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Thursday, April 26, 2012

Tigers release Brandon Inge, call up slugger Brad Eldred

Vaya con dios, Brandon.

Smyly Smile (Walewander) Posted: April 26, 2012 at 04:25 PM | 42 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
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1. Famous Original Joe C Posted: April 26, 2012 at 04:45 PM (#4117057)

Whoa, I did not think Brad Eldred was still kicking around.

2. haven Posted: April 26, 2012 at 04:46 PM (#4117059)

slugger Brad Eldred

Seriously?

3. Tom Nawrocki Posted: April 26, 2012 at 04:49 PM (#4117060)

Inge wouldn't look half bad on the Rockies, who have a big pile of nothin' at third base. He also seems like the kind of guy who might do very well in Coors.

4. Walt Davis Posted: April 26, 2012 at 04:55 PM (#4117069)

Not a good sign when you're (a) dropped in favor of 31-year-old Brad Eldred and (b) you're dropped in favor of 32-year-old Don Kelly.

5. Crispix Attacks 2: Swag Airlines Posted: April 26, 2012 at 04:58 PM (#4117072)

Whoa, I did not think Brad Eldred was still kicking around.

Not only that, he played for the aforementioned Rockies less than 2 years ago!

6. Smyly Smile (Walewander) Posted: April 26, 2012 at 05:00 PM (#4117075)

Seriously?

AAA slugger anyways. Dude has 13 home runs at Toledo this season. Not exactly a lightweight.

7. fra paolo Posted: April 26, 2012 at 05:03 PM (#4117080)

I was surprised Inge managed to keep his place on the roster after a poor 2008 followed a poor 2007, but he did rebound a bit until the wreck of 2011. Is Eldred going to play 1B?

8. Smyly Smile (Walewander) Posted: April 26, 2012 at 05:05 PM (#4117081)

Eldred will DH I'd guess. There's not been a compelling reason to abandon the attempt to play Prince and Cabrera in the field beyond simple logic.

9. Walks Clog Up the Bases Posted: April 26, 2012 at 05:13 PM (#4117089)

There's not been a compelling reason to abandon the attempt to play Prince and Cabrera in the field beyond simple logic.

In fairness, they've been disappointingly competent at the corners so far. A couple of blunders and some hits that rangier fielders would have stopped, but not the Benny-Hill-theme-worthy reel of bloopers I was expecting.

10. ColonelTom Posted: April 26, 2012 at 05:16 PM (#4117092)

Wow - 13 HR in 90 AB! Well, there's no harm in trying to ride the hot hand.

@4 - I'm not sure which is more shocking, that Brad Eldred might end up as a major-league DH in 2012, or that Chris Nelson is the Rockies' starting 3B! At least Inge has the potential of hitting a few balls out of the park if he makes contact (big if, though).

11. bigglou115 Posted: April 26, 2012 at 05:22 PM (#4117099)

In fairness, they've been disappointingly competent at the corners so far. A couple of blunders and some hits that rangier fielders would have stopped, but not the Benny-Hill-theme-worthy reel of bloopers I was expecting.

Don't lose faith, sooner or later we'll get that magic moment when Cabrera falls down trying to catch a pop-up, then overthrows Fielder who can't get a handle on the ball and subsequently overthrows Cabrera when the guy who hit the ball tries to take third on the play, allowing him to score. That will be the happiest day of my life.

12. The Long Arm of Rudy Law Posted: April 26, 2012 at 05:30 PM (#4117107)

This will be the fourth season that Eldred has played in the major leagues, and he's never played in consecutive seasons.

13. Walks Clog Up the Bases Posted: April 26, 2012 at 05:35 PM (#4117111)

Don't lose faith, sooner or later we'll get that magic moment when Cabrera falls down trying to catch a pop-up, then overthrows Fielder who can't get a handle on the ball and subsequently overthrows Cabrera when the guy who hit the ball tries to take third on the play, allowing him to score. That will be the happiest day of my life.

There was a play in yesterday's game that nicely exhibited their defensive shortcomings. Cabrera made a nice pick to his right, but then tried to throw the ball from the seat of his pants, resulting in a one-hopper that Prince fumbled around with before dropping.

14. Zipperholes Posted: April 26, 2012 at 05:52 PM (#4117117)

On whether Inge could have been traded, Dombrowski said: "There’s not a trade market at this point. There’s not a trade, and I think when you look at the numbers and the contract, you’ll understand."

This would seem to be the logic for any player being released rather than traded. But it often doesn't make sense. If--and it's not certain, but we'll find out if he gets picked up--he's worth more than the minimum, there should be a trade. It doesn't matter what his contract is.

15. Tom (and his broom) Posted: April 26, 2012 at 06:08 PM (#4117125)

Whats the MLE of .388/.444/1.013 at Toledo?

Cabrera, Prince, Eldred will give a whole new meaning to clogging the bases....

16. Johnny Sycophant-Laden Fora Posted: April 26, 2012 at 06:19 PM (#4117131)

Inge...

17.9 WAR despite an OPS+ of 83

of course WAR sees him as an elite defensive 3B

17. BurlyBuehrle Posted: April 26, 2012 at 06:33 PM (#4117145)

Any chance Inge has some sort of dead cat bounce year? If so, he'd have to be an improvement over Brent Morel for the White Sox. And, he might just get to stick it to the Tigers...

18. Smyly Smile (Walewander) Posted: April 26, 2012 at 06:38 PM (#4117148)

He was an elite defensive 3B. He was fantastic.

19. Olaf Posted: April 26, 2012 at 08:24 PM (#4117186)

I think the A's will sign him ASAP...

20. Enrico Pallazzo Posted: April 26, 2012 at 08:35 PM (#4117195)

Eldred is about as Quad A as they come.

21. Random Transaction Generator Posted: April 26, 2012 at 08:58 PM (#4117202)

Eldred? Really? They converted him from a pitcher to a hitter?
But isn't he, like, 40-something?

*checks bbref*

Ohhhh. BRAD Eldred.

Nevermind.

22. gef the talking mongoose Posted: April 26, 2012 at 09:02 PM (#4117203)

Cabrera made a nice pick to his right, but then tried to throw the ball from the seat of his pants,

He should've used his arm instead.

23. Jarrod HypnerotomachiaPoliphili(Teddy F. Ballgame) Posted: April 27, 2012 at 12:01 AM (#4117297)

The M's should probably be playing Kyle Seager regardless, but wouldn't Inge be an improvement on Chone Figgins?

24. McCoy Wilfong for Money Posted: April 27, 2012 at 12:12 AM (#4117301)

Inge wouldn't look half bad on the Rockies, who have a big pile of nothin' at third base. He also seems like the kind of guy who might do very well in Coors.

The Cubs are willing to trade their starting third baseman.

25. SteveM. Posted: April 27, 2012 at 01:18 AM (#4117324)

The Cubs are willing to trade their starting third baseman.

And throw in their closer!

26. Dan Posted: April 27, 2012 at 01:53 AM (#4117332)

The Mariners have been playing Figgins in the OF anyway since Carp went down.

27. DanG Posted: April 27, 2012 at 02:46 AM (#4117337)

Most strikeouts as a Tiger:

Rk          Player   SO    PA From   To
1     Brandon Inge 1189  5196 2001 2012
2     Lou Whitaker 1099  9967 1977 1995
3        Norm Cash 1081  7776 1960 1974
4        Al Kaline 1020 11596 1953 1974
5    Willie Horton  945  5978 1963 1977 

Lowest BA as a Tiger, minimum 900 G

Rk              Player   BA   PA    G From   To
1         Brandon Inge .234 5196 1408 2001 2012
2        Oscar Stanage .234 3844 1095 1909 1925
3    Aurelio Rodriguez .239 4649 1241 1971 1979
4             Don Wert .244 4300 1090 1963 1970
5         Tom Brookens .246 3903 1206 1979 1988 

28. Walt Davis Posted: April 27, 2012 at 06:14 AM (#4117355)

I'm not sure which is more shocking, that Brad Eldred might end up as a major-league DH in 2012, or that Chris Nelson is the Rockies' starting 3B!

And don't look now but Jerome Williams is the Angels' 5th starter.

Still holding out hope for the annual Brett Tomko appearance (at AAA Louisville, 3.48 ERA with 21 K in 21 IP).

29. Edmundo got dem ol' Kozma blues again mama

Posted: April 27, 2012 at 07:55 AM (#4117364)

Cabrera made a nice pick to his right, but then tried to throw the ball from the seat of his pants,

He should've used his arm instead.

It's amazing how much a bean-dominated dinner can help though.

30. God Posted: April 27, 2012 at 08:07 AM (#4117366)

In the live-ball era, only six players have managed to amass 5,000 career plate appearances with a batting average of .235 or lower.

Jim Hegan
Ed Brinkman
Mark Belanger
Gorman Thomas
Rick Dempsey
Brandon Inge

31. Ron J Posted: April 27, 2012 at 08:15 AM (#4117368)

I remember that Brad Eldred got derailed by an injury. Checked. Lost a year to a fractured thumb. Not what you need when you're getting your first shot relatively late (and at a position where there's never a shortage of competition)

Took a while to reestablish himself too.

And for the guy who made the Cal Eldred joke, he has pitched twice in the minors. They also tried him at third briefly (at 29). Worked as well as you'd expect, but he's pretty clearly milling to do whatever it takes. The Pirates planned to try him in the outfield (before the fractured thumb). I remember that the reaction of most people was ... awfully big guy to be rumbling about there and he doesn't run real well. Again, if that's what it took to get a shot he was willing.

32. cercopithecus aethiops Posted: April 27, 2012 at 08:37 AM (#4117372)

If--and it's not certain, but we'll find out if he gets picked up--he's worth more than the minimum, there should be a trade. It doesn't matter what his contract is.

Maybe it's just not worth the trouble of working the phones for three days so you can get back a C- minor leaguer and save 100k of salary?

Any chance Inge has some sort of dead cat bounce year?

He already did. Understandable if you missed it.

33. Crispix Attacks 2: Swag Airlines Posted: April 27, 2012 at 08:43 AM (#4117375)

Still holding out hope for the annual Brett Tomko appearance (at AAA Louisville, 3.48 ERA with 21 K in 21 IP).

Wow, Tomko is quietly creeping up the "most teams played for" list, now with 10.
Being back in the Reds system won't help with that, though.

Other pitchers people may have thought retired five years ago:
Jason Grilli
Kevin Millwood
Jamey Wright
Jason Isringhausen
Randy Choate

If anyone can name what team each of them is playing for, you win twenty pieces of eight, or "octavios".

34. DanG Posted: April 27, 2012 at 08:50 AM (#4117378)

Lowest BA past 100 years, minimum 4000 PA and 800 G at 3B

Rk              Player   BA OPS+ WAR/pos Rfield   PA From   To
1         Brandon Inge .234   83    17.9     89 5196 2001 2012
2    Aurelio Rodriguez .237   76     8.1     90 7085 1967 1983
3           Ossie Vitt .238   79    14.0     38 4514 1912 1921
4      Mike Pagliarulo .241   93     9.8      3 4317 1984 1995
5          Clete Boyer .242   86    26.5    160 6368 1955 1971
6             Don Wert .242   87     8.3     16 4346 1963 1971
7          Paul Schaal .244   99    12.6    -27 4149 1964 1974
8       Steve Buechele .245   94    13.5     27 4790 1985 1995
9         Tom Brookens .246   82     8.4     35 4258 1979 1990
10          Ed Sprague .247   90     2.8    -42 4587 1991 2001 

35. Kyle S at work Posted: April 27, 2012 at 09:09 AM (#4117389)

Good luck Brad, I'm rooting for you!

36. James Newburg is in awe of Cespedes' CORE STRENGTH Posted: April 27, 2012 at 09:16 AM (#4117398)

Hey, I'd clamor for the A's to sign Inge.

37. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Griffin (Vlad) Posted: April 27, 2012 at 09:38 AM (#4117421)

The Pirates planned to try him in the outfield (before the fractured thumb).

The Pirates DID try him in the outfield. I was there - I saw it first-hand. The fact that they terminated the experiment after only eight games should give you an idea of how well it was going.

Even in the minors, Eldred's main issue was always a complete and total inability to spot or hit any kind of breaking stuff. The first time he made it to AA and ran into pitchers who could throw breaking balls for strikes, he put up a 6/51 BB/K in 147 AB. He can sure hit a belt-high fastball a long way, though.

Nice to see him add some more pension time. He's not a bad egg, and he's certainly paid his dues.

38. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Griffin (Vlad) Posted: April 27, 2012 at 09:40 AM (#4117423)

Bonus fun fact: The presence of Brad Eldred in the Pirates' minor league system is what led Dave Littlefield to turn down a Kris Benson-for-Ryan Howard trade back in 2004.

Ah, memories.

39. Al Peterson Posted: April 27, 2012 at 09:41 AM (#4117424)

DanG's list in #34 is just full of Tigers. Inge, Rodriguez, Vitt, Wert and Brookens are longtime Detroiters. Having seen them both AuRod and Inge really could pick it at the hot corner.

40. JJ1986 Posted: April 27, 2012 at 09:45 AM (#4117427)

Jason Grilli
Kevin Millwood
Jamey Wright
Jason Isringhausen
Randy Choate

Pittsburgh, Seattle, Dodgers, Angels, Marlins?

41. DanG Posted: April 27, 2012 at 09:55 AM (#4117443)

DanG's list in #34 is just full of Tigers. Inge, Rodriguez, Vitt, Wert and Brookens are longtime Detroiters. Having seen them both AuRod and Inge really could pick it at the hot corner.

It's a perverse tradition in The D. The years they've won it's always been with a glove man at the hot corner. Here's a chronological list of players with 400 G at 3B for the Tigers:

Rk              Player WAR/pos OPS+ Rfield   PA From   To   BA  OBP  SLG
1        Bill Coughlin     2.4   80    -24 2374 1904 1908 .236 .291 .279
2      George Moriarty     8.8   83     30 3000 1909 1915 .251 .307 .313
3           Ossie Vitt    11.8   86     21 3271 1912 1918 .243 .324 .302
4            Bob Jones     3.9   75     19 3369 1917 1925 .265 .314 .337
5        Marty McManus    11.1  103      9 2636 1927 1931 .287 .359 .434
6            Marv Owen     4.1   84    -11 3310 1931 1937 .278 .342 .374
7        Pinky Higgins     7.3  102    -20 3609 1939 1946 .280 .364 .400
8          George Kell    21.2  119     14 3735 1946 1952 .325 .391 .433
9            Ray Boone    15.6  130    -19 2854 1953 1958 .291 .372 .482
10            Don Wert     9.3   88     19 4300 1963 1970 .244 .316 .346
11   Aurelio Rodriguez     5.2   76     45 4649 1971 1979 .239 .274 .356
12        Tom Brookens     9.2   82     44 3903 1979 1988 .246 .297 .369
13       Travis Fryman    26.5  106     29 4792 1990 1997 .274 .334 .444
14        Brandon Inge    17.9   83     89 5196 2001 2012 .234 .304 .387 

42. Sweatpants Posted: April 27, 2012 at 10:46 AM (#4117507)

Other pitchers people may have thought retired five years ago:
Jason Grilli
Kevin Millwood
Jamey Wright
Jason Isringhausen
Randy Choate

Isringhausen did retire five years ago, didn't he?

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Thursday, April 26, 2012

Tigers release Brandon Inge, call up slugger Brad Eldred

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