MONDAY MUSINGS

by Holly Horning

Today, it’s about quick hits – bits of news that catch my radar during the week as well as connecting the dots re ongoing stories.  Even the quirky.

So let’s get to it!  Here are the most interesting topics that hit my radar over the past week………..

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Most teams wait until the end of the season in order to do their hirings, firings and promotions.  But not the Tigers.

Curiously, just before the Memorial Day weekend and timed perfectly to avoid as many questions as possible, the Tigers announced several promotions, a presumed demotion and left another employee hanging in the breeze.

First, Ryan Garko understandably got promoted to Assistant GM for his work taking the Tigers up to the 5th best farm system – and sticking there.  The Tigers quickly locked him into the organization for years to come presumably.

Scott Bream, on the other hand, goes from VP Player Personnel to Sr. Advisor, working for both Scott Harris and Jeff Greenberg.  It sounds like a demotion at first glance. Bream was the one responsible for reeling in A. J. Hinch as manager.  But alas, he is still known as part of the old regime and it just may be something he’s unable to overcome.

Another member of the Avila Front Office, Jay Sartori, has an unknown future with the team.  He used to head up the analytics department.

But now, the Tigers went outside the organization and hired Andrew Thomas who is now VP Analytics.  He will report only to Harris and Greenberg – meaning that he’s now top dog.

Jay Sartori’s name was never mentioned in any articles despite his work in the same field.  Don’t be surprised if he quietly slips away at the end of the year.

The churning of personnel continues….

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The Tigers have become very visibly tone-deaf lately.  First, by not answering fans’ concerns about the statements made concerning the signing of free agents.  Specifically that fans shouldn’t expect any signings for 2 years.  It was explained as not yet having a foundation or core of players in which to build around.

But this all came as a shock to many fans.  Scott Harris should have acknowledged fan feelings and said something to help explain why they aren’t yet where they want to be.  Fans were left hanging. Many were very upset if you read the social media threads. 

Sometimes a brief explanation is what they really want instead of mystery.

Shortly thereafter, in response to fan push back, Kirk Gibson was sent to call into a radio show where he alluded to the fact that fans were unjust in their feelings about this team.  Rule #1 – Don’t upset the paying customers by disrespecting them or invalidating their emotions.

Then, after 8 years of experiencing a brutal rebuild, he tells fans that they need to be patient.  This is a respectful blog so I can’t write what I feel like saying to Gibby.  Leave it say that he has now lost a lot of respect by the fan base.

Lastly, the Tigers announced they are building a new club experience at games with premium seating.  They claim that the perk was the top request by fans.

Uh, no, the top request would be a competitive team.

So if they are debuting a premium experience, does that mean it will come with a premium team?

I think we all know the answer to that one.  But I will say that if you want your team to get better sooner rather than later, snapping your wallet shut instead of doling out the dollars is going to get that for you.

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Have you noticed how Scott Harris has taken a page out of Theo Epstein’s book about building a winning team and culture?  Epstein said that to win big you just can’t have players with solid skills.  They need to also have the best work ethic and character.

Harris has gradually said adios to a number of players who haven’t measured up.  Trading Kody Clemens because his social schedule was a priority over playing winter ball.  DFAing Spencer Turnbull because of his self-entitlement and trouble-making ways.  Refusing to have contract extension talks with Eduardo Rodriguez who had requested them after all the trouble he caused for 2 years in a row.

And now, players who have been resistant to coaching are being sent down to Toledo in a exercise of tough love.  Alex Lange has been struggling and acted out on the mound.  He’s now with the Mud Hens. 

As is Matt Manning who was somewhat puzzled when he wasn’t called up for the double-header.  As A. J. Hinch said, Manning was given a list of what he had to work on and he still hasn’t completed it successfully which is why he didn’t see Detroit.

And now we get further proof that Spencer Torkelson has been hard to coach.  First, back in 2022 during his first year in which he struggled.  At the end of the season, there were indications that training during the winter wasn’t at the top of his list.  He made the infamous comment about prioritizing time with his new puppy.  The Tigers that winter send their hitting coaches out to AZ to work with Tork.

And last week, we heard that Spencer has refused to change how he loads and swings at the plate.  He has actually doubled-down on defending his mechanics that go back to college despite putting up some of MLB’s worst stats.

Like Manning, Torkelson isn’t coming back to Detroit until he makes the changes that the Tigers have been suggesting for almost 3 years. In fact, a recent article said we shouldn’t expect Tork to return to Detroit for awhile.

Will the Tigers be sending anyone else down to work on their skills?  Baez is the exception because he can overrule any request due to his veteran status.

Which one of these stories resonated the most with you?

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THE BEST COMMENT FROM YESTERDAY’S BLOG:

from markaumann: “I’m torn but voted no. He won’t be 29 until October and slots between Skubal and Olson as the three best pitchers in the rotation, so there’s that. But he’ll cost big money to re-sign, while Jobe, Madden, Flores, Hurter and Montero are on their way. Flipping Flaherty for some offense wouldn’t be the worst thing at the trade deadline.”

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