MONDAY MUSINGS

by Holly Horning

Throughout the week, there are so many smaller stories hitting the media.  They may be bite-size, but often they are just as important as the headline-grabbing news.  Sometimes, even more.

And that’s what brings me to today.  A way to discuss some of these stories. A way to bring them out in the open for discussion.

And that’s the plan for Mondays.  Keeping track of these mighty little bits that hit my radar throughout the week and sharing them with you today because I know one or more will also resonate with you. So, let’s kick off this week’s musings…

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Is there another factor that could sway Chris Ilitch to get rid of his GM?  If what happened to the Rockies former GM is any indication, then yes.  A number of this GM’s players were known to be upset over his comments and promises to them. He was finally fired (or “resigned”).

It seems that Al Avila is following in his footsteps by also angering his players. 

This time, Tarik Skubal.

Several years ago, Avila broadcast how no teams wanted Nick Castellanos and how hard it was to trade him.  You simply don’t insult and embarrass someone with whom you work.  It was so unprofessional.

And it left a bad taste in Castellanos’ mouth.

So now, national reports are revealing that Skubal is none too happy with what’s happening to him.  And it has to do with the Tigers broadcasting to every other team that Skubal is for sale.

We don’t know the exact details but reporters say that Tarik heard the stories and reacted unhappily.  When asked to clarify, he said “I’m not gonna comment on that.  I won’t. I’m gonna keep those (thoughts) to myself, too.”

Earlier that day, Tarik was throwing things in the dugout in reaction to an inning and most probably the pressure of an uncertain future.

But in acknowledgement that he may be gone soon, he made sure to insist that the sports writers reported about how much he appreciated the fans.  And he spoke as if he wouldn’t see them again.

Maybe the anger was over the words he heard.  Or maybe it was the promise about his role in the rotation and the Tigers’ future.  Only now, it appears this team is headed for another rebuild.

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Great teams have great coaches and if you’re looking for the best pitching coach of all time, it’s Leo Mazzone, who developed and oversaw the Atlanta Braves pitching program.  Over the weekend, he did an amazing interview on MLB Radio about his career and philosophy. 

Mazzone just got inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame.  He is the first coach ever to be inducted into any team’s Hall and is included on everyone’s list of baseball’s top 10 coaches of all time.

While many Tiger fans bemoan the trade of John Smoltz to Atlanta, he would not be the great pitcher he was if he stayed in Detroit.  Leo completely broke down his entire pitching form and rebuild it.

John became a completely different pitcher.  Leo deserves full credit. In fact, in his induction speech, Smoltz thanked Mazzone immediately at the beginning of his speech.

In 7 years (1991 – 1998), Mazzone turned out 3 pitchers who won 6 Cy Young Awards – Smoltz, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine.

But something the interview brought out, piqued my attention.  Under Mazzone, the Braves only had 2 home-grown pitchers in 15 years who required Tommy John surgery.

That’s extraordinary.

Especially when you consider that at least 1 Tiger per year undergoes the procedure. Turnbull, Mize, Garcia, Fulmer, Faedo and a number of pitching prospects just recently.

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Just before the All-Star break, Jeimer Candelario did an interview with multiple reporters gathered around his locker.  There were 3 very interesting observations that came out of it.

First of all, the writers for the 2 major Detroit dailies published pieces that went out of their way to paint a positive picture by excluding a lot of material.  The national reporters wrote much more, offered substantial quotes and painted a more accurate picture.

It was not a flattering portrait of Candelario.  He came across as defensive and unwilling to recognize just how deep a hole he has dug for himself.  A few bon mots:

“(It’s) not just on me because not one (person) is gonna do it all.  You see LeBron James in the NBA, he’s the best player, and he cannot do it all. It’s a game that takes a lot of people involved to win ballgames and to (have) a successful season.”

 “I wouldn’t say I’ve struggled. I’d say I just got to make the plays to win ballgames. Just got to continue to work really hard, and I know everything’s gonna be all right.”

It appears that hitting .191 at the time of this interview does not qualify as “struggling.”

And who knows how many other of his teammates share the same beliefs.

Lastly, right after these stories appeared, Jeimer really picked it up at the plate.  Was it the national attention that motivated him?

No, because we found out that during the All-Star break, he went home and spent 3 days with his former hitting coach.

What does that say about Scott Coolbaugh?

Which one of these stories resonated the most with you?

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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday?

• More intell on what the Tigers are telling other teams.

Why should you follow Totally Tigers https://twitter.com/totallytigersbb on Twitter?

• We tweet out breaking news before it’s published in the sports pages. The best news from the best sources.
• Want more than 1 Totally Tigers fix every day? How about throughout the day?

DEEPER DISCUSSIONS

With the MLB trade deadline just days away, multiple reports have the Tigers offering Tarik Skubal as trade bait.  This, despite a decimated rotation in which he is the sole remaining original starting pitcher.

The Tigers have often stated that Skubal was going to be an instrumental part of their rebuilding process and help the team return to competitiveness.

Detroit has drafted with a “pitcher priority” philosophy, however this method has contributed to the team’s current severe lack of offensive options.  The Tigers are believed to put Skubal on the trading block because they desperately need bats and there are no real solutions down in the farm system.

Skubal is only 25 years old and making $713,000.  He’s under team control for another 4+ years.  All of this is highly desirable to baseball organizations – an added plus on top of the talent.

Currently, he is the best pitcher on the team and expected to evolve into a top end of the rotation.

Should the Tigers trade him and risk having him turn into a tremendous pitcher with another organization? Or should they gamble and try to get some players who can add offense?

Today’s blog addresses this dilemma and allows readers to share their thoughts in more detail. And hopefully, to actively engage with others by responding to their posts and creating back-and-forth discussion threads. The more the merrier!

For this one blog only, you’ve got 6 sentences max to share your thoughts. Of course, you can respond to as many other readers as you want.

TT will supply the ammunition. One thought-provoking question. Several options provided. One hard choice to be selected. One vote.

Ready?

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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday?

• Why is Sunday’s game so important for the Tigers?

Why should you follow Totally Tigers https://twitter.com/totallytigersbb on Twitter?

• We tweet out breaking news before it’s published in the sports pages. The best news from the best sources.
• Want more than 1 Totally Tigers fix every day? How about throughout the day?

SATURDAY SURVEY

The MLB trade deadline is Tuesday, August 2^nd.  Multiple reports have the Tigers telling teams that almost everyone, including Tarik Skubal, is available.

It is also reported that positional players would not fetch much at all in terms of a return.  It is expected that any Tigers traded will be pitchers.

Al Avila took over as the Tigers’ GM in 2015.  He oversaw the tear down of the roster and traded off all of the talent (save Miguel Cabrera) over the course of 3 years.  This year, he traded for Tucker Barnhart and Austin Meadows.

As the Tigers face this year’s deadline, they are hoping to swap players for prospects and offense.

How confident are you in Avila’s ability to improve this team by making a solid trade or two?

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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday?

• First Nick Castellanos. Now it’s Tarik Skubal.

Why should you follow Totally Tigers https://twitter.com/totallytigersbb on Twitter?

• We tweet out breaking news before it’s published in the sports pages. The best news from the best sources.
• Want more than 1 Totally Tigers fix every day? How about throughout the day?

FIVE FOR FRIDAY

by Holly Horning

When it comes to running and developing a baseball organization, each team has its own system for putting out their product.  This is true for the very good teams, the average, mediocre and poor ones. 

Some teams will vary in how they are classified from time to time.  It can take a change in ownership, front office leadership, financial concerns and decisions related to their other businesses.

When organizations take a turn for the worse, we need to look at the factors involved.  Is poor performance a temporary situation or does it appear to be long-term?  Is the team run well but having a momentary lapse of competitiveness?  Or is the organization dysfunctional despite having solid resources?  And then there are the teams that seem to have fallen through the cracks and don’t understand or care enough to improve their situations.

We currently can’t say with absolute certainty into which category the Tigers will fall and remain.  Chris Ilitch took over during the 2017 season and has only been in charge for 3 full seasons and 2 partial ones.  With any sports team, turnaround often takes awhile before we see the true characteristics of the organization.  And in this case, we need to take into consideration that the team was being torn down most of these years and may not reflect the actual intent.

Or at least we can hope.

But now, both Ilitch and GM Al Avila have told everyone that the “rebuild is over.”  It’s time to start looking at the team with fresh eyes to see if they are on the right track.

I believe everyone is in agreement that they aren’t.  That this is the first year in which significant money was poured into the roster and didn’t make a single bit of difference.  And then there’s knowing that the team will finish much worse than they did last year – and may even hit double digits yet once again in losses.  That’s what tanking teams do, not ones that are rebuilding.

Everything this year, except for the bullpen, has been a mess.  For the first time in years, so many fans are saying that the Tigers are literally “unwatchable.”

We’ve seen the problems almost all year long.    But things are getting worse. 

This is no longer about a bad team.  Increasingly, we are seeing the hallmarks of an organization that is being ruled by incompetency.

It just didn’t happen, but it’s been hidden for awhile. 

Before Chris took over,  Mike Ilitch threw more money at the roster than 28 other teams.  Money has a tendency to cover up a lot of mistakes and bad management. 

But now that Chris is in charge, those insane payrolls are gone.  This means that organizational talent must rise to the occasion.

And so far, they are falling way short.  In fact, we’re seeing problems that have been around for awhile becoming bigger and more noticeable. 

And because of this, the Tigers are increasingly being exposed.  And everyone is noticing it.

We’re aware of the ongoing problems but now we’re seeing these problems reach critical mass, especially lately.

So today, here is my top 5 list of the most recent biggest changes and growing problems the Tigers have to address as soon as possible.  They are so large that they have reached the point of no return and the team must ensure that they are resolved before next season.

1. RETURN TO THE BARGAIN BASEMENT BIN

Granted, there are tons of injuries to pitchers but the Tigers have been going on a spree signing multiple DFA’d pitchers in addition to pitchers on their current roster who have been DFA’d 3+ times and keep returning to the club to pitch.  Recently, 3 pitchers, including Daniel Norris, who have been assigned to Toledo.  The Tigers are looking to turn Norris back into a starting pitcher and bring him up in August.

The rationale for this is undoubtedly due to significant injuries and pitcher limitations, but also because the Tigers are hoping to sell off some of their current top pitchers. As it is, the Tigers have currently used 15 different starting pitchers this year, which leads MLB.

These moves scream desperation and a lack of sufficient depth in the minors, especially for a team that is in free-fall.  It also is damning proof of the next category….

2. UNACCEPTABLE TRAINING AND CONDITIONING

The vast number of injuries to Tiger players hasn’t gone unnoticed in the national baseball reports.  It is just ridiculous at the vast amount of players, especially pitchers, who are injured (not including those who sustained injuries by hit balls during a game).  At one point recently, the Tigers were losing 1 pitcher per day for 4 days straight.  This is not normal and cannot be excused by bad luck or being “overworked.”

If everyone is getting injured, it points to a lack of proper and current conditioning.  It’s always been bad with this team but if this horrendous year doesn’t get the entire T&C staff (and maybe even some medical personnel) broomed, I don’t know what will.  Imagine what this team could have looked like, especially the starting rotation, if the right people were in charge.

3. FANS REVOLTING

We’re well beyond noticing the unhappy fans who complain.  We’re at the point now where they are taking action.  Tweets going viral on a regular basis with #fireavila.  And now, the growing group of fans who are organizing protests at games, complete with chanting, signs and sporting paper bags over their heads.

They’ve waited long enough.  And it’s no longer an issue of waiting for the team to rebuild.  It’s all about the incompetence of the GM.

4. POOR MLB REPUTATION

Other teams are talking about the Tigers and none of it is flattering.  They are anonymously speaking poorly of Al Avila to the press and how he is in over his head.  They question the goals of the team and the steps of the rebuild.   

We’re now reading these reports weekly.  Expect more as the trade deadline approaches.

5. NATIONAL MEDIA

It started in earnest 3 weeks ago and has picked up speed.  Multiple articles in the major national media (and now 3 segments on MLB Radio) about how bad the Tigers organization is and how Al Avila is not up to the task of rebuilding this team.  Many questions about the team’s flip flopping on where they are headed and even if the Tigers know what they want.  Multiple articles questioning this year’s free agent signings.

As I write this, yet another national article that pulls no punches in discussing Al Avila’s ineptness and history of mistakes. A piece that doubts Avila’s ability to rebuild this franchise.

The chorus of national sportswriters are now so prominent in their assessments that the local media is now emboldened and joining the chorus.

Once that Pandora’s box is opened, the media will continue to have a field day.  And right now, they are painting the Tigers as the most incompetent baseball organization.

Can you think of another recent development that has reached the critical mass stage?

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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday?

• Yet another national article highly critical of Al Avila’s work.

Why should you follow Totally Tigers https://twitter.com/totallytigersbb on Twitter?

• We tweet out breaking news before it’s published in the sports pages. The best news from the best sources.
• Want more than 1 Totally Tigers fix every day? How about throughout the day?

REBUILDING THE REBUILD

by Holly Horning

Another day, another scathing article by the national media about the Tigers’ rebuild.  It came from Ken Rosenthal once again.

It seems he has the Tigers’ number.  Watching train wrecks has a tendency to keep one’s attention.

In his article, he admits that more than a couple baseball executives from other organizations have told him that the Tigers have been reaching out.  To tell them that “just about everyone” of Detroit’s players is available for trade.  Even Tarik Skubal.

And with that announcement, it’s official.

This rebuild is broken.

The Tigers are once again looking to tear down and rebuild. How much is the question.

But it’s clear that the rebuild is going to be rebuilt.

It’s one thing when you are out of the running for a playoff spot and naturally hope to sell off a couple players near the end of the year.  Or players who are in the last year of their contract and will be leaving anyway.

It’s a completely different ballgame when you are looking to sell off your only viable starting pitcher this year.  The same guy you told fans was going to be an anchor on the competitive team being formed.

Of added alarm, Skubal is only 25 years old and making $713,000.  He’s under team control for another 4+ years.

This is just beyond sad.

And insane.

And desperate.

With all the other pitchers injured or rehabbing from surgery, are you really going to trade your only remaining standing starter?

Have things gotten so bad for the Tigers that they are considering this?

Is this team now stuck in an endless rebuilding process?  When things don’t work, are all the young promising players sold off in order to do this all over again?  Hoping to get it right the second time around?

As it is, the Tigers appear to be prepping for the trade deadline and potentially losing multiple pitchers. This week, they signed 3 pitchers who were DFA’d by other teams to contracts in Toledo. One of them is Daniel Norris.

Let’s remember that Al Avila did say that mistakes were “probably” made this year by the Front Office and they were hoping to correct them.

This is their solution.

It’s a clear sign that this rebuild is not working and Al Avila is now considering desperate measures in order to reverse course.

So what can we read into Al Avila’s message that the Tigers are opening their doors to all available offers?

First, the roster overall. This collection of players is embarrassingly bad.  Record-setting bad as it appears to be playing out.

And if you are looking to trade some players, it’s going to be challenging.  As Rosenthal summarizes “None of their position players would figure to bring a strong return.”

It’s the pitchers who are most valuable.  Could the Tigers be forced to trade them because they can’t sell off anyone else?

It’s also a telling statement about the farm system.  The desire to shed more players than expected may be because the Tigers don’t see any top prospects coming up from the minors anytime soon in order to replace positional players like Barnhart, Candelario and Grossman.

It’s also a statement about the team’s offense.  This organization is desperate for hitters and can’t develop them to save their lives.  The only way they will get them is via trade.

But in order to get a slugger, the Tigers are going to have to give up something valuable.

Like Skubal.

It’s also very possible that Chris Ilitch sat Al down for a talk.  He can’t possibly be happy spending $243 mill on free agents and getting almost nothing in return. No matter what you think about Ilitch, he’s not going to sit there silently without expressing how upset he is about really bad results.  It’s unlikely Chris will be willing to open his checkbook next year and have the same thing happen again without some major changes being implemented.

What are the chances he told Avila that he won’t be spending in the off-season and that Al has to build next year’s roster via mostly trades?

Ilitch has done this before.  When his father was ailing and Chris took over temporarily, he refused to allow Dave Dombrowski to sign Joe Nathan until some salary was cut.  Just hours after he traded Doug Fister, money was freed up for Nathan.

Ilitch isn’t going to simply shrug his shoulders over these huge financial losses.

Logically, Avila’s full-on “everything must go” trade mode is not being done voluntarily.  He’s either been told to do it or has been given certain parameters that must be met which is forcing him to go this route.

But now we get to the most terrifying part of this whole situation.

Avila is going to be in charge of trading away his players.

Again.

And we know all too well what has happened in the past.

When your 7-year track record shows that almost every single trade you made was a fleecing by the other team, it’s not due to coincidence or bad luck.

It’s because you are horrible at your job.

In what insane world is this same GM being allowed to oversee another roster dump?  Who else isn’t currently thinking that a trade of Tarik Skubal could easily end up becoming as infamous as the Verlander trade?

And what sane owner would allow the same man who failed at the first rebuild to oversee the second?

Only in Detroit…..

We can hope that Chris Ilitch has put safeguards in place to prevent further grand larceny by other teams.  Undoubtedly, every other organization in need of players has Al on speed dial and thinking it’s about to become Christmas in July.

The only thing we don’t know is how much more of this Chris Ilitch needs to see before he makes a move to find a new GM.  It won’t happen before the trade deadline or even before Lou Whitaker’s jersey retirement ceremony on August 6^th. Distractions, especially messy ones, are not needed especially when a special event is around the corner.

But maybe Chris should go sit with the new group #FireAvila at Comerica.  Entire sections of fans with signs and paper bags over their heads and chanting “Fire Avila!” during the games.  He may just learn something.

Don’t see your comment? Comments are limited to a maximum of 3 sentences. Please make sure to check out the other rules for posting under the link at the top of the page.

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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday?

• Was an unflattering article the inspiration for this Tiger to motivate himself?
• Another sign that the Tigers are prepping for the trade deadline.

Why should you follow Totally Tigers https://twitter.com/totallytigersbb on Twitter?

• We tweet out breaking news before it’s published in the sports pages. The best news from the best sources.
• Want more than 1 Totally Tigers fix every day? How about throughout the day?

WATERCOOLER WEDNESDAY

Today, another opportunity for readers to discuss the hottest topics in a forum where thoughtful dialog and a variety of opinions are welcomed.

Let’s create some running conversational threads.  And for those of you still going into offices, here’s a question to take with you – or use via Zoom – as you talk to your co-workers.

Here is today’s topic:
 
The Detroit Tigers are having a worse season than last year and are flirting with returning to another 100 loss season after finishing in third place with a .475 WL% in 2021.  All of this despite both Chris Ilitch and Al Avila saying the “rebuild is over.”

Ilitch spent over $243 million on free agents alone this year, none of whom have much of an impact. And over half of the roster is underperforming.  The team is on a pace to set a historical Tigers record – as well as MLB – for fewest runs ever scored.

But the Tigers have been saddled with many injuries this year, especially to the starting rotation which lost all but one of their Opening Day pitchers.

This year also saw the emergence of some highly-touted rookies acquired from the years of tanking.  All but one are either injured or have been sent back to Toledo.

From what you see this year, what do you think of the Tigers’ current rebuild?

Is it going as you expected with a slight detour?

Has the progress been derailed for the year due to situations beyond their control, such as injuries?

Or is this a sign that the rebuild is not working as planned?

What do you think?

Don’t see your comment? Comments are limited to a maximum of 3 sentences. Please make sure to check out the other rules for posting under the link at the top of the page.

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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday?

• Ken Rosenthal’s scoop on the Tigers’ trade deadline.
• A local writer continues his questionable writing.

Why should you follow Totally Tigers https://twitter.com/totallytigersbb on Twitter?

• We tweet out breaking news before it’s published in the sports pages. The best news from the best sources.
• Want more than 1 Totally Tigers fix every day? How about throughout the day?

HOW LOW CAN THEY GO?

by Holly Horning

On Sunday, I turned on the game.  It didn’t take long for me to regret it.

And before too long, I was wondering if I picked the wrong baseball event to watch.  Would it have been more enjoyable to watch David Ortiz, of all people, get inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame?

That’s how bad things are getting with these Tigers.

It’s a new level of bad.

A more concerning level of bad.

Especially concerning when the owner and GM publicly declare that the “rebuild is over.”

How could they have been so wrong?  Are they just so out of their depth that they can’t see how terribly wrong this rebuild has been playing out?

In the beginning, we knew what the expectations were.  Salary dumps were happening with regularity.  AAAA players were filling roster spots, merely to keep things warm.  An old manager and his unemployed friends were hired to be the babysitters.

We had expectations that these 2017-2020 teams would be horrible.

But not this current team.  We expected it to be marginally better than the 2021 team which finished with a .475 WL%.  A new respected manager, top coaches and a whole new player development system were signals that this organization was starting to emerge from the muck.  That things would only get better going forward.

Top prospects were being collected and we breathlessly awaited their debuts.  And then, the owner opened his wallet and shelled out $243 million on free agents.  Ilitch promised us that he would spend “when the time was right.”

We thought it was.

To say this current season is a

is an understatement.

Not just bad but alarmingly so.  And it’s appearing that this isn’t merely just a run of bad luck or an off year but it’s increasingly pointing to a fatal rebuilding plan that simply won’t work as constructed.

A rebuilding plan, at the rate it is going, will take a minimum of another 4+ years just to get the team to solid status. And I’m being optimistic.

Let us count the ways this plan has gone bad:

• An overwhelming and alarming number of injuries that include daily new IL additions, esp. among the pitchers.
• A record number of players requiring surgery.
• Three new positional players and 3 new pitchers who simply haven’t had much of an impact at all.
• The majority of the starting positional players all having the worst years of their careers at the same time.
• An overabundance of outfielders yet none, other than Riley Greene, capable of earning a permanent slot.
• A team about to set both an MLB record and historical team one dating back to 1901 for fewest runs scored.
• Weekly bullpen game starts due to a lack of viable starting pitchers.
• Weekly games requiring positional players to have to come in and pitch.
• A farm system that has dropped dramatically in the rankings now that a handful of players have been called up, showing a lack of depth.

This was supposed to be the year in which this team turned the corner.  Especially after finishing close to .500 in 2021.  Now it appears the Tigers are in danger of losing yet another 100 games.

This rebuild is getting worse, not better.

And you can see it in the games.  They are, simply, unwatchable.  The quality of these games is worse than last year.  Maybe even the year before that.

These events can be described as sloppy, uninspiring and anemic.

Mize, Manning, Skubal, Turnbull, Torkelson and Greene.  Out of all of these top prospects the organization was relying upon to bring this team back, only 1 is working out so far.  And all those injuries have significantly dampened the progress of 3 others.

When you look into the minors to see who else is in the wings, there’s not many we feel confident about.  And again, so many of the prospects we were hoping to see sooner rather than later are injured.  Their progress delayed.

It’s alarming when some sportswriters are pinning their hopes on a Rule 5 player like Akil Baddoo to turn this team around.  Or for a single player like Riley Greene, a rookie of all people, to be expected to hoist the entire team on his back and take them to a competitive level.

It’s insanity.

And this is all the result of desperation because there really is no one else.  People are grabbing at straws. No one is ready to publicly admit that the rebuild is failing as it is currently constructed.

The farm system that so many lauded, is getting drier in upcoming prospects.  There is no one else we can readily point to with confidence now that Greene has been promoted.

Riley has come back down to earth offensively.  The best players right now are a 39-year old, a Rule 5 guy and a utility player.  Only Miggy plays full time.

This is what we have after 6 years of rebuilding.  It’s shameful.

And if we’re honest, all the position players, save Baez, Schoop and Greene, would have backup roles on every other team in MLB.

Other than Baez and Greene, no one else (excluding pitchers) is going to be on this roster when (or if) this team gets better.

The Tigers really have not advanced very far in their rebuilding efforts despite what their GM and certain local reporters are trying to tell us.

And now, this team is on the verge of crashing.  Sitting in last place in the AL Central (through Sunday).  Now the 4^th worst team in all of MLB and falling.

There are no solutions for improvement.  The Tigers have dug so far into the farm system for replacements that there is almost no one else left to call up.  A whopping 20 players on the IL with 6 of them out for the year.

It’s going to get even worse if any players are traded within the next week.

This entire Tigers system has been taxed well beyond what they could possibly absorb.  Taxed with lack of talent, depth and injuries.  Much of it self-induced.

You hear it in A. J. Hinch’s voice.  You see it in his face.  He is a very unhappy man at the moment.

Hinch is diplomatically alluding to the problems this organization currently faces – and it’s not just about this year.  He talks about the future.

Especially the changes that need to be made.  Changes, that if not made, will define the term “insanity”.  He talks about players who need to sit and alludes to personnel changes that need to happen.

And I’m sure he’s thinking about how next year’s roster is going to be filled.  The Tigers will need to replace their primary catcher and third baseman.  And what about their first baseman?  Will Torkelson figure things out? And who is going to join Greene in the outfield? Not to mention the holes created in the starting rotation.

It’s apparent that the Tigers have not found many solutions to their roster after 7 years – a lifetime in baseball – of rebuilding.  It’s ridiculous.

Who knew that this year was going to be the worst year so far in this rebuild?  That’s the most troubling aspect about this team.

They aren’t moving forward.  They are going backward.

And this has to force the Tigers into making seismic changes to their organization when the season ends.  We’re talking more than a hitting coach.

When an owner plunks down a quarter of a billion dollars to see it make no difference whatsoever……when only 1 top prospect sticks in Detroit….. when injuries take out almost an entire starting rotation and its replacements…when a revolving door has been built between Detroit and Toledo….when the Tigers simply have a zero success rate for developing and promoting infielders……

…this is something systemic to the organization that involves multiple personnel and departments.  The new Player Development department is a start but it’s going to take years to see a tangible difference. 

And in the end, it’s going to be the same old people making the same old decisions.  How good is player development going to be when poor decisions continue to be made in drafting and trading for less than ideal prospects?

How many more years of this will we be subjected to watching?  The Tigers have been bad in the past.  But now they are literally unwatchable.  And that’s the big difference.

They have reached new low levels.  Levels so low that it now requires owner intervention.

If Chris Ilitch was forced to sit and watch an entire game, he’d see this, too.

Let’s hope he turns on his tv to see what his money has bought.

Don’t see your comment? Comments are limited to a maximum of 3 sentences. Please make sure to check out the other rules for posting under the link at the top of the page.

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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday?

• Another day, another IL stint. How many now?

Why should you follow Totally Tigers https://twitter.com/totallytigersbb on Twitter?

• We tweet out breaking news before it’s published in the sports pages. The best news from the best sources.
• Want more than 1 Totally Tigers fix every day? How about throughout the day?

MONDAY MUSINGS

by Holly Horning

Throughout the week, there are so many smaller stories hitting the media.  They may be bite-size, but often they are just as important as the headline-grabbing news.  Sometimes, even more.

And that’s what brings me to today.  A way to discuss some of these stories. A way to bring them out in the open for discussion.

And that’s the plan for Mondays.  Keeping track of these mighty little bits that hit my radar throughout the week and sharing them with you today because I know one or more will also resonate with you. So, let’s kick off this week’s musings…

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Half of last week was devoted to the All-Star Game and surrounding festivities so let’s address a couple of the standout observations.

I stopped watching the ASG years ago but happened to accidentally catch a glimpse of it Tuesday night. David Ortiz was literally running around with a microphone interviewing players and celebs.  The whole segment was so hurried, slapdash and horrible with snubs galore as he bypassed the historic elements of the game in favor of the latest and greatest. It was embarrassing to watch him completely ignore Willie Horton who was sitting next to the man he was interviewing.

But wait, there was something more egregious that happened. The game was being played but the action wasn’t being covered. Isn’t the contest the primary focus? Not at Fox where the actual game was often relegated to a small box while favoring Ortiz doing his schtick.

In one such moment, you could barely make out that it was Miguel Cabrera at the plate. No one was calling the game even though there was action on the field. Instead, you were forced to listen to Big Papi fanboying over the latest celeb.   

The game was secondary to the entertainment.

Speaking of which, MLB decided that “modern touches” would draw younger viewers to its fanbase so they did……. a red carpet fashion show.  I’m not making this up.  Players, their wives and their children all dressed up and parading down a runway. 

To say it was atrocious is an understatement. I don’t know what was worse – the clothing that would never be worn in public, the players and their children wearing identical outfits, babies wearing sunglasses or….. men wearing mules (backless shoes).  You can’t unsee this.  And I speak as an image consultant who has dressed a professional athlete or two. Suffice it to say I would never let a client look like this.

But if you want to view this horror show (it is great entertainment), here is a link to the pics.  Just make sure you’re not drinking your morning coffee as you view it.

Fortunately, Miguel Cabrera looked great. Wish I could say the same for Martin Perez, Joc Pederson and Paul Blackburn who earn my worst-dressed awards.

https://nypost.com/2022/07/19/the-2022-mlb-all-star-game-red-carpet-arrivals/#25

You’ll also notice that Justin Verlander has gone Hollywood in his attire but it’s his wife, Kate Upton, who decided that she’d use this event in an attempt to jump start her career after having last worked in 2017. This was JV’s day, not hers, but we were treated to 3 days of extensive interviews she scheduled (including during the All-Star Game) in order to promote herself over her husband.

She barely mentioned him as she talked to reporters and certainly didn’t discuss baseball which is what this 3-day event was about. And yet, JV is the best pitcher currently in all of MLB with 13 wins (leads all of MLB) and a 1.86 ERA.  Had he not pitched recently, he would have been the AL’s starter.

All of the above is why the game continues to lose support and bleed fans. Viewership was at all all-time low – a full 10% decline since last year’s game.  The focus was on fluff instead of the sport.  Obviously someone thought that flash and fashion would bring in more viewers.

And that’s what is most sad about baseball’s leadership. That they are trying superficial solutions to try to grow the game instead of making a meaningful inroad that addresses the quality of watching a game.

What was really telling? The game was not even close to being sold out.  Estimates had over one-third of the seats empty despite a last-minute attempt to sell discounted tickets.

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Late last week, there was a new partnership in the radio booth.  Erie’s AA broadcaster Greg Gania paired with Doug Fister (yes, that Doug Fister) to call the game.  And fans universally loved them.

As I skimmed through Twitter, hundreds were commenting about Gania’s skills, many saying he “crushed” it.  And logically, these 2 should be calling all of next season’s games – on tv.  It’s the easiest and best solution that Bally could make. Potentially, they could even make the games somewhat watchable in comparison to the dreck we are currently being forced to watch.

Just in case, Totally Tigers tweeted this suggestion to Bally Sports Detroit. 🙏

Which of these topics – or discussion points – resonated the most with you?

Don’t see your comment? Comments are limited to a maximum of 3 sentences. Please make sure to check out the other rules for posting under the link at the top of the page.

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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday?

• TT‘s sad commentary on the state of Sunday’s game.
• There are no other teams in MLB doing this with regularity. Only the Tigers.

Why should you follow Totally Tigers https://twitter.com/totallytigersbb on Twitter?

• We tweet out breaking news before it’s published in the sports pages. The best news from the best sources.
• Want more than 1 Totally Tigers fix every day? How about throughout the day?

DEEPER DISCUSSIONS

With 18 MLB teams technically in the hunt for post-season playoffs, the trade deadline action is starting to heat up.

The Tigers will once again be sellers and their bullpen, ranked #3 in MLB, is expected to receive much attention by teams looking to beef up.

The Tigers starting rotation ranks #29 and their offense is last and about to set historic records.  The bullpen is the only positive part of this roster. Given the almost complete destruction of the starting rotation, is the bullpen even more important to this team?

Should the Tigers entertain offers on their relievers?  Soto?  Cisneros? Fulmer?  The latter is in his last year before he becomes a free agent and is expected to command a hefty multi-year contract.

Should the Tigers accept offers from other teams in order to get prospects or players who can come in and fill holes?  Will the trade-off be worth it?

Or does the team need these players for next year? Should they keep Michael Fulmer for the rest of the year before he presumably leaves for another team?

Today’s blog addresses this dilemma and allows readers to share their thoughts in more detail. And hopefully, to actively engage with others by responding to their posts and creating back-and-forth discussion threads. The more the merrier!

For this one blog only, you’ve got 6 sentences max to share your thoughts. Of course, you can respond to as many other readers as you want.

TT will supply the ammunition. One thought-provoking question. Several options provided. One hard choice to be selected. One vote.

Ready?

Should the Tigers sell off any of their relievers?

Don’t see your comment? Please make sure to check out the other rules for posting under the link at the top of the page.

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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday?

• Guess who got back in touch with the Tigers?
• Injuries continue to take a bit out of this team. Two players who are not likely to see action for the rest of the year.

Why should you follow Totally Tigers https://twitter.com/totallytigersbb on Twitter?

• We tweet out breaking news before it’s published in the sports pages. The best news from the best sources.
• Want more than 1 Totally Tigers fix every day? How about throughout the day?

SATURDAY SURVEY

Detroit Tigers GM, Al Avila, has been coming under increasing scrutiny this year for his efforts in rebuilding the team.  Avila has been the GM since 2015.

First, it was a series of national articles and radio shows that analyzed his moves in trading, drafting and signing talent.  Lately, Detroit’s local media has joined them in the criticism.  Both have come to the conclusion that Avila has not made any impactful moves to help this team move forward. 

At the beginning of the year, Al (and Chris Ilitch) said that the rebuild was over.  However, this team has significantly regressed since last year and are once again on track to lose 90+ – 100 games this season. 

The Tigers officially started the rebuilding process 6 years ago (if you don’t count the roster dumping that started in 2015) and it is expected that it will take a number of additional years before they become competitive.

However, the significant number of injuries have certainly been a factor this year in the team’s performance.  And in a public statement, Chris Ilitch said he was “very pleased” with the progress of the team.  Later on, his statement was clarified to mean that he was referring to the emergence of some rookies as the Tigers attempted to control the damage.

The Tigers were also forced into issuing a mea culpa recently with Al Avila stating that (sic) “mistakes were made” and that the team was trying to correct them.

Over the past 2 weeks, Totally Tigers has published Avila’s track records on trades, free agent signings and draft selection.  They are readily available (either scroll backwards or enter key words into the search engine box on the right hand side of this blog) for your review as you consider this question and cast your vote:

Should Al Avila remain as the Detroit Tigers GM? After 7 years of tearing down and trying to rebuild, is it time to replace him with a new GM who will move this team forward? Or should Al be given more time?

Don’t see your comment? Comments are limited to a maximum of 3 sentences. Please make sure to check out the other rules for posting under the link at the top of the page.

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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday?

• Totally Tigers pleads with Bally Sports to hire these 2 guys to broadcast next year’s games after they knocked the ball out of the park while doing the radio feed. One of them is also a fan favorite.

Why should you follow Totally Tigers https://twitter.com/totallytigersbb on Twitter?

• We tweet out breaking news before it’s published in the sports pages. The best news from the best sources.
• Want more than 1 Totally Tigers fix every day? How about throughout the day?