It Shouldn’t Be Surprising That J.D. Martinez Is Still on the Detroit Tigers

Talking a big game and actually backing it up with action are two very different things. Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila has certainly learned that lesson throughout this offseason.

Almost immediately following the conclusion of Detroit’s regular season schedule, Avila was clear that “changes are coming” in the way the organization conducts its business. Also, since they have been working “way above” their financial means for a while, the goal was to start getting younger.

Obviously, that meant being open to potential trades for just about anybody to clear some payroll. The selling started by shipping Cameron Maybin to the Los Angeles Angels, and then… things halted.

Detroit’s biggest stars – Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander – saw their names briefly pop up in the rumor mill, but they died down quickly. One available player who seemed all but traded was J.D. Martinez, and it wasn’t hard to see why.

But here were are, with the holidays over and 2017 officially upon us, and he’s still a member of the Tigers. It doesn’t look like he’s leaving anytime soon, either.

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The 19 Most Powerful MLB Hitters Who Didn’t Hit 30 Homers in 2016

One of the biggest displays of power on a baseball field includes a hitter stepping into the batter’s box and mashing a pitch over the outfield wall. A lot of fans enjoy watching home runs more than anything, and posting a gaudy number in that department can help a player land a huge pay day.

But in today’s game, we all know there are more ways to value a player’s power than by simply seeing how many homers they’ve hit in a given season or career. We displayed that in a recent article when talking about New York Yankees rookie sensation, Gary Sanchez.

FanGraphs’ Isolated Power (ISO) metric is one of my favorite advanced stats because it shows a player’s raw power. Those who posted 30-plus homers dominate the 2016 ISO leaderboard, but the presence of a few players got me thinking…

Which hitters had the highest ISO without reaching the 30-homer plateau? FanGraphs says an “excellent” ISO is .250, while a “great” one is .200 or above.

So, I sifted through the leaderboard for all the qualified hitters with at least a .200 ISO to see which ones were the most powerful from this past season.

Here is that list. The bolded and italicized numbers indicate they led this group in that particular category. Below the table, I provide one takeaway for each player.

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Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For DraftKings 5/18/16To se

If you have any questions or comments about this article or fantasy baseball, please Tweet me @dynasty_digest. I post daily DFS lineups for Draft Kings everyday, so please make sure to follow my blog (dynastydigest.sportsblog.com) and my Twitter for updates.

P- Francisco Liriano (vs. Atlanta Braves): $10,400. Liriano is facing one of the worst teams in the league on Wednesday. Clearly, this is a great matchup for the left-hander. In 112 career at bats against Liriano, the Braves’ lineup is batting .205. The Atlanta Braves have recorded the most strikeouts versus a left-handed pitcher in 2016 by a landslide. They have struck out 125 times versus lefties, compared to the second place team, the Milwaukee Brewers, at only 105 strikeouts. This could be a great source of points for Liriano on Wednesday. Liriano is averaging 13.9 points per game on DraftKings this season.

P- Jake Odorizzi (vs. Toronto Blue Jays): $7,900. Odorizzi will be facing the 28th ranked offense in the league, which is hard to believe after the numbers the Blue Jays offense put up in 2015. In 97 career at bats against Odorizzi, the Blue Jays’ lineup is batting .134. Odorizzi is scoring an average of 12.7 points per game on DraftKings this season.

 

To see the rest of the picks, click the link below:

 

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MLB Fantasy Daily (DFS) Picks For DraftKings – 5/17/16

 

Cabrera has absolutely destroyed Starter Phil Hughes in his career, – with 6 Bolts in just 43 AB. He and the Tigers take their road act to Target Field again tonight. Last evening they scored 10 runs for the 1st time all season. i would not be surprised to see them turn the feat again tonight. The Tigers are also not overpriced yet as they have struggled most of the year. They are the top stacking option lineup all night.

Hunter Stokes (BBBA Featured Writer) Follow @stokes_Hunter21

Follow The BBBA On Twitter Follow @baseballblogs

15 Games – ALL Day Slate (DraftKings, Tuesday May 17, 2016)

Stacking Options tonight Rank

(1) Baltimore vs Wade Miley

(2) Detroit Tigers vs Phil Hughes

(3) Houston vs Carlos Rodon

(5) LA Dodgers vs Jered Weaver

(5) Chicago Cubs vs Chase Anderson

3 Pitchers to use.

(1) Clayton Kershaw, LAA @ LAD, $13, 700

(2) Wei-Yin Chen. MIA @ PHI, $8500

(3) Juan Nicasio, ATL @ PIT, $7300

All-Undervalued Team: Who are the MLB’s Most Under-Appreciated Players?

The concept of being undervalued on the baseball field can mean different things to different people. The following players are, without a doubt, viewed as important – and most of them, crucial – pieces to the puzzle if their respective teams plan on contending in 2016.

But when it comes to public perception and the amount of media coverage popular players like Bryce Harper, Mike Trout and Clayton Kershaw get over others, there are some legitimately good ballplayers who don’t get nearly enough attention. So, I put together a starting lineup with a player from each position that I think deserves more love than they’re currently getting.

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Detroit Tigers Payroll In 2016 + Contracts Going Forward

Detroit is rapidly aging with their core and they have added even more guys to the fold over this winter with Jordan Zimmermann and Francisco Rodriguez both 30 or over. This club may have opened up another 1 – 2 year winning window here – but will pay a steep financial price for it. The club is around $175 MIL already for total team salary and are right near the MLB Luxury Tax Threshold of $189 MIL.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21

Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports

The Tigers are on the cusp of chasing that $189 MIL Luxury Tax Threshold they way they are spending money freely.  They have 3 of the top 15 contracts in MLB history – with  Jordan Zimmermann just outside the bar with his new 5 YRs/$110 MIL deal.

It has been a decade worth of competitive baseball – with the outlier being the last season where they finished under .500.

Detroit should be right around $171 MIL after the Arbitration contracts are finished this winter.  This must be where the budget ends for the franchise.

The Tigers are still paying Prince Fielder $30 MIL over the next 6 years – spread out evenly, and this year they have the pleasure of kicking Joe Nathan another $1 MIL not to play for them.

Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander both earn $28 MIL in the upcoming season – while Victor Martinez and Jordan Zimmermann both will make $18 MIL each.  Ian Kinsler and Anibal Sanchez round out the 8 figure players.

The Motown Boys also facilitated trades to bring in OF Cameron Maybin and Closer Francisco Rodriguez that will add some money to the bottom line in 2016.

Cabrera is just starting his huge 8 Years/$248 MIL pact – while Justin Verlander still has 4 years and a total of $112 MIL left on the books.

If all of the options are picked up on this team, the whole Roster could be back for the 2017 as well.  This may be a good or bad thing.