sign in sign up
<<
Home , Colin Walsh (baseball), Danny Worth, Lance Parrish, Tiger Town

Tigers Clips Friday, November 18, 2016

Detroit Free Press unveil 2017 schedule (Fenech)

The Detroit News McCosky: Cy Young vote exposes glitch in balloting system (McCosky) Tigers great Trammell to lead Wayne State camp (McCosky) Tigers announce 2017 spring training schedule (Staff)

MLive.com Tigers' Miguel Cabrera finishes 9th in AL MVP voting (Woodbery) Tigers open 2017 spring training with exhibition on Feb. 23 (Woodbery)

MLB.com Tigers to unveil new spring park Feb. 23 (Beck)

The Lakeland Ledger The Tigers will open the spring with an exhibition against Florida Southern on Feb. 23 before hosting the Orioles on Feb. 24 at 1:05 p.m. (Fredericksen)

WXYZ.com Detroit Tigers announce spring training schedule, renovations to TigerTown (White)

Daily Transactions

1

Detroit Tigers unveil 2017 spring training schedule November 18, 2016 By Anthony Fenech/ Detroit Free Press

It will be a new look for the Detroit Tigers in the spring. From the clubhouse to the front office to the name on the stadium and perhaps, the players on the field, changes are coming to Lakeland, Fla. The Tigers will open next season’s spring training slate on Feb. 23 at the newly renovated Publix Field at with an exhibition game against Florida Southern College, according to the team. The team will open Grapefruit League play against the Orioles on Feb. 24. The team released its 36-game spring training schedule today. The final game of the spring is scheduled for April 1 against the Marlins in Jupiter, Fla. This season will be the organization’s 81st at TigerTown in Lakeland, which is the longest-standing relationship between a major league team and spring training host city. It will be the first with $40 million ballpark enhancements, which began late last winter. The enhancements – jointly funded by the Tigers, state of Florida, city of Lakeland and Polk County – include brand-new front offices, clubhouses and weight room. The team released updated renderings of the project. “We’re all very excited about the major renovations in Lakeland that look spectacular,” general said in a release. “TigerTown is being transformed into a world-class complex second to none in Major League . It’s going to make a quite a difference for the Detroit Tigers players and staff, and for the fans, who will appreciate the enhancements.” For the fans, a new year-round restaurant will be built. New stadium amenities include increased shade seating, more restrooms and concessions and air-conditioned availability. The construction includes a new LED video scoreboard, standing 26 feet tall and 46 feet wide. Tigers pitchers and are likely to report late in the second week of February. Because of the 2017 World Baseball Classic, spring training is extended one week longer.

2

McCosky: Cy Young vote exposes glitch in balloting system November 18, 2016 By Chris McCosky/ The Detroit News

Detroit – Can we clear something up here, please? That edged out for the Cy Young Award Wednesday, despite having six fewer first-place votes, isn’t an indictment of the Baseball Writers Association of America. Yes, two Tampa-based writers left Verlander off their ballots completely, which is indefensible. But, they would have had to put Verlander third or better on their ballots to swing the election. The problem is the point system. We are tasked with selecting and ranking the top five pitchers and points are assigned from first to fifth – 7, 4, 3, 2, 1. As we saw Wednesday, it creates a situation where first-place votes get dispersed and effectively watered down in the final count. Verlander got first-place votes from 14 of the 30 voters. Porcello got eight. That number was matched by the combined first-place votes for Zach Britton (five) and Corey Kluber (three). Porcello’s 18 second-place votes earned him a pivotal 72 points. The point system will likely be a topic of conversation at our next BBWAA meeting, which will be during the Winter Meetings next month. Perhaps more weight should be given to first-place votes. Worthy finalists That discussion should not in any way detract from or disparage Porcello’s accomplishment. We can split analytical and statistical hairs all we want, but when you get down to it, all three finalists – Porcello, Verlander and Kluber – were worthy of the award. Porcello was 13-1 with a 2.97 ERA in 16 starts at Fenway Park, for crying out loud. That is remarkable. I was one of the 30 voters for this award and I can tell you, it was an arduous task. Solid cases could be made not only for the three finalists, but also for the White Sox’s Chris Sale, the Blue Jays’ J.A. Happ and Britton, the Orioles’ closer who was nearly perfect in 2016. I made my first statistical spreadsheet at the beginning of September. The categories I used were WAR, pitchers’ WAR, ERA, park-adjusted ERA, WHIP, strikeouts, walks-to-strikeouts, innings pitched, opponents’ average and OPS. After updating it throughout the month and, for the last time on the Monday after the end of the regular season, Verlander was at the top of most of the categories, and yet, on the first ballot I sent in I had Porcello first and Verlander second. Why? Because I was worried about being thought of as a homer. But the more I thought about it, the more I crunched the numbers, the more I thought about what I watched all season, I knew the honest pick, the correct pick for me was Verlander. And the only reason I listed Porcello first was because I didn’t want to be viewed as a homer. That’s wrong and I couldn’t live with it. Fortunately, BBWAA secretary-treasurer Jack O’Connell ripped up my original ballot and let me file a revised one on that same Monday. Here’s how I voted: 1. Verlander, 2. Porcello, 3. Kluber, 4. Sale, 5. Britton. Britton debate The other lingering Cy Young debate, of course, will be Britton not being among the top three. I won’t apologize for giving Britton a fifth-place vote. He was brilliant, no question. Near perfect. But comparing a closer to a starting pitcher is apples to oranges. There is a reason relief pitchers have their own award (though it is not BBWAA-administered). Britton pitched 67 innings last season. In most, he came into a clean ninth inning. He faced a total of 254 batters, and not once did he have to retire the same hitter more than once in an outing. Compare that to Verlander, who pitched 227.2 innings, faced 903 batters and in the vast majority of his starts faced the middle of the opponent’s order at least three times. The perception was that the voters ignored Britton’s great season. That’s not true at all. He got five first-place votes, was on 24 of the 30 ballots and finished fourth with 72 points. To me, that’s a fair acknowledgement of his season, relative to his role. 3

Tigers great Trammell to lead Wayne State camp November 18, 2016 By Chris McCosky/ The Detroit News

Detroit — Something lights up inside when he’s on a baseball field. It doesn’t matter where or when. Could be during an early spring training workout in Lakeland. Could be throwing early practice or hitting fungos hours before a regular season game in April. Or, it could be at an indoor workout facility on the campus of Wayne State University, showing a high school kid the proper footwork at shortstop. The boundless energy and enthusiasm he played with his entire 20-year career with the Tigers never abates. You would never know he was 58-years-old. “It is extraordinary to witness,” said Ryan Kelley, Wayne State’s baseball coach. “Someone of his caliber. You think about the things he’s done professionally as a player and a coach. To see him working on ground balls with kids of all ages, it’s impressive.” This weekend, Saturday and Sunday, Trammell and former Tigers teammate Lance Parrish will host their seventh annual baseball camp at Wayne State, inside the Matthaei and Multipurpose Indoor Facility. On Saturday, with the help of Kelley’s players, Trammell and Parrish will conduct a fundamentals camp in the morning from 9 a.m. until noon for kids Grades two through 12. Then from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., they will conduct an advanced development camp (grades eight through 12). The Sunday session is new and only for the advanced group. Trammell will run a shortstop-specific camp in the morning and Parrish will run a catchers’ clinic in the afternoon. Imagine, three hours of specialized instruction from a pair of former perennial big league all-stars. “Most guys of Trammell’s stature, they might show up and take a picture, sign autographs and hang around for a bit,” Kelley said. “But he’s there for every second of the camp. He tries to work with every kid possible. There will be 100 kids at the first session on Saturday. “He really enjoys it. He’s passionate about teaching the game and he’s passionate about being back in Detroit and helping kids in our area. It’s pretty cool to witness.” It’s the same for Parrish. “Watching the two of them, it kind of identifies a little bit about why they won it in 1984 and all those good runs they had in Detroit,” Kelley said. “They’re both very passionate about what they do, their work ethic, the way they prepare and their team-first mentality — it really comes out. They have a passion to give and not take.” Fundamental training is the backbone of these clinics, but Trammell and Parrish take it to another level with the older kids. “They talk to them about how to prepare, how to handle yourself and how to be professional and take care of your business and work as part of a team,” Kelley said. “They also discuss their own experiences coming out of high school and the draft and deciding between college and .” The Saturday session is full, but Kelley said there may be some openings for the Sunday advanced clinics. Tickets can only be purchased at the Wayne State athletics website (wsuathletics.com).

4

Tigers announce 2017 spring training schedule November 18, 2016 By The Detroit News Staff/ The Detroit News

The Detroit Tigers released their 2017 spring training schedule on Thursday, and it includes 17 games at the renovated Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. This will be the Tigers’ 81st consecutive year at TigerTown in Lakeland, the longest relationship between an MLB club and a current spring training site. TIGERS 2017 SPRING TRAINING SCHEDULE All times Eastern; x-split squad for Tigers. Thu. February 23, Florida Southern College, at Lakeland, 1:05 Fri. February 24, Baltimore, at Lakeland, 1:05 Sat. February 25, Houston, at Lakeland, 1:05 Sun. February 26, New York Mets, at Port St. Lucie, 1:10 Mon. February 27, Atlanta, at Lakeland, 1:05 Tue. February 28, New York Yankees, at Tampa, 1:05 x-Wed. March 1, Washington, at Lakeland, 1:05 x-Wed. March 1, Toronto, at Dunedin, 1:07 Thu. March 2, Pittsburgh, at Lakeland, 1:05 Fri. March 3, Tampa Bay, at Port Charlotte, 1:05 Sat. March 4, New York Yankees, at Lakeland, 1:05 Sun. March 5, Philadelphia, at Clearwater, 1:05 Mon. March 6, Baltimore, at Lakeland, 1:05 Tue. March 7, Philadelphia, at Lakeland, 1:05 Wed. March 8, no game Thu. March 9, New York Mets, at Port St. Lucie, 1:10 Fri. March 10, Toronto, at Lakeland, 1:05 Sat. March 11, New York Yankees, at Tampa, 1:05 Sun. March 12, New York Mets, at Lakeland, 1:05 Mon. March 13, Washington, at West Palm Beach, 1:05 Tue. March 14, Miami, at Jupiter, 1:05 Wed. March 15, Atlanta, at Lakeland, 1:05 Thu. March 16, Atlanta, at Disney World, 1:05 Fri. March 17, New York Yankees, at Lakeland, 1:05 x-Sat. March 18, Miami, at Lakeland, 1:05 x-Sat. March 18, Atlanta, at Disney World, 1:05 Sun. March 19, Baltimore, at Sarasota, 1:05 Mon. March 20, New York Mets, at Lakeland, 1:05 Tue. March 21, no game Wed. March 22, Toronto, at Dunedin, 1:07 Thu. March 23, Atlanta, at Disney World, 6:05 Fri. March 24, Atlanta, at Lakeland, 1:05 Sat. March 25, Pittsburgh, at Bradenton, 1:05 Sun. March 26, Toronto, at Lakeland, 1:05 Mon. March 27, Atlanta, at Disney World, 6:05 Tue. March 28, New York Yankees, at Tampa, 6:35 Wed. March 29, Philadelphia, at Lakeland, 1:05 Thu. March 30, Baltimore, at Sarasota, 1:05 Fri. March 31, Miami, at Jupiter, 7:05 Sat. April 1, Miami, at Jupiter, 12:05 5

Tigers' Miguel Cabrera finishes 9th in AL MVP voting November 18, 2016 By Evan Woodbery/ MLive.com

DETROIT -- It's not easy to break Mike Trout's stranglehold on the MVP race. The outfielder is the 2016 American League Most Valuable Player and has now finished in first or second place in the MVP voting all five of his full seasons in the big leagues. And he just turned 25. Miggy in MVP voting Year In MVP vote 2003 (NL) 27 2004 (NL) 22 2005 (NL) 5 2006 (NL) 5 2007 (NL) 15 2008 13 2009 4 2010 2 2011 5 2012 MVP 2013 MVP 2014 9 2015 11 2016 9 Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera finished ninth in this year's balloting, tied with shortstop Francisco Lindor. Pitcher Justin Verlander was the only other Tiger to receive a vote; he received one ninth-place vote. Since winning back-to-back MVPs in 2012 and 2013 (beating out Trout both times), Cabrera has finished 9th, 11th and now 9th. Mookie Betts of the Boston Red Sox finished second in this year's voting. Jose Altuve, who like Cabrera hails from Maracay, Venezuela, finished in third place. Verlander finished in second place in the Cy Young Award voting Wednesday night. Michael Fulmer won the AL Rookie of the Year Award earlier this week.

6

Tigers open 2017 spring training with exhibition on Feb. 23 November 18, 2016 By Evan Woodbery/ MLive.com

DETROIT -- The Detroit Tigers will open their exhibition season in Lakeland, Fla., on Feb. 23 with a game against Florida Southern University. Grapefruit League play begins a day later on Feb. 24 against the . The Tigers did not announce the date on which pitchers and catchers will report but it will likely be Feb. 13-15. The Tigers released their full spring training schedule on Thursday. This spring will mark the team's 81st season in Lakeland and its 52nd at Joker Marchant Stadium, which has added "Publix Field" to its title. The corporate sponsor helped fund an extensive renovation of the stadium and adjoining fields. "We're all very excited about the major renovations in Lakeland that look spectacular," Tigers general manager Al Avila said in a release. "TigerTown is being transformed into a world class complex second to none in .

7

Tigers to unveil new spring park Feb. 23 November 18, 2016 By Jason Beck/ MLB.com

DETROIT -- The Tigers will open their remodeled Spring Training home this coming February with their 81st camp at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla., beginning with a Feb. 23 exhibition against Florida Southern College. The team announced its Spring Training slate on Thursday as it prepares to move into its renovated facility, now known as Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. The $40 million project, which began as soon as last Spring Training ended, is expected to be complete by the time pitchers and catchers report in early February. The upgrades -- including a new clubhouse, offices, weight room, party deck, club suites, more box seats, air conditioned and covered areas and concessions -- continue the longest-running partnership between a Major League team and its Spring Training home. "We're all very excited about the major renovations in Lakeland that look spectacular," Tigers general manager Al Avila said in a press release. "TigerTown is being transformed into a world class complex second to none in Major League Baseball. It's going to make quite a difference for the Detroit Tigers players and staff, and for the fans, who will appreciate all the enhancements." The new-look park will host its first game when the Tigers hold their annual exhibition against Florida Southern on Feb. 23. From there, the Tigers open their Grapefruit League schedule with back-to-back home games against the Orioles and Astros on Feb. 24-25. The Tigers will host 17 Grapefruit League games, including the Yankees on March 4 and 17, the Blue Jays on March 10 and 26, the Mets on March 12 and 20, the Phillies on March 7 and 29, the Nationals on March 1 and the Orioles on March 6. Eight of the Tigers' first 13 Grapefruit League contests will be at home. All Tigers home games are 1:05 p.m. ET starts. The flip side comes at the end, when Detroit finishes with eight of its final 11 games on the road, culminating with an overnight two-game set against Miami in Jupiter on March 31 and April 1. The Tigers make another trip to Jupiter to face the Marlins on March 14, two visits to Port St. Lucie to meet the Mets on Feb. 26 and March 12, and one trip to the new complex in West Palm Beach to play the Nationals on March 13. Full season ticket packages and individual game tickets will be available at the stadium box office in Lakeland. For more information and group pricing, log on to tigers.com/springtraining or call the Lakeland ticket office at 863-686-8075.

8

The Tigers will open the spring with an exhibition against Florida Southern on Feb. 23 before hosting the Orioles on Feb. 24 at 1:05 p.m. November 18, 2016 By Brady Fredericksen/ The Lakeland Ledger

LAKELAND — When the Detroit Tigers return to Lakeland this spring, they’ll return to a newly renovated Joker Marchant Stadium. They’ll christen that field on Feb. 23 with their annual exhibition against Florida Southern before facing the Baltimore Orioles on Feb. 24 at 1:05 p.m. The Orioles game will be the first of the teams’ 16 Grapefruit League dates on the newly named Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. The Tigers are entering their 81st season at Tiger Town in Lakeland and have yet to announce when tickets, both single and season, will go on sale. Along with the Orioles, the Tigers will host the Houston Astros, , Washington Nationals, , New York Yankees, New York Mets, , and Miami Marlins. Auburndale grad Kyle Ryan appears likely to return to the Tigers’ bullpen this season, but the lanky lefthander isn’t the only local player that could make an appearance in Polk County this spring. Pittsburgh’s Andrew McCutchen (Fort Meade) and Drew Hutchison (Lakeland), Baltimore’s Trey Mancini (Winter Haven) and Steve Pearce (Lakeland), Atlanta’s Rob Whalen (Haines City), Miami’s Dee Gordon (Southeastern), Philadelphia’s Alec Asher (Lakeland) could all play in Lakeland. The renovated Joker Marchant Stadium will feature new, covered seating areas, more box seats, more restrooms, easier wheelchair access and other cosmetic and fan-experience related improvements. “We’re all very excited about the major renovations in Lakeland that look spectacular,” Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila said in a release. “Tiger Town is being transformed into a world class complex second to none in Major League Baseball. It’s going to make quite a difference for the Detroit Tigers players and staff, and for the fans, who will appreciate all the enhancements. We are especially grateful to the City of Lakeland, Polk County, Publix and the State of Florida for their vision and commitment to the Tigers. It speaks volumes of our outstanding relationship.” For more information on tickets, contact the Tigers’ ticket office at (863) 686-8075 or check online at www.tigers.com/springtraining.

9

Detroit Tigers announce spring training schedule, renovations to TigerTown November 18, 2016 By Max White/ WXYZ.com

LAKELAND, Fla. (WXYZ) - The Detroit Tigers announced their Spring Training schedule as well as renovations to TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Thursday. The team will open the season against Florida State College on Thursday, Feb. 23. It will also feature games against the New York Yankees on St. Patrick's Day, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles and more. Renovations to Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium include more shade, more box seats, more air conditioned spaces, rebuilt and expanded restrooms, more concession stands and other restaurants. They have also added LED video displays and scoreboard, a kids playground, a new area called the runway which gives fans a 360-degree-view of the field.

10

LAST UPDATED: THU, NOVEMBER 17, 2016, 19:54 EST

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2016

TEAM PLAYER TRANSACTION

Atlanta Braves Bartolo Colon Signed as Free Agent, ( 2017; Opt 2018)(one-year contract)

Traded From from Yankees, NY Yankees (for RHPs Albert Abreu & Jorge

Houston Astros Brian McCann Guzman)

Toronto Blue Jays Kendrys Morales Signed as Free Agent, ( 2017-2019)(three-year contract)

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2016

TEAM PLAYER TRANSACTION

Arizona Kristopher Signed to a Minor League Contract

Diamondbacks Negron

Boston Red Sox Édgar Olmos Signed to a Minor League Contract

Cincinnati Reds Johnny Hellweg Signed to a Minor League Contract

Houston Astros Charlie Morton Signed as Free Agent, ( 2017-2018)(two-year contract)

Los Angeles Angels Shane Robinson Refused Minor League Assignment - Free Agent

Oakland Athletics Tyler Sturdevant Signed to a Minor League Contract

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2016

TEAM PLAYER TRANSACTION

11

Atlanta Braves Colin Walsh Signed to a Minor League Contract

Boston Red Sox David Ortiz Retired

Cleveland Indians Guillermo Quiroz Signed to a Minor League Contract

Detroit Tigers Joel Hanrahan Retired

Houston Astros Danny Worth Signed to Play in Korea, (SK Wyverns)

Los Angeles Angels Ramón Flores Signed to a Minor League Contract

Los Angeles Angels Cory Rasmus Refused Minor League Assignment - Free Agent

Los Angeles Dodgers Chin-Hui Tsao Refused Minor League Assignment - Free Agent

Los Angeles Dodgers Dan Johnson Released

Miami Marlins Frank Garcés Signed to a Minor League Contract

Oakland Athletics Felix Doubront Signed to a Minor League Contract

Oakland Athletics Matt McBride Signed to a Minor League Contract

Philadelphia Phillies Matt Harrison Released

Todd

St. Louis Cardinals Signed to a Minor League Contract

Cunningham

St. Louis Cardinals Kendry Flores Signed to a Minor League Contract

Tampa Bay Rays Bobby Wilson Refused Minor League Assignment - Free Agent

12

Texas Rangers Allen Webster Signed to a Minor League Contract

13