AAA with all the early off days because Laird will get the rest needed. I got the impression that Avila will prolly spend a lot of time in AAA getting a lot of reps.

* Guillen is full time LF. They're expecting him to play a bunch. than i vomited.

* Rayburn may lead off, from where im not sure

* The rotation as of now is Verlander, Porcello, Scherzer and Bonderman. The 5th spot is an open competition between Robertson, Willis and Bonine.

* Sizemore is full time at 2b. someone asked what would happen if he is hurt or isnt playing well and the response was "can you play any second?" It was funny, but clearly Sizemore is seen as the future here and will play most games. They said his range is kind of limited but that all the errors in the minors arent worrisome and that he will be fine defensively. I saw him walking without a cast or limp, so his ankle seems to be healed.

* Wilken Ramirez will be in the mix to play at the big league level.

* Inges knees should be 100% ready for the season

* Phil Coke is being toyed with as the 5th starter, but they think he will at least start the season in the pen.

* DH is an open competition and one guy probably wont hit there constantly.

* Thames will not be back, though he is still unsigned

* Austin Jackson will be playing, how much is to be determined. They expect him to strike out a bit much and make some rookie mistakes, but he is viewed as a really solid CF.



Alot of stuff i know but times are full. chat away

More Raburn? *vomits* I don't get Leylands mancrush on him. I really don't.

Nothing about Clete Thomas?

As for Avila, I got this from the Tigers site...

If Avila opens the year in the Minors, Dombrowski said they have a capable backup with Robinzon Diaz, who played 41 games last year as a backup catcher with the Pirates while Ryan Doumit was injured. But Diaz is a right-handed hitter, like Laird.

This is such crap. Avila was great for us last year. He's a very solid lefty bat. Showed great plate discipline. And got alot of extra base hits. For him not to at least get the backup spot over some schmuck from the friggin' Pirates is (Please Use More Appropriate Word).

Also, Laird said he was spending all his time with Lloyd McClendon to work on his offense. LOL doesn't he know that Lloyd is just a figurehead and doesn't actually help anyone's offense?

Also, seems the team is high on Austin Jackson. They like his defense in center field but worry about his plate appearances. He's expected to be the leadoff hitter according to Leyland.

ah yes Diaz was the guy. Dave spoke very highly of him. I really expect Avila to start the season in AAA for awhile so he gets lots of ABs. They think Diaz is very capable of backing up Laird

I didnt hear a thing about Clete. Not a single word.

The team did seem to really like Austin. It was stressed that our expectations cant be too high to start, because he is going to struggle at times. DD said his D would be similar to Grandys and that we shouldnt expect any decline there. he also said Austin was a phenomenal athlete. Not a blazer necessarily, but just a crazy good all around athlete. Supposedly he had a full ride to G. Tech on a basketball scholarship as well, just for context

From everything I hear, Austin Jacksons ceiling is Curtis Granderson. I guess I can understand getting a younger Curtis for Curtis, especially when you get pitchers as well. But it still hurts seeing Grandy in a Yankees uniform.

I can't wait for next season when some of our dead weight (*cough*Maggz and others*cough*) will be gone.

I forgot to add that DD also spoke highly of Gustavo Nunez, a SS down in W. Michigan. Said he was a kid to watch and was gunna make a name for himself soon. He just got an invite to Spring Training. Sweet!

With the roster most likely set, for the most part, any early predictions?

Batting order:

Jackson/Rayburn CF
Sizemore 2b
Ordonez RF
Cabrera 1b
Guillen LF
Inge 3b
Larish/Rayburn DH
Laird c
Everett/Santiago SS

SP:

Verlander
Porcello
Scherzer
Bonderman
Galarraga

RP:

Valverde
Zumaya
Coke
Seay
Perry
Miner
Figaro

^ No Fu-Te Ni?

Liqourish wrote:^ No Fu-Te Ni?

You already have Coke and Seay as Lefties, i dont think you need a third. We need to trade Seay while he has some value imo. if you take out Figaro and put in Ni than half your relievers are southpaws, which is absurd. Hell Schlereth, whom i would expect to be the AAA closer, is a lefty too. So is some guy named Brad Thomas who is on our roster.

Our starting 5 could be all righthanders (a reason Robertson or Dontrelle might have an edge on Galarraga) and our bullpen could be mostly lefties. what a strange team.

morale of the story is, trade some of the lefties for something. we gotta.

As far as relievers go, we have a couple of really promising guys in Perry and Schlereth. Perry should be groomed as the future closer. But this year he could be the setup man or the 3rd guy behind Zumaya. Schlereth i hope stays in AAA and closes and gets a ton of experience. Maybe in a few years it could be Schlereth as a lefty in the 8th and Perry throwing in the 9th. very nice.

Avila in AAA makes sense. He gets all the at-bats he can handle down there, and then we shop Laird at the deadline for a prospect or two to a team looking to get a better catcher for the pennant race.

Then we call up Avila...