Will Clete Play in 2009?
By Blake VandeBunte • Nov 18th, 2008 • Category: Clete Thomas, Curtis Granderson, Matt JoyceOne of the few pleasant surprises of the 2008 season was the emergence of some surprising young talent. Matt Joyce and Armando Galarraga certainly made their presence felt in the big leagues with the Tigers for a good part of the season. However, before either of them caught on with the Tigers in 2008, Clete Thomas made the Opening Day roster.
Clete (that’s his middle name) was a bit of a surprise making the Opening Day roster. However, the Tigers needed an extra outfielder because Curtis Granderson was hurt and the Tigers liked his bat from the left side of the plate. Clete got right into action on Opening Day and smacked a game-tying double off of the nearly un-hittable Joakim Soria of the Kansas City Royals. I remember reading up on Clete in my Baseball America handbook and read that he had a tough time with the offspeed stuff. Soria started him out with some heaters and I remember thinking they were setting him up for the offspeed strike out. They tried it, but Clete was able to stay back on the pitch and was able to drive the ball deep for a double. Good times.
That moment was nice, but playing time decreased as the season wore along. Clete was bounced up and down from the big leagues a few times, mostly swapping spots with Matt Joyce. He ended up having his season called early due to injuries.
Thomas was originally drafted by the Minnesota Twins out of high school but he passed on signing and went to play college ball at Auburn. After three terrific years at Auburn, Thomas was drafted by the Tigers in the sixth round of the 2005 draft.
While he has never shown a lot of power at the plate, the 2008 season marked the first time since in his professional career that he reached double digits in home runs (9 at Toledo and one with the Tigers). Clete also showed a knack for getting himself on base last season. He posted an on base percentage of .366 (Curtis Granderson had an OBP of .365) and showed a very patient eye at the plate.
In a June 26th game against the Cardinals, Thomas stole the show with his patience at the dish. In the sixth inning, he got the Tigers on the board with a bases loaded walk. The game ended up going to extra innings and Clete came to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th. He fell behind in count 1-2. He then took a ball and fouled off the fifth pitch of the at bat to stay alive. He then took two more balls to walk in the winning run.
I know what you’re thinking, this is all fine and dandy, but will Clete have a chance to play in 2009? Due to his speed and his ability to play a decent outfield, Thomas can really play all three out field spots pretty well. Let’s assume that the Tigers roster remains the same (not that likely) and that the Tigers outfield will stay the same (much more likely) for 2009. Magglio Ordonez will start in right field with Curtis Granderson holding down center. I don’t see how either of those guys is moved off of their current spot. That leaves left field at least a little bit open for Clete.
Last year the Tigers played Marcus Thames out there a bit, but he really struggles on defense. Matt Joyce provides more pop that Clete at the plate and is also pretty stellar defensively. Gary Sheffield should only DH, he should not be allowed anywhere near left field.
When you look at the players in front of him, it really does seem unlikely that he’ll see a lot of time with the Tigers unless there is an injury. You can’t fault the Tigers if they choose to play Joyce ahead of Thomas as both player showed pretty significant promise in 2008.
Given the fact that both Magglio and Sheffield are up there in years, it’s probably a fairly safe bet that there will be an injury or two in 2009 and that Clete will get another shot to prove himself. I’m looking forward to that.
Blake VandeBunte is a posting fiend.
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