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Saturday, June 20, 2009

Rosenthal: Forget benching, dropping Mags makes more sense

So pack up your troubles in your old kit, Mags and smile, smile, smile…

The Tigers, with little difficulty, can cite performance reasons for benching Ordonez, starting with his .343 slugging percentage, which is lower than Ramon Santiago’s, lower than Adam Everett’s, lower than most of the free world’s.

Who ever thought that Magglio would hit like Rey Ordonez, the famously light-hitting shortstop with the same last name?

Magglio, 35, led the AL with a .363 batting average in 2007. He hit .317 with 21 homers and 103 RBIs in ‘08. His home-run total this season stands at two — two! — and he has hit none since April 27.

...Frankly, the Tigers should just release Ordonez, to whom they owe approximately $11 million in ‘09 salary, plus a $3 million buyout in ‘10.

Problem is, they’ve already released Sheffield. They might want to release Willis, to whom they owe approximately $18 million through next season. And don’t forget lefty Nate Robertson, who is a $7 million reliever this season and looms as a $10 million mop-up man in ‘10.

Hoo boy.

Repoz Posted: June 20, 2009 at 11:21 AM | 14 comment(s) | Login to Bookmark
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1. KronicFatigue Posted: June 20, 2009 at 11:36 AM (#3225834)

If Rey Ordonez was "famously" light hitting, the author wouldn't feel the need to explain who he was.

2. Quiet Flows the Don Taussig Avenger (Edmundo)

Posted: June 20, 2009 at 12:56 PM (#3225858)

If Rey Ordonez was "famously" light hitting, the author wouldn't feel the need to explain who he was.
You are a tough audience. It's been a while since Rey was in the "limelight" -- lesser fans than you may shuffled that name to the cranial archives. :)

3. Enrico Pallazzo Posted: June 20, 2009 at 01:46 PM (#3225901)

Why would Mags stop using steroids? He was doing fine the last few years and now he's just incriminating himself.

4. JoeHova Posted: June 20, 2009 at 02:10 PM (#3225927)

The Tigers are looking like the Knicks of recent years, staggering around under a huge mass of useless contracts. Unlike the Knicks, of course, they are actually good.

5. MM1f Posted: June 20, 2009 at 02:16 PM (#3225931)

4,
Yeah. As I read the teaser there about those crap contracts I was thinking, "Wow, the Tigers are a disaster... Wait! Aren't they really really good?".

Hearing and seeing Carlos Guillen, Willis, Ordonez, Robertson and Sheffield all washed up/released really puts into perspective how FREAKING GOOD this team is. Even with all those should-be stars being paid 8 figures to either not play or play really badly this team is still sick.

Amazing

6. Robert Machemer Posted: June 20, 2009 at 02:18 PM (#3225934)

Ordonez .273 AVG, .347 OBP, .343 SLG
Ortiz .207 AVG, .308 OBP, .351 SLG

And yet, thanks to Ortiz's recent streak of improved hitting, the worries about Ortiz are subsiding. I'm not saying that Ordonez is going to bounce back, but I'm also not convinced that he won't. Sometimes players go through these sorts of things. Unless there's an obvious replacement available, there's no huge reason not to wait on Ordonez in case he does return to form (or some approximation thereof). The Tigers should still look to improve themselves in trade, of course, but all teams should be doing that anyway. And it's not as if Ordonez wasn't good as recently as last year -- he's no Francoeur or something.

7. snapper (history's 42nd greatest monster) Posted: June 20, 2009 at 02:29 PM (#3225940)

Wait! Aren't they really really good?".

I wouldn't go quite that far. They're 36-31 and the pythag is the same (sample size I know). That's above average, but that's as far as I'd go.

They're benefiting from a really weak division. SF and Toronto have equivalent records.

8. NotLikely20 Posted: June 20, 2009 at 02:42 PM (#3225949)

Agreed, see Paul Konerko. He is the king of 3 month slumps...

9. Vaux, A.B.D. Posted: June 20, 2009 at 03:33 PM (#3225975)

Comments 4 and 5 are hilarious. This is a team that just got done losing a series to the Pirates. It is a team that hits slightly better than the 2003 Dodgers, has a rotation with two giant holes in it, and a bullpen that's nothing but holes. The sad thing is, the Willis and Robertson contracts were crazy when they were signed.

10. Guapo Posted: June 20, 2009 at 04:16 PM (#3226012)

I love the sidebar:

Acta's job security remains as tenuous as it was last Saturday when I reported that the Nationals had decided him to replace him with bench coach Jim Riggleman.
But the timing has changed.
If my story had "no basis," as Nationals acting general manager Mike Rizzo said, then the team should end the uncertainty over Acta's status and announce that he will remain manager for the rest of the season.
But if my story was correct, then the Nationals should make the change sooner rather than later.

Can't you just admit that your "major-league sources" are worthless?

11. Srul Itza Posted: June 20, 2009 at 06:05 PM (#3226092)

Problem is, they’ve already released Sheffield.

Sheffield: .276/.389/.487/.876 131 OPS+ -- although the OPS+ figure must have some WAG in it, given the lack of any real track record for Citifield.

12. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Griffin (Vlad) Posted: June 20, 2009 at 06:47 PM (#3226164)

Pirates are playing .460 ball this year. Not world-beaters, but not pushovers, either.

13. AROM Posted: June 20, 2009 at 07:20 PM (#3226221)

Tough call on Ordonez. He should be expected to mostly bounce back for the 2nd half, and the Tigers as contenders could use him.

The risk in keeping him is that his option would vest, he's not worth anything close to the contract, and the Tigers are locked in to several unproductive players. With the Detroit economy they may really need some flexibility here.

The risk in cutting him is that he signs somewhere else, rebounds with the bat, and the Tigers lose the division in a close race. That could be more damaging to the franchise than living with his vested 2010 contract.

If it were me I'd keep him.

14. Tripon Posted: June 20, 2009 at 07:25 PM (#3226233)

Leyland said that Ordonez will likely play in the Cubs-Tigers series.

Also, called Boras out for his comments on the whole mess.

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Saturday, June 20, 2009

Rosenthal: Forget benching, dropping Mags makes more sense

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