Against left-handed pitchers this season, Pudge Rodriguez will be the Tigers' leadoff hitter. Manager Jim Leyland made that announcement before the Tigers' game against the Cleveland Indians on Thursday night at Marchant Stadium. Curtis Granderson will lead off against right-handers as he did last year.
Source: The Detroit News
Tigers catcher Ivan Rodriguez is preparing for his 17th season in the big leagues.
Most catchers with that much mileage on the odometer are playing on borrowed time, but the 35-year-old Rodriguez seems to be running on some kind of super-efficient energy source. Indeed, there’s been virtually no sign of declining skills, other than a Comerica-induced drop in power in recent seasons. Pudge obviously will slow down as he draws closer to 40, but there’s no reason to think he’ll deliver anything other than his usual solid contributions in all five major categories in ’07.
Source: MLB.com
