Jeff Larish

Subject: Jeff Larish Sat May 31, 2008 4:55 pm

05/31/2008 4:01 PM ET
Larish relishes first big league hit
Rookie also collects Major League RBI No. 1 in Friday win
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

SEATTLE -- Jeff Larish earned a call to the Major Leagues by putting up some of the best power numbers for a left-handed hitter at Triple-A Toledo. He racked up his first big league RBI and first big league hit Friday without getting the ball out of the infield, a point coach Andy Van Slyke ribbed him about once he got to first base.

"Of all things, right," Larish said with a smile. "Yeah, it works. I'll take it."

The RBI and the hit actually came on separate occasions.

Larish was arguably the one player to get cheated in Detroit's seven-run opening inning Friday. With three runs already in, runners at the corners and one out, Larish smacked a full-count delivery from Carlos Silva for a hard comebacker that knocked Silva over as he made the stop. Silva threw from his knees to retire Miguel Cabrera at second, but Larish had just enough speed to beat the throw to first, allowing Marcus Thames to score.

For someone who will never be known for his speed, Larish's legs avoided what would've been an inning-ending double play and allowed the Tigers to put up four extra runs.

"Anything I can do to contribute," he said.

After grounding out to short in the third inning, Larish hit a sharp ground ball that left second baseman Jose Lopez without a play once he tracked it down.

All this came with his family watching. His parents, Doug and Wendy, had flown up from his home in Tempe, Ariz., along with older brother Bryan and his fiancee, Julia Hunter.

He wasn't sure how he would feel as he stepped to the plate the first time in the big leagues. As it turned out, he felt a lot more nervous than his calm personality and calmer stance at the plate might've suggested.

"I think the toughest thing to do is just stay relaxed, trusting my ability," Larish said. "It's easy to get pretty excited out here, so you have to calm yourself a little bit."

He'll have a chance to settle in. He was back in the lineup on Saturday, and he's expected to do the same for Sunday's series finale. The Tigers are scheduled to face just one more left-handed starter the rest of the trip -- Oakland's Dana Eveland on Tuesday -- so Larish could have his share of at-bats by the time he sees Comerica Park next weekend.

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

Subject: Re: Jeff Larish Sat May 31, 2008 6:06 pm

He kinda almost looked like Clete!
_________________
There are three things in my life which I really love: God, my family, and baseball. The only problem - once baseball season starts, I change the order around a bit. ~Al Gallagher, 1971

Subject: Re: Jeff Larish Sat May 31, 2008 6:59 pm

Yeah!

Subject: Re: Jeff Larish Sat Jul 19, 2008 10:19 pm

07/19/2008 8:00 PM ET
Tigers give rookie Larish look at third
First baseman fills in at hot corner with Guillen out of lineup
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

BALTIMORE -- What might be Jeff Larish's last start as a Tiger for a while ended up being his first big league start at the hot corner.

With regular third baseman Carlos Guillen away from the team, manager Jim Leyland put Larish into the lineup at third base for his first time in his brief Major League career and the fourth time in his professional career.

The three other starts for Larish at third all came during Larish's recent stint at Triple-A Toledo. Leyland had brought up the idea when the Tigers optioned him back to Toledo last month, though he didn't request that the Mud Hens use him there. The idea was to increase Larish's versatility rather than limit him to just first base. The idea had some roots, since Larish played some third base at Arizona State before the Tigers drafted him in 2005.

Larish responded at the plate in his first at-bat on Saturday, driving a Daniel Cabrera fastball deep to right for his second home run of the season.

The Tigers brought up Larish a little more than a week ago as an extra position player for a stretch in which they didn't need a fifth starter. That fifth spot comes back around on Monday, when the Tigers will have to make a roster move to bring back Zach Miner.

Guillen remains back in Detroit, where his wife is hospitalized following complications stemming from the birth of their daughter 12 days ago.

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

Subject: Re: Jeff Larish Wed Oct 08, 2008 5:42 pm

10/08/08 4:15 PM ET
Arizona could open doors for Larish
If Tigers prospect can play first and third, he might stick
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

DETROIT -- Jeff Larish wasn't about to complain a week ago when the Tigers' season-ending makeup game against the White Sox extended his season by a day.

"It's another day I'm in the big leagues," he said.

Besides, Larish's season was already slated to last a little longer. How the slugging prospect takes to the next several weeks in the Arizona Fall League could help increase his time in the Majors next year.

When Larish made his Major League debut this past May as an injury fill-in for Gary Sheffield, he was an extra left-handed bat for a predominantly right-handed-hitting Tigers offense. With Miguel Cabrera playing every day at first base, however, Larish's time was almost entirely limited to starts at designated hitter. He played all of one inning at first base from the time he arrived until he was optioned back to Triple-A Toledo four weeks later.

Manager Jim Leyland openly discussed the idea of having Larish get some work at third base back in the Minors. Once Larish rejoined the Tigers in July and again in late August, the extra versatility earned him more frequent time in the starting lineup down the stretch, especially with Carlos Guillen out for September. The extra time, in turn, helped Larish relax and look more comfortable as a hitter. He finished with a .260 average, six doubles, two home runs and 16 RBIs in 42 games for the Tigers, striking out 34 times and walking seven.

Larish's second straight year in the Arizona Fall League is meant to continue that transition. He's expected to play a little at both corner infield spots for the Mesa Solar Sox, and he was the designated hitter for their opener Tuesday.

It should be a good test of the versatility Larish could need to crack the big league roster behind Cabrera and starting third baseman Brandon Inge. It's also the versatility the Tigers could use out of a left-handed hitter.

"If we felt like he was ready and felt like he could do it, would that be a possibility? Yeah," Leyland said. "A left-handed-hitting first baseman, left-handed-hitting third baseman, when both the [starting] first baseman and third baseman are right-handed hitters? Absolutely. But is he ready for that? I don't know. I can't answer that."

Larish can't completely answer that in the AFL, either. But he has the chance to frame the question going into Spring Training.

He was a regular third baseman during his college days at Arizona State, so the position isn't foreign to him. With his 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame, he projected in the pros at first base, which is what the Tigers intended when they surprisingly found him available in the fifth round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft.

His league-leading 28 home runs and 101 RBIs at Double-A Erie earned him Tigers Minor League Player of the Year honors in 2007, and he followed that with 21 homers and 64 RBIs in 103 games for Toledo this year. With more work, he could provide the lefty power the Tigers have sought in some kind of role for the last few years, but the Tigers have to find a way to use him.

Using him at the hot corner down the stretch was a kick for him.

"I've loved every minute of it," Larish said a couple of weeks ago. "I enjoyed being over there, and never would've thought that I'd be playing third in the big leagues, that's for sure."

As fun as it has been, he still has a serious approach to it. As natural as third base feels to Larish at times, he's trying to make the reads and first reactions to give him an extra step. He made two errors in 12 games at third this season, but just as important will be how many ground balls he can reach in a position where quickness is key.

Leyland cautioned not to expect too much, but team officials hope to see enough to stick him at third on occasion. Considering Inge's record of durability at third, it might not be often, but it could be valuable for offensive punch.

"I think the big thing for me is just getting those game situations, getting that game experience," Larish said, "because my first reaction's a little bit slow right now, I feel. And [improving] just comes with getting that experience in a game. So it'll be good to just get there and get some more games under my belt."

Beyond that, Larish will try to take some of what he learned on hitting in his big league time and put it into practice with regular at-bats. Those plate appearances weren't frequent in Detroit, but the way he handled his time on the bench made an equal impression on Leyland.

"Larish has done nothing but put his nose to the grindstone," Leyland said as the season wound down. "I think he's been probably the most observant player we've had in the last few weeks, and I think it's paying off for him. I think he's got talent. I like him.

"I like what I've seen. I like guys that figure things out and are smart, and I think Jeff Larish is smart."

Larish's certainly smart enough to know that this could be a useful fall for him.

"I'm doing whatever I can to stay [in the Majors]," Larish said, "wherever they want to stick me, as long as I'm on the field, as long as I'm playing."

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

Subject: Re: Jeff Larish Thu Oct 09, 2008 3:27 am

Yay for Jeff. I certainly wouldn't mind seeing him every day Wink

_________________

Subject: Re: Jeff Larish Thu Oct 09, 2008 3:12 pm

Go Jeff!!
_________________
"We only work three hours a day, so the least we can do is give 100 percent."

Todd Jones

Subject: Re: Jeff Larish Sun Oct 19, 2008 9:23 am

I would rather see Larish at 3rd Base than Brandon.....

Subject: Re: Jeff Larish Sun Oct 19, 2008 9:24 am

Subject: Re: Jeff Larish Sat Oct 25, 2008 9:18 am

Subject: Re: Jeff Larish Wed Nov 05, 2008 1:26 pm

11/05/08 3:09 PM EST
Larish looking to impress in AFL
Tigers prospect testing versatility with bigs in sight

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

DETROIT -- Jeff Larish wasn't about to complain when the Tigers' season-ending makeup game against the White Sox extended his season by one day.

"It's another day I'm in the big leagues," Larish said.

Besides, Larish's season was already slated to last a little longer. How the slugging prospect takes to the next several weeks in the Arizona Fall League could help increase his time in the Majors next year.

When Larish made his Major League debut this past May as an injury fill-in for Gary Sheffield, he was an extra left-handed bat in a predominantly right-handed-hitting Tigers offense. With Miguel Cabrera playing every day at first base, however, Larish's time was almost entirely limited to starts at designated hitter. He played all of one inning at first base from the time he arrived until he was optioned back to Triple-A Toledo four weeks later.

Manager Jim Leyland, at the time, openly discussed the idea of having Larish get some work at third base while back in the Minors. Once Larish rejoined the Tigers in July and again in late August, the extra versatility earned him more frequent time in the starting lineup down the stretch -- especially with Carlos Guillen out for September.

That extra time, in turn, helped Larish relax and look more comfortable as a hitter. He finished with a .260 average, six doubles, two home runs and 16 RBIs in 42 games for the Tigers, striking out 34 times while walking seven times.

Larish's second consecutive year in the Arizona Fall League is meant to continue his transition to the Majors. He's expected to play a little at both corner infield spots for the Mesa Solar Sox, and he was the designated hitter for their AFL opener on Tuesday.

It should be a good test of the versatility Larish could need to crack the big league roster behind Cabrera and starting third baseman Brandon Inge. It's also versatility the Tigers could use out of a left-handed hitter.

"If we felt like he was ready and felt like he could do it, would that be a possibility? Yeah," Leyland said. "A left-handed-hitting first baseman, left-handed-hitting third baseman, when both the [starting] first baseman and third baseman are right-handed hitters? Absolutely. But is he ready for that? I don't know. I can't answer that."

Larish can't completely answer that in the AFL, either. But he has the chance to frame the question going into Spring Training.

He was a regular third baseman during his college days at Arizona State University, so the position isn't foreign to him. With his 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame, he was projected to land in the pros at first base, which is where the Tigers intended to play him when they surprisingly found him available in the fifth round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft.

His league-leading 28 home runs and 101 RBIs at Double-A Erie earned him the Tigers' Minor League Player of the Year honor in 2007, and he followed that effort with 21 homers and 64 RBIs in 103 games for Toledo this year. With more work, he could provide the lefty power the Tigers have sought in some kind of role for the last few years, but the club has to find a way to use him.

Using Larish at the hot corner down the stretch was a kick for him.

"I've loved every minute of it," Larish said a couple of weeks ago. "I enjoyed being over there, and never would've thought that I'd be playing third in the big leagues, that's for sure."

As fun as it has been, he still has a serious approach to it. As natural as third base feels at times, he's trying to make the reads and first reactions to give him an extra step. He made two errors in 12 games at third this season, but just as important will be how many ground balls he can reach in a position where quickness is key.

Leyland cautioned not to expect too much, but team officials hope to see enough to stick him at third on occasion. Considering Inge's record of durability at third, it might not be often, but it could be valuable for offensive punch.

"I think the big thing for me is just getting those game situations, getting that game experience," Larish said, "because my first reaction's a little bit slow right now, I feel. And that just comes with getting that experience in a game. So it'll be good to just get there and get some more games under my belt."

Beyond that, he'll try to take some of what he learned about hitting in his big league time and put it into practice with regular at-bats. Those plate appearances weren't frequent in Detroit, but the way he handled his time on the bench made an equal impression on Leyland.

"Larish has done nothing but put his nose to the grindstone," Leyland said as the season wound down. "I think he's been probably the most observant player we've had in the last few weeks, and I think it's paying off for him. I think he's got talent. I like him.

"I like what I've seen. I like guys that figure things out and are smart, and I think Jeff Larish is smart."

He's certainly smart enough to know that this could be a useful fall for him.

"I'm doing whatever I can to stay [in the Majors]," Larish said. "Wherever they want to stick me, as long as I'm on the field, as long as I'm playing."

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

Subject: Re: Jeff Larish Sun Nov 09, 2008 2:04 am

Okay, you crazy kid! Now go get married and then come back ready to PLAY (beisbol, that is! Big Smile

)!!!
_________________
There are three things in my life which I really love: God, my family, and baseball. The only problem - once baseball season starts, I change the order around a bit. ~Al Gallagher, 1971