After another inspiring performance by Nate Robertson last night, I thought I would open a discussion about awarding a 2008 Tiger LVP. There are plenty of candidates and they each make a strong case. But, there can be only one.
Edgar Renteria
Put aside the fact that we gave up a promising young pitcher in the trade that brought us Edgar. Playing nearly every day, he’s hitting .266 with 7 homeruns and a measly 44 RBI. His slugging percentage is an amazingly low .359. To add insult to injury, he’s finally started to hit right around the time we fell out of the pennant race (thanks a lot Edgar). Now the Tigers are considering bringing him back for another $9 mil. Add to this his reduced range and lack of speed, and you have the makings of a prime LVP candidate.
Brandon Inge
A favorite with the young girls and Tigers beat writer Lynn Henning (apparently Brandon is cute and is “a good guy”). Here are the cold hard facts, Inge is hitting .217 with 10 homeruns and 39 RBI. Add to this his pouting all spring training about losing his third base job and the drama that ensued.
Nate Robertson
Nate the “bull dog.” Has there ever been a less appropriate nickname? The stats are impressive, 7-10 record and a 6.09 ERA. This on the heels of a 2007 season in which he had to shut it down because of a ”tired arm.” Impressive indeed.
Fernando Rodney
Good old Fernando missed the first 2 months with tendonitis, which is a feat unto itself. He’s pitched better lately, but only after putting the nail in the coffin of 2008 with 4 out of 5 blown saves during a critical late July/early August stretch.
Gary Sheffield
Everyone’s favorite Tiger, Gary has outdone himself this year. He continues to be a prick off the field, and now sports a .234 batting average to go along with it. Putting him on waivers may have been the highlight of the season. Watching him sit there and collect zero interest from other teams continues to put a smile on my face.
Honorable Mention
Joel Zumaya. Todd Jones. Justin Verlander. Kyle Farnsworth. Jason Grilli. Pat Sheridan.
2008 Tiger LVP
This one is a toss-up, but out of pure spite I’m going with Brandon Inge. Please feel free to cast your vote and comment at the link below.
i vote Paws as LVP. that “mascot” tried to touch me in an inappropriate place, turning an otherwise uneventful afternoon ballgame into a “very special” episode.
oh my.
Longtime Tiger fan here living in NC. Great blog. Thanks for linking it at the espn boards.
LVP? Not Inge. He is what he is. A weak hitting utility player that comes through in the clutch every once in awhile. He’s valuable because he fills in at any position.
Not Todd Jones. Every save “Tater” Jones has had as a Tiger has been an adventure. I expected him to have a horrible year.
Renteria? Maybe. Expected a helluva lot more from him.
Sheff? Maybe. Pick any year and he could’ve been awarded this honor.
Robertson makes a good case for LVP, but…
I’m going with Rodney. You are right in your comments. He absolutely put a lid on this season earlier this month.
thanks Leroy. great comments. it’s hard to argue with Fernando. please bookmark me and come back often, i appreciate the input.
I will come back.
btw, even though I voted for Rodney, he’s the last one on your list that I’d trade away.
I gotta go with Sheffield here. I can’t imagine that his attitude is any better in the dugout than it is off-field. His demeanor can’t be good for anything but lowering team morale.
For most games featuring him this season, I always viewed him as an automatic out. I’m sure that few of us have any faith in him at the plate nowadays. There were high expectations at the beginning of the season, and an average hovering around .230 makes him even more of a disappointment.
I’ll peg Renteria as a close second, but only because of a good start where he had a BA in the .320’s. Unfortunately, he’s fallen over sixty points as the season’s dragged on.
I will take an expectation vs. results approach on this.
Therefore, cross out Nate, Sheff and Inge. I didn’t expect much and got even less. I actually thought Jones got it done as much as he is capable.
A true LVP, like an MVP, has to be selected on this basis: would the team be as bad as it is without him? Would it be so far out of the running without them? If you traded him away to a contender, would he make that team plummet? Does he make all the players around him worse?
Renteria and Rodney. Co-LVPs.
Well, this is a hard one. My spite pick is for Todd Jones. He was not a valuable asset in 2001 when he did his first stint with the Tigers. I lovingly referred to him as spoiled milk. For some reason beyond my comprehension, maybe because he is reported to be a really nice guy, the Tiger organization brings him back. It’s the equivalent of smelling sour milk then putting the carton back in the fridge hoping tomorrow the milk will better. Of course, people shout about his stats not being that bad. True….but when you bring out a closer, you need someone who can throw strikes, not put runners on the base paths. July is a big month in baseball. In the 10 games he pitched, (9 inns total) he was 3-5 in Save Opps, BUT he gave up 11 hits, 8 runs, 3 BB with an ERA of 6.0 for the month. And the two blown saves were against division rivals, Chicago and Minnesota. Ugh. That hurts. Plus he’s 40….
My not spiteful pick is for Jim Leyland. I know he’s not one of the options, but damn….he baffled me at times this season with some really bad decisions. One in my mind was sticking with Sheff for so long. Really beyond my comprehension. Personnel and pitching changes seemed not well thought out, and the fire/desire to be a great team didn’t seem to begin with Jim. And that really disappoints me because I have a great deal of respect for him as a manager.
Ok, I need to go. My fantasy football draft is on!! Something to look forward too!!
Rodney gets the save! Rodney gets the save!
Amazing. Back to back doubles to open the bottom of the ninth, a walk, 2 K’s, a single and a putout at home. LOL
Even when he gets “credited” with a save he reinforces his LVP status!
I think you guys are overlooking Inge. Yes, he can play all the positions but who cares when you bat .212? He’s been around a long time but still has yet to prove that he can hit major league pitching.
If the Tigers think he’s going to be there everyday catcher than they might as well give up on next season too. He looks terrible behind the plate and I don’t think he can handle pitchers. A few weeks ago on the Fox saturday game, Verlander was in big trouble and couldn’t find the plate late in the game and Inge never went to visit him on the mound. I was screaming at the tv. Verlander needed a break and Inge never came out to pay him a visit and calm him down. Sure, Pudge hated being in Detroit but he knew how to handle pitchers.
In short, Inge can do a lot of things but none of them very well.