#MyCardMonday: Placido Polanco

As a Detroit Tigers fan everyone knows that 2006 was a magical season for the Tigers. To me it was the season that turn the Tigers into one of the worse teams of the decade into a team that showed they could compete. We all know that season was capped with a World Series run. Out of all of the players on that team, Placido Polanco was probably my favorite player out of them all.

Saturday night I was watching the Tigers pregame show and they were talking with Polanco before he was honored during the game. They were celebrating the 10th anniversary of Fiesta Tigres which honors Latin-American ball players. Polanco spent five seasons in Detroit as our second basemen and our number 2 hitter in the lineup. As a hitter I cannot think of anyone who was better then Polanco batting second. He wasn't a power guy, but he could move the runner over and hit for average (.311 as a Tiger) along with getting a walk (.355 OBP). Defensively he was one of the best defenders in the game at second. He posted a career dWAR of 6.8 and won two gold gloves in Detroit. His defensive career is highlight by him setting the record of 144 straight games at second without an error.

In 2009 Polanco would reach free agency and would sign with the Philadelphia Phillies. The Tigers hoped that upcoming prospect Scott Sizemore could hold down second base for them. I thought they should have kept Polanco and have him work with Sizemore at second before letting he have full control. That didn't work out for the Tigers as plan. The Tigers didn't have a second basemen until they traded for Omar Infante in 2012.

It's been long enough...

Pete Rose, one of the all time greatest hitters and one of the best competitors in baseball has been banned from the game of baseball since 1989. He was questioned about betting on baseball games while he managed the Cincinnati Reds. It came out that he was gambling, but there was no evidence that he was betting that the Reds to lose games.

Pete Rose, the player, was one of the greatest competitors to ever play the game. He played the game to win and be the best player in the game. Even in the All Star game he left it all out on the field and that was clear in the 1970 All Star game when he ran over Ray Fosse of the Cleveland Indians to score the winning run.Yes, he did seriously hurt Fosse and pretty much costed him his career, but that was Rose's style of play. As a hitter he would finish his career with the most hits ever with 4,256 and a career slash line of .303/.375/.409. Add in 17 All Star appearances, multiple batting titles, a MVP and 3 World Series rings he should be in the Hall of Fame as a player.

Everyone makes mistakes and no one is perfect. The All Star game is going to be held in Cincinnati this year. We have a new Commissioner of Baseball with Rob Manfred. This would be a perfect time for the MLB to lift Pete Rose's ban on baseball. He has apologized for his actions. My simple argument for Pete Rose is that he should in the Hall of Fame for what he did as a player. When he was betting on baseball he was managing the Reds. He did not have a Hall of Fame career as a manager, but as a player.