Sixth stop, BBTN Bus Tour: Tigers - Spring Training Blog
The biggest story in camp is the move of Miguel Cabrera to third base. "He has wanted to do this for the last few years," said Tigers manager Jim Leyland. Cabrera agreed, then said with a smile, "But they wouldn't let me." For the good of the team, he said, he played first base. But he said he is even more comfortable playing third base. He has lost some weight, and his hands are good, so the move to third has gone well so far.&
"It's not going to be easy, but I can do it," Cabrera said.&
The Tigers have made it clear that Cabrera is going to play third for nine innings in most games. They are not going to have a defensive replacement -- Brandon Inge, for instance -- taking over after seven innings. That would be embarrassing to Cabrera, and the Tigers simply can't afford to take the best hitter in the league out of the game after the seventh inning.&
Cabrera was all smiles in camp. "I've got the big guy hitting behind me," he said, pointing to Prince Fielder. Cabrera and Fielder took batting practice in the same group Tuesday. After one of Fielder's particularly majestic blasts that cleared the trees on Field 4, Cabrera, doing his best Hawk Harrelson impression, said, "You can put it on the board, yes!"&
• Justin Verlander says his plan is to "pitch better" than he did last year, which will be difficult given that he won the American League Cy Young and MVP. But Verlander is the world's most competitive person. In spring training every year, the Tigers pitchers run sprints, and Verlander HAS to win every sprint. As a kid, he said, he always had to finish dinner faster than anyone in the family. "I'll be walking next to someone on the sidewalk, and I have to walk faster than him or her," he said. "I don't know why. That's just the way I am."&
• The Tigers have re-worked the swing of center fielder/leadoff hitter Austin Jackson in hopes of having him make more contact, and cut down on his 181 strikeouts from a year ago. Jackson has reduced his leg kick to allow him to wait longer on pitches, and he has flattened out his bat more in hopes of keeping his hands back a little longer. "At the end of last year, it was something I wanted to try," Jackson said. "But it was going to be hard to do in the middle of everything. So we tried it this spring. I can feel the difference." Jackson is a key player for the Tigers. He is their leadoff man as they have no one else to fill the spot. And 181 punchouts are too many for a leadoff man.&
• The Tigers are looking for a fifth starter. They have five or six candidates to fill one spot. Ideally, a left-hander would win that job since the Tigers have all right-handers in the first four spots of the rotation. Duane Below and Drew Smyly are two left-handers to watch.&
• Terry Francona Story of the Day: Francona threw batting practice at Tiger Stadium to Prince Fielder when Prince was 11 years old. Young Prince hit one into the upper deck against Francona. "Then, after the round of BP, he didn't pick up the balls, he went in to eat," Francona said with a laugh. "That was the last time I threw to him."
