Ab(r)andon Inge Roundtable #2

Editors Note: I aplogize for my lack of posting the last several days.  I've been incredibly busy with school and baseball.  Not to worry, I have returned.  Also, this post was done last week Tuesday, I just haven't been able to post it.

Ab(r)andon Inge Roundtable #2: Who will be the Tiger's breakout performer in 2012?

Brian:
I've got to go with Rick Porcello.  After 3 years of seasoning in the majors, figuring out what works, what doesn't work, etc; and spending 3 full years with a major league pitching coach, I feel like he definitely will break out this year.  He's got all the stuff to be a very good #3 or solid #2 in the majors.  His 2 seam fastball (sinker), when working, can absolutely dominate hitters.  When the velocity on it is up (91-93) rather than down (88-90), you see a lot more late life and distinctly more "bite" on the pitch.  He has improved his breaking stuff tremendously, and his changeup is working it's way up towards being a quality pitch.  Porcello has my vote

Phil:

My pick for breakthrough Tigers player this year is Daniel Schlereth. After having a couple of ho-hum seasons to start off his career here in Detroit, I think this is the year that he puts it together and becomes more than just a situational lefty out of the bullpen. His K/BB ratio is a pedestrian 1.55/1 during his major league career. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that this is the year where he: A) Learns how to throw strikes consistently and B) Makes sure those strikes don't end up in the outfield bleachers.

(Ed: Phil is a moron)

Frank:

I’m going to go with Rick Porcello. Brian said in an earlier post that Porcello would have a great year and cement himself as the number 3 starter. I happen to agree 100% with him. The main reason is the fact that in years past, Porcello had started slow, but toward the end of the season he got a lot better. I remember hearing Dan Dickerson and Jim Price (the radio announcers for the Tigers) talking about Porcello start working on his pitching earlier in spring training than he had in the past, putting him more in midseason form when he started against the Rays on Tuesday.

Ryan:

My pick for the Tigers Breakout performer of the 2012 season is Austin Jackson.  I know we’re only 3 games into the series but I was thoroughly impressed with his improvement at the plate.  Even though he struck out twice in the series, he still provided some clutch moments, in the walk off single on opening day, as well as getting on base for Cabrera to drive in the tying home run in the bottom of the 9^th.  While I don’t predict ridiculous stats, his success should help the Tigers win a few more games and improve the numbers of Cabrera/Fielder.  Since he will be on base they will be in more RBI opportunities, hopefully leading to more Tigers runs, as evidenced by their 26 run outburst this weekend. 

Ab(r)andon Inge Roundtable #1: Will the Red Wings Win the Stanley Cup this season?

Good Evening (Morning) ladies and gentlemen-

We here at Ab(r)andon Inge have decided to do a weekly roundtable post, where we all give our insight and opinion on a single question relating to Detroit sports.

This week, the question is:

Will the Detroit Red Wings win the Stanley Cup this season?


Ryan Prohaska (@Ryan_M_Pro):

In short, I do not believe the Wings can win the cup.  Considering they will most likely play 3 of the 4 series on the road, where they struggle, I do not see them being able to pull it off.  I think they will make the conference finals and lose in 6 games to Vancouver.

Phil Johnson (@DoWorkLaRoy):

If you put a fork to my nose and asked me if the Red Wings would win the Stanley Cup, I'd say yes. If you put a fork to my nose and asked me if the Red Wings would win the Stanley Cup this year, I'd say no. The lack of firepower from the team since the 23 game home winning streak ended has been alarming. Unless the power play pulls a Franzen and wakes up in the playoffs, I think this Wings team will bow out in the first or second round depending on the draw.

Frank Vajcner (@Frank_Vajcner):

It’s hard to bet against The Red Wings in the playoffs. With players that have been on the team for at least one cup winning season, you can always expect them to be in contention. This year is no different. The Wings don’t have a dominant 40-plus goal scorer, but they don’t need one when they get balanced goal scoring. Four players (Johan Franzen, Jiri Hudler, Valtteri Filppula, and Henrik Zetterberg) have scored at least 20 goals this season, and the team has gotten an NHL-best 44 goals from their defensemen. Plus Jimmy Howard has been a lot better in goal, posting a 2.14 GAA and a .920 save percentage. On the injury front, the only player that will be out is center Darren Helm. The only knock against the Wings is their power play, which is ranked 21^st in the NHL.

Despite only being able to possibly secure the 4^th seed in the Western Conference, the Red Wings have the talent and coaching to win their 12^th Stanley Cup. The keys to success will be to improve the power play, and avoid a first round matchup with Nashville, or with San Jose without home-ice advantage.  The Wings have not been good on the road, and that is why the wait for cup number twelve will continue until at least next season.

Brian Sakowski (@B_Sakowski):

Admittedly, I'm not the biggest hockey guy.  I love watching the Wings, but that's about as far as my interest in the sport goes.  I do know from watching the Wings this season that they play ridiculously well at home, not so well on the road, rely on 1-2 actually consistent players (Datsyuk, Pavel; and Lidstrom, Nicklas), and then ride the hot streaks of others for X amount of games at a time (Filpulla, Franzen, etc).  If these streaky players decide to catch fire all at once, and maintain it for a month, then yes, I do believe that the Wings will win the Stanley Cup.  However, for the sake of not sounding like a ridiculous slappy, I will say no, not this year.

LGRW