With the holiday season upon us, let’s have some more fun with our newest blog, Would You Rather.
As you will see, the choices aren’t easy – and that’s the way it’s meant to be. But it is meant to stir up some good discussion.
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!
Totally Tigers loves your comments! But please remember that responses are only published if they address today’s topic, are respectful and do not exceed the maximum 3-4 sentence response length. All rules are at: https://totallytigers.wordpress.com/commentsrules/.
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“Give the jobs to youngsters” ? What youngsters ? The Tigers have no position players in the minors who are ready for the big leagues. That is because when Al Avila dumped the contracts of established Detroit players, he was content to accept low-level prospects. To become competitive again, the Tigers will have to acquire free agents.
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I voted for minimal improvement just because my mental physical health demand it. I am usually in favor of bringing in the youngsters but I don’t think my stomach can stand another season like the last and it was almost enough for me return to my old favorite “The Captain”.
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Ideally, I’d rather have prospects.
But since there are really no prospects, you have to speculate on some veteran players to possibly lure more prospects at the trade deadline.
Regardless, its a wash, rinse, spin, dry cycle that will resemble a hamster on a wheel until smeone (anyone) can separate prospects from “suspects”.
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It was a hard choice for me. I voted to play young players but we don’t have that level of players (yet??).
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Last year’s Jake Rogers’ fiasco made this an easy one for me. Jobs should not be given to young players who have not shown they are ready to move up a rung. It doesn’t really help anyone. But of course until this happens it is not really a “rebuild” as the one-year contracts signal that these free agents are stopgaps.
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Hughie, you stated my thoughts exactly.
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I chose to give the jobs to youngsters. Might as well see what they have. I understand not bringing up a kid who is 19 -21 yrs old. However, guys like Funkhouser (25), Faedo (24), Rogers (24) etc. need to be brought up. If they don’t make it now, they aren’t going to. At least not in the Tigers’ system.
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Exactly. If you aren’t a productive regular in the majors by age 24, you’re a suspect not a prospect. Ages of the 1980 Tigers: Parrish 24, Tram 22, Lou 23, Kemp 25, Thompson 25, Gibby 23, Morris 25, Petry 21, Rozema 23. 2019 Tigers: Greiner 26, Lugo 24, Stewart 25, Jones 27, Candelario 25, H Castro 25.
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“Wishin’ and hopin’ and thinkin’ and prayin’ ” that we do have young guys to bring up, I would much rather go that route. It would be more fun, in my mind, to watch the team gel under those circumstances. All the stopgaps do is postpone any real chance at long-term improvement.
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You have to try and be at least minimally competitive at each position. If a player comes up through the minors that shows they can play the position filled by a “stop gap” player, then that prospect should be given the chance. The priority HAS to be young guys for the future but you still need a team you can watch play everyday.
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Agree Steve. The 2 recent signings “appear” to put some bats into the lineup. And, that – we pray – will make our Tigers “somewhat” watchable in 2020.
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While neither alternative is particularly attractive, I voted for minimal improvement, simply because I agree with a lot of my fellow posters that the kids in the pipeline don’t belong in the majors. It is immoral not to make at least some effort to keep faith with the fans. People are paying to see a major league team, and you owe it to them to put some semblance of a major league team on the field.
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I voted #1. Too many rookies spoil the soup. I think a few solid veterans sprinkled in the lineup will help the young players in the long run. The young players had no direction last season.
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I also voted #1. I wish I could consider #2 with any amount of hope, but until the organization purges those associated with player development, training, strategic management, etc. (everyone I guess), I think we’ll continue to have prospects who don’t improve.
Getting the free agents who bring some degree of competence is necessary because the team can’t make it happen itself.
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I voted for #1 because any prospect we have doesn’t seem ready for the “show” and they are “prospects” until they prove their not and secondly I don’t want to sit thru another 2019 although what AA has done so far looks like going from 114 loses to like 100-105 loses and that might be optimistic on my part
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There has to be some experience level if you want what little talent they have in the minors to grow. Leadership by Miggy wouldn’t appear to be a winner-maker. Besides, at this point there really don’t appear to be any youngsters to bring up, they can’t even do the job very well in the minors. Just saying.
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