Category Archives: detroit tigers

Sweetbob’s Fantasy Baseball F/M/K – July 8th

We are now fourteen weeks into the 2018 fantasy baseball season.

We are almost at the All-Star Break and the trade deadline is right around the corner. Teams will be going through some changes and you may need to make a few tough decisions. Roles will change and a reliable fantasy player could find less at-bats.

Which hot pitchers are we suggesting to pick up this week?

We look at some players who started out hot, some who are struggling and maybe a couple young guys who should be targeted in your free agent pool on July 8th, 2018.

I’ll be posting a weekly fantasy baseball F/M/K every Sunday this baseball season…so keep coming back!

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2018 MLB Draft: All-Name Team

The 2018 MLB Amateur Draft took place this week. Over 1,200 young men were selected and a few of them could be all-time greats.

The Detroit Tigers started the draft off by selecting one of the best college pitchers in the draft, Casey Mize. Detroit desperately needs pitching now and Mize is expected to be fast-tracked through the minors as he was one of the most MLB-ready pitchers in this year’s draft pool. I expect Mize will be in the Majors by late-2019 or early-2020.

We love making all-name team lists for upcoming seasons and drafts, so covering the MLB Draft is a no-brainer. There is some solid names on this year’s list.

My name is Bobby Roberts, so I am often jealous of people with unique names. The most unique thing about my name is that I was not born ‘Robert Roberts’, Bobby is my given name. I don’t know too many grown men named Bobby.

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Sweetbob’s Fantasy Baseball F/M/K – May 13th

We are now six weeks into the 2018 baseball season.

Some impact players like Rougned Odor and Jonathan Schoop have been activated from the DL. You could be in a tricky spot since you may have a guy hitting really well that you picked up when those guys were first placed on the disabled list. A roster crunch could be an issue when activating those players.

We look at some players who started out hot, some who are struggling and maybe some guys who should be targeted in your free agent pool on May 13th, 2018.

I’ll be posting a weekly fantasy baseball F/M/K every Sunday this baseball season…so keep coming back!

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2018 MLB Season Preview: Detroit Tigers

The Tigers look a lot different than they did going into last season. They traded a lot away and now are just a mix of aged-out veterans and replacement-level players.

I hate to throw Hall of Fame candidates like Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez in the ‘aged-out’ category, but age finally reared its ugly head last season. They are clearly on the downside of their prolific careers.

The Tigers fired manager Brad Ausmus at the end of the season and hired a manager with experience, Ron Gardenhire. He managed a rebuilding team during his 13-year tenure as the Twins skipper. He’s the perfect guy for this job.

Here is the 2018 MLB season preview for the Detroit Tigers.

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2017 MLB Season Preview: Detroit Tigers

Nearly every expert predicted the Detroit Tigers would battle the Royals for the AL Central title last year. The Royals fell off a cliff, but the Tigers still put up a little fight for the division. The Indians ended up running away with it by winning 94 games.

The Tigers missed a Wild Card spot by three games. I blame the back-end of their starting rotation for them missing the postseason. Their bats were alive and even Justin Verlander looked like his old self.

I thought the Tigers would make a few big moves this offseason, but their biggest transaction was trading for a platoon-option centerfielder Mikie Mahtook.

Here is the 2017 MLB season preview for the Detroit Tigers.

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2016 MLB Season Preview: Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers went from AL Central division winners in 2014 to basement dwellers within a calendar year. Al Avila took over as general manager and spent the offseason correcting some of the wrongs former GM Dave Dombrowski made.

The Tigers have more firepower on their roster right now than the roster that made it to the World Series a few years ago. That’s a scary thought…but their starting rotation isn’t up to that level.

Can Victor Martinez and Miguel Cabrera play in more than 120 games this season?

Here is the 2016 MLB season preview for the Detroit Tigers.

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Best Bets: Early 2016 World Series Futures

Pitchers and catchers are due to report in baseball within the next two weeks. Online Sportsbooks haven’t put out over/under win totals yet, but they are due relatively soon.

Until win totals are released, World Series championship futures are fun to speculate.

If you can wait nine months for a payout, there’s plenty of value to be found.

The Cubs are by far the overall favorites to win the 2016 World Series with a +450 payout. The next in line are the Dodgers (+1200) and Mets (+1200).

We look at the overall value and pick some teams that could be worth the long wait for a payout.

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2015 MLB Team Preview: Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers won the AL Central in 2014, but Kansas City was the team to make the most noise in the postseason. Miguel Cabrera has broken down late in the season in back-to-back years. He had surgery this offseason to fix his nagging ankle injury.

The Tigers let former Cy Young winner Max Scherzer walk, but added Yoenis Cespedes this offseason. He is expected to further protect Victor Martinez and Cabrera in the lineup. Detroit should light up the scoreboard this season.

Can Detroit’s bullpen hold up this season? Will Joe Nathan keep the closer job for the entire year?

Here is the 2015 MLB season preview for the Detroit Tigers.

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Can Detroit Win AL Central With Verlander Struggling?

Justin Verlander has been in the running for the Cy Young award in nearly every season for the better part of a decade. In the span of his career, the Detroit Tigers have went from worst to first in the AL Central. They couldn’t have done it without his dominant pitching.

Things aren’t going so well for Verlander this season. He currently has a record of 6-7 with a 4.98 ERA. Detroit is only leading Kansas City by a half game in the AL Central. While the official MLB Futures betting lines have the Detroit Tigers in contention to take the AL Central Division, I am no longer comfortable with their position in the top spot as the Royals look to make their move on them.

Matthew Leach of MLB.com wrote an in-depth article breaking down Verlander’s problems this season. Leach opines that he shouldn’t be breaking down at 31 years old. As a power pitcher, he should actually be firmly in his prime. His velocity has taken a hit and he’s even having issues against players the second and third time through the order. This is new territory for Verlander.

What’s going on with Detroit? What should we expect from them going down the stretch?

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Hockey Talk: Sweetbob Edition

Since Joe Pasquali is fell asleep crying after going to Game 3 of the ALCS in Detroit and I assume Eddie Thiesen probably passed out in the bathrub…because it’s, uh, Tuesday? Good ole’ Sweetbob will take over today’s ‘Hockey Talk’ just to post a beautiful video that the guys may not enjoy.

My Columbus Blue Jackets played Joe & Eddie’s Detroit Red Wings tonight. Detroit won 2-1, but CBJ’s Cam Atkinson scored a gorgeous end-to-end goal. Columbus has some nice young talent. Atkinson is one of the reasons why I haven’t jumped off a bridge. I have hope that they’ll make the playoffs this year and win their very first playoff game as a franchise (not an entire series, I’m being realistic). *fingers crossed*

The video is after the jump…

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2013 MLB Team Preview: Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers have one of the most talented pitchers in the Majors (Justin Verlander), one of the best power hitters in the game (Prince Fielder) and the reigning AL Most Valuable Player (Miguel Cabrera)…so the AL Central should be easy to win, right? Kind of.

After Verlander, the rest of the Tigers starting rotation are inconsistent. When Verlander started, the Tigers were 21-12. In games without him, Detroit was only 67-62.

Will the Tigers go forward with their current rotation or will they make a few trades?

Victor Martinez is back from his knee injury. Will be produce at the same level as 2011, or has he lost a step?

Here is the 2013 MLB season preview for the Detroit Tigers. Continue reading →

2013 Fantasy Baseball: Top 30 First Baseman + Sleepers

First Base is the deepest position in fantasy baseball this year. A first baseman who swing for the fences are not hard to find in 2013. You add that group with the recent trend of young catchers playing their off days at first base and you understand why this area is so deep.

Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder are in the second year of their American League switch. Will they see a stat increase or will pitchers figure them out?

A group of young first baseman are entering their prime. Will Freddie Freeman, Anthony Rizzo, Eric Hosmer or Ike Davis jump to the next level?

My rankings are based on a standard 5×5 league. If you have any specific questions about a different league, email me BobbyMcrib@gmail.com. Continue reading →