nds76
03-06-2006, 9:37am
LAKELAND, Fla. -- There was no mistaking Jim Leyland's message.
Or Chris Shelton's, for that matter.
Shelton went 1-for-4 Sunday, in the Detroit Tigers' 4-1 exhibition win against Pittsburgh, but what's more important is that the Pirates saw that their former minor leaguer is now a major-league starting first baseman, coming off a .299, 18-home run season.
"I'll just let my actions speak for me,'' said Shelton, who the Tigers took in the December 2003 Rule 5 draft when Pittsburgh left him unprotected. "Hopefully, they feel like they made a mistake.''
They should. The Pirates were so in need of a first baseman that they agreed to pay aging Sean Casey $7 million this season. Meanwhile, Shelton is set to make $365,000 to play first base for the Tigers.
But anyway, back to the message Leyland sent, which was that some Tiger players who thought they were sure bets to make the roster shouldn't be so sure.
"Surprisingly, there's more spots available on this team than I thought there were going to be,'' the Tigers manager said. "And I can tell you that for a fact. I'm not going to go into depth about it, but I can tell you that I'm surprised. We're not giving jobs away.''
Leyland's statement came at the end of an answer about Carlos Pena. He quickly insisted that he wasn't referring to Pena, but it's not hard to figure out he's a player the Tigers have to figure out what to do with.
Shelton is the first baseman now. The Tigers want Dmitri Young to do more than just DH, but Young already has a strained left quadriceps.
As for Pena, the Tigers figure to play him as much as possible this spring, in hopes of trading him. So far, Pena is 0-for-5 with five walks in spring training games, although he did homer last week against Florida Southern College.
Pena played first base Sunday against the Pirates, while Shelton was the designated hitter. Young didn't play, and won't play for at least the next few days.
"It'll be a while,'' Leyland said. "It's kind of sad because he's working hard. He ran the bases (Saturday) morning probably as well as he ever has, and everything was fine. And then he felt a little tweak coming out of the (batter's) box.
"But these are the temporary little setbacks that every camp deals with. It is what it is.''
It is what it is, and in the end the only thing that makes it even notable is that Young is one of many Tigers with a history of injuries. He's not, however, one of the Tigers who has to worry about Leyland's bigger message Sunday.
His spot on the roster isn't available, not unless he's hurt worse than he is now. But others are.
That message is clear.
Shelton had faced the Pirates only once before, in a spring training game two years ago (he walked in his lone plate appearance). He's looking forward to the Tigers' June 30-July 2 series in Pittsburgh, but he's trying not to look forward to it too much. "Last year in Triple-A, when we played (Pirates affiliate) Indianapolis, I remember being juiced to do something special, rather than just going in and playing the game,'' he said. "When we play them in June, I've got to make sure to just take it as another game.'' . . . Craig Monroe took batting practice for the second consecutive day Sunday, but he still hasn't appeared in a game because of a strained muscle in his side. . . . The Tigers improved their record to 3-1 with the win against the Pirates, but with Young and Monroe hurt and with 10 players away for the World Baseball Classic, Leyland is a little concerned about the immediate future. "I've never been a manager who makes excuses, but it's a tough situation right now,'' he said. "Because of the situation, I'm concerned about playing these other guys too much.''
http://www.mlive.com/tigers/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1141643413151370.xml&coll=1
Or Chris Shelton's, for that matter.
Shelton went 1-for-4 Sunday, in the Detroit Tigers' 4-1 exhibition win against Pittsburgh, but what's more important is that the Pirates saw that their former minor leaguer is now a major-league starting first baseman, coming off a .299, 18-home run season.
"I'll just let my actions speak for me,'' said Shelton, who the Tigers took in the December 2003 Rule 5 draft when Pittsburgh left him unprotected. "Hopefully, they feel like they made a mistake.''
They should. The Pirates were so in need of a first baseman that they agreed to pay aging Sean Casey $7 million this season. Meanwhile, Shelton is set to make $365,000 to play first base for the Tigers.
But anyway, back to the message Leyland sent, which was that some Tiger players who thought they were sure bets to make the roster shouldn't be so sure.
"Surprisingly, there's more spots available on this team than I thought there were going to be,'' the Tigers manager said. "And I can tell you that for a fact. I'm not going to go into depth about it, but I can tell you that I'm surprised. We're not giving jobs away.''
Leyland's statement came at the end of an answer about Carlos Pena. He quickly insisted that he wasn't referring to Pena, but it's not hard to figure out he's a player the Tigers have to figure out what to do with.
Shelton is the first baseman now. The Tigers want Dmitri Young to do more than just DH, but Young already has a strained left quadriceps.
As for Pena, the Tigers figure to play him as much as possible this spring, in hopes of trading him. So far, Pena is 0-for-5 with five walks in spring training games, although he did homer last week against Florida Southern College.
Pena played first base Sunday against the Pirates, while Shelton was the designated hitter. Young didn't play, and won't play for at least the next few days.
"It'll be a while,'' Leyland said. "It's kind of sad because he's working hard. He ran the bases (Saturday) morning probably as well as he ever has, and everything was fine. And then he felt a little tweak coming out of the (batter's) box.
"But these are the temporary little setbacks that every camp deals with. It is what it is.''
It is what it is, and in the end the only thing that makes it even notable is that Young is one of many Tigers with a history of injuries. He's not, however, one of the Tigers who has to worry about Leyland's bigger message Sunday.
His spot on the roster isn't available, not unless he's hurt worse than he is now. But others are.
That message is clear.
Shelton had faced the Pirates only once before, in a spring training game two years ago (he walked in his lone plate appearance). He's looking forward to the Tigers' June 30-July 2 series in Pittsburgh, but he's trying not to look forward to it too much. "Last year in Triple-A, when we played (Pirates affiliate) Indianapolis, I remember being juiced to do something special, rather than just going in and playing the game,'' he said. "When we play them in June, I've got to make sure to just take it as another game.'' . . . Craig Monroe took batting practice for the second consecutive day Sunday, but he still hasn't appeared in a game because of a strained muscle in his side. . . . The Tigers improved their record to 3-1 with the win against the Pirates, but with Young and Monroe hurt and with 10 players away for the World Baseball Classic, Leyland is a little concerned about the immediate future. "I've never been a manager who makes excuses, but it's a tough situation right now,'' he said. "Because of the situation, I'm concerned about playing these other guys too much.''
http://www.mlive.com/tigers/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1141643413151370.xml&coll=1