Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers take on the Atlanta Braves in Lake Buena Vista for their exhibition opener at 1:05 p.m.  Follow along with coverage from  Lynn Henning and Tom Gage.

“There’s not a right-hander on the planet who would want to face him” – manager Jim Leyland about how right-hander Brayan Villarreal threw in his last session of batting practice at spring training.

From Lakeland He’s a top prospect, but probably not a candidate to make the Tigers’ 25-man roster this spring. All the same, Nick Castellanos will start in left field on Friday when the Tigers open the Grapefruit League season against the Atlanta Braves. In the same situation, as a prospect needing more at-bats than if … Continue Reading →

Brennan Boesch is sitting out Sunday’s workout after tweaking his right oblique during a swing on Saturday. “I’m not going to take any chances,” he said. “I’m optimisic I’ll be out there in the next day or two. “I took a swing that didn’t feel right – the trainers aren’t too worried about it.”

How about a round of applause for Dan Dickerson and Jim Price, even before spring training begins. Give it up for them because they’ve just been handed the arduous task of broadcasting 35 of the Tigers’ 36 spring training games – just the second time ever that the team’s spring broadcast schedule has been that … Continue Reading →

I had a long talk with Tigers’ outfielder Brennan Boesch during the Tigers’ caravan last week and came away impressed that his self-confidence is firmly in place after the disappointment of last year. Here are five of his comments that led to that conclusion. 1. “It was a tough season, but I think I came … Continue Reading →

Two in the last two days – Ryan Raburn to the Indians and Delmon Young to the Phillies. But what about former Tigers Jose Valverde and Brandon Inge – names we’ve not heard much about this winter. Are their careers over? Or will one of them eventually find a new team – and, if so, … Continue Reading →

As you know, Justin Verlander is one of the best, if not the best pitcher in Major League Baseball. But Max Scherzer has done a fine job of positioning himself on the same springboard from which Verlander’s career – and his salary – has taken off. After four-plus seasons, Scherzer has a 52-42 career record … Continue Reading →

That’s what is coming out of Baltimore where Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com is reporting that the Tigers “want Baltimore involved” because they’d like to land shortstop J.J. Hardy. Kubatko reports that the Chicago Cubs are interested in Rick Porcello (as are the Orioles) and that a possible three-way deal would include Hardy. The Orioles would … Continue Reading →

That’s not a misprint. The Tigers can still afford whatever they want, it appears – even an $18 million, 38-year-old outfielder. Reports persist that the Tigers are “very interested” in Torii Hunter, who will turn 38 in the middle of next season. Hunter is coming off his best season in years, maybe even his best … Continue Reading →