Sheff mostly DH; Tigers looking to harness Batista's arm

02/18/2008 5:30 PM ET
Notes: Sheff won't see much field time
Slugger will mostly DH; Tigers looking to harness Batista's arm
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Gary Sheffield's surgically repaired right shoulder is allowing him to swing the bat normally, and he's on track to make throws from the outfield sometime this spring. Still, he isn't likely to get extensive use out of his throwing arm for a while.

After Sheffield started occasionally in the outfield last season, including one fateful game that saw him injure his shoulder on a freak play, manager Jim Leyland doesn't plan on using him much in the field this season. Instead, Sheffield will mostly be used as a designated hitter.

It's not that Sheffield can't play the outfield well anymore. It's about keeping his shoulder healthy.

"I don't expect Sheffield to play in the outfield much, particularly in the start [of the season]," Leyland said. "I want Sheffield to be ready to hit, and I'm not going to do anything to jeopardize that off the bat. He likes to play the outfield, but I have to watch that shoulder and make sure we can maximize his offensive skills."

Sheffield played in 12 games in the outfield last year, compared with 119 games at DH. More than half of his outfield starts came during the Tigers' Interleague road trip, when Detroit didn't have the DH slot. He made just one other start in the outfield after that, a July 21 contest against the Royals -- the game he injured his shoulder. He played on and off the rest of the season, but his shoulder repeatedly bothered him to the point where it affected his swing.

Surgery at the end of last season revealed a torn labrum.

"They don't get any tougher than Sheffield," Leyland said. "He played and he was rushing to get the ball and trying to cheat [at the plate], and that's what got him out of sync."

Sheffield will still play in the outfield at some point this season, certainly when the Tigers head back into Interleague Play, if he's healthy. They visit Arizona in May before going on the road to San Francisco and San Diego in June, and Leyland said he won't manage defensively as if he's afraid to injure someone who's healthy.

"When we play in Interleague Play, I don't want Sheffield sitting on the bench if I can help it," Leyland said.

The Tigers also have the luxury of an abundance of outfielders. Whether Brandon Inge is with the Tigers or not on Opening Day, Detroit figures to have at least two players on the bench who can play the outfield. Inge, Marcus Thames and Ryan Raburn can all play the corner spots, while Inge and Raburn can also play in center field. So can Freddy Guzman, whom the Tigers acquired from the Rangers in December in the Chris Shelton trade.

For now, Sheffield is working his shoulder back into throwing shape so that he can have it healthy when Leyland needs him in the outfield.

"I'm throwing pain-free," Sheffield said last week. "I've got some zip on it. I'm just not throwing as far, and that's by design. When they decide I can throw, I'll go out and throw."

Pitches vs. pitching: Add Leyland to the long list of big league managers and talent evaluators who have spent a moment marveling at Denny Bautista's gifted arm during bullpen sessions. The challenge this spring, of course, is to figure out how to translate that ability into results on the mound, something no team has been able to do.

"One thing's for sure," Leyland said. "When you see something like that [ability], you want to make sure you get a good look at it [in games]."

But as Leyland said on Sunday, part of the challenge is to figure out why that talent hasn't yielded results yet. In parts of four different big league seasons between three organizations, Bautista is 4-10 with a 6.93 ERA in 35 career appearances, allowing 145 hits and 55 walks over 115 2/3 innings. He had his moments last season in the Colorado bullpen, but also gave up six runs on seven hits in just one-third of an inning during mop-up work in a loss to San Francisco.

Cruceta still out: Francisco Cruceta, another gifted arm who the Tigers hope can turn the corner and produce in the big leagues, remains in the Dominican Republic with visa issues. However, he's expected to resolve his situation and arrive in camp within the next few days.

Cruceta is one of the leading candidates to fill the Tigers' void in the seventh-inning setup role. His tardiness is not expected to hurt his chances.

"If he looks good," Leyland said, "everybody will forget about the fact that he's three, four days late."

Promotional schedule out: Bobblehead dolls for Curtis Granderson and Miguel Cabrera, a Magglio Ordonez American League batting title miniature bat and a DVD of Justin Verlander's no-hitter are among the giveaways this season as part of the Tigers' promotional schedule, which was released Monday.

The Ordonez mini-bat and Verlander DVD will be given away on back-to-back nights, April 14 and 15, as part of a weekday series against the Twins. Granderson's bobblehead will be given away before the May 20 game against the Mariners, while Cabrera's bobblehead giveaway takes place Sept. 3, before the Tigers meet the Angels. All of those giveaways are for the first 10,000 fans.

Other highlights include a Placido Polanco replica Gold Glove for the first 7,500 kids age 14 and under through the gates prior to the May 25 matchup with Minnesota. The Tigers will honor the 40th anniversary 1968 World Series championship team, appropriately enough, during their Interleague series against the Cardinals -- the team Detroit beat in that Fall Classic -- on June 24.

Quotable: "I don't know about that. My focus right now is on the team. I'm focused on being healthy and having a good season." -- Cabrera's answer when asked Monday about the chances of him signing a long-term contract.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.