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Earlier in the year, we took a tour around the majors to see how some former Tigers were doing in their new homes. As the season enters its stretch run, let’s check back in and see where things stand.
As to whether a certain manager named Brad joins this list in the near future, that remains to be seen.
Joe Nathan
Joe Nathan
Most Tiger fans probably assumed that Joe Nathan’s baseball career had ended when he was put on the shelf in 2015 after facing a grand total of one batter. Sure, he recorded an out, but it was also followed by the news that he’d need Tommy John surgery for the second time in six years. At 41 years of age, Nathan obviously could have called it a career and hung up the spikes. But defying logic, he rehabbed and recovered; yesterday was his moment of redemption for the Cubs.
Nathan entered the game in Milwaukee and immediately got into trouble. A walk followed by a hit and suddenly he was dealing with men on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out. And the heart of the order was coming up. But Nathan turned back the clock in a major way, going strikeout, strikeout, strikeout to shut the door on the Brewers for the inning. The Cubs fought back in the next frame, giving Nathan a most improbable victory after more than a year away from the game.
Prince Fielder
It’s a trade that will go down as one of the best in Detroit Tigers history: Prince Fielder for Ian Kinsler.
In the first year following the deal, Fielder missed the majority of the season after neck surgery. He then had a solid 2015 campaign. Now, in the midst of the worst season of his 12-year career, he is likely going to hit the DL again for the rest of the year due to the need for another neck operation to repair herniated discs.
The Rangers won’t exactly be missing Prince’s bat in the lineup. He is hitting a paltry .212 with very little power; if his season is indeed over, he’ll finish with just eight home runs and an anemic .334 slugging percentage. Fielder’s value shrinks even more so when you realize he has basically become a full-time DH; he played the field just nine times in 89 games this year.
Rick Porcello
Rick Porcello
Maybe the Tigers should have splurged to keep the crafty Porcello after all. The expert sinker-baller was on the verge of hitting his prime when he jumped ship from Detroit to join the Red Sox two years ago. The fans in Beantown are sure happy to have Ricky P. on their side now.
In 2016, Porcello has made 11 starts at Fenway Park. The Red Sox record in those starts? A perfect 11 wins and no losses. Overall, his record stands at 13-2. Critics might point to the shortness of Porcello’s outings; he has not recorded an out beyond the 7th inning all year. But in 17 of his 20 starts, he has made it through at least six. And in today’s world of overprotecting starting pitchers, throwing a complete game is almost a freak occurrence -- so it’s really not a huge knock that Porcello is usually gone by the late innings. With any luck at all, Porcello should collect more than 15 wins for the first time in his eight-year big league career. If he keeps up his current pace, he could even make a run at 20.
David Price
David Price
Speaking of expensive Red Sox pitchers, here’s one at the other end of the spectrum. Boston coughed up several truckloads of cash to lure Price out east in the hopes that they’d ride his powerful left arm all the way to another World Series title. Perhaps they forgot that Price has been one of the least reliable “ace” postseason pitchers throughout his career. Now it seems the ugliness has bled into the regular campaign, as well.
Price is not having an awful season. He’s not Mike Pelfrey or late-career Nate Robertson. But he hasn’t been very good, either. His record stands at 9-7 with a 4.51 ERA. He's racked up the second-most strikeouts in the AL, but that stat loses some of its luster when you also factor in that he has allowed more hits than anyone in the whole league. Boston would be a Wild Card entrant if the season ended today; and they’d have quite the franchise-wide debate on their hands as to who that one-game, winner-take-all pitcher ought to be.
Ryan Raburn
Ryan Raburn
The former Tigers’ fan punching bag is still bouncing around the big leagues. This year Raburn has lent his services to the Colorado Rockies. And while he can still get on a little power surge every now and then, they’ve been few and far between this year.
Raburn is hitting just .220. For the month of July, that figure dips to .121. He does have eight dingers, but I know some low-level, slow-pitch softball players that could slug eight homers at Coors Field. Of course the answer to the Tigers problems is not Ryan Raburn, but when you taken into account that the club has been trying to squeeze production out of Mike Aviles’ bat all year long, you realize that a little Raburn magic wouldn’t have been such a bad idea in 2016.
Jhonny Peralta
Jhonny Peralta
Jhonny “Don’t Call Me Johnny” Peralta has been dealing with injuries much of the year. When he finally did return to the Cardinals’ lineup for about a month or so, he developed a thumb issue and hit the disabled list again. Reports are that he should start swinging a bat in the next couple of days and be ready to rejoin the team shortly thereafter.
While the glove of Jose Iglesias has obviously been superb since joining the Tigers, you wonder if maybe the team gave up old Jhonny too soon. Understandably, Dave Dombrowski & Co. didn't want to deal with the PR headaches of bringing back a steroid guy, but Peralta summarily went to St. Louis and cracked 38 home runs in two years. With the stagnant production of Justin Upton in left and the combined struggles of late between Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez, you’d think that the Tigers could have found a way to get Peralta 350-450 ABs the last couple of years by shuttling him around the field. Jhonny’s bat has definitely been missed; unless you happen to be one of the few that enjoys Andy Romine's work at the plate.
(Didn't you like Romine better when his name was Shane Halter? And didn't you even like Halter a lot better when his name was Chris Gomez? You can count yourself as a true Tigers fan if you remember Gomez striding to plate at the old stadium and the PA system cutely playing the Addams Family theme song. "Da-da-da-da...snap-snap.")
Curtis Granderson
Curtis Granderson
It’s a bit hard to believe that Curtis Granderson is now an outfielder (35) in the twilight of his career, starting a game in centerfield the other day for the first time all year. The Mets were hesitant to stick the creaky Grandy-Man back in center, but they are trying to buy themselves a few days while they prepare youngster Michael Conforto to take over the position full-time.
As for Granderson’s production at the plate, it’s basically an exact replica of every season since he left Detroit in 2010: good power, very few steals, not much of a batting average. He’s got 16 homers, good for second on the team behind Yoenis Cespedes (21). Bizarrely, Curtis’ three stolen bags somehow put him in a tie for the team lead. And his .238 average is right about where you’ll find him every year now. And speaking of former Tiger CF’s...
Austin Jackson
Austin Jackson
Before a knee injury flared up, Jackson was taking most of the starts as the everyday center fielder for the White Sox. He was having a so-so campaign, hitting above .250 but with no power to speak of (0 HR). Then his 29-year-old knees started acting up (doesn’t he seem older?) and he hasn’t played in almost two months. Chicago hopes that Jackson can return sometime in August.
Rajai Davis
Rajai Davis
Give credit to Davis, who at 35, still moves well enough to rank second in the American League with 24 steals. He’s mostly been a regular for Cleveland this year, a team leading comfortably in the AL Central.
But of late, his playing time has been cut into pretty significantly by rookie Tyler Naquin; a guy with more power and unlike Davis, the ability to track down a flyball without the need for Google Maps. Even so, the Indians have been very pleased with the production they’ve received from Davis. Look for him to become a dangerous pinch-running option for Cleveland down the stretch and into the playoffs.
Max Scherzer
The man with the multi-colored eyes is having another very good year on the hill for Washington, though it has come with some unusual blemishes. His 181 strikeouts to just 35 walks is superb.
Max Scherzer
The 22 homers served up, however, represent the most in the National League. The 2.92 ERA and a WHIP under one are excellent, though the Nationals are a modest 12 and 9 in the games Scherzer has started. Still waiting on that first explosion from Max Scherzer the hitter; he’s been to the plate 221 times as a big leaguer and never popped for a triple or home run.
It could be a playoff season full of regret for Tigers fans. Potential starters for championship-contending teams could be Scherzer, Porcello, Price, and Doug Fister. Meanwhile, the hometown club tries to convince themselves every fifth day that Anibal Sanchez is still a professional baseball player. Yikes.
