The guys the Tigers got for Curtis Granderson might make significant contributions on the field, but Tiger fans will miss Granderson off the fields. At spring training he often stayed long after workouts to sign autographs, pose for photos, kiss babies and chat with fans, who he genuinely seemed to like.
Curtis was the REAL DEAL. He was a star, but not arrogant. For that he will be be sorely missed. How many other big leaguers are as dedicated as he is???
ReplyDeleteits a bad situation when you have to give up a guy like granderson. his numbers where not going to get much better then 09 at the leadoff position. its ashame we never able to move him down to 3rd or 5th spot and see what he can do. i liked the idea of making a move for juan pierre and putting him at lead off. Anyways in that captialistic yankee lineup he is on his way to hitting 300 30hr and 100rbi along with a great cf.
ReplyDeleteGranderson could hit .300 and get 35-40 HR's next season as a lead off hitter with the Yankees. '09 was just a fluke. But he's headed for greatness as a Yankee. What a shame.
ReplyDeletei think granderson was misused as a a leadoff hitter, even for his speed he never stole 30 bases(rickey henderson at 52 could probably still steal 35) his low obp was the real issue-.327 last year and .344 career. derrick jeter stole 30 bases last year with a obp of 406 carrer 388 while granderson strikes out 45 -50 more times a year then jeter. i love grandersons potential hitting between arod and texiera
ReplyDeletekirk gibson had tremendous speed and power, also had a higher obp carrer 352 and stole more bases on avg then granderson and never hit 30 hr which granderson appears a lock to do every year from here on out. maybe leyland or some of these other guys would of made a lead off hitter out of him too. i guess its just another debate
ReplyDeleteBesides Granderson's salary, I think the key issue for the Tigers is was Granderson's decline in '09 a fluke or a sign of things to come?
ReplyDeleteThe Tigers, supposedly in a cost-cutting deal, dumped Granderson, who is owed $23.75 million for three years ($7.9 million average per season), and now they're talking about acquiring Juan Pierre, who is owed $18.5 million for two years ($9.25 million per season). It's clear to me that this wasn't a salary dump; they just didn't like the direction their "lead-off" man was headed -- more power but also fewer doubles, more strikeouts and less effective against lefties. Granderson has become more of a middle-of-the-order hitter, and the Tigers are looking for an "ignitor" at the top of the lineup -- a guy with a high on-base percentage and plenty of speed (albeit very little power). Sound familiar? Both Pierre and the new kid on the block, Austin Jackson, can be described that way.
ReplyDeleteJeff, I agree w/ what you say. I also wonder if being a typical leadoff hitter is overrated? Other than in the first inning, how many times does the leadoff hitter lead off an inning?
ReplyDeleteSo true. Think of how many times Granderson has led off the game with a HR -- much like Rickey Henderson used to do. I think the stereotypical lead-off hitter is overrated unless he is a true speedster that is a constant threat to steal. I believe that's when strategy really comes into play because it gets inside the heads of the opponents -- the pitcher is worried, the catcher is worried, the second baseman and shortstop are worried. In that case, a true speedster is the perfect leadoff hitter. But he has to be a flyer... without that, a contact hitter with decent speed who gets on base can hardly be considered as valuable as a guy who hits a lot of home runs and is guaranteed more at-bats by being at the top of the order.
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