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TRANSCRIPT
June 7, 2017 Page 1 of 15
Clips
(June 7, 2017)
June 7, 2017 Page 2 of 15
Today’s Clips Contents
FROM LOS ANGELES TIMES (Page 3)
Angels beat Tigers 5-3 behind home runs by Calhoun, Cron
Cameron Maybin, back in his old Detroit stamping ground, could rejoin Angels lineup
soon
FROM ANGELS.COM (Page 6)
Cron, Calhoun homer to open trip with win
Oppo pop surprises hot-hitting Calhoun
All-Star ballot support pours in for Trout
Meyer eyes 2nd win vs. Tigers this season
Maybin returns to Detroit as member of Halos
FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (Page 11)
Kole Calhoun, C.J. Cron homer and Angels hold off Tigers, 5-3
FROM DETROIT FREE PRESS (Page 13)
Cameron Maybin compliments Detroit Tigers fans, bummed to sit series
June 7, 2017 Page 3 of 15
FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES
Angels beat Tigers 5-3 behind home runs by Calhoun, Cron
By Pedro Moura
Until Tuesday, the Angels had played 425 road games since Mike Trout was called up to the majors for
good on April 28, 2012. When the ballclub arrived in a city, it had long since become customary for fans
and autograph seekers to crowd the team hotel. They tended to reappear when the team bus was due
to depart for the ballpark.
Early Monday morning, the Angels arrived in a Detroit suburb to notably little fanfare. It was clear why:
For the first time in more than five years, Trout is not accompanying them on a trip, relegated to the
disabled list because of a ligament tear in his thumb.
“It’s like someone’s missing,” Kole Calhoun said.
As the challenge to stay afloat in the wild-card race without him continues, Day 1 of Week 2 without
Trout was a success. Calhoun stepped into the starring role for the night as the Angels survived
the Tigers, 5-3, at Comerica Park.
Five pitches into the game, Calhoun slammed a home run down the left-field line for his fourth home
run in five games. Of the left-handed hitter’s 77 previous career homers, only one had traveled to the
opposite field — two years ago in Toronto, which he quickly recalled afterward. Like Tuesday’s, it barely
slipped over the wall.
“I thought it was a double, for sure,” Calhoun said.
The Angels’ next baserunner was Eric Young Jr., who walked in the third inning, stole second, and was
picked off trying for third. Next, Andrelton Simmons walked, and he, too, stole second base. It was his
17th steal in 20 tries as an Angel, notable considering he stole 16 in more than twice as many games
with Atlanta. After Calhoun walked, Albert Pujols tapped a grounder to third base, where Nick
Castellanos bobbled it yet recovered in time to throw out the leaden designated hitter.
The Angels added two runs in the fourth when Yunel Escobar doubled and C.J. Cron homered, and
another in the fifth, when Simmons and Calhoun singled and Detroit center fielder Alex Presley let
Calhoun’s single pass by him. Calhoun then hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh after Young walked
and Shane Robinson singled.
In the Tigers’ half of the first, Miguel Cabrera hit a two-out single against Angels starter Jesse Chavez
before Cron, at first base, slid to stop a Victor Martinez grounder. The Tigers put two men on base in the
third, on an Ian Kinsler double and Alex Avila walk, before Cabrera grounded into a double play.
Chavez didn’t allow another hit until Avila approached again, with one out in the sixth. In a 3-and-2
count, Avila drilled a fastball left over the middle of the plate for a solo home run to center. After
Cabrera flied out to the right-field warning track, Martinez doubled to right. When J.D. Martinez rapped
June 7, 2017 Page 4 of 15
a single to put runners on the corners, Blake Parker began to warm in the Angels’ bullpen. And
when Justin Upton blooped a run-scoring single into center field, Parker replaced Chavez and recorded
an inning-ending ground out on his first pitch.
“I thought Blake Parker was really the most important guy that came in and settled that game down
after Jesse had trouble getting out of the sixth,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.
Chavez’s outing jibed with the rest of his season. Entering Tuesday, he had held opponents to a .220
batting average the first two times through the lineup, but they hit .339 against him the third time
through.
“That’s been the M.O.,” Chavez said. “Cruise until the sixth, and then get into a little rut.”
He believes he has uncovered the source of the problem, particularly Tuesday. Because of his success,
he went nearly an hour without delivering a pitch out of the stretch. When circumstances dictated he do
it again, he rushed through it.
Parker, the Angels’ surprise sensation in relief, required only seven pitches to finish the seventh. In the
eighth, rookie right-hander Keynan Middleton allowed the first two men he faced to reach, then induced
consecutive fly outs, the latter of which was a sacrifice fly that made it 5-3. Catcher Martin
Maldonado soon let a pitch get away, but found the ball in time to throw out Cabrera trying for second,
ending the inning.
The Angels (30-31) secured victory only after Bud Norris handled a tense ninth. He loaded the bases with
two outs and threw up his hands in disbelief when he fell behind 3-and-0 to Avila. While Cabrera loomed
on deck, Norris battled back to record a called strikeout on a backdoor slider.
Cameron Maybin, back in his old Detroit stamping ground, could rejoin Angels lineup soon
By Pedro Moura
A dozen years ago, Detroit drafted Cameron Maybin. Two years later, they packaged him, future relief
ace Andrew Miller and four more prospects in a blockbuster trade for Miguel Cabrera.
Eight years after that, the Tigers reacquired him, and he put together a career-best season in 2016.
That’s why Maybin attracted a crowd of local media upon his return to the city Tuesday. Reporters
mostly wanted to know if he was surprised by his November trade to the Angels (he was), and how he
was doing in Anaheim (well, he said). And they sought to understand how it felt to be on a team floating
around .500 but 14 games behind the best-in-baseball Houston Astros.
“I don’t really follow them,” Maybin said. “I know they’re playing well, but I don’t go to my phone and
look at the standings. I have three kids. I have a lot to worry about. I’m worried about things that I can
control. It’s baseball. A lot of things can change throughout the season.”
June 7, 2017 Page 5 of 15
Maybin, out for a week because of a bruised oblique, threw and ran on the field Tuesday but did not hit.
The plan is for him to hit on Wednesday. He expects to be reinstated from the disabled list Friday in
Houston, and the club is not ruling out that possibility.
“It’s still on the board,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “But we’ll adjust to how he feels in the next
couple days.”
Maybin played center field for Detroit and left field to begin this season for the Angels. When he
returns, he could play center in place of the injured Mike Trout.
He laughed when asked if Trout made his defensive responsibilities less difficult.
“I’d like to think the same thing, too, that I make his job a lot easier,” Maybin said.
Bedrosian delayed
The Angels planned to activate right-hander Cam Bedrosian from the disabled list Tuesday, but the
reliever requested another rehab-assignment appearance.
“Cam feels he needs it,” Scioscia said. “He wants to repeat it just to fine-tune some things. When a
pitcher still feels he’s maybe a little out of sync, you definitely want to work on it down there until he’s
in sync. We’ll give him what he needs.”
Bedrosian, returning from a strained groin, pitched an inning for Class-A Inland Empire late Tuesday.
There is a locker with his name on it at Comerica Park, and he could be activated Thursday.
Short hops
No discipline is expected for designated hitter Albert Pujols, who said he exchanged mid-game texts
with his wife before he hit the 600th home run of his career Saturday night. Players are not ordinarily
permitted to use electronic devices during games. … Right-hander Huston Street is scheduled to resume
his rehab assignment Friday. He’ll make at least one more minor league appearance before his
activation. Street suffered a lat strain three months ago, and experienced minor triceps tightness while
nearing the end of his initial rehab assignment. … Right-hander Andrew Bailey began a throwing
progression. He has missed nearly two months because of discomfort in his surgically repaired shoulder.
He remains weeks away from returning to the majors.
June 7, 2017 Page 6 of 15
FROM ANGELS.COM
Cron, Calhoun homer to open trip with win
By Jason Beck and Jordan Horrobin / MLB.com
DETROIT -- Even without Mike Trout, the Angels continue to make themselves at home in Comerica
Park. Kole Calhoun and C.J. Cron homered before the Angels' bullpen held off a Tigers charge at the end
for a 5-3 win on Tuesday night.
The Angels are 9-4 at Comerica Park since 2013. Their latest victory ended a four-game Tigers winning
streak, sending Detroit back below .500 for the season at 28-29.
"It's different, definitely different," Calhoun said of playing without Trout. "This is my first road trip
without him. Feels like someone's missing, for sure."
Calhoun's first-inning solo homer and seventh-inning sacrifice fly served as bookends for an Angels
arsenal that punished an erratic Daniel Norris (2-4). Calhoun also had a line-drive single that center
fielder Alex Presley charged and missed for a run-scoring error.
The support helped Angels starter Jesse Chavez (5-6) earn his first career win over the Tigers in 14
meetings (four starts). The Tigers rallied to put the tying run at the plate or on base three times in the
final four innings, loading the bases with two outs in the ninth. With the tying run on second, Bud
Norris went to a 3-0 count on Alex Avila before getting a called third strike to end the threat.
"He came back and made two good pitches with his fastball to get back into the count," Angels manager
Mike Scioscia said of Norris. "And those two pitches are big because you throw it down the heart of the
plate, the game could be over. You walk him, and you really play with fire with [Miguel Cabrera up
next]."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Cron capitalizes: Norris escaped trouble in a three-walk third inning by retiring Albert Pujols, but the
mercurial southpaw paid for two hard hits to begin the fourth. Yunel Escobar led off with a drive over
Presley's head in deep center before Cron connected with a slider and sent it a Statcast-projected 428
feet to left, building a 3-0 lead. It clinched just the second multi-homer game off Norris this season.
"Just like anybody, C.J. will get at-bats according to his production," Scioscia said. "There's no doubt
since he came back from the Minor Leagues, there's a confidence level, his swings are better and he can
give us a big boost if he starts swinging the bat to his capability."
Avila leads Tigers back: Chavez settled into a groove after three early hits, stretching his streak to 16 2/3
innings against the Tigers since his last earned run. Once Avila ended that with a solo shot in the sixth,
however, Detroit went from a 4-0 deficit to a chance to tie or take the lead by inning's end. Blake
Parker stranded runners at the corners, including the potential tying tally, with a Nicholas
Castellanos groundout.
June 7, 2017 Page 7 of 15
"Sometimes you do everything you can and it gets taken out of your hands," Avila said.
QUOTABLE
"I told him it was a ball. He said it was a strike." -- Avila, on his postgame words with home-plate umpire
Andy Fletcher following his called third strike
"I thought it was a double for sure. I had to look at the third-base umpire and I was like, 'Ground-rule
double? What happened?'" -- Calhoun, on his first-inning homer that just cleared the wall in left
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
The Angels (30-31) are now 10-0 on Tuesdays.
FRIENDLY EXCHANGE
Cabrera gave a bat to a young fan behind home plate after he put on a Cabrera jersey over the Trout
jersey he had been wearing. The fan initially tried to get Cabrera's attention, but Detroit's slugger
pointed to his jersey to make sure the kid knew he had the wrong colors on. A quick switch with his
friend got him the gear. More >
WHAT'S NEXT
Angels: Alex Meyer (2-2, 4.91 ERA) will face Detroit for game two of the three-game series at 4:10 p.m.
PT on Wednesday. He held the Tigers to one run on three hits in 6 1/3 innings on May 14 to earn the
win.
Tigers: The series continues at 7:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday at Comerica Park, where the Tigers will try to
regain their winning ways and avenge last month's loss to Meyer in Anaheim. Buck Farmer will get the
start, trying to build on the 6 1/3 scoreless innings and 11 strikeouts he posted against the White Sox in
a May 27 spot start.
Oppo pop surprises hot-hitting Calhoun
By Jordan Horrorbin / MLB.com
DETROIT -- Kole Calhoun has sprayed his 34 singles all around the field so far this season. But when he
connects with power, he tends to be much more pull-happy. Until Tuesday, that is.
In the first inning of the Angels' 5-3 win over the Tigers at Comerica Park, the left-handed Calhoun
reached out and poked a solo shot down the left-field line. He sprinted around first looking for at least a
double, unaware that the ball had cleared the wall 345 feet from home plate before slowing up when he
saw the umpire's signal for a home run.
"No, I didn't think it was gone," Calhoun said. "I thought it was a double for sure. I had to look at the
third-base umpire and I was like, 'Ground-rule double? What happened?'"
The home run, hit on a 92.4-mph fastball from Detroit lefty Daniel Norris, traveled a projected 352 feet
and left the bat at 96 mph, according to Statcast™. Of Calhoun's nine home runs this season, it marked
his first to the opposite field. It was also his shortest-projected distance and slowest off the bat.
June 7, 2017 Page 8 of 15
Calhoun now has 18 career first-inning home runs, the most in any frame. He finished the game 2-for-2
with a walk and two RBIs. Calhoun is on a seven-game hit streak, with a .478 (11-for-23) batting average,
four home runs and seven RBIs during that span.
"Kole's last 20 at-bats have been what we expect to see," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "He's
taking his walks, he's hitting the ball all over the ballpark, had some big hits for us tonight."
Calhoun was his usual defensively stout self on Tuesday, tracking a hard-hit liner off the bat of Victor
Martinez and catching a Miguel Cabrera fly ball on the warning track. But while the Angels typically rely
on a steady glove from the 2015 American League Gold Glove Award winner, his offense has been less
consistent this season.
The 29-year-old posted a .158 average in 27 games in May, striking out 26 times versus 16 hits. Now on
a hitting streak and sneaking in some opposite-field power, Calhoun is showing signs of turning around
his plate production.
"There were mechanical adjustments that he'd tried along the way," Scioscia said of Calhoun's May
struggles. "He was really jumpy at the plate, expanding the zone, definitely not seeing the ball as well as
he needed to. And he's worked on it. I think it's just been an evolution where now he's started to feel
more comfortable."
Calhoun has hit out of his month-long slump. But while stats suggest he's more comfortable at the plate,
his mindset remains unchanged.
"The great thing about this game is you keep getting opportunities," Calhoun said. "Got another game
tomorrow. So when you're struggling, you kinda keep going pitch by pitch and day by day."
All-Star ballot support pours in for Trout
By Maria Guardado / MLB.com
Injured Angels outfielder Mike Trout continues to be among the leading vote-getters in the
second Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot update released on Tuesday.
With 1,155,356 votes, Trout ranks second among American League outfielders on the ballot, trailing only
Yankees rookie Aaron Judge (1,251,543). Judge overtook Trout for the overall lead in the AL after Trout
landed on the disabled list May 29 with a torn UCL in his left thumb.
Prior to the injury, Trout was batting .337 with a 1.203 OPS, 16 home runs, 36 RBIs and 10 stolen bases
in 47 games this season. He is expected to miss six to eight weeks, a timetable that threatens his
availability for the 2017 All-Star Game presented by MasterCard, which is scheduled for July 11 at
Marlins Park.
No other Angel is currently in the top five at any position. Albert Pujols, who hit his 600th career home
run on Saturday, ranked fifth among AL designated hitters in the first ballot update, but he was
June 7, 2017 Page 9 of 15
surpassed by the Astros' Evan Gattis this week. Pujols, 37, entered Tuesday batting .248 with a .705 OPS,
nine homers and 42 RBIs in 2017.
Fans may cast votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- on computers, tablets and
smartphones -- exclusively online using the 2017 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot until Thursday, June
29, at 8:59 p.m. PT. On smartphones and tablets, fans can also access the ballot via the MLB.com At Bat
and MLB.com Ballpark mobile apps. Vote up to five times in any 24-hour period for a maximum of 35
ballots cast.
Following the announcement of the 2017 All-Star starters, reserves and pitchers, fans should return to
MLB.com and cast their 2017 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote for the final player on each
league's All-Star roster. Then on Tuesday, July 11, while watching the 2017 All-Star Game presented by
MasterCard live on FOX, fans may visit MLB.com to submit their choices for the Ted Williams Most
Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet with the 2017 MLB All-Star Game MVP Vote.
The 88th Midsummer Classic, at Marlins Park in Miami, will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in
Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries. ESPN
Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage, while MLB Network,
MLB.com and SiriusXM will have comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about
MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @AllStarGame on
social media.
Meyer eyes 2nd win vs. Tigers this season
By Jordan Horrobin / MLB.com
The Angels and Tigers continue their series on Wednesday at Comerica Park featuring two pitchers with
21 combined Major League starts. Los Angeles right-hander Alex Meyer faces Detroit righty Buck Farmer
in game two of the three-game set.
Meyer will have a bit of a home crowd with him when he starts in Detroit. Meyer, from Greensburg,
Ind., will throw in front of his wife, dad and some friends, he said.
Meyer (2-2, 4.91 ERA) will make just his 13th career start on Wednesday, but it'll be his second this
season against the Tigers. The 27-year-old earned the win versus Detroit on May 14, allowing just one
run on three hits in 6 1/3 innings. He also gave up two runs on five hits in a one-inning relief appearance
against Detroit in 2016.
Farmer (1-0, 0.00 ERA) did everything he could to make a good first impression when he was called up
for a spot start against the White Sox on May 27, throwing 6 1/3 scoreless innings and striking out 11.
He owns a 3.86 ERA in 60 2/3 frames with Triple-A Toledo this season.
Things to know about this game:
June 7, 2017 Page 10 of 15
• Miguel Cabrera and J.D. Martinez are a combined 0-for-6 with a walk and three strikeouts against
Meyer. Nicholas Castellanos, Ian Kinsler and Victor Martinez, however, have combined to hit 5-for-11
with three doubles off Meyer.
• Farmer threw a steady diet of fastballs and changeups against the White Sox and had hitters guessing.
He totaled 22 swinging strikes, according to Statcast, including 10 in the 42 changeups he threw (23.8
percent).
• Batters are only 5-for-36 against Meyer's curveball this season. That .139 average is the sixth lowest
versus any pitcher who has ended at least 30 at-bats with a curveball or a knuckle curve.
Maybin returns to Detroit as member of Halos
By Jordan Horrobin / MLB.com
DETROIT -- Cameron Maybin has turned the page on his second go-round as a Tiger. And though he
won't play in the three-game series this week as a member of the visiting Angels, Maybin is happy to be
back where he enjoyed the best season of his 11-year career.
"The fans are truly amazing here the way they get behind the guys, through the ups and downs," said
Maybin, who was placed on the 10-day disabled list last Thursday (retroactive May 30) with a left
oblique muscle contusion. "I'll definitely miss not playing this series for sure. These fans were incredible
to me last year, and I really enjoyed giving them a great effort every day."
Maybin said he doesn't pay attention to the Tigers now, as he's busy playing three time zones away in
Los Angeles, where his Angels have a crowded DL list but are second in the American League West,
chasing the red-hot Astros.
What Maybin does, however, is keep up with guys in the Detroit clubhouse like Miguel Cabrera, Victor
Martinez and Justin Upton, with whom he bonded in 2016.
"I went over there [pregame Tuesday] and saw them, spoke to pretty much everybody I could see,"
Maybin said. "Those guys make me feel good. They let me know, even throughout this year, they miss
my energy in the clubhouse. Things like that make it a lot easier to go about your business."
Detroit selected Maybin as the 10th overall pick in the 2005 Draft before trading him in '07 as part of a
package to the Marlins for Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis. He returned to the Tigers via trade last season,
where he hit .315 in 94 games. The Angels swapped Minor League pitcher Victor Alcantara for Maybin in
November.
While he admitted being traded away from Detroit a second time was "somewhat of a bummer,"
Maybin quickly added that he understood the move was simply part of the business of baseball. He also
wished all his ex-teammates the best, particularly those vying to fill the gap he left in center field.
Tigers center fielders are collectively hitting .207 this season in Maybin's absence, which is the lowest
batting average of their eight regular hitting positions in the field.
June 7, 2017 Page 11 of 15
"Grass isn't always greener like you tend to think in this game sometimes," Maybin said.
Worth noting
Angels right-handed reliever Cam Bedrosian will pitch on Tuesday night for Class A Advanced Inland
Empire. Bedrosian, who is on the 10-day DL with a right groin strain, has a locker in the Angels'
clubhouse in Detroit and will likely be activated on Thursday.
FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kole Calhoun, C.J. Cron homer and Angels hold off Tigers, 5-3
Associated Press
DETROIT — The Angels didn’t make things easy for themselves on Tuesday night.
The Angels led the Detroit Tigers by four runs in the fifth inning, but closer Bud Norris had to pitch out of a
bases-loaded jam to finish a 5-3 victory.
“That’s a nice win against a hot team,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “We had some trouble closing
out some innings, including the ninth, but we got it done.”
Norris retired Justin Upton and Nicholas Castellanos to start the ninth, but Alex Presley and Jose Iglesias
kept the game alive with singles. Norris walked Ian Kinsler to put the winning run on base, then fell behind
3-and-0 to Alex Avila.
Avila, though, fouled off the next two pitches before taking a pitch at the edge of the strike zone to end
the game.
“That was a great job by Bud,” Scioscia said. “He didn’t get a couple calls, but he got back into the at-bat
with some great pitches. He knew he was playing with fire if the next guy (Miguel Cabrera) got to the
plate.”
Avila thought he had drawn a bases-loaded walk, but home-plate umpire Andy Fletcher didn’t agree.
“I told him it was a ball,” Avila said. “He told me it was a strike.”
Kole Calhoun and C.J. Cron homered for the Angels.
Jesse Chavez (5-6) picked up the win, allowing two runs and seven hits in 5-2/3 innings. He struck out four
and walked one.
“At the end of the day, I like the win, but I have to get better at pitching out of the stretch so I can get
through six innings,” he said.
June 7, 2017 Page 12 of 15
Daniel Norris (3-3) took the loss, allowing four runs — three earned — five hits and three walks in six
innings. He struck out seven, but allowed two homers.
“I know homers are going to happen, but it seems like every game I have a string of batters where I feel
like I’m losing it,” he said. “I have to get into a better rhythm.”
The loss ended Detroit’s four-game winning streak.
The Angels took a 1-0 lead in the first on Calhoun’s ninth homer of the season, but Norris escaped walking
three batters in the third. He picked off Eric Young, Jr. at second base, then got Albert Pujols to ground out
with two runners on.
Yunel Escobar led off the fourth with a double over Presley’s head in center field, and Cron made it 3-0
with a long homer to left. Presley made another defensive mistake in the fifth, misplaying Calhoun’s single,
and Andrelton Simmons scored from first.
Avila’s ninth homer pulled the Tigers within 4-1 in the sixth, and Upton added an RBI single later in the
inning. Blake Parker replaced Chavez with two outs, and he retired Castellanos to end the inning with
runners on the corners.
“That was our biggest moment of the game,” Scioscia said. “Blake has been great all year, and he stepped
up to get Chavez out of that inning.”
Calhoun, who is hitting .478 (11 for 23) with four home runs during a seven-game hitting streak, added
a sacrifice fly in the seventh.
“Kole had a really tough May, but in his last 20 at-bats, he’s looked like the player we expected,” Scioscia
said.
J.D. Martinez made it 5-3 with a sacrifice fly in the eighth, but Cabrera was thrown out to end the inning
trying to advance to second on a wild pitch.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Angels: The Angels have nine players on the DL, including center fielder Mike Trout (thumb), outfielder
Cameron Maybin (oblique strain) and seven pitchers. Six of the pitchers are on the 60-day DL, with only
Cam Bedrosian (groin) on the 10-day list. Bedrosian is expected to be activated Thursday after a final rehab
outing with Class-A Inland Empire.
Tigers: Detroit originally planned to activate second baseman Ian Kinsler and catcher James McCann (hand
laceration) off the 10-day DL on Tuesday. Kinsler went 1 for 4, but the Tigers decided to send McCann on a
short rehab assignment to Triple-A Toledo. … Right-hander Justin Verlander is expected to throw a bullpen
session on Wednesday or Thursday to test the groin soreness that knocked him out of Sunday’s start.
June 7, 2017 Page 13 of 15
FROM DETROIT FREE PRESS
Cameron Maybin compliments Detroit Tigers fans, bummed to sit series
By George Sipple
Los Angeles Angels outfielder Cameron Maybin is bummed about not being able to play at Comerica
Park for the three-game series against the Tigers that began Monday night.
Maybin, who hit .315 in 94 games for the Detroit Tigers last season, is on the disabled list with an
oblique injury and isn’t slated to return until Friday.
“I got out there today, running around,” Maybin said of Comerica Park. I was thinking, ‘Damn, I play
good here.’ I wish I was going to be on the field. Just the atmosphere, man. The atmosphere I spoke
about last year. The fans are truly amazing here, the way they get behind the guys through the ups and
downs. I’ll definitely miss not playing this series for sure. The fans were incredible to me last year. I
really enjoyed giving them a great effort every day.”
The Tigers traded Maybin in November rather than paying him a $9-million option. By trading him for
right-hand prospect Victor Alcantara, the Tigers saved $1 million they would have paid to buy out the
option.
Maybin said he doesn’t follow the Tigers daily, but checks on how some of his former teammates are
doing. He mentioned Victor Martinez, Miguel Cabrera, Justin Upton and Ian Kinsler.
Asked if the trade stung, Maybin said, “A little bit, to be honest with you. You turn the page and move
on.”
Maybin said he enjoyed his second stint with the Tigers, who drafted him 10th overall in 2005. The
Tigers traded Maybin as part of the deal that landed Cabrera in 2007. The Tigers reacquired Maybin in
November 2015 from the Braves for pitchers Ian Krol and Gabe Speier.
Maybin said he had nothing bad to say about the Tigers, but did say it was a “bummer” to be traded
again. He did say he had “that weird feeling” the Tigers wouldn’t keep him.
Maybin said players have hold him “they miss my energy in the clubhouse.”
When a reporter mentioned the Tigers still don’t have a good situation in centerfield, Maybin said: “The
grass isn’t always greener, like you tend to think in this game sometimes. It’s a part of the business.
Again, being around those guys — I wish whoever they give an opportunity to the best.”
Maybin said Andrew Romine was doing “an outstanding job” for what he’s asked to do.
Maybin, 30, is batting .242 with three home runs and 12 RBIs in 44 games. He had been starting in
leftfield and has played all three outfield positions.
Maybin talked about how Cabrera and first baseman/DH Albert Pujols are both great players, though
June 7, 2017 Page 14 of 15
they have different approaches. Cabrera likes to joke around at times, and Pujols is much more serious.
As for being a teammate of another great player, Maybin said Angels centerfielder Mike Trout stands
out for being so humble.
“I’ve been around guys who are great, who it’s easy to not feel like dealing with certain things,” Maybin
said. “Every day, he’s open to everybody. He’s truly got something special. It’s fun to watch on and off
the field how he carries himself. He’s different, man.”