Justin Thompson

The Friday Fungo

Rich Monteleone – #36

Before the names of Kyle Sleeth, Kenny Baugh, Justin Thompson and even Scott Aldred and Steve Searcy evoked images of a star-studded starting rotation for the Tigers, there was one name* that personified unfulfilled promise for Tiger fans: Rich Monteleone.

Anyone who has followed the Tigers at least since the late 1970s likely remembers the name. Detroit’s first-round pick in the 1982 amateur draft, 20th overall.

Monteleone, we were told, would slide into the rotation behind Dan Petry and someday become the Tigers’ ace.

So we waited. And waited.

And each Spring Training we’d follow his progress and wonder if this was the year Monteleone would break through. But that year never came. After the 1985 season the Tigers traded him to the Mariners for Darnell Coles.

Though Monteleone failed to live up to the expectations of a number-one draft choice in Detroit, he managed to carve out a nice 10-year career in the majors with the Mariners, Angels, Yankees and Giants.

He retired after the 1996 season with a record of 24-17 and 3.87 ERA.

*1981 first-rounder Ricky Barlow was another early ’80s star in the making. He made it only as far as Triple-A Toledo, in 1987.

3 Things to Know About Matt Sinatro – #52

The catcher appeared in 13 games for the 1989 Tigers, all in July.
He went 3 for 25 as a Tiger; his best game at the plate was on July 8, when he went 2 for 3 against the Blue Jays.
On Aug. 5, 1989 the Mariners purchased his contract from the Tigers.

Birthdays

Rich Monteleone, Matt Sinatro and the late Marv Owen

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 355 9/9 – Rarity: 137

See you tomorrow.

The Friday Fungo

Skeeter Barnes – #9

This post should have been written yesterday, on William Henry “Skeeter” Barnes‘ birthday — he deserved better!

So, here are 10 things to know about a fun player from some mediocre Tigers seasons:

Drafted by the Reds in the 16th round of the 1978 MLB June Amateur out of University of Cincinnati.
He debuted on Sept. 6, 1983, against the Giants, in a game featuring Darrell Evans at shortstop, Dave Bergman at first, and Champ Summers pinch hitting.
From 1983 to ‘84, he appeared in 47 games for the Reds. On April 26, 1985 the Reds sent him to the Expos for Max Venable. He appeared in 19 games for the ‘85 Expos.
Barnes saw no major-league action in 1986, and on July 24 he was traded, with former Tiger Dan Schatzeder, to the Phillies for Tom Foley and Lary Sorensen.
In 1987, he signed with the Cardinals but only appeared in four games. After spending 1988 in Triple A, he appeared in five games for the Reds.
Then, on Jan. 21, 1991, he signed with the Tigers. After starting the year in Toledo, Barnes made his Detroit debut with gusto on June 14, in a 5-1 win in Seattle. He hit a solo homer in his first Tigers at bat, off Brian Holman, with two out in the first inning.
Sparky used him just about everywhere: 1B, 2B, 3B, Shortstop, all outfield spots.
From ’91 to ’94, he appeared in 278 games for the Tigers batting .281 with 11 homers, 73 RBI and a .739 OPS.
Barnes’ final career hit came on June 16, 1994 — a single to right off the Brewers’ Bob Scanlan.
His final major league appearance came on June 20, 1994, as a defensive replacement for Cecil Fielder at first base.

Birthdays

Mark Salas, Lance McCullers, Justin Thompson, Juan Encarnacion, Chris Lambert, Bob Stoddard, Joe Staton, Jim Small and the late Pete Fox, Ray Francis and Ollie O’Mara.

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 341 7/9 — Rarity: 275

Have a great weekend. See you tomorrow.

Randy Smith’s Losing Bet

Nine years ago today the Tigers swung a blockbuster trade for the ages — one Tigers fans are trying to forget.

On Nov. 2, 1999, the Rangers sent outfielder Juan Gonzalez, pitcher Danny Patterson and catcher Gregg Zaun to the Tigers for pitchers Justin Thompson, Alan Webb and Francisco Cordero, outfielder Gabe Kapler, catcher Bill Haselman, and infielder Frank Catalanotto.

Sound like a ripoff? That’s not the half of it.

Let’s take a trip down memory lane and see how that worked out for both teams since the day of the trade:

Detroit

Gonzalez

2000 (Detroit): 115 G, .289, 22 HR, 67 RBI
2001-05 (CLE, TEX, KC): .302, 72 HR, 262 RBI

Zaun

He never played in Detroit. On March 7, 2000, the Tigers sent him to the Royals as part of a conditional deal. Think the Tigers could’ve used him behind the plate during those pre-Pudge seasons? Me too.

2000-2008 (KC, HOU, COL, TOR): .254, 62 HR, 336 RBI

Patterson

2000-04 (Detroit): 10-11, 6.17 ERA*, 5 saves (*Bloated by a 15.00 ERA in just three innings pitched in 2002. Without it, his Detroit ERA would be 3.97.)

Texas

Thompson

Poor J.T. He never could rebound from shoulder injuries that began to plague him in Detroit. He didn’t pitch in Texas until 2005 when he appeared in two games, surrendered four earned runs and two homers. He signed with the Brewers after that season and retired on June 20, 2006.

Career line: Five seasons, 36-43, 4.02 ERA, 428 K

Webb: According to Baseball-Reference.com, Webb never appeared in the majors.

Cordero: 2000-08 (TEX, MIL, CIN): 31-31, 211 saves, 4.00 ERA

Kapler: 2000-06, ’08 (TEX, COL, BOS, MIL) .279, 54 HR, 291 RBI

Haselman: By the time of this trade, Haselman was nearing the end of his 13-year career. He broke in with the Rangers in 1990, played three seasons (’92-’94) with the Mariners, three with Boston, a return engagement with the Rangers, one year in Detroit, back to Texas, and then his final season in 2003 with the Red Sox. 2000-03 (TEX, BOS): .265, 12 HR, 69 RBI

Catalanotto : 2000-08 (TEX, TOR): .295, 66 HR, 384 RBI

From the moment I saw this trade announced on ESPN’s crawl I knew it was not going to work out well. How could it?

First, the Tigers were giving up far too much youth for essentially one player: Gonzalez who, on his best day, was a moody enigma.

Second, as Ian reminded me, then-GM Randy Smith was allegedly shaping the Comerica Park Tigers to be a pitching-defense-and-speed club.

Acquiring a plodding slugger doesn’t fit into that scheme — particularly when CoPa was dubbed Comerica National Park for its expansive dimensions.

And third, everything in the universe had to align with unrealistic precision for Gonzalez to even half-consider signing with the Tigers after the 2000 season.

It’s painful to see how the kids Detroit traded away blossomed in the Texas heat. Personally, the one player that hurt the most was Catalanatto. If ever a hitter were designed for Comerica Park, it was Cat.

Kapler could’ve been a good role player throughout this decade, Cordero could’ve been they type of closer the Tigers now seek via trade or free agency.

Coulda, shoulda, woulda. Perhaps those are the three words that best sum up this trade.

What do you think?

Remember Rich Monteleone?

Before the names of Kyle Sleeth, Kenny Baugh, Justin Thompson and even Scott Aldred and Steve Searcy evoked images of a star-studded starting rotation for the Tigers, there was one name the personified unfulfilled promise for Tiger fans: Rich Monteleone.

Before the names of Kyle Sleeth, Kenny Baugh, Justin Thompson and even Scott Aldred and Steve Searcy evoked images of a star-studded starting rotation for the Tigers, there was one name the personified unfulfilled promise for Tiger fans: Rich Monteleone. (Actually, Monteleone and 1981 first-rounder Ricky Barlow led this category in the early ’80s, but we’ll focus on Monteleone who celebrates his 45th birthday today. Ironically, Barlow’s 45th was yesterday.)

Anyone who’s followed the Tigers at least since the late 1970s likely remembers the name. Detroit’s first-round pick in the 1982 amateur draft (#20), Monteleone, we were told, would slide into the rotation behind Dan Petry and someday become the Tigers’ ace.

So we waited. And waited.

Continue reading “Remember Rich Monteleone?”