In the year 2010, the Detroit Tigers were coming off a season where they played a one game playoff with the Twins. After a more than nice run by Minnesota in September, Detroit fell one game short. The shortness that wouldn't have been needed had they just won one more game.

For that one game they decided to add a player for that next year. That player had the experience of winning two World Series. A professional by any stretch, and a fine mentor for a rookie that would end up finishing 2nd in the Rookie of the Year voting.

Of course the player that we signed was past his prime, and had an off season. His worst since 2001, when playing for the Oakland A's at the age of 27, hit .256. During that year though the A's made the playoffs, losing to the Yankees in a 5-game ALDS. (a series where he hit .409) After this he went on to get his two championship rings.

Now we have fallen short again, though closer. Only four wins away instead of twelve as in 2009. (including the infamous game 163) The advances made are due to having better more experienced skilled players. Subtraction of some that we just not up to snuff. Many breaks, lots of excellent play. Plenty of questionable issues. In other words, a usual season. The usual season having the quirks that really doesn't separate too much from a 90 win team, and one that wins 75. A starting pitcher here, an injury there.

Now for the upcoming year we have acquired another hopeful hitter to lead us to the promised land. This player has his attributes, that does not include two WS wins. In that same above 2009 season, he hit .277 in the playoffs. Where his Los Angeles team lost to the team that the first above player was a member. That winning player in the ALCS went on to one of the rings he received with the New York Yankees, the champs of the Tigers ill fated 2009 season.

The player we signed to help put us over in 2010 was Johnny Damon, we finished 81-81.
The player we have signed to help us advance this year is Torii Hunter.

When Johnny Damon took his last at bat with the Tigers he was
36 years 10 months and 26 days old

When Torii Hunter enters the batters box on April 1st, he will be
36 years 8 months and 13 days old.

By the 4th of July he will be older than JD was when we decided we didn't want him for the 2011 season. Hopefully by then we are not wishing we'd have passed on someone older than that. If you're worried what we might have gotten, I invite ya to look up Damon's stats for the last two seasons.

It's the exact same thing



































... only different.

If you can find the AP photo of Orlando Cabrera's homer in that game you will see a fan reached into the field of play and the ball wold have hit off the wall, for a long single and at most a double. Leyland never appealed for replay. I'be got the photo somwhete. A 40 something year old dude with blond hair and glasses, with his son who looked about 12. I saved the picture from the freep the following day, and the next day it was removed from the 30 or so AP photos. All the drama was about Inge being hit in the jersey and not getting a HBP call. If I find the picture I will post it.

yeah, it was a bit less than close.

you hope

and you don't?

I hope.
Hope is for <suckers

hunter plays much better OF than damon and has had a more prolific career statistically

damon had a few huge years with boston .. was a late bloomer and fell off

hunter has been a plus hitter and defender consistently .. aside from comparing a few select years .. i don't see much similarity

Que Sera, Sera

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZbKHDPPrrc

Hope is good. Sometimes hope is all we have.

<last year>

Delmo, 112 K's in 608 PA's
Torii, 133 K's in 584 PA's

Torii only walked 18 more times, not even once more per week.

And this was Hunters best one........

The year before, Torii hit .262. Like Damon, his worst year in ten.
Somehow pulled it together and amazed by hitting .313 in 2012. An outstanding year by any stretch.

I expect Hunter's offensive production to be much closer to D Young's, than this past season in LA. As long as his defense holds out, I guess that will be OK. If it doesn't, it won't be. Then we get to watch it for another year.

The similarity is when you're old, you're done. And that is how old Torii will be.
If we had gotten him two years ago, we'd might have a WS ring right now. I believe getting him two years too late may jeopardize it.

I guess hitting .327 and leading the league in runs and steals for KC at 26 wasn't blooming.

I think many Tiger fans are going to be very disappointed in Torii Hunter's offensive stats in 2013 ..because I highly doubt they'll be much different than Delmon Young's 2012 stats.

However, I fully expect Torii Hunter to be a much better outfielder than whatever combination he's going to replace (Boesch, Berry, Young, etc).

I expect Avila and Peralta will have much better offensive seasons in 2013 than they had in 2012. I expect Prince Fielder will struggle with Batting Average (less than .280) but have more HR's and about the same RBI totals.

We absolutely must get at least 150 games from Miguel Cabrera, ..so the injury bug must wait for another year at least.

I expect Verlander will have arm issues this year.

Whatever injuries do occur, I expect others will finally step up this year.

2013 is going to be a great year for the Tigers. It Could Be SUPER!

<animal field>

They are all super, some are more super than others. :)

75 days to go.

<<The similarity is when you're old, you're done.>>

There's plenty of players over 35 that are still good -- Konerko, Pierzynski, Beltran, Jeter, Soriano. Even Ichiro was looking pretty solid when the playoffs rolled around last year.

Also, your Damon example isn't even that accurate. Even though his power numbers took a dip when he was with Detroit, his OBP and AVG were in line with his career numbers. Also, he wasn't actually "done". He went on to have a pretty solid season with the Rays after leaving Detroit.

<<I think many Tiger fans are going to be very disappointed in Torii Hunter's offensive stats in 2013 ..because I highly doubt they'll be much different than Delmon Young's 2012 stats.>>

Based on what? In the past 13 seasons, Hunter's never had a season as bad as Young's season last year.

Hunter will have the Triple Crown winner behind him in the batting order. I would think a veteran hitter such as he, will be able to use that to his advantage.

<solid>

.261/.743

That is about what I expect from Torii this upcoming year. With more K's than Delmo had last.
He's also going to find he can run to the cutout as fast as he used to.

That is Damon's line from the Rays in 2011. I'd say 99% of the people out there think it is going to be better than that. I think it could be worse.

<<<I expect Hunter's offensive production to be much closer to D Young's, than this past season in LA. As long as his defense holds out, I guess that will be OK. If it doesn't, it won't be. Then we get to watch it for another year.>>>

Base, what did I miss here? I thought Hunter was playing right field and Delmon was at DH last year.

If we compare Torii to Delmon, then we can compare Victor to Berry/Boesch/Kelly.

On that basis alone, we win 120 games. lol