Teams and fans alike always look to the newest, upstart team that seemingly came out of nowhere to achieve success to try and figure out how their team can follow suit. In 2002, after the Angels World Series victory, people were trying to figure out who the next David Eckstein might be. The Marlins young and talented pitching staff was highlighted for their World Series heroics in 2003. After 2004, the slugging Red Sox made the “Moneyball” approach seem like the way to go (even if the Red Sox had the second highest payroll in baseball that year), while last year the White Sox were hailed for their pitching and small ball approach (even though as a team they collectively hit 200 home runs). As you may have already noticed, there are often misconceptions that accompany some of these quick observations.
This year people are pointing to the Detroit Tigers young pitching staff as the foundation for their success, and I have heard quite a few fans mention that drafting and developing young pitching from within is the way to go. While I don’t disagree with that notion, it is important to note that Justin Verlander was the only member of the Tigers starting rotation that was completely procured from within.
Because of that, I wanted to break down the Tigers World Series team to illustrate how such a successful team can be built. Rarely do you find teams built predominantly with 100% homegrown players.
Homegrown Players
As noted above, Justin Verlander was the only member of the Tigers starting staff that was drafted and developed completely from within. The Tigers were rewarded with the second overall pick in the 2004 draft after finishing with the worst record in 2003 (picks still alternated between leagues at the time), and used that pick to select Justin Verlander, who immediately made the proper adjustments to start throwing strikes without trying to blow everyone away that allowed him to reach the big leagues so quickly.
Bullpen mates Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney were also procured entirely from within. Zumaya was drafted in the 11th round of the 2002 draft, while Rodney was a non-drafted free agent from 1997. While Verlander, Zumaya and Rodney were all integral members of the Tigers successful 2006 season, they are the only three pitchers that were completely homegrown.
As for the hitters, leadoff hitting centerfielder Curtis Granderson was the Tigers second round pick in the 2002 draft. Third baseman Brandon Inge (second round, 1998) and reserve infielder Tony Giarratano (third round, 2003) also were drafted by the Tigers.
Two more reserve infielders, Ramon Santiago and Omar Infante, were also procured from within, signing as non-drafted free agents in 1998 and 1999 respectively. Santiago was traded to the Mariners as part of the deal for Carlos Guillen. The Tigers re-acquired him as a minor league free agent last offseason, but since the Tigers originally procured him, I’ll include him here.
Free Agent Acquisitions
Ivan Rodriguez and Magglio Ordonez served as the heart and soul of the Tigers lineup last year, and both were signed to big deals as free agents. Kenny Rogers, the Tigers staff ace, and Todd Jones, the team’s closer, were also signed as free agents.
Minor league free agents include relief pitchers Jason Grilli and Jamie Walker and outfielder Marcus Thames.
Trade Acquisitions
Pitchers Jeremy Bonderman, Zach Miner and Nate Robertson were all acquired via trades. Bonderman was the key acquisition in the Tigers three-way trade with the Yankees and A’s in which they dealt Jeff Weaver. Miner was acquired from the Braves as part of the package for Kyle Farnsworth, while Robertson came in a package from the Marlins for Mark Redman.
The trade acquisitions were also well represented in the starting lineup and on the bench, as first baseman Sean Casey, shortstop Carlos Guillen, second baseman Placido Polanco, utility infielder Neifi Perez and backup catcher Vance Wilson were all acquired from other teams.
Rule 5, Waiver Wire Pickups
Left-handed relief pitcher Wilfredo Ledezma was selected in the Rule 5 draft as the Tigers plucked him from the Red Sox. Outfielders Craig Monroe and Alexis Gomez were waiver wire pickups from the Rangers and Royals respectively.
Of the team’s 26-man World Series roster, only eight of those players were drafted and/or signed by the Tigers. That’s less than a third of their playoff roster.
The Detroit Tigers success this year was the most exciting storyline to follow all season long, and General Manager Dave Dombrowski deserves all of the credit in the world for assembling that team for Jim Leyland to manage into World Series contenders. However, the misconception that they were built with young pitching from within needs more perspective on how the Tigers, particularly the pitching staff, was truly assembled.
And while the Tigers success came overnight, the building process did not.
St. Louis Cardinals, World Series Champions
This may be a little late, but congratulations are also in order for the St. Louis Cardinals, one of the most successful organizations in the history of Major League Baseball, for making it to and winning the World Series. While my postseason predictions were awful at best, I did accurately predict the Cardinals to win it all in my preseason predictions. The Cardinals won it after limping into the postseason, but they were able to get a few key injured players back in the lineup (Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen) while also finding a new closer (Adam Wainwright) at the most opportune of times.
Free Agency Updates
In case you blinked since my last column when I identified some of the more interesting free agents available, you missed quite a few moves early this offseason.
The day after I mentioned that Frank Thomas was in negotiations with the A’s, the Blue Jays stepped in and signed him to a two-year contract. The Dodgers re-signed Nomar Garciaparra and signed Juan Pierre, the Mets picked up Moises Alou, the Rangers inked Frank Catalanotto and the Angels signed Justin Speier and Gary Matthews Jr.
The biggest, or at least the most notable acquisitions, were the Cubs signing of Alfonso Soriano to an eye-popping eight-year, $136 million deal and the Astros signing Carlos Lee to a six-year, $100 million deal. While Barry Zito will still command an equally ludicrous deal, now that the two big sluggers are off the market, don’t be surprised to see the signings slow down a little bit, with more teams likely to make more modest signings and/or trades to address their needs.
The thoughts and opinions listed here do not necessarily reflect those of Perfect Game USA. Patrick Ebert is affiliated with both Perfect Game USA and Brewerfan.net, and can be contacted via email at pebert@brewerfan.net.