Yardbarker: Jeremy Bonderman

This Week in Yankee History (11/16-11/22)

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:06:20 -0500

November 16th - November 22nd

November 16th

1883 - Former Yankees INF/P Rollie "Bunions" Zeider (1903) was born. On June 1,1913, Rollie was traded by the White Sox along with 1B Babe Borton to the Yankees for 1B Hal Chase. Rollie hit .233 in 50 games for the Yankees. Before the 1914 AL Season, ...

Dombrowski: Pitching and Defense

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 14:25:43 -0500

In a recent email to Tigers GM Dave Dombrowksi, I asked where he would like to improve over the offseason. Personally, I think the Tigers have a solid core of middle relievers, but lack the late inning guys to put the game away. With that said, Dombrowski responded through a media assistant: "...pitching (including the bullpen) and defense." The Tigers have a fairly large payroll and may have trouble convincing the owners to throw in more money.A

One step they could make would be to trade either Jeremy Bonderman or Nate Robertson for a pair of prospects with some upside. Both pitchers have failed to take big strides in their pitching and have only hurt the team, especially now with a weaker bullpen. Signing someone like Jon Garland, Ryan Dempster, or Derek Lowe would help the rotation, probably even take some pressure off Justin Verlander.A

As for the bullpen, I would not recommend doing what the Orioles did in 2007, signing the three top relievers based on the previous season. Signing a closer, perhaps Brian Fuentes, and then going after a pair of late inning relievers like Juan Cruz, Will Ohman, or maybe even LaTroy Hawkins would do best. They were interested in Michael Wuertz last year, and could pull off a trade this offseason because the Cubs have a lot of depth.A

The Tigers currently have Brandon Inge behind the plate. Finding a starter would be nice, maybe Jason Kendall, but in terms of finding a defensive savvy catcher, Paul Bako is your guy. He is one of the best defensive catchers in the games, and has a great reputation of handling his pitchers. If the Tigers were to trade Nate Robertson to the Padres, they could possibly land Khalil Greene and a prospect. They could try Greene at shortstop and if he struggles, call up prospect Danny Worth, who is on the fast track to the big leagues (mostly because the Tigers are rushing him).A

The Tigers have a lot of work to do this offseason, especially after finishing in last place when they were predicted to go to the World Series. Dave Dombrowski is smart, and I don't doubt he can make some big steps this offseason to get his team on the right track.A

This story was approved by MLB Rumors.

Mazzone to Tigers?

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:28:22 -0500

One of the top pitching coaches in baseball Leo Mazzone may be in line for another job. The Tigers, who recently fired their pitching coach, are in the market for an experienced pitching coach. Mazzone's teachings can be seen in John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, and Greg Maddux, and every pitcher that played for the Braves for nearly a decade. Mazzone's most famous technique-when in doubt, down and out-is used among many pitchers all around the league today. Mazzone would be able to work with struggling pitchers Jeremy Bonderman and Nate Robertson, as well as Dontrelle Willis. He and Jim Leyland are reportedly very close and they would make for a great tandem.

GM Dave Dombrowksi would be smart to go in and snag Mazzone before he signs elsewhere.

This story was approved by MLB Rumors.

Fantasy Baseball Five Questions: AL Central

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 08:34:39 -0500

During the offseason it looked like the AL Central could be a serious asset from the fantasy perspective. But as Screaming Sports' Phil Yoon explains, it didn't immediately live up those expectations.

Bonderman's Season Over: FANTASY IMPACT

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 21:44:25 -0500

Jeremy Bonderman's season is done. We explain why and what you should do now for your fantasy team.

Someone Has to Win the Central...

Thu, 22 May 2008 09:18:28 -0500

The division has been probably the biggest disappointment in baseball this year. WFNY asks bloggers from around the A.L. Central to stand up and say why their team will prevail- up first the Tigers...

The Garcia sweepstakes begin

Mon, 12 May 2008 18:34:17 -0500

Free Agent pitcher Freddy Garcia is almost ready to start working out for Major League Baseball teams. Garcia had surgery back on August 30th to repair his throwing shoulder. Starting Thursday, he'll be officially working off a mound, so soon to follow comes team work outs. Lets take a look at what teams could use his services.

Daisuke is killing the Red Sox bullpen... but winning

Tue, 06 May 2008 07:06:09 -0500

Daisuke Matsuzaka walked 8 Tigers last night and still earned his 5 win of the season. Mike Lowell, David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis all hit home runs. Get the recap at The Bottom Line.

Fantasy Rundown: Colorado Makes 37 Roster Moves

Thu, 01 May 2008 04:30:53 -0500

The Rockies made a flurry of moves on the field and in their rotation. AccuScore analyst Jonathan breaks that down along with all the other fantasy relevant news from Wednesday's games.

Pitch f/x: Bonderman 4-3-08

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 21:22:43 -0500

Using MLB's pitch f/x data to examine Jeremy Bonderman's start against the Royals.

Fantasy Baseball Experts League Draft: Rounds 16-18

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 21:24:07 -0500

Ten of Fantasyfanatics.com's baseball experts lined up for a fantasy draft. Here's a look at the first 18 rounds with analysis. Any bad picks? Let us know. ROUND 16, PICK 151 Todd Jones, CL, DET The ERA, WHIP, and K's might leave something to be desired, but we're talking about a closer here. A pitcher who threw no more than 64 innings in each of the past two seasons, yet has racked up 75 saves. Despite grabbing my first closer in the 12th round, I now have three guys who can get 35 or more saves on my roster. Jones is the closer for the Tigers, a team expected to make a run into the playoffs this season. ROUND 16, PICK 152 Kevin Gregg, CL, FL It was time to pick up a second closer, and Gregg appears to have earned the job in Florida by saving 32 games last year. He struck out more than a batter per inning last season. ROUND 16, PICK 153 James Loney, 1B, LAD Loney was my Jim Thome insurance. He is not going to put up great power numbers for a first baseman, but if Thome goes down for a few weeks, Loney will give me a nice boost in batting average.

Talking injuries with Will Carroll

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 08:00:07 -0500

Looking at some Tigers injuries concerns in an interview with sports medicine guru Will Carroll.

MLB Preview 2008: Top-30 Franchise Players - PART I

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 05:28:20 -0500

The criteria is this: if all players in Major League Baseball were granted free agency today and a draft were held of all players, who would be drafted. The criteria calls for a six-year window because MLB rules state that a player who plays in the major leagues has six club-controlled seasons before they are granted free agency again. Here is the first round of such a draft.

Do Jeremy Bonderman's pitches fool umpires?

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 14:13:20 -0500

An article in the WSJ speculated about Jeremy Bonderman's first inning struggles. One of the theories was that it took umpires time to get used to Bonderman's pitches. This article took a look at retrosheet data to see if there is any validity to the theory.

Tigers rumblings.

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 15:30:22 -0500

Here are some tidbits on the Detroit Tigers. The rotation is set. Your front free are obviously Justin Verlander, Kenny Rogers and Jeremy Bonderman. The big question was who would start the fourth game of the season Nate Robertson or Dontrelle Willis. Well, manager Jim Leyland has made his decision