I wanna feel bad for Inge....

[tigers527]

I am inclined to feel bad for the situation Brandon Inge finds himself in. He has been through a bunch with my beloved Tigers. I remember rooting for him in those lean years when he could barely hit his weight and was the daly catcher. He seemed to have a Jim Walewander, Scott Lusauder type of quirky positive attitude. A bit of an oddball but always good natured. At least thats how it seemed to me.

I also vacillate to not feeling so bad for Inge. Unlike some ballplayers Brandon had plenty of chances to keep himself on the field. If Inge just came close to duplicating his 2006 year (.253, 27HR, and 83 RBI). We might be looking at a Sheffield, Cabrera and Inge 3B, LF, DH platoon.

As it is I certainly hope Brandon does well in whatever role he winds up taking or if traded wherever he winds up playing. Just so long as he does not do well against the Tigers.

[maxcarey]

I also vacillate to not feeling so bad for Inge. Unlike some ballplayers Brandon had plenty of chances to keep himself on the field.

I think you hit it right there. There was a loss of confidence in him after his drop in 2007 and the fact that teams don't get chances to get a guy like Cabrera everyday. I wish him the best should he go elsewhere, it is what he wants.

[racosun]

Unlike some ballplayers Brandon had plenty of chances to keep himself on the field. If Inge just came close to duplicating his 2006 year (.253, 27HR, and 83 RBI). We might be looking at a Sheffield, Cabrera and Inge 3B, LF, DH platoon.

Had Inge came close to his '06 numbers for the '07 season, we probably wouldn't have Cabrera at all. He'd be an Angel or something like that.

As it is I certainly hope Brandon does well in whatever role he winds up taking or if traded wherever he winds up playing. Just so long as he does not do well against the Tigers.

My greatest hope is that Inge will step into Pudge's role as starting catcher once the little brauny dude decides to hang up his cleats and mask. I seem to remember reading somewhere when we first signed Pudge that he was rather impressed with Inge's ability behind the plate, and I'm pretty sure he said something like Inge had a better arm than his own. Like DD said, as a third-baseman, Inge and his weak bat made him a liability, regardless of the impeccable defense that he displayed. As a catcher, Inge's weak bat would be better hidden, since catcher's aren't really expected to sock the hell out of the ball anyway. His 15-20 homers and superb defense would put him near All-Star range.

[richie hebner]

Inge's situation

I can honestly say that I don't feel for Inge. He had his shot as a starter and didn't get the job done with the stick. Also should any of us worry about a guy who will make more money this year than we will make in our lifetime.

And if Cabrera decides to fly after one year, there are other 3rd basemen who would love to have the opportunity to play here. I do believe once he sees how professional this organization is he will try to stay.


GO TIGERS!!!

[sturg1dj]

we shouldn't feel bad for Inge. The reason we got Cabrera was because of Inge's season...if Inge would have done better then we wouldn't have made a change. What upsets me is that Inge sounds like he thinks he has some clout in this situation when he does not.

[Ypsilanti]

if a player is displaced from C to 3b.... does that mean the player must put up 'expected' position numbers? maybe Inge just isn't that kind of hitter.
basically i dont think its fair to expect anything above catcher-like offense from a converted catcher.
edit... i am a big fan of Inge, so i gotta defend him a bit... really think he gives the team a big big edge this year working from the bench....the man has great D, and could literally do anything but pitch ( bet he could do that, too, with the arm he has )
considering the age of some players...Inge could start again in 08 or 09..

[Go get em Tigers]

I don't feel too bad for Inge

Not to be too cold hearted or anything, but he's making 7 million bucks or whatever next year, so I'm sure he'll do just fine. I do like Brandon as a Tiger. That cannon of an arm works great at 3B or at catcher. Maybe he can make it as an outfielder?
Either way, he's an awfully expensive reserve player and his batting averages made him vulnerable to losing his job to somebody else, so he really has nobody to blame but himself.
If the Tigers could have him for 2 million per year, then he'd be a great utility reserve. He could come in for late inning defense and he could spell Pudge once in awhile, if he'd accept the role. Heck, he could probably spell an outfielder or first baseman once in awhile too, but he's just way too expensive to keep as a role player.
He kind of reminds me of Higginson and Easley right now. He has a big contract that just isn't justified.
I wish him all the best, and I'd love to see him stay in Detroit, but he'd have to be willing to accept a huge cut in pay, and I don't see him doing that either.

[Paulmcall]

With that contract, the Tigers and Inge are stuck with each other.
Hope they can make the best of it.