Andy Oliver Gets The Call

2009 Upper Deck USA #USAB-AO Andrew Oliver

BIG news was brought to my attention by Bless You Boys: Andy Oliver has gotten the call to replace Rick Porcello in the Tigers' rotation. You might know Oliver as "The Tigers Best Pitching Prospect Not Named Jacob Turner"

Oliver is slated to start on Friday against the Braves. I would imagine that his stay in Detroit will be relatively short lived a la Justin Verlander circa 2005 or Andrew Miller circa 2006. Still, this is more than just a spot start, where we knew that these top pitchers were getting one start and then going back down. As far as I can tell the spot is ostensibly Oliver's until 1) Rick Porcello gets back on track or 2) Oliver sucks big time.

All of this is very exciting, as the lefty is a promising piece of the Tigers' pitching future. It will be interesting to see how he makes the leap.

Hello: Wilkin Ramirez, enjoy your coffee!

The Tigers have called up the blazing (fast, and hot) Wilkin Ramirez to the big league squad. A rather unheralded prospect in the offseason, he had a very strong showing in Spring Training and has been superb for the Mudhens so far this year to the tune of

.316, 3 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 13 RBI, 14 SB

He will temporarily take the place of Magglio Ordonez, who is on bereavement leave while his wife undergoes surgery. Look to see Ramirez on the basepaths late in the game, although I suppose he could even play a game in lieu of Ryan Raburn or Josh Anderson. Whatever his role, this is just a cup of coffee for him and a chance for us to see one of the system's rising stars in action.

I, for one, would like to begin the call now for a Wilkin Ramirez rookie card in Updates and Highlights.

Hello: Nolan Reimold

I heard on the radio when I was driving up to work that Nolan Reimold is getting the call. The Baltimore Sun is on it too. The hot-hitting prospect for the O's hit .394 with 27 RBI for the AAA Norfolk Tides. Sure, he's no Wieters, but he's some more young blood for an Orioles team with a bright future (offensively, at least).

So why do I care? First of all, I do live in Baltimore, so the Orioles have claimed the "team I root for and wish well" status in my heart. They've got that hard-luck, pathetically bad but there's always hope feel that I know from my years of Tigers fandom. However, that hardly warrants a post on this blog, which is decidedly Tiger-centric. So I give you reason #2:

2005 Just Minors Nolan Reimold/Curtis Granderson/Javier Herrera

I am no prospector, but the fact that Reimold is making his way to The Show means that this card is now 2/3 not a bust. Sadly, it looks like Javier Herrera isn't on the fast track to make the leap to the bigs.