Tiger Stripes: Is Three Really A Crowd?
The Detroit Tigers have two players who are essentially locks to play in July’s All-Star Game in Anaheim: Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera. But is there a third, equally deserving Tiger who might not make it in because he’s not a household name? I’m biased, so of course I’d say of course. But let’s look at the numbers:
To make it as even as possible, I only took roughly the last 215 Plate Appearances from each player:
Player A: 216 Plate Appearances: 16 2b, 10 HR, 36 RBI’s, .272 Batting Average, .361 On-Base Percentage, .533 Slugging Percentage, .894 OPS (On-Base+Slugging)
Player B: 213 PA, 8 2b, 13 HR, 47 RBI’s, .318 BA, .362 OPB, .559 SLG, .920 OPS
Player C: 216 PA, 14 2b, 12 HR, 43 RBI’s, .338 BA, .389 OBP, .621 SLG, 1.010 OPS
Player D: 216 PA: 13 2b, 7 HR, 30 RBI’s, .316 BA, .373 OBP, .502 SLG, .864 OPS.
Just straight looking at the numbers, B and C are the top two choices, right? I mean, Players A and D not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but they’re not slugging the ball, driving in as many runs, or taking as many bases (which is what OPS basically is) as B and C. B and C should be punching their tickets to Anaheim, right?
Well, B the leading vote-getter for his position, almost a lock to go the the All-Star Game. Technically, D is a lock too (I’ll explain D in a minute, I kinda tricked you there to make a point). And while A isn’t a leading vote-getter, he’s currently fourth in the voting at his position and is assuredly going to Anaheim.
And C? Player C is Tigers’ rookie sensation Brennan Boesch.
Surprised? You shouldn’t be if you’ve watched this kid play for the last 2 months like I have. He’s been hitting for average AND power, keeping hitters honest against Miguel Cabrera (which Carlos Guillen wasn’t doing a great job of, sorry ‘Los).
He wasn’t supposed to be able to hit lefties, but he’s hitting them to the tune of a .455 batting average and 10 Extra-Base Hits in 44 at-bats. He was supposed to strike out a lot because of his free-swinging ways, but so far he’s striking only once every 6-at bats (Probable All-Star Mark Reynolds? One every THREE at-bats ends in a K.) Teams starting showing him the “power lefty shift” (the third baseman plays where the shortstop usually does, the shortstop sits on top of 2nd, the 2nd baseman plays in shallow right and the first baseman plays off the bag), and he started scorching doubles down the leftfield line.
But partially because he’s a rookie, partially because he doesn’t play in a top-tier market (New York, Boston, Chicago, LA), and partially because people are scared of the last name (It’s pronounced like Chris Bosh), there’s been almost no national hype surrounding the kid. But the numbers say he’s deserving, so it’s up to Tigers fans like you and me to get him in. So go here and write Boesch in on your All-Star Ballots (you can vote up to 25 times) and prove that three Tigers isn’t a crowd. It’s a statement.
Oh, and in case you were curious:
And Player D is a trick, it’s the average of the last 216 at-bats of the leading vote-getting outfielders of this year’s All-Star Game. All six of them. So Player D is Ichiro, Carl Crawford, Josh Hamilton, Ryan Braun, Jason Heyward and Andre Either put together.
Got another All-Star candidate not getting their fair publicity? Think Boesch is due to fall off? Agree with me whole-heartedly? Tell me about it in the comments below. Debate is the lifeblood of intelligence, after all.
Lazarus Jackson is a writer and connoisseur of pro and college sports, especially Detroit-area pro teams. You can contact him at lazchancemsu@gmail.com or on Twitter at twitter.com/lazchance.
