Tigers rookies rolling through ups, downs

Subject: Tigers rookies rolling through ups, downs Wed Jul 16, 2008 4:35 am

Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Tigers rookies rolling through ups, downs
Players say promotions to Tigers far outweigh adjustments, demotions in ever-changing season.
Eric Lacy / The Detroit News

TOLEDO, Ohio -- Near the end of a six-game trip with the Toledo Mud Hens, Michael Holliman and Brent Clevlen received the news every minor leaguer longs to hear.

While in Louisville, Ky., and as their clean laundry began to dwindle, both players were informed of their promotions to the Tigers -- effective immediately.

"You can't really prepare for that call, you just react," Holliman said. "But what you can do before you get the word is prepare for the next game, wherever that may be."

The uncertain, fast-changing status of a minor leaguer has been experienced by several Mud Hens this season because of the big league club's need to fill roster spots.

Fifteen players have been promoted from Toledo to Detroit this season. Fourteen have been demoted. Four players have been called up at least twice.

"I think it's a tribute to our system, our scouts and minor league development people," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "You normally don't have that much movement, but it's nice to be able to call down there and get a (Matt) Joyce or a (Clete) Thomas. A lot of teams can't do that. We're thrilled, but (often) for the wrong reasons because you don't want other players getting hurt."

By no means are Toledo players complaining about the opportunity, but they admit the helter-skelter ways of baseball can take a toll.

"I was in a hotel for a month straight," Clevlen said. "It's not the easiest thing to do, especially driving up there (to Detroit) with all that construction."

Yes, but the destination far outweighs the ride.

In fact, a newfound life among multi-millionaire major leaguers is so good, even during a short stint, that it can make some minor leaguers delusional if they are sent back to Triple A.

"Some guys get mentally stuck in the big leagues," Mud Hens manager Larry Parrish said. "They get back to Toledo and miss the nice food spreads and chartered flights."

Parrish recalls at least one player who never seemed to recover from a demotion.

This player, no longer in the organization, appeared too fixated on the majors to appreciate his situation, Parrish said.

"When he got back down here, he was still stuck in Detroit," Parrish said. "After games, he was more interested in what the Tigers were doing than what we were doing.

"You have to adjust."

Joyce doesn't seem to have any problem in that area.

"You just have to keep the same game, keep it simple," Joyce said last Wednesday night after hitting a tying home run in the Tigers' 8-6 victory over the Indians. "The game doesn't change from Toledo to Detroit.

"There's just a lot more people, there's a lot more media, everything is just bigger."

Parrish points to Marcus Thames as one player who understands how to make the most out of his time in both cities -- regardless of the situation.

Thames spent the better part of two seasons going back and forth between Detroit and Toledo, and spent an injury rehab stint with the Mud Hens last season.

Nevertheless, Thames kept working and has made both teams proud, Parrish said.

"Marcus would come back here, we would put him in the lineup and he would just go back to rakin,' " Parrish said. "It was like he kept saying to himself, 'I know where I'm at, I know where I want to go and I know what I need to do to get there.' "

Leyland said Hollimon, Joyce, Thomas and Jeff Larish, especially, are "very good prospects," since all can hit left-handed.

"We got some talent coming," Leyland said.

But the fact the talent keeps leaving Toledo can be a bit disconcerting for Mud Hens fans like Larry Leyland. Of course, Leyland, who lives in Perrysburg, Ohio, has more insight than most into the relationship between the Tigers and Mud Hens. He's Jim Leyland's brother.

Larry said he talks with Jim four to five times a week, often about the Hens and the transactions involving the Tigers. Larry said he recently joked with his brother that Toledo was in a bind because it had only three outfielders.

"He keeps reassuring me that the Hens are going to be fine," Larry said. "He will say, 'You know, you're going to get this guy back.'

"He knows I'm a die-hard fan and that it means a lot to me when not only Detroit wins, but Toledo as well."

Larry said Toledo's proximity to Detroit helps fans get a better understanding of the business aspect of baseball. If it were another major league team affiliated with the Hens, some fans might be frustrated with the continuous changes, he said.

An infusion of talent in the Tigers' organization in recent years has helped Mud Hens fans cope with frequent departures.

"The fact that Detroit had been good to Toledo has really softened the blow a lot," Larry said. "You can go to Toledo today and see a kid who could be up in Detroit two days later."

And the chance that the reward is so close at hand fuels the players.

"All that stuff about the management, transactions, those unexpected calls, it's all out of your hands," Hollimon said. "The journey isn't easy, but when you get a shot at playing at the highest level, it's the greatest feeling you will ever have."

You can reach Eric Lacy at elacy@detnews.com