Tiger Notes

While Dave Dombrowski gets regularly skewered for the Edgar Renteria/Jair Jurrjens trade, the Robertson contract, and the D-train contract extension, there's no denying that he's turned around the Tiger franchise. Prior to arriving in Detroit, the Tigers went a decade without a winning season. With Dombrowski, the Tigers reclaimed respectability by overpaying free agent bats (Pudge, Maggs, Sheffield) and drafting the hardest throwers available (Verlander, Miller, Perry). The system works because Mike Ilitch opens up his wallet.

Some owners don't permit their GMs to take the best players available. If a young star will command too much money, teams will pass. That's how Perry slipped to Tigers last season. This year, the 2nd best pitcher, Jacob Turner, fell to the Tigers at #9. His agent, Scott Boras, wanted "Porcello money," and the negotiations came down to the wire. Unlike other sports, if the player doesn't sign by the deadline (last night at midnight), the team loses his rights, and the kid re-enters the draft the next year. So there's a bit of pressure, and Dombrowski always gets it done.

Last night, Dombrowski signed both the Tigers 1st and 2nd rounder. Even the 2nd rounder, who also fell due to contract demands, received a million-plus bonus. Ilitch really opens his wallet for these kids, and, so far, the kids have repaid him on the mound.

RyRay
Who's to blame for Raburn's three errors on Sunday? Raburn or Leyland? Obviously, it wasn't Leyland who airmailed three throws to first base. Yet, I found out yesterday that Raburn played 3rd base 168 times in the minor leagues. In those 168 games, RyRay commited an alarming 62 errors. What did Leyland expect on Sunday? He had Santiago available or even Inge as a defensive replacement.

Huff
More big ups to DD for landing Aubrey Huff. He can only help the team. His average is nothing special, but he did bat .324 with RISP for the Orioles. His RBI total puts him at the top of the entire Tiger roster. And he's a lefty. AND he can play 3rd base. That fits a lot of needs.