Coop Scoop

Roster changes as the off-season begins

The parent Tigers have started making moves for the off-season, and their announcement Monday will make two players with ties to the Mud Hens free agents.

On Oct. 31 the Tigers outrighted the contracts of LHP Brad Thomas and C Omir Santos to Toledo. Since both are "six-year renewable options players" -- better known as six-year free-agents -- they can opt to become free agents on Thursday. That will allow then to sign with any major-league organization.

In the case of Santos, there is a possibility that he will resign with the Tigers. Detroit manager Jim Leyland likes his catch-and-throw abilities, meaning Leyland likes Santos's ability to call a game, work with pitchers, and throw out would-be basestealers.

Santos played in 11 games with Detroit this past season and hit .227 with no homers or RBIs. In 49 games with the Mud Hens, Santos batted .245 with two homers and 16 RBIs.

In the case of Thomas, I would be shocked if he resigned with the Tigers. There was a rift between the two sides when Detroit tried to designate Thomas for assignment in mid-July despite Thomas suffering from elbow problems. Eventually the Tigers returned Thomas to the 40-man roster, putting him on the disabled list for the rest of the season, but the damage was done.

"Obviously I like to treat people well, and I thought I had treated them well," Thomas said of the Tigers. "For things to turn out the way they almost turned out, that was unsettling for me."

Click here to read a story I wrote about the trouble between Thomas and the Tigers.

Thomas pitched in 12 games for Detroit and was 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in 11 innings. During eight rehab appearances with the Mud Hens, the lefty was 0-1 with a 3.48 ERA.

Hens manager Phil Nevin with Tigers during playoff run

Mud Hens manager Phil Nevin has been with the Tigers as Detroit makes its push for a berth in the World Series.

Click here to read a story from the Detroit Free Press about Nevin and what he has learned since joining the Tigers at the end of the Mud Hens season.

Mud Hen Mindbender – Oct. 6

Back by popular demand ... In an effort to have a little fun with the Coop Scoop blog, I am producing a (mostly) daily trivia quiz called "Mud Hen Mindbender." No prize; this is just a way to get your morning moving. Ready? Here we go ...

Since the playoffs are in full swing, let's ask another Mud Hens playoff question, OK? Today let's tee up an easy one: How many times have the Hens reached the Governors' Cup (read: International League) finals?

The answer to Sept. 30's question? What season was the FIRST that a Toledo team played in the Governors' Cup (read: International League) playoffs? If you've got details on how the Hens fared, spill 'em ... The Mud Hens' first Governors' Cup appearance was in 1967, and Toledo beat Richmond in five games in the semifinals and Columbus in five games in the finals to win the championship. And talk about exciting: Game 5 in the finals against Columbus was a 1-0 win in which the Mud Hens scored in the bottom of the ninth!

Do you think you know the answer to today’s question? Click on the "comments" link below and let's find out! I'll post the answer tomorrow along with another trivia question. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Perez suspended for violation of minor league drug code

Timo Perez, one of the Mud Hens' leading hitters last season, was among four minor leaguers suspended by Major League Baseball following a violation of the minor league drug prevention and treatment program.

Perez, who is considered a free agent since the Hens' season has ended, was suspended for 50 games after testing positive for ritalinic acid and methylphenidate. Those substances are generally used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy.

As a free agent, Perez will be forced to serve his suspension as soon as he signs with a major league organization.

Last season Perez played in 122 games with the Hens and finished ninth in the International League with a .302 batting average while collecting six home runs and 50 RBIs. He also finished fifth in the league with 144 hits and was one of the toughest hitters in the IL to strike out, fanning once every 12.61 plate appearances.

Parrish fired as Braves hitting coach

Former Mud Hens manager Larry Parrish was fired as Atlanta hitting coach Friday, one season after leaving Toledo to take the position with the Braves.

The Braves struggled at the plate this season, but especially during their late-season collapse in which they saw an 8 1/2-game lead in the National League Wild Card standings with just 23 games to play completely melt away as they lost 18 of their final 26 games and St. Louis knocked them out of the playoffs.

The Braves led the National League with a .339 on-base percentage in 2010, but was 14th this past season with a .308 mark. Atlanta scored two runs or fewer 10 times in September and five times in their final seven games. They also hit just .192 with runners in scoring position during the final 26 games.

Parrish was fired despite having a year left on the two-year contract he signed to take the job in Atlanta.

Parrish is the winningest manager in Mud Hens history, posting a 569-551 record in seven seasons (1994, 2003-07, 2008-09). He led Toledo to Governors' Cup titles in 2005 and 2006 and had four winning seasons; only Mike Rojas (82-61, 2007), Bruce Fields (81-63, 2002) and Joe Sparks (74-70, 1991) have had a winning season in Toledo since Detroit became the Hens' parent organization in 1987.

To read more about the firing ...

Click here to read the story by Mark Bowman of MLB.com, who wrote about how manager Fredi Gonzalez said his entire staff would return in 2012, only to have general manager Frank Wren deliver different news on Friday. Click here to read a story Bowman wrote Thursday in which Gonzalez said he wouldn't get rid of Parrish.

Click here to read the story by David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, who wrote that GM Frank Wren said he didn't feel Parrish had a plan to help key Braves who struggled (namely Jason Hayward and Martin Prado) next season. Click here to read the story O'Brien wrote Thursday in which Gonzalez said he wouldn't get rid of Parrish.

Click here to read a column by Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which says Parrish had to go for the Braves to retain their credibility as an organization.