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Monday, August 11, 2008

Leyland shocked Sheffield is unhappy with his role

Gary Sheffield and Jim Leyland might just have to agree to disagree. Sheffield said he wants to play every day and the nine-time All-Star feels he’s in a platoon for the Detroit Tigers. He also said he doesn’t think he should be solely a designated hitter.

Leyland said he’s “flabbergasted” by Sheffield’s comments, which were published in a Boston Globe story and repeated Monday, because shoulder injuries have limited his playing time and accepting his role as a DH was a condition of being acquired.

“I told him that all I had here for him was a DH. If he did not want to accept that, do not accept the trade,” Leyland recalled. “I’m still confused by the article because it talks about ‘platoon doesn’t set well.’ Gary Sheffield never platooned here.

“Platoon is when you have a left-hand hitter and a right-hand hitter. One plays against right-hand pitching and one plays against left-hand pitching. That is a platoon.”

Leyland said Sheffield played in 39 of 51 games before going on the disabled list in May and played in 36 of the last 43 games, entering Monday’s series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays.

“Anybody that has a brain knows that’s not a platoon,” Leyland said.

ay, there’s the scrub.

Repoz Posted: August 11, 2008 at 10:56 PM | 25 comment(s)
Related News: General, Detroit

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1. Every Inge Counts Posted: August 11, 2008 at 10:23 PM (#2899302)

Sheffield, be quiet and start hitting. That would be nice.

2. Crispix Attacks is in the best shape of his life. Posted: August 11, 2008 at 10:37 PM (#2899307)

I'm surprised at how unsympathetic I am to Sheffield. He doesn't want to be a DH because he can't be a leader from the bench. Man, the Tigers are the oldest team east of San Francisco, they have other leaders besides you. The guys in charge have considered this, and would rather use you in an optimal role as a player even if it puts you out of the spotlight. Someone who thinks it's a bad thing that one of his colleagues might receive respect instead of him is usually a blowhard.

3. SantoFan Posted: August 11, 2008 at 10:47 PM (#2899308)

are the oldest team east of San Francisco

Isn't the average age of the 2008 Giants 27.1? Is that ancient?

4. Crispix Attacks is in the best shape of his life. Posted: August 11, 2008 at 10:54 PM (#2899310)

It says 29.9 here. 27.1 is just the pitchers. Of course, that should probably be adjusted for playing time and who is currently on the roster.

Dave Roberts, Ray Durham and Rich Aurilia may not be in the lineup anymore, but Roberts and Aurilia are still around, to go with the 33 year old catcher, the 41 year old shortstop, the 34 year old right fielder, and Aaron Rowand.

5. Srul Itza At Home Posted: August 11, 2008 at 11:14 PM (#2899314)

Anybody that has a brain

Well, there's the problem. We're talking about Sheffield.

6. RayDiPerna Posted: August 11, 2008 at 11:20 PM (#2899315)

“Platoon is when you have a left-hand hitter and a right-hand hitter. One plays against right-hand pitching and one plays against left-hand pitching. That is a platoon.”

Hmm. I didn't think the word "platoon," in common baseball parlance, required a set player who plays on the days Sheffield sits. If Sheffield is sitting against righties (and I don't know if he is or not) then he's being platooned, no matter if one player is picking up the at bats or if multiple players are.

Is that not correct?

7. Srul Itza At Home Posted: August 11, 2008 at 11:27 PM (#2899320)

Ray -- from the Article:

Sheffield played in 39 of 51 games before going on the disabled list in May and played in 36 of the last 43 games,

How many lefties do you think there are in the league?

Now, if the only time they sit him is against some, but not all, righties, then that is a partial platoon, I suppose. But more than likely, they are giving him most of the starts, but giving him extra rest. Some of those missed starts are probably also due to dings and such that don't rise to the level of the DL.

8. flournoy Posted: August 11, 2008 at 11:29 PM (#2899321)

Hmm. I didn't think the word "platoon," in common baseball parlance, required a set player who plays on the days Sheffield sits. If Sheffield is sitting against righties (and I don't know if he is or not) then he's being platooned, no matter if one player is picking up the at bats or if multiple players are.

Is that not correct?

Sure it is. You could also have Player A and Player B platooning based on what side of the bed the manager got up on that morning - handedness is not a requirement, per se. But setups other than the typical one righty and one lefty setup are rare.

9. Every Inge Counts Posted: August 11, 2008 at 11:33 PM (#2899323)

From what I have seen-he sits because he is 39, he already has been on the DL once this year, he has a bad shoulder, and he has flat out sucked for much of the season.

And no set player really has played for him-though it has mostly been Thames, Maggs gets the nod sometimes.

10. Crispix Attacks is in the best shape of his life. Posted: August 11, 2008 at 11:37 PM (#2899324)

Not only has Sheffield "played in 36 of the last 43 games", 35 out of 36 of those appearances were starts. He's only pinch-hit twice this season. And 75% of his appearances are against righties. And he doesn't have any lefty-righty platoon split anyway. He hits far better against flyball pitchers than groundball pitchers, but he isn't being platooned against them either. And nobody else is platooned at DH either.

I think he just doesn't like playing DH, even though his hitting stats are just as good at DH as they are in LF. It's like my grandfather getting mad when people offer to help him out of his chair. Then he spends five minutes getting out of the chair himself, and he doesn't have any energy for the next half hour.

11. RayDiPerna Posted: August 11, 2008 at 11:47 PM (#2899327)

Srul and flourney: in case it's not clear I'm asking whether there has to be a singular "Player B" for it to be a platoon. (My question is more theoretical than applied to Sheffield's exact situation.) For example, say the Yankees decide to rotate Damon, Nady, Giambi, and Matsui among 1B/LF/DH. So they decide that Nady will only play against lefties. So any of Damon, Giambi, and Matsui could be getting Nady's at bats.

Is Nady not being "platooned" in that scenario?

(I realize a "platoon" doesn't have to be lefty/righty.)

12. Crispix Attacks is in the best shape of his life. Posted: August 11, 2008 at 11:51 PM (#2899329)

Ray, I think people are resistant to your definition, because it seems like in order for players to be "platooned", there must be a "platoon", consisting of more than one player. In this situation there is no platoon, and yet Sheffield is being platooned. A paradox!

13. RayDiPerna Posted: August 11, 2008 at 11:52 PM (#2899330)

It's like my grandfather getting mad when people offer to help him out of his chair. Then he spends five minutes getting out of the chair himself, and he doesn't have any energy for the next half hour.

Can't wait to get to that stage of life...

14. Crispix Attacks is in the best shape of his life. Posted: August 11, 2008 at 11:54 PM (#2899331)

Hey, he's still able to do all the things he used to do. But not all in one day.

Similarly, Sheffield probably can still play left field well, and hit well. But maybe not in the same game.

15. RayDiPerna Posted: August 12, 2008 at 12:05 AM (#2899335)

Sheffield's last good and healthy month: July 2007.

Then again, I thought Jim Edmonds was done also.

16. SoSHially Unacceptable Posted: August 12, 2008 at 12:29 AM (#2899345)

I can't imagine how Sheffield being unhappy could ever shock someone.

17. Al Kaline Trio Posted: August 12, 2008 at 12:53 AM (#2899351)

I don't like DH

18. Ron Johnson Posted: August 12, 2008 at 02:39 AM (#2899371)

Quick check shows that has started all but 7 games since coming back on June 24th. The lasr 6 times he didn't start were against right-handers. There was a stretch in there where he sat three times in 6 days and another where he sat twice in 4 days (all against righties) and if you ignore a stretch of 8 straight starts in between (6 of them against RHP) ...

He's clearly not being platooned, but if he sits it's almost always against righties. And it's not exactly news that Sheffield takes offense easily and sees insults where none are intended.

19. Fumbduck Joe Bivens Posted: August 12, 2008 at 05:53 AM (#2899386)

"Platoon, platoon, platoon, platoon, I love platoons".*

"Platoon: Spoon, June, tune, loon, those are words that rhyme with platoon."**

* Edie the Platoon Lady

** Tony Clifton

20. Tropical Storm Davis aka Quilvio "Ebola" Veras Posted: August 12, 2008 at 06:56 AM (#2899392)

I can't imagine how Sheffield being unhappy could ever shock someone

Yeah, I guess with Leyland, that makes one of us.

21. TVerik and his cavalcade of whimsy Posted: August 12, 2008 at 07:07 AM (#2899395)

It's a great headline - the news is that Leyland is shocked, not that Sheffield is unhappy with his role.

22. Harry Balsagne Teaches The Correct Way to Hit!!

Posted: August 12, 2008 at 07:57 AM (#2899420)

Sheffield was heavily booed after popping up last night.

23. Ryan Jones Posted: August 12, 2008 at 08:07 AM (#2899427)

I can't imagine how Sheffield being unhappy could ever shock someone

Tomorrow's headline: Leyland shocked by sun rising, setting.

24. Slinger Francisco Barrios (Dr. Memory) Posted: August 12, 2008 at 09:10 AM (#2899470)

Tomorrow's headline: Leyland shocked by sun rising, setting.

Leyland admitted to being flabbergasted, not shocked. I could see being flabbergasted, particularly when Sheffield's definition of "platoon" is "don't play every day".

25. Ryan Jones Posted: August 12, 2008 at 09:39 AM (#2899497)

Leyland admitted to being flabbergasted, not shocked. I could see being flabbergasted, particularly when Sheffield's definition of "platoon" is "don't play every day".

We're talking about Sheffield, who has been a championship caliber complainer for the length of his career. This is, after all, a guy who immediately started complaining about the bad terms on a contract that he negotiated for himself. Any expression of surprise by a manager with respect to Sheffield not liking anything is fair game for mockery.

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Leyland shocked Sheffield is unhappy with his role

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