My New Tiger

After the Detroit Tigers made the sad but right decision to not re-sign Magglio Ordonez, I was faced with the dilemma of finding a new player to be 'My Tiger'.  The easy way to go is to pick a heavy hitter or well established pitcher, but what is the fun in that?  Why follow the pack and pick someone that everyone else has as their Tiger?  I wrote about this a few months ago about waiting until the end of Spring Training to make my decision, and well, the time has come.  It's April and the Tigers' first game is less than a week away.  There were a few questions I had to ask myself.  Hitter or pitcher?  Prospect or active player?  Player drafted by the organization or player traded to the organization?  You see what I'm dealing with people?  Stressful times.

With pitchers, it's too shaky.  One bad year and they are traded or pitching in the minors.  It doesn't even have to be one year, it could be one or two months of bad pitching and they could be sent down.  One pitch and their elbow explodes and they won't pitch for another year, if ever at all.  Am I right, Joel Zumaya?  So, hitter or pitcher.

Prospects.  Listen, unless a prospect of the organization is making the team out of Spring Training, they are always on the trading block.  Who would want to pick a prospect as their Tiger if there is a chance they will be gone by year's end?  While active players always run the risk of being injured as they play such a long season, at least they are in the Show.  And established.  They don't normally have to fight their way onto the team.  Prospect or active player.

This honestly is the hardest part:  a player that was drafted or traded for by the organization.  As nice as it would be to just look at players drafted by the organization, teams need to improve any way possible.  That means trading, and there is nothing wrong with that.  Players that are traded for can be upgrades and can win the hearts of the team's city.  For example, Miguel Cabrera or Austin Jackson.  I don't look at them as previously playing for Florida or New York, I look at them as Tigers now.  They have established themselves as Tigers with their play.  In the end though, I would like to pick a player that the team has drafted.  It's nice to back a player that has been with the organization and moved up through the ranks.  Drafted or traded. 

There you have it:  a drafted player that is a hitter and on the active roster.  After narrowing it down, it became pretty clear who was going to be my Tiger.    Someone who I know is going to be with the organization for a long time.  Someone who is a team player and not all about me, me, me (although the team doesn't really have players like that).  I will support any Tiger player and cheer for them even when they move on to another organization.  But this player I don't see moving on to another team.  I think and hope he'll be with the Tigers for his career.

So, congratulations Alex Avila for being my Tiger from now until you either retire or are no longer with the organization.  A catcher is the cornerstone to any team and a good catcher makes good pitchers.  Good pitchers make good teams.  Good teams win championships.





Plus, the guy can grow a full beard between the start of a game and the end of a game.