The Saturday Survey offers readers the opportunity to weigh in on a relevant topic. So here is a poll to gauge the pulse of our baseball-lovin’ peeps.
Today, we center the discussion on the team’s slump and how fans see the season going forward. Is it starting to look like last year?
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!
The Tigers have been taking a nosedive, losing their last 9 games (through Thursday) and about to face the Indians – a team that has beaten them 20 straight times. They are close to setting 2 new records with consecutive losses to AL Central rivals as well as consecutive losses to Cleveland.
Starting pitchers have been exiting games early, the bullpen is now being taxed and the lineup is not bringing in runs. Even Ron Gardenhire is admitting that nothing is working right now.
Is the start to this season merely a hiccup as the team gets acclimated or is this an indicator of another really bad – or even worse – year?
With only 60 games instead of the usual 162, let’s prorate all the wins and losses so that each game this year counts for approximately 2.5 games.
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Totally Tigers 
The 2020 Tigers need to win eight of their final 36 games to surpass their 2019 Won-Lost percentage of .292. They need to win 14 of their final 36 games to surpass their .395 Won-Lost percentage from both the 2017 and the 2018 seasons. I anticipate that the 2020
Tigers will win more than 24 games and they will, thereby, surpass their winning percentages from EACH of the past three seasons.
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I think this team still totally stinks. There are some nice additions like Schoop, and it’s good to see Jones and Candy look like actual big leaguers, but there are still gaping holes everywhere and several guys who don’t belong on a MLB roster.. Sure, they are “better” but I think a 60 game season can be a bit of a mirage. They’ve had brief spells of decent ball under Gardy, but this roster would struggle big time over 162 game schedule.
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With the “kids” coming up, they may actually do better. I like the intensity shown by Paredes at the plate – reminds me of Victor Martinez. Last night’s win at Cleveland struck me as a “changing of the guard” moment with the younger guys showing some fire. And has anyone else noticed that Candelario has the look of a budding team leader?
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Not sure. There are so many moving parts all over the Game with this anomaly of a season that I struggle to make any sensible comparisons. I’m glad we have the sport to watch, and I’m focusing on individual stories and achievements (or not). I AM sure about the ineptitude of our team’s leadership, so any hopes for progress are tempered by that reality.
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It would be hard for them to be as bad as last year. I believe in statistical jargon, the phenomenon is known as a “dead cat bounce”.
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When do you anticipate this small, brief, recovery is going to take place? I haven’t seen it so far.
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At the end of last season, I commented that the Tigers franchise seems motivated to assemble rosters of mediocre players to complete a 162 game season because they must play the games. Last year and this year, same-old same-old. And a theme Holly has discussed, the team culture seems to include a vocabulary list of excuses and rationalizations – many carryovers through recent seasons.
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In nearly every other sport, young players are increasingly showing up ready for the big show (basketball, football, golf, etc). Maybe it’s due to the way sports are taught from early age through college these days. I’m wondering if the Tigers, are over cautious in how they’re handling these young players. And would the better players improve and adjust quicker if thrown into the deep end of the pool – like Torkelson and Greene?
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Talent is a real issue but until they actually change the way they approach and play the games we will not see marked improvement. Still starts at the top and we have a GM and manager that are in place merely because they are, not because of any measurable talent. Just saying.
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What the Tigers do well is hype minor leaguers and spin that player promotion into fan expectations of a better future. Of course, other teams also have young, upcoming talent. What makes for a competitive franchise is superior coaching and training/ development–areas where Detroit remains behind the pack.
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I don’t think they’re as bad as last year, but what little improvement they’ve made is incremental and tokenish…We definitely need a new owner who cares, and a GM who knows what he’s doing.
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When rooting for the Tigers, Lion, and Wings I found my recovery mantra One Day at a Time works best. Sometimes One Minute at a Time. Don’t stew about yesterday or worry about tomorrow, just wait for the next pitch and see.
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