The Detroit Tigers have shown the best of the AL Central that they are no longer the division easy-beats. They took 2 of 3 from the division leading White Sox and then took 3 of 5 from the 2nd place Twins. There were many good things to come from this 8 game stretch, including the 3-4 punch of Shelton & Ordonez and the emergence of Curtis Granderson.
Chris Shelton, a much-maligned player of 2004, has come so far in one year that he will be pushing for selection of July’s player of the month. He, along with Magglio Ordonez were a formidable and feared back-to-back combination for both Chicago & Minnesota during their respective series. Shelton’s numbers speak for themselves, including 14 hits in the past 8 games. He has been able to fill the void that Carlos Pena was supposed to fill and enabled the Tigers much freedom in their lineup.
Ordonez is a class act, a professional hitter that makes plays. He moves runners when needed, he gets on base when needed and his clutch hitting is outstanding. He is showing Tigers fans what they were missing during the first half of the season, and why the Tigers organization paid big money for him to join Detroit.
There is quite the dogfight for rights to the CF position between Nook Logan & Curtis Granderson after this weekend, and it isn’t a bad problem to have. These two budding prospects both bring unique qualities to the position.
Nook Logan might just be watching a few more games from the dugout if Curtis continues to show the power he displayed over the weekend. Curtis hit 2 home runs in 3 games. Nook has only been able to hit 1 home run in 89 games this season. Granderson is quick around the bags, but nobody can replace Nook Logan’s base running, rivaled by very few in the league. Trammell may platoon both players through the CF position, but whichever player sits will be a valuable commodity late in games.
To take 5 of 8 from the top two teams in the AL Central is no easy feat. Hopefully the Tigers can continue to swing the bat and lay an exciting foundation for seasons to come.
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3 comments:
I'm excited to see what happens when Shelton gets more comfortable and starts being a little more aggressive earlier in the count. He's producing a lot of these numbers with two strikes, after taking a couple hittable fastballs. Then again, his patience is very refreshing after watching Dmitri and Pudge all year.
Wicked? Wicked means something in between really, and very. So saying something looks wicked doesnt make any sense. If you said sick, then that would be ok.
Logan really doesnt stand out from any other young, quick minor league player. He has average hitting, and average defense. The only upside with him is speed, ala Alex Sanchez. The time Granderson has been up with the Tigs, he has impressed me. Tremendous power, and speed combined is a deadly mix. If Grandy can keep it up, I say start him at Cf. For Logan, maybe bench, but probably triple A would be the best for him. GOOOOOO TIGERS!!
Who cares what wicked means? we're not Red Sox fans are we?
Will we pass the Tribe?
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