Dombrowski: Martinez should be healthy in 2013
--DH Victor Martinez underwent microfracture surgery and got repairs to both the medial and lateral meniscus in his left knee Jan. 27, delaying a second surgery to fix his torn ACL by six to eight weeks. The procedure was performed by Dr. Richard Steadman in Vail, Colo., who prefers the two-stage repairs because it gives the first operation time to heal and enhances the recovery time for the second. The injury will keep Martinez out for the whole of the 2012 season. "There has been no indication that it will affect 2013 whatsoever," GM Dave Dombrowski. "In 2012, we'll be in a position where we know he won't play, but 2013, there should be no difficulty in that regard."
--CF Austin Jackson "is the biggest key to our offense this year," manager Jim Leyland told Detroit radio station WDFN on Feb. 2. "The big boys (Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder) are keys, obviously, but if Jackson cuts down on his strikeouts and gets on base a lot, we're going to have one heck of an offense. It sounds crazy, but Jackson (at leadoff) is the biggest key as it stands today. If he gets on base, Brennan Boesch can pull the ball through the hole -- and with great speed, Jackson can always go first to third. If it doesn't go the way we want, we might have to make an adjustment."
Jackson reached base on 34 percent of balls put in play last season, but that was off from his rate of nearly 40 percent his rookie season. His strikeouts increased to 181 from 170. Jackson hit just .209 after 0-1 counts and .151 with two strikes and any count. He also hit more flyballs than in his rookie campaign.
--OF Andy Dirks hit a walk-off single in the ninth inning to give the Escogido Leones the Dominican winter league title Jan. 30 at the end of a best-of-nine series. Dirks also had a sacrifice fly in the eighth to tie the score. Dirks, 26, hit .262 with four stolen bases and six extra-base hits during the regular season in the Dominican after batting .251 with seven home runs and 28 RBI for Detroit last year. He will be one of three players battling for a bench spot and left field playing time for the Tigers this spring.
--OF Clete Thomas has been mentioned as one of the three candidates for Detroit's last position roster spot by manager Jim Leyland. Thomas, 28, missed most of the 2010 season recovering from knee surgery and spent all of last year in the minors. He hit .253 with eight home runs and 48 RBI in 142 games over two seasons for the Tigers before the knee injury. Like OF Andy Dirks, Thomas bats left-handed and can play all three outfield positions. Thomas is out of options, and that could help him make the team if he shows well in the spring. Dirks can be optioned to the minors.
--LF Delmon Young is looking forward to his first spring training with Detroit after being acquired from Minnesota last Aug. 15. "It's fun to get back here," he said recently, "so I can play a full season with them and try to capture something that we were looking to capture (in 2011)." Manager Jim Leyland tentatively plans to hit Young fifth behind 1B Prince Fielder in his batting order. Young prospered batting in front of 1B Miguel Cabrera last season.
"He's treated me really well, and the organization's treated me really well," Young said of his reception by Leyand and the Tigers after coming over from the Twins. "I know I don't have to come in for that daily tryout, where, if I'm 0-for-4 or 0-for-3, I might not be playing. I know every day my name's going to be in the lineup, so you don't have to put pressure on yourself to do well every day. You can go through a bad stretch and still have confidence that I'm starting to get things together."
Young has signed a one-year deal with Detroit, and he can become a free agent at the end of the season.
--3B Miguel Cabrera is not going to be a disaster in making the switch back across the diamond, manager Jim Leyland said recently. "I think he wants to show the world he can play third base," Leyland said. "I don't think this is going to be bad. He told me he wants to play there. Everybody is all hung up on what he looks like and the fact he's heavy. Sure, I want him to lose a little bit of weight, but I'll tell you what, not too much. When you get conscious of your weight, you can lose strength along with weight. You can lose some self-confidence, too, and maybe you don't perform as well. That's no good."
Leyland got a sneak preview of the impending move in September and October when he had Cabrera working out at third in case Detroit made the World Series and had to play in a National League city. The injury to DH Victor Martinez and subsequent signing of 1B Prince Fielder made Cabrera's move back to third a reality.
--RF Brennan Boesch is going to do well hitting second, manager Jim Leyland believes. "I love Boesch in the second hole," Leyland said recently. "He's a big, strong, left-handed pull hitter. Plus he's going to get fastballs to hit because (leadoff man Austin) Jackson can steal. You set that up for the big boys." 3B Miguel Cabrera, who will bat third this year in front of 1B Prince Fielder, hit fourth last year. Boesch batted .328 in 186 at-bats with 11 home runs and 32 RBI batting right in front of Cabrera.
BY THE NUMBERS
.230 -- Miguel Cabrera's batting average in 100 career plate appearances as a designated hitter. Cabrera is moving to third base with the signing of Prince Fielder to play first base, and he will not replace injured Victor Martinez as Detroit's designated hitter.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"This is not just a plan for one month, six months or one season. You try to put pieces together and think things out. Do they always work out? No. But at least you have a plan. Is (Miguel) Cabrera the long-term answer at third three or four years from now? I don't know the answer to that, but if he isn't, we think we have a future All-Star (3B Nick Castellanos) coming in a short period of time." -- Manager Jim Leyland, on the team shifting of Cabrera back across the diamond with the signing of 1B Prince Fielder.
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