Are Craig Monroe's days as a Tiger numbered?

The newest Tiger, Timo Perez, is the hot topic in Detroit today. I'm sure the first question you'll ask is, "Who in the Hell is Timo Perez?"

Timo was called up to take Marcus Thames place on the 25 man roster, as Thames was placed on the 15 day DL this morning. Damn, make a great catch, but blow up your hamstring in the process. I hated to see Thames go down, as he was putting together a very nice stretch of baseball, and was a threat to go yard every at bat.

Now that Thames is out of the equation for (At least) the next 2 weeks, why bring up Timo Perez? Personally, I thought that it would be Chris Shelton getting the call.

I can see where the Perez call up is coming from, in that he was leading Toledo, and the International League, in hitting. He's definitely having a better season that Shelton. More importantly, it also shows the players in the minor league system that if you perform, you will get rewarded. Despite his being considered a 4A player, a minor league depth guy, Perez has performed well, and deserves a shot.

The next question that arises, was Perez brought up only because Craig Monroe's back is hurting? (He did leave last night's game with back spasms) Or...Is it due to the fact that Monroe is having trouble hitting Nichole Ritchie's weight?

"His Clutchiness" of 2006...

Has become the clueless "C-No" of 2007. We miss "His Clutchiness" at TWFE...

It's interesting to note that Perez was immediately inserted into today's starting lineup, while Monroe remained on the bench. I can now hear the rumblings now that Monroe's roster spot is tenuous, at best.

It's sad to see how far Monroe's stock has fallen in the past 2 months. He's proven he can hit at the major league level. Unfortunately, his overall stats have been sliding for the past 3 seasons, despite keeping the power numbers looking decent. But in 2007, Monroe's numbers have dropped through the floor. .267 / .380 / .647 isn't going to cut it from a corner outfielder. Overall, he's the worst regular LF, numbers wise, in all of baseball.

Another issue is that Craig Monroe is not exactly a young ballplayer. He could be one of those players, once he hits the sweet side of 30, who rapidly declines. Thinking of such, I decided to check out C-Mo's Baseball Reference page.

The 2 most similar players by age?

Age 28: Harry Anderson (Not the judge on "Night Court"), who played with the Phillies and Reds in the early 60's, and was out of baseball at 30.

Age 29: Craig Wilson, who put up Monroe-esque numbers with the Pirates in 2003-04. His stats have dropped steadily since, and after being cut by Atlanta (Despite signing a $2 million free agent contract in the off season), he signed with the ChiSox's Triple A team.

Looking at their stat pages doesn't exactly instill much confidence in the belief that Monroe will pull out of his current tailspin.

I really like C-Mo, as he became the TWFE's man-crush in 2006 with his timely hitting. But much like Mike Maroth, he may be the type of player that the Tigers no longer need. They have other options, who are younger (Ryan Raburn), less expensive (Timo Perez), and more talented (Gary Sheffield). Not to forget that outfield uber-prospect Cameron Maybin is expected to make it to Detroit in a year or 2.

If Craig Monroe wants to remain a Tiger, he needs to find his bat. Soon. As in yesterday. Otherwise, you may be seeing a "Thanks for the memories" post, just like Maroth's.