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Home , Al Avila, Anthony Gose, Grayson Greiner, Jacob Nottingham, Jason Krizan, Mitch Harris (baseball)

Clips Monday, October 17, 2016

Detroit Free Press Was Tigers' signing of Mike Pelfrey a fall-back to ? (Fenech) Detroit Tigers' Anthony Gose among eight to play in winter ball (Fenech)

The Detroit News Fulmer among America’s top ‘graduating’ prospects (Staff)

MLB.com Jones sets tone for Rafters with three- homer (Rosenbaum) Tigers' Greiner mashes in Fall League victory (Kennealy)

Oakland Press 104-year-old Sylvan Lake fan is a hit with Tigers (Runkle)

WXYZ.com 104-year-old Tigers fan named MLB's 'Fan of the Year' (Rose)

Daily Transactions

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Was Tigers' signing of Mike Pelfrey a fall-back to John Lackey? October 17, 2016 By Anthony Fenech/ Detroit Free Press

Last off-season, Detroit Tigers general Al Avila said he wanted to add two starting . And before the starting pitching market took hold, Avila signed his first, right-hander Jordan Zimmermann, to a five-year, $110-million deal. Zimmermann, Avila said, was the team’s top target in free agency. Less than a week later, the Tigers added another arm: Righty Mike Pelfrey, on a two-year, $16-million deal. Pelfrey did not perform well in his first season with the team, posting a 5.07 ERA and 1.731 WHIP in 24 games. But perhaps Pelfrey was the team’s fall-back option after missing out on Cubs righty John Lackey. According to a Sunday report by baseball insider Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, the Tigers tried hard to sign Lackey last off-season. Both Lackey and Pelfrey agreed to deals on Dec. 4. Lackey signed a two-year, $32-million deal. Heyman wrote it isn’t certain the Tigers — or the Diamondbacks, another team that was interested in Lackey — offered more money, but Lackey has said he signed with the Cubs to chase a third World Series title. The Cubs are playing the Dodgers in the Championship Series and appear to be a favorite to win their first World Series title in 108 years. They have not reached the World Series in 71 years. Lackey, who turns 38 on Sunday, posted a 3.35 ERA and 1.057 WHIP in 29 starts this season, with 180 in 1881/3 innings. The Tigers might not have had the money to match the Cubs’ offer at that point in the off-season, or Lackey might have decided to sign elsewhere, but his pursuit likely did not impact the Zimmermann signing, which came a week earlier.

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Detroit Tigers' Anthony Gose among eight to play in winter ball October 17, 2016 By Anthony Fenech/ Detroit Free Press

They will report at different times, but the Detroit Tigers will send eight players around the world to play winter baseball this off-season. Already a couple of minor leaguers, like right-handers Ruben Alaniz and Tommy Collier, have reported to their bases in Venezuela. Alaniz was recently re-signed to a minor league deal. He posted a 2.69 ERA this past season in a relief role between -A Erie and -A Toledo and the Tigers believe there is more progress to be made from the 25-year-old that joined the organization prior to last season. Other notable Tigers playing overseas this winter include centerfielder Anthony Gose and righty reliever Angel Nesbitt, who will play in the Venezuelan Winter League. Gose had a bad 2016 season, after getting demoted from the Tigers to Double-A Erie, where he hit .224 in 40 games. He has been jumped on the team’s centerfield depth chart by both Tyler Collins and JaCoby Jones. Nesbitt was injured to start the season, hurting his ankle in , and posted a 5.68 ERA in 28 games for Triple-A Toledo. Prospect Paul Voelker will also pitch in Venezuela, and prospects Sandy Guerrido, Dean Green and Jason Krizan will play in the Dominican Republic. Green hit .309 with six home runs and 36 RBI for Toledo this season. Krizan, playing outfield primarily after an experiment at second base in 2015, hit .294 between Erie and Toledo.

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Fulmer among ’s top ‘graduating’ prospects October 17, 2016 By The Detroit News Staff/ The Detroit News

Tigers right-hander burst into the majors, compiling a season that has made him a leading contender for Rookie of the Year. It also placed him firmly among the game’s top “graduating” prospects from 2016, according to Baseball America. Fulmer ranks No. 9 on the list, published Saturday, which ranks the game’s top players who no longer qualify as prospects after surpassing the rookie major-league minimums in innings pitched (50) or at-bats (130). “Fulmer made the jump to the majors after just three Triple-A starts and quickly became the leading candidate for AL Rookie of the Year,” wrote Baseball America’s Kyle Glaser. “His mid-90s and slider were excellent as predicted— opposing batters hit just .233 and .206 against those two pitches, respectively— but his changeup played much better than expected. That development helped (turn) … him into a front-of-the-rotation stalwart with three strong pitches, including two secondary pitches that miss bats.” The rankings aren’t based on first-season performances, but on their “updated” Baseball America prospect grade, which “mimics the 20-80 scouting scale and includes a risk assessment.” Fulmer’s first season, in which he went 11-7 with a 3.06 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 159 innings pitched, bumped up his prospect grade from 55 to 60 with “medium risk,” according to Baseball America. A “60” translates into a No. 2/No. 3 starter, according to the publication. Medium risk means there is “still some work to do to turn tools into major-league caliber skills, but fairly polished player.” shortstop Corey Seager topped the list with an updated prospect grade of 75 (safe). catcher Gary Sanchez, who is expected to be Fulmer’s chief competition for AL rookie of the year award when it’s announced Nov. 14, ranks No. 4 with a 70 grade (medium).

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Jones sets tone for Rafters with three-run homer October 17, 2016 By Mike Rosenbaum/ MLB.com

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Fresh off of his first taste of the Major Leagues, JaCoby Jones is playing like a big leaguer in this year's . The Tigers' No. 9 prospect came out of the gate swinging on Saturday afternoon as he connected on a first- inning to help power Salt River in a 9-4 win over Glendale at Camelback Ranch. With one run already in for Salt River and two runners still on base, Jones, who batted fourth and started in center field, belted a 3-2 offering from Glendale starter Chris Anderson (Dodgers) over the wall in left-center field to give the Rafters an early 4-0 lead. "[Anderson] was leaving some pitches over the plate early in the game, so I was looking for something like that to get extended on and drive in more runs," said Jones, who homered on the eighth pitch of the at-bat. Jones recorded his second knock of the contest in his second trip to the plate with a double to center field before swiping third base for his second steal of the season. Jones also reached base in two of his final three plate appearances, via a hit-by-pitch and a walk, to finish the game 2-for-3. "I've felt good in the box out here," said Jones. "I'm working on some things in the box, trying not to miss as many pitches over the plate as I have in the past -- just making more contact and driving the ball." Jones, 24, spent much of 2016 in the Minor Leagues, where he batted a combined .257/.327/.407 with 34 extra- base hits and 13 stolen bases in 99 games between Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo before joining the Tigers in the big leagues as a September callup. Though he batted just .214 over 13 games in the season's final month, Jones believes his brief time in the Majors around some of the game's top players has helped him get off to a strong start in the Fall League. "I think the biggest thing I learned in the big leagues was how to prepare myself before games," reflected Jones. "Preparation is key, and that's what I learned in the month I was around , Ian Kinsler, Justin Upton, Cameron Maybin -- all of those guys. Their preparation is unbelievable, so out here I'm working on having a good routine before games." The Rafters did most of their damage in the top of the first inning, when they pushed across four runs before making an out. Travis Demeritte (Braves' No. 9) opened the game with a triple and scored on Jamie Westbrook's (D-backs' No. 21) RBI single to shortstop. Dawel Lugo (D-backs' No. 11) followed with a single ahead of Jones' home run. Glendale would respond with a run in the bottom half of the frame, courtesy of an RBI double by Drew Ward (Nationals' No. 10), only to see Salt River get it right back in the top of the second on a Westbrook RBI knock. The Rafters extended their lead to 5-1 in the top of the fourth only to give the run back on a wild pitch in the bottom of the fifth. The two teams traded runs in the sixth, with Jacob Nottingham (Brewers' No. 14) plating a run with a single to left field for Salt River and Garrett Stubbs (Astros) driving in a run on a ground out to first base in the bottom half of the frame. Salt River tacked on another run in the seventh inning on an infield single by shortstop Dylan Moore (Braves), but, once again, the Desert Dogs matched them with a run in the bottom half, as leadoff hitter Ramon Laureano tripled before scoring on an Andrew Stevenson (Nationals' No. 8) ground out. The eighth inning saw Salt River load the bases with one out before scoring a run on a walk to McMahon to expand their lead to 9-4. Including Jones, the Rafters' offense had five players collect multiple hits in the contest in Nottingham (2-for-5, 2B, R), Lugo (3-for-5, R), Moore (3-for-4, 2B, RBI) and Westbrook (2-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 R). All but one Salt River starter recorded a hit on the afternoon. On the mound, Rafters starter Chris Ellis (Braves' No. 16) tossed three strong innings in his Fall League debut, allowing one earned run on two hits. The right-hander issued two walks and fanned three in the outing, throwing 29 of his 46 pitches for strikes. The Desert Dogs' offense once again was paced by Laureano (Astros' No. 29), who finished 2-for-4 at the plate, with a double, a triple, a walk and three runs scored, to improve his Fall League average to .571 through four 5 games. Ward, meanwhile, reached base in four of his five plate appearances, going 1-for-2 with a double as well as two walks and a hit-by-pitch.

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Tigers' Greiner mashes in Fall League victory October 17, 2016 By Brendan Kennealy/ MLB.com

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Grayson Greiner, the Tigers' No. 26 prospect, provided all the offensive firepower the Salt River Rafters needed Friday in a 5-2 victory over the in the Arizona Fall League. Greiner, a 6-foot-6, 220-pound catcher who was a designated hitter Friday, drove in three runs, going 2-for-3 with a home run and a double. Greiner split the left-centerfield gap for a two-run double in the top of the second to give the Rafters a 2-1 lead. He came to the plate in the seventh inning with his team holding a 3-2 lead, and he promptly extended the advantage with a soaring, solo home run to left field that drew many "oohs" and "aahs" from the fans at the Peoria Sports Complex. The shot came on a one-ball, two-strike fastball. Greiner has been prone with 191 strikeouts over 206 Minor League games. Greiner had only homered 12 times in his Minor League career, making the timely dinger even more impressive. "When hitters get in trouble is when they start guessing," Greiner said. "I tried not to guess what pitch he was going to throw me. I was just trying to see it and react. He threw me a fastball inside, I spun on it. Luckily, I was able to keep it fair, get it up and get it out of here." Greiner came out of the gates hot in his Minor League career, batting .322 in 26 games for Class-A West Michigan in 2014. However, things stalled a bit in 2015 as he hit .183 with a .254 on-base percentage over 89 games for Class-A Advanced Lakeland. "I had a rough 2015, so I worked really hard in the offseason and put in a lot of effort to revamp my swing," Greiner said. The work paid off. Greiner picked up his hitting in 2016, earning two promotions over the course of the year, including one game for Triple-A Toledo. He hit .312 with a .385 on-base percentage for Lakeland against the same level of pitching that had stifled him the previous season. "I had a good 2016, but that's in the past," Greiner said. "The Fall League is the best competition we can face and I want to build off what I had in this past season." Although Arizona Fall League teams are made up of prospects from different organizations, Greiner said winning and competition remain important. "It's a nice honor to be here, but at the end of the day it's still baseball," he said. "You still want to win the game and help your team win. It's really fun playing with these elite players and facing elite pitching. It's fun playing with this competition."

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104-year-old Sylvan Lake fan is a hit with Tigers October 17, 2016 By Ann Runkle/ Oakland Press

A hundred years of being a Detroit Tigers fan paid off for Mary Weider. The Sylvan Lake woman, who will turn 105 in December, was named Tiger Fan of the Year Friday, Oct. 15, and received a personal visit from the team’s mascot, . Paws came bearing flowers, a souvenir baseball bat and a snow globe with a Tigers theme. Weider started following the Tigers when she came to the Detroit area in 1926. She was born in Switzerland and lived the first few years of her life in Italy. For about the past seven years, she has lived with her granddaughter, Lorna Raukar, and Raukar’s husband, Mark. Except for a few health challenges over the past few months, she is up and around and loves going to the Tigers’ games. Family members say she frequently appears in photos on the Tigers’ website with a plate of nachos and a tall beer in front of her. She has outlived all of her children, but her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great grandchildren, nieces, nephews and friends dote on her. “Nona! Nona!,” they chanted, which means grandma in Italian, as Paws showered her with kisses. “It’s like a dream,” she said, as she waited Friday afternoon for Paws to arrive. Who’s her favorite Tiger? “All of them,” she says. She’s been following the team for so long, it’s likely she could give them some pointers when they don’t play so well. “She yells at the TV,” says great-granddaughter Logan Raukar.

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104-year-old Tigers fan named MLB's 'Fan of the Year' October 17, 2016 By Justin Rose/ WXYZ.com

SYLVAN LAKE, Mich. (WXYZ) -- Mary Weider, at 104 years young, was named Tigers Fan of the Year on Friday by the team and . She's been a fan of the Tigers since the 20's, and has seen it all, but it's what I noticed about what she brings to the game of baseball that especially caught my eye.

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LAST UPDATED: MON, OCTOBER 17, 2016, 01:19 EDT

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2016

TEAM PLAYER TRANSACTION

Miami Marlins Xavier Scruggs Outrighted to Minors

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2016

TEAM PLAYER TRANSACTION

Pittsburgh Pirates Casey Sadler Signed to a Minor League Contract

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2016

TEAM PLAYER TRANSACTION

Atlanta Braves Joe Wieland Refused Minor League Assignment - Free Agent

Baltimore Orioles Paul Janish Declared Free Agency

Colorado Rockies Justin Miller Refused Minor League Assignment - Free Agent

Los Angeles Angels Nick Buss Refused Minor League Assignment - Free Agent

Los Angeles Dodgers Brandon Beachy Refused Minor League Assignment - Free Agent

Philadelphia Phillies Frank Herrmann Refused Minor League Assignment - Free Agent

Pittsburgh Pirates Jorge Rondón Refused Minor League Assignment - Free Agent

St. Louis Cardinals Alberto Rosario Outrighted to Minors

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St. Louis Cardinals Mitch Harris Removed From 60-Day DL, (Nerve issues, right elbow)

St. Louis Cardinals Mitch Harris Outrighted to Minors

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