Giving Ryan Raburn His Due

I have admit, I’m just starting to come to terms with the Tigers September collapse.  The Tigers became the first team ever to blow a three game lead with four to go.  Let that settle in some…

Done?  Good.  Let’s move on.

The Tigers had a few downer performances this year and a few nice pleasant surprises.  My favorite surprise, and probably the most underrated surprise of the season is Ryan Raburn.  Raburn has never been more than a platoon player for the Tigers, but his performance down the stretch

Raburn’s numbers for the season:

• .291/.359/.533  16 HR, 76 H, 261 AB

Raburn’s numbers after the All-Star break:

• .308/.367/.559  10 HR, 44 H, 143 AB

Raburn’s numbers from September/October:

• .355/.431/.677  6 HR, 22 H, 62 AB

Raburn went right ahead and got better as the season progressed.  When you add in his versatility on defense, he was one of the most valuable members of the club in 2009.

I’m just not sure where this leaves him next season.  I think he’s a perfectly fine corner outfielder.  He’s not great when he’s playing the infield, but he can fill in just fine.

I’ve always been a big Marcus Thames fan, but if push comes to shove, I’d take Raburn over Thames any day.  The same goes for Clete Thomas.  If the Tigers can keep only one guy from this trio, my vote goes to Raburn.