Adam Everett NEWS

For sure!

Tigers, Everett agree on one-year deal
Shortstop to return for second season in Detroit

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

12/07/09 6:53 PM EST

INDIANAPOLIS -- What had been negotiations on hold for Adam Everett quickly became a deal Monday evening. The two sides agreed to terms on a one-year contract, bringing back the shortstop credited with helping improve Detroit's infield defense.

The $1.55 million deal came together quickly, just hours after negotiations seemed to be in a holding pattern and Everett was drawing some interest from the Pirates. The Tigers, meanwhile, had been talking with the agent for fellow free-agent shortstop Bobby Crosby. No meeting between the Tigers and Everett's agent, Keith Grunewald, had been scheduled Monday, though the two sides were expected to talk this week.

The deal came together minutes before team president/general manager Dave Dombrowski was scheduled to meet with local beat writers to discuss the opening day of the Winter Meetings. In the end, Everett decided to stay with a situation he liked.

It was around the first day of last year's Winter Meetings that the Tigers reached an agreement with Everett, then coming off an injury-shortened campaign with the Twins. He rebounded in 2009 by retaking his role among the better defensive shortstops in baseball.

Everett's 8.9 Ultimate Zone Rating, a measure of balls hit into a position player's area that he should get, ranked fourth among Major League shortstops. He committed 14 errors out of 457 total chances over 118 games for a .969 fielding percentage.

Everett's offense, never his strength, still ended up better than many expected when he signed. He batted .238 with 21 doubles, three home runs and 44 RBIs, while batting .270 with runners in scoring position. He hit .364 (8-for-22) with a runner on third and two out.

Everett's return, or some sort of veteran shortstop, became all the more important once the Tigers officially lost free agent second baseman Placido Polanco to the Phillies last week.

"Basically, we have our infield back except for the change at second base," said team president/general manager Dave Dombrowski, whose team now will count on rookie Scott Sizemore to take over at second.

Everett will continue to take the bulk of the duty at shortstop, with Ramon Santiago being mixed in.

The sudden deal might all but ensure that the Tigers will not be getting a Major League-ready shortstop in return in a trade, whether it's in a much-rumored package for Edwin Jackson, Curtis Granderson or both. Detroit has been linked with interest in Cubs prospect Starlin Castro, but every indication suggests Chicago will not give him up in any deal. Considering it's a one-year deal, the Tigers could still pursue shortstop prospects who might be further away from being ready.

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

Yessssss.

Take that Boston. Suck it.

Everett pushing through rough spring
Tigers shortstop hitting ball hard, but isn't seeing the results

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

03/23/10 11:40 PM ET

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Adam Everett is going to make his living playing solid defense. That doesn't make him take a rough spring at the plate any easier.

It's definitely not easier when he's actually hitting the ball pretty well on his way to an .069 average. Believe it or not, it's actually a hard-hitting 2-for-29 performance he's wearing.

"It's been bittersweet," Everett said Tuesday afternoon before going 0-for-2 with a sacrifice fly in the Tigers' 6-2 win over the Nationals that evening. "It's been one of the best springs I think I've ever had swinging the bat and hitting the ball hard, but one of the worst numbers-wise."

Nobody else in the Grapefruit League had that few hits in that many plate appearances as of Tuesday night. The only Major Leaguer who can compare numbers is Oakland's Jake Fox, 2-for-32 over in the Cactus League.

Fox is known for his hitting after tearing up Triple-A ball with the Cubs. Everett is not. But that doesn't mean he takes it any better.

It started with a pair of hard-hit liners to left field early in the spring and has snowballed from there. He has had a slew of hard-hit balls to his credit, but they don't go into the scorebook that way.

"I've kind of grown accustomed to it," Everett said. "The other day [against] Atlanta, I hit three balls right on the screws, and all three of them were caught. It is a little frustrating, but again, you have to say it is Spring Training. That's why we're here."

Everett says he keeps talking with hitting coach Lloyd McClendon, who keeps telling him not to change a thing. If Everett was popping up more balls in the infield, that would be another thing. He's hitting mostly line drives, which is what he's trying for, and he's hitting them to both sides of the field. He thinks his work with McClendon last year is now paying off.

Everett has been around the league far too long to panic, but that doesn't mean he can't grumble a little bit. His defense, fittingly, has been his release, and he's helping wear in a new second baseman in Scott Sizemore.

If Everett can go into the regular season feeling like this, he'll be pretty happy. So will the Tigers. Brandon Inge, in particular, recalled the annual Spring Training swoons of ex-outfielder Bobby Higginson, who always seemed to turn spring outs into regular-season hits.

"He's hit the ball very well all spring," manager Jim Leyland said. "With the exception of a couple at-bats, he's hit the ball all spring pretty hard and had little to show for it. He's stronger.

"Adam Everett's a good player. He's not gonna hit .300 or knock in 75 runs, but he's a good player. He's good on the team, good on defense. He's really a solid shortstop."

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

OFFICIAL_TIGERS
6/6/10

The club has announced on Tuesday it will designate Everett for assignment and it will recall Worth from Toledo. #mlb

Tigers designate shortstop Adam Everett for assignment, recall Danny Worth
By Steve Kornacki
June 06, 2010, 5:33PM

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Losing 7-2 on Sunday to the Kansas City Royals wasn’t the toughest thing about Sunday for Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland.

Afterward, he had to call shortstop Adam Everett into his office to tell him that on Tuesday he was being designated for assignment. Danny Worth, the rookie infielder Everett took under his wing this season while realizing he could take his job, will be called up to play shortstop. He batted .333 and played second base during eight games earlier this season.

Everett, 33, was batting .185 without a home run and only four RBIs in 81 at-bats. He was up to the major leagues for good in 2003, and was the starting shortstop in the 2005 World Series for the Houston Astros.

“This is a sad day,” Leyland said. “I never wanted to be the guy to tell Adam Everett. He’s the classiest guy I’ve ever managed.

“And he was totally understandable. It just seemed like nothing was happening. We felt that it was time. We kept trying to buy time. But we felt like, ‘Let’s give this kid a chance.’ ”

Everett was second among American League shortstops with a .992 fielding position and instrumental in developing Worth, center fielder Austin Jackson, second baseman Scott Sizemore and others this year.

That Leyland called him the “classiest” player he’d managed in 30 years touched Everett.

“That’s a great compliment coming from him,” Everett said.

“Hopefully this will jump-start the team. We need a kick in the pants. I know I haven’t played well.”

Detroit has 10 days to trade, release or put him on waivers.

“I’ll go home to clear my mind and have the rest of my life to look forward to,” Everett said. “I don’t want this game to define me.”

Everett said he’d like to spend more time with his young daughters, and his wife is expecting a third child later this year. But Leyland said he would like to see Everett stay in baseball, and there is a likelihood the Tigers would be interested in keeping him in the organization.

Leyland would not detail the playing time he anticipated for the Worth and Ramon Santiago combination at shortstop.

Everett gets designated for assignment
Worth called up from Triple-A Toledo for Tuesday in Chicago

By Samuel Zuba / MLB.com

06/06/10 7:21 PM ET

KANSAS CITY -- After a 7-2 loss to the Royals on Sunday, the Tigers clubhouse was met with more bad news.

Manager Jim Leyland announced that 10-year veteran Adam Everett would be designated for assignment effective Tuesday.

Everett, who hit .248 with 48 RBIs in 1 1/2 seasons with the Tigers, will either be traded, or, if he clears waivers, will be free to sign with any team. The Tigers called up Danny Worth from Triple-A Toledo and he will join the team Tuesday in Chicago.

The Tigers offered their well-wishes for Everett and goodbyes between close friends.

"This is a sad day, because I never wanted to be the guy to tell Adam Everett this," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "There is nobody that's classier -- nobody -- that's ever played for me than Adam Everett. That's exactly the way he handled it."

Leyland said Everett was understanding when told the news and upheld the classy reputation he has built over the past 10 seasons.

"He's just full of dignity and character and charisma," Leyland said. "He's been an excellent, excellent player for a long time. He's a much better hitter than what he's shown."

Everett's struggles at the plate were eventually his downfall. In 31 games this season, Everett hit .185 with four RBIs to go along with four walks and 18 strikeouts.

"The writing was on the wall, but it's just part of the game," Everett said. "If you don't produce, that's the way it goes. I don't think, managerially, it was a tough decision. I think it was more of a tough decision personally [for Leyland]."

Everett was unsure as to what he plans to do in the future, but would still like to play baseball if the opportunity presents itself.

"I can't foresee the future, but I'm sure it's going to take a little while," he said. "I'm just going to see where things go from here. If somebody gives me a chance, then they do, but if not, then I guess I had a good career."

Everett's replacement, Worth, was batting .287 with two homers and 18 RBIs for Toledo.

"I think he's going to be good," Everett said of Worth. "I think he's going to be good for a long time. He's got a great demeanor. He obviously did a lot of work in the offseason to turn his swing around and he looks great. I wish him nothing but the best. This is what it takes sometimes for a guy to get a break, and hopefully he'll make the most of it. Everybody needs one."

Samuel Zuba is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

I need to get on here more...

I liked Adam...

gdennis59 wrote:

I need to get on here more...

I liked Adam...

Yep, things change fast lately.

Even the Pittsburgh announcers made reference, when we played them last week, to the downgrade the Tigers took in releasing Adam. They see the difference in fielding between Adam and whoever we have at SS now.

Tigers release shortstop Everett

By Alex DiFilippo / MLB.com

06/15/10 8:13 PM ET

DETROIT -- The Tigers formally released shortstop Adam Everett on Tuesday. Everett was designated for assignment on June 8, giving the club 10 days to try and make a trade before having to release him.

The Tigers were unable to hash out a deal in that time span, making Everett a free agent. Any team that decides to sign Everett will only have to pay him the Major League minimum, while the Tigers will be responsible for what's left of his contract this year.

Everett was best known for his glove, not his bat. He hit only .185 for the Tigers before being designated for assignment, but turned 24 double plays and only committed one error in 31 games this season.

"This is a sad day, because I never wanted to be the guy to tell Adam Everett this," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said when the announcement was made to designate Everett for assignment. "There is nobody that's classier -- nobody -- that's ever played for me than Adam Everett. That's exactly the way he handled it."

Indians ink infielder Everett to Minors deal
Veteran could serve in utility role for Cleveland next season
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com | 12/16/10 2:51 PM EST

Infielder Adam Everett and the Indians have come to an agreement on a Minor League deal, which includes a non-roster invite to 2011 Spring Training, the team announced on Thursday.

Everett, 33, has appeared in 846 Major League games over the past 10 seasons, with 823 of them coming at shortstop. Everett previously played with the Astros (2001-07), Twins (2008) and most recently the Tigers (2009-10). He batted .238 (82-for-345) with 21 doubles, three home runs and 44 RBIs in 118 games for Detroit in 2009, on a team that finished the regular season in a first-place tie with the Twins in the American League Central.

With a .976 fielding percentage and a career .243 batting average, Everett is known primarily for his glove work. He figures to compete for the utility-infield spot, behind starting shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera and second baseman Jason Donald, while Everett also will get a game or two behind third baseman Jayson Nix.

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Being Ozzie Guillen and follow him on twitter at @scottmerkin. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.