Rugburn

"Tigers Manager Jim Leyland Praises Ryan Raburn Daily," reads the headline of this morning's Detroit News Tiger "Notebook" article.

"He's someone I think is a good player, someone who doesn't know how good he is," said the skipper of the guy who, on May 12, isn't even hitting Maggie's weight (.128), but whose name regularly appears in the starting lineup. The Resident Managerial Genius goes on to add more reasons why he deserves a Bobblehead Night sometime this season, the sooner the better.

This I've learned from watching baseball for 50 years, and reading about it, especially over the last 20 or so seasons:

When a guy who's hitting, or pitching, well, who seems to be a good fit, is mysteriously traded, waived in mid-season,  or allowed to walk, there's usually an off-the-field, non-baseball reason why. The same is true for a non-productive player who sticks around, and around, defying conventional baseball logic and common sense.

Anyone who has 11 hits in 86 at-bats and is still playing must have some kind of behind-the scenes leverage that keeps him on the team.