MVN - Most Valuable Network

Tigers Call Up Hessman; Demote T. Perez

The Tigers called up Mike Hessman and sent Timo Perez back down to Toledo. I don’t think Hessman was on the 40-man roster, so I’m not sure how they made room there. Perhaps a spot was open from the Roman Colon trade.

This obviously taxes the Hens’ roster, especially since Kevin Hooper went on the disabled list with a broken finger this weekend. (Aren’t these guys wearing gloves?) Even if they don’t call somebody up, they’ll be fine in the short term. Jack Hannahan and Chris Maples can both play third and Henry Mateo can fill in at second. For this reason, if they do call somebody up they can get away with somebody who isn’t ready to play everyday in AAA.

It’s kind of ironic Hessman is being called up now, because he’s been struggling. He’s 5 for 30 in his last ten games with 14 strikeouts and hasn’t hit a home run since July 12th. If you’re wondering how I think he’ll do with the Tigers, I have to admit I’m skeptical. He’s 29 and I think he might be one of those AAAA players who can exploit AAA mistakes, but can’t translate his success to the majors.

Still, he should give them good defense at first base when he gives Casey his much needed days off. And the power in his 6′5″, 215-lb frame could certainly provide some occasional pop. I just expect it to come with a batting average near .200, an on-base percentage below .300 and a lot of strikeouts.

That’s my honest expectation, but I will be the first to leap up and give high fives if I’m wrong. I wish Mike all the best while he’s up with the big club.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 23rd, 2007 at 3:10 pm and is filed under Roster, Prospects, Injuries. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.