Young Tigers’ outfielders must bounce back from lost season
Updated Feb 11, 2021;
Posted Feb 11, 2021
Detroit Tigers Riley Greene bats during an intrasquad baseball game in Detroit, Wednesday, July 15, 2020. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)AP
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TIGERS IN 2021:
This is the fourth in a series of profiles on the Detroit Tigers’ organizational depth heading into the 2021 season.
Earlier:
Coming tomorrow: Third basemen.
Daz Cameron made his Major League debut after a bout with COVID, but rightly or wrongly, we’re now listing him as a corner outfielder, as he played almost exclusively in right field last year.
Derek Hill also made his MLB debut but the Tigers seemed hesitant to let him hit, using him primarily as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement. He should be destined for Triple-A Toledo in 2021.
Top 60 All-Time Greatest Jays: #35 Kevin Pillar
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Kevin Andrew Pillar | CF | 2013-2019
Ok, this surprised me. I didn’t expect to see Kevin on the list. But then he is number 5 on the Baseball Reference. Blue Jays leader board for defensive WAR.
Kevin Pillar was the
Blue Jays’ 32nd round pick in the 2011 draft. He is one of just two players chosen in that round to make the majors.
Billy Burns was the other. He played center field for the
A’s and
Royals for parts of four seasons. Pillar hit well, climbing the ladder in the Jays minor league system. When you are drafted in the 32nd round, you don’t get to jump levels, but Piller made study progress. He hit .324/.367/.479 in 413 minor league games, with a better walk rate than he’s ever shown us in the majors.
Subtext users give their versions of Cleveland Indians’ lineup, rotation and bullpen for 2021
Updated Feb 12, 2021;
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CLEVELAND, Ohio Manager Terry Francona can always use a little help from his friends.
That’s why Indians beat writers Joe Noga and Paul Hoynes asked their subtext subscribers on Wednesday for their opinions on the Indians’ lineup, rotation and bullpen for the 2021 season. Spring training opens next week and the Indians first spring-training game is Feb. 28. So it’s that time of the year.
We posted two lineups, one against righties and one against lefties, a starting rotation and bullpen on Wednesday. Then we invited subtexters to join the conversation while we discussed the topics on the Cleveland Baseball Talk podcasts Wednesday and Thursday.