The Saturday Survey offers another way for readers to weigh in on a relevant topic. So here is a poll to gauge the pulse of our baseball-lovin’ peeps.
As always, we welcome your comments, so please vote and then submit your reasons ( 4 sentences max!) for how you voted in the usual comment box. Don’t forget to come back later and view the results!
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The whole team is a disappointment. The players seem to realize they have limited skills and are playing out the season with little competitive fire, no matter what they say about playing hard. And the lack of fire goes upward to the owner and executives who seem indifferent to having a competitive organization. So many years of rooting for an organization lacking a commitment to always being a top team.
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What you said, Donald. That is the reason I voted for Gardenhire. The team, statistics-wise, is performing much the way I expected. They are winning a little more than I expected. However, I thought Gardy, due to his history of getting the most out of his players, would have them playing better defense and a more exciting brand of baseball. Perhaps that speaks to the top echelons, as you point out, for stocking the team with average AAA players and major league players who won’t be in the majors much longer.
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That history is mostly historical revisionism. He did very little with the Twinkies that a weak division didn’t play a large part. When the division got better (or they got to the playoffs) they reverted to form. Has anyone actually seen any indication of improvement in 1.5 years in Kittie-town? Not likely. Caretaker only, hired due to JL, not any real idea that he would make any difference. With a 3-year contract (or is it 4??), we will see the same for the next 1.5-2.5 years.
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That’s why I voted other, Donald. Agree… the whole darn thing continues (not IS) a complete disappointment. I miss evenings on the porch with the radio call and a beer.
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I’d be shocked if he ever hit 20 homers again or had 100 rbi. May hit 300 however. He is going to hog the DH spot for rest of his contract . Hurts whole team. They can’t rest or put the bad defenders there.
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True Jon, but the bright side might be we stop loading up with station to station types, and start developing players with speed and defensive abilities. I’d rather see Miggy compete for the batting title than the HR title.
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At this point in his career ..and with his slow speed typically clogging the bases ..I’d rather see Miggy compete for the HR crown than the Batting Title. Why? Instant RBI’s! Miggy currently has 4 HR’s ..but would need to be at ~20+ HR’s at this point if seriously competing for the HR title.
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Not at all surprised at Cabby performance he’s been an overpaid singles hitter for at least 3 years now. Disappointed that he still flashes that vapid smile after another bloop into short right field.
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Yes, but if he hits .320 I would be very happy.
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I don’t feel particularly strong toward any of the given choices, so my ‘other’ vote is to the overall organization (ultimately CI). There was no real reason to expect anything better, since nothing in the organization’s leadership or methods has been improved or apparently even changed. So until something happens there, it’s sensible to just expect disappointment. Sad.
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Plenty to gripe about the team, but I voted Gardenhire after that mess last year with the former pitching coach. A few weeks later while speaking with reporters he made a joke using the word “monkey”. That, right there, showed me how dense he is.
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You realize that Gardy didn’t hire Bozio (the pitching coach you’re referring to). He was forced on Gardy, as were most of the coaches. You can’t blame him for that. Although I am a bit disappointed at the sloppy play. I thought that he would have at least cleaned that up a bit more.
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Sorry to disagree but you have to blame him for that. If he had any other options, do you really think he goes to work for ole buddy JL knowing he would have very little say in anything that has to do with the Tigers? He got exactly what he signed up for and accepts that big check with a smile and a shrug. Along with that comes the freedom to fail supported by all of his “followers”. Sad man, IMO.
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Understandable point and possibly valid Doug, but Gardy wouldn’t be the first person lured into a situation without all the facts and insight to poor inner-workings of how things really works. If JL had great influence in Gardy’s hire, it wouldn’t surprise me if he painted a pretty rosy picture, not because he’s devious necessarily, but because he sees it as the way to run things. Back to CI and setting the culture, I think.
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It has nothing to do with who hired the pitching coach. It was Gardy’s unfathomable thoughtless comment that just left me so disappointed. Ugh! You missed my point.
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The only poor performance that surprised me is Nick; I expected the lack of production from the others. While I’m surprised Nick has not done better this year based on his carrying the team in ’17 and ’18, he has not disappointed me. I am very disappointed in AA and Chris I for their numerous terrible decisions including their treatment of Nick.
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Nick has been a slow starter over the years. He didn’t hit on all cylinders until July last year. I kind of expected more of the same out of him, even with it being a contract year.
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I’ve seen pretty much what I expected from everyone on the list except for Nick. Most players outperform in a contract year and the chance to be traded to a contender should be even more incentive. On top of that, watching Nick slap around the bases and stumble after balls he’s misplayed in the outfield reminds me of Rocky Colavito. Rocky sure was flat-footed but at least he had an arm.
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With all of Nick’s struggles you describe, Mcwatt, I can’t help wonder if the Tigers will sign Leonys Martin now that the Indians have cut him loose. He could make for a nice replacement for Nick. He’d be cheap! Just what CI is looking for!
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They all deserve consideration as we dig through layer after layer of this train wreck. I picked Miggy though. Zimmermann’ ship sailed after his first month in 2016. Nick is having a -meh- season. But given he has missed very few games, HOF bound slugger Miggy posting but 4 long balls through close to mid-season is ridiculous in a season where individual and team home run records are being shattered in MLB.
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Jimenez. I thought he had a real chance to take a significant step forward. There is a pattern of young relievers with big arms flaming out with the Tigers–Zumaya, Rondon, and now JJ. A rational organization would address this pattern, and change things up.
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Did you think JJ would take off, no cynic? Or were you hoping he would. For me it was hope. He has never showed us the consistency that warranted any high expectations.
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I voted for “other”. Specifically with front office/management in mind. But they have been making a hash of it for years, so I am not surprised.
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