Early Grades for All of the Detroit Tigers' Offseason Acquisitions
The Detroit Tigers entered the 2015 MLB campaign after a typically active offseason. Several new faces were brought in via trades and signings, with five of them cracking the 25-man roster.
Yoenis Cespedes, Shane Greene, Alfredo Simon, Anthony Gose and Tom Gorzelanny each donned the Old English D for the first time this April. So far, all of them have met expectations, if not exceeded them.
Aided by major contributions from these newcomers, the Tigers have burst out of the gate with a 13-6 record through three weeks—best in the American League.
The most impressive of this new crop, and perhaps the most surprising, are starting pitchers Greene and Simon.
With Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello out the door during the winter, Detroit’s rotation was supposed to take a big hit. So far, you wouldn’t know it.
After four starts apiece, Greene and Simon are a combined 7-1 with seven quality starts between them.
As for the position players, Cespedes and Gose have also looked the part. Their offensive contributions have helped propel Detroit to second in the majors in hitting, even though their strikeout numbers are high. Their presence in the field has also upgraded the team defensively.
Click on for full analysis and grades on Detroit’s new veterans on the block.
*Grades are based on the player’s productivity through Detroit’s first 19 games.
Tom Gorzelanny
1 of 5
Acquired: Free agency
Stats: 0-1, 2.25 ERA, 6 K, 3 BB (7 games)
The signing of Gorzelanny in January for $1 million seemed pretty innocuous at the time.
The 32-year-old brought to Detroit a career 4.27 ERA forged over 10 seasons in the National League. Gorzelanny was projected to be a long reliever or occasional spot starter with his new club.
Based on the first few weeks, the lefty will be playing a far more important role than first thought. Manager Brad Ausmus has been using Gorzelanny primarily in late-inning, high-leverage situations.
The hope was for Ian Krol or Blaine Hardy to be Detroit’s southpaw setup man. However, neither has performed well enough to this point. Krol (4.76 ERA) was recently optioned to Triple-A Toledo.
Hence Gorzelanny has been given his opportunity, and he’s done a sterling job of retiring hitters when called upon. His one blemish was giving up a leadoff double—on an 0-2 count—to Jacoby Ellsbury, which the New York Yankees manufactured into the winning run on April 23. This, as well as a slightly high walk total, knocks him down from scoring a maximum grade A.
Grade: B-
Anthony Gose
2 of 5
Acquired: Trade with Toronto Blue Jays
Stats: .333/.348/.511, 8 R, 5 XBH, 3 SB
The lefty bat has split time with Rajai Davis as part of a center field platoon for the Tigers. Gose has gotten the majority of starts versus right-handers and has been a productive, yet streaky, hitter so far.
When he’s on, he’s really on. Gose began with a blaze during the opening week, notching multiple hits in each of his first three games. The 24-year-old has also been a menace on the bases. He has swiped three bags already, including a pair of delayed steals.
Despite his impressive slash line (see above), there have been a couple of red flags. A closer look at his numbers reveals that Gose has been as hit-and-miss as a supermarket strawberry.
The former Blue Jay has struck out 19 times already this season—42 percent of his at-bats. Gose is also riding his luck with a .560 batting average on balls in play (BABIP).
A 2-for-13 stretch at the plate, including nine strikeouts, led to his benching this past weekend. "He's just in a little bit of a funk right now. He isn't swinging like he was a week ago, so it doesn't hurt to give him a day to regroup and work on some things in the cage," said manager Brad Ausmus, per Chris Iott of MLive.
Gose must improve his contact rate if he wishes to regain his playing time, especially with Davis heating up (6-for-9 last weekend). Despite his issues, Gose’s impressive batting average and run production score him high marks.
Grade: B
Yoenis Cespedes
3 of 5
Acquired: Trade with Boston Red Sox
Stats: .292/.316/.514, 3 HR, 9 XBH, 13 RBI
The 29-year-old Cuban came to Detroit with a reputation for being a powerful free-swinger who seldom walked. Three weeks in, he’s been pretty much as advertised.
Cespedes has already delivered some big hits for Detroit, and he is among the AL leaders in extra-base hits (eighth) and RBI (10th). He showed what a potent threat he can be by launching two bombs and driving in six runs versus the Chicago White Sox on April 19.
On the flip side, Cespedes’ aggression has worked against him at times. He has only three walks and 17 strikeouts in 72 at-bats.
Cespedes’ presence alone in left field has made Detroit a better defensive team. He has made some fine running grabs, and baserunners have been timid about challenging his cannon arm in left field.
It’s been a productive start, but his strikeout-to-walk ratio keeps him below an A grading.
Grade: B+
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Shane Greene
4 of 5
Acquired: Trade with New York Yankees
Stats: 3-1, 3.00 ERA, 1.04 WHIP
Greene has been one of the game’s biggest surprises early in 2015. The righty started the season 3-0 after victories against the Minnesota Twins, Pittsburgh Pirates and White Sox.
Even more impressive was that Greene did not yield an earned run until his 24th inning of the season. Not too shabby for a guy who only had five career wins entering 2015.
One man who apparently wasn’t so shocked with Greene’s performances was his ex-manager, Joe Girardi. He told Tony Paul of The Detroit News: "He's pitched very well. We saw him do that for us last year, as well. It's a young man with a very good arm, with good movement with his fastball, good slider, and a good change-up that I thought developed as (last) year went on. I'm not really surprised."
Since these comments, Greene has proven himself to be fallible. The 26-year-old’s idyllic start ended in his fourth outing versus the Cleveland Indians. He conceded eight runs over four innings and suffered his first defeat.
Even with this rough outing, he lands nearly top marks after an incredible trio of starts to open the year.
Grade: A-
Alfredo Simon
5 of 5
Acquired: Trade with Cincinnati Reds
Stats: 4-0, 1.65 ERA, 0.95 WHIP
Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce the AL leader in wins.
Simon sits alone atop the league in victories after beginning the year a perfect 4-0. Many of you folks are probably surprised by this—don’t be. En route to his first All-Star Game last year, Simon had nearly identical numbers in April with Cincinnati: 4-1, 1.60 ERA, 0.98 WHIP.
Unlike his peers, the 6’6”, 265-pounder does not possess gaudy strikeout numbers (4.94 K/9). Despite pitching to contact, Simon’s movement and deception has prevented hitters from getting good wood on the ball. According to FanGraphs, he is holding opponents to a 19.8 line-drive percentage.
His efforts also come at a great time for the Tigers, whose veteran starter, Justin Verlander, has been on the disabled list since Opening Day. Also, Simon’s win on Saturday halted Detroit’s four-game losing streak.
The burly right-hander has achieved all of this in his own unflappable way. Catcher Alex Avila explains to Jason Beck of MLB.com: “It's like he's playing Wiffle ball out there. Nothing will affect him. … To be honest with you, I haven't caught anybody like Simon. He's unique."
Aha, he’s a bit different. And he’s pitched pretty darn well for a so-called No. 5 starter.
Grade: A
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