2008 Preview - Outfielders

This is Part II of my 2008 Positional Preview. Look for Starting Pitching and Bullpen Previews coming in the next few weeks.

Left Fielders: Jacque Jones, Marcus Thames, Brandon Inge
Grade: C+

Our biggest offensive question mark going into this season has to be Jacque Jones. Since it seems likely that he will batting ninth, hopefully some of the pressure may be taken off him. Jones has hit .285 exactly in his last two seasons, but his power numbers fell dramatically from his 2006 season when he hit 27 home runs and drove in 81 runs. In Comerica, Jones will more likely be a gap hitter and his decent speed gives him upside as a second leadoff hitter at the bottom of our lineup. Leyland has been giving him a lot of praise so far this Spring Training. Let's hope he lives up to some of it.

Marcus Thames is a nice ace up our sleeve. He can fill in for Jones against tough lefties, he gives us another source of power, and his defense isn't a huge drop off in return. I would expect Thames to bat higher in the lineup when he starts, probably switching places with Edgar Renteria (switching from 7 to 9). When he's on his game, Thames gives us another feared bat in an explosive lineup.

Along with third base and catcher, we can throw Brandon Inge into the mix as a backup left fielder as well. My guess is this situation would happen if we are facing a lefty, and Marcus Thames is getting a start at DH to give Sheffield a day off. Inge's ability to play the outfield gives Leyland the kind of roster flexibility a lot of ball clubs would love to have. This is, of course, if Inge is still in Detroit this season.

Center Fielders: Curtis Granderson, Jacque Jones, Ryan Raburn
Grade: B+

It will become quite obvious in this blog as the year goes on that Curtis Granderson is my favorite baseball player. I've felt for the last two seasons that the Tigers go as Curtis goes. His defense in the spacious Comerica outfield has been both steady and spectacular. The way he runs the bases ranks him with the leagues most exciting players. Even his power out of the leadoff spot gets me out of my seat. Now, if he could just figure out how to hit lefties consistently, Granderson will become a mainstay alongside Grady Sizemore as the American League center field All-Stars. This is a big year for Curtis, the pressure is on him now more than ever.

With the loss of Omar Infante, I'm having a hard time figuring out who Granderson's main backup will be. Jones is listed as his backup, but since he is a lefty as well, Granderson will not get benched against lefties for Jones. I see Jones as his backup if Granderson was injured, but that's it.

My best guess as a fill-in for Granderson against a lefty would be Ryan Raburn. The strange thing here is that Raburn hit only .258 against lefties, while thriving at .338 against right-handers. I'm sure Leyland has something up his sleeve, I just don't know what it is yet.

Right Fielders: Magglio Ordonez, Gary Sheffield, Marcus Thames
Grade: A-

When asked about Magglio Ordonez's 2007 season, Jim Leyland said, "I've never seen one like that." You know how impressive Magglio's season was when Leyland says that; he's been around a while. If Ordonez can hit anywhere near the pace he hit last year, AL pitching is in for a world of hurt. There's no way we can expect Maggs to hit .363 again, but with this lineup, a healthy Ordonez can definitely aim to match the 139 RBI's he hit a year ago. With speed (Granderson), consistency (Polanco), and patience (Sheffield) hitting ahead of him again, I like Magglio's chances of getting MVP votes again this year. Unless Miguel Cabrera's numbers end up being better.

While Leyland has already announced that he would rather not play Gary Sheffield in the field much this year, it's likely that Sheff will get a few days in right field here and there to rest Ordonez. I agree with Leyland that I would rather he stays in the DH spot, but Sheffield did show in limited time last year that his defense is still pretty decent. His health is too important to risk just to test him, though.

On days that Magglio needs a rest, I would rather see us go to Thames as a replacement in right. I realize that Marcus does not exactly have a lot of experience in right, but he's less of an injury risk. And he can't be that much worse than Ordonez defensively anyway, right?

Designated Hitters: Gary Sheffield, Marcus Thames
Grade: B

When healthy, I still think Gary Sheffield ranks in the top three of the league's best designated hitters behind only David Ortiz and Travis Hafner. When Sheffield came to Detroit, the thing that jumped out to me the most is how many walks he takes. Sure, his swing is lethal, but I don't know how many times I've watched him fall behind in a count only to battle a pitcher into throwing four balls. It's this knack that makes me want Leyland to bat Sheff third in our lineup. Of course it's important to get Cabrera a lot of at-bats, but I think batting Miggy fifth gives him the most chances to drive in runs. Sheffield staying healthy is a top priority for our success this year.

I've already mentioned Thames quite a few times in this post, so I'll keep it short. But if Sheffield is not able to stay healthy this year, Marcus will finally get his chance to prove his worth as an everyday player. His broken bat home run last year was one of the most impressive displays of power I've ever seen. Hopefully Thames' patience these last few years will help him to take over Sheffield's DH spot next year and for years to come.