DEEPER DISCUSSIONS

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At some point before the end of the year, the Tigers will have a new GM.  He will be faced with a torrent of concerns that need addressing – scouting, drafting, player development, farm system depth, roster building and much, much more.

Two concerns in particular were front and center this season.  Injuries and lack of offense.

The Tigers have had one of MLB’s highest number of players on the IL.  They lost their entire starting rotation (except for Eduardo Rodriquez) to injury and a whopping 12 pitchers were/are on the IL.  And we’re not even including hurlers who had issues with broken fingers or fingernail problems. 

Four of these have undergone season-ending surgery with the possibility of a 5th – Tarik Skubal – looming.  He is seeing a specialist on Monday about his elbow and has been shut down for the rest of the season.

With the exception of Matt Manning, all of the top pitching prospects expected to headline a new rotation, are out of commission. And at least 1 pitcher won’t see action until 2024.

The second concern is about the team’s utter lack of offense.  The Tigers rank last in almost every offensive category.  They are dead last in runs scored (and it’s not even close) and are on a pace to break the historic team record that goes back to 1901.

But this issue isn’t unique to the MLB level.  There is also little proven offensive talent in the farm system.

If you were the new GM, which one of these would you select as the priority to address and solve?  Both are extremely important, but is one of them more crucial to getting the Tigers turned around and winning more games?

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?

Don’t see your comment? Comments are limited to a maximum of 6 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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  • The Orioles have a great GM and this is why their rebuild took only 4 years.

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33 thoughts on “DEEPER DISCUSSIONS”

  1. Both are serious issues going forward. But dead last in runs scored…breaking historic team records going back to 1901…the GM will have to find a completely new lineup of players – quickly – for this team to compete.

    Liked by 6 people

    • But what happens if half the new guys hit the IL? Seems like many of our recent free agents went straight from the signing ceremony to the nearest medical center.

      Liked by 4 people

    • Today’s lineup featured the following: .296, .286, .268, .318, .282, .262, .193, .256, .250. That would be an average team lineup based on batting average in the past. Unfortunately that was OBP! We need to upgrade the offense – it’s offensive.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Even prior to this season and in seasons past. I voiced my concerns about the Tigers punch and judy lineup. Today its now a blank and judy lineup. We have no hitter that scares the opposing pitcher. Its a lineup of AAA hitters and swing and miss vets. This offense has to be overhauled and constructed to look like a major league lineup, not a lineup for comedy central.

    Liked by 6 people

  4. Can there be such a thing as too much analytics for pitchers? Can the reason our pitchers are getting hurt is the over reliance on spin rates among other things. Find the offense.

    Liked by 3 people

  5. ‘Injuries’ for me; this might just be one of those classic ‘chicken or egg’ questions. Does it matter if the team has talent if the team can’t keep injuries at some reasonable level? Both problems seem systemic but I’d go with getting player health to the norm first, as something that helps stabilize a significant part of the entire organization.

    Liked by 6 people

  6. The quickest, easiest, and cheapest fix is the injury problem. This isn’t the “walk it off” or “rub some dirt on it” world anymore. One look at the current training and conditioning staff shows this organization has a huge problem – literally. And better health might even improve the offense a bit. Who knows how many guys are playing hurt and developing bad habits while compensating for a nagging injury.

    Liked by 9 people

  7. The hitting is a league wide embarrassment. Aaron Judge and JD Martinez are free agents at the end of the year. Although JD is almost 35 and has struggled a little this year. Both could use a change of scenery.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. I voted for offensive improvement, but those injuries need to be addressed! Replace all training/medical staff if necessary, but do it now.

    Liked by 5 people

  9. Of course I consider both issues to be serious. But the horrible batting not only makes them unwatchable but completely uncompetitive. I know that when they are run or two behind, I assume they are cooked. I bet that at least the back of their minds, the players do as well. You can’t develop a winning culture if when you are behind, you lose heart. Perform an autopsy on this team and you find a heart the size of a dime.

    Liked by 6 people

  10. Assuming Chris probably won’t be opening up the family vault to the tune of another $280 million anytime soon after last winter’s spending spree…I think we’re in for a teardown of this roster making way for position player prospects already in the system. The next GM will need to really prioritize Minor League Player development as he focusses on drafting prospects with high batting averages and low strikeouts (power to come as they mature)

    Liked by 6 people

  11. I voted for offense. The inability to hit a fastball is baffling and If I had a nickel for everyone taken down the middle I would be well compensated. The inability to keep the line moving cries of a lack of discipline in situational hitting. The lack of power and damage is the result.of swinging too hard and too long and tryingto do too much.. In 2021 all the above maladies seemed under control by showing a solid approach, discipline, and situational hitting. 2022 uncovered their kryptonite; silders outside and beneath the zone.

    Liked by 4 people

  13. To address the current problems, injuries and lack of offense, I would be looking closely at the Manger and his coaches. With so many arm problems the manager and pitching coaches and their methods need to be look at long and hard. Hitting or lack of in this case, you do the same. Check their methods an technique. Many view AJ as a savior for this organization but I see these two issues falling squarely on him and his staff. I know he came into a bad situation but after all the additional help he got this year, their falling as a team need to be questioned.

    Liked by 5 people

  14. I voted for addressing the offense just because it is the worst I have seen in fifty plus years of watching baseball. But equally disconcerting is the fact that it is an ongoing MASH unit. There are no trade chips for the new GM and it’s going to be a long excruciating haul to anything sustainable after last year’s fluke of competency. That brings up my biggest question – what baseball executive is going to be willing to sign on and face this challenge? I bet they aren’t going to get anyone with great credentials to be GM, so they better unearth an unknown diamond.

    Liked by 2 people

  15. Someone once said the best ability is availability, so I voted for injuries. The key is figuring out why there are so many so they can be reduced. The answer is probably a combination of training flaws and, for pitchers, mechanics. We’ve seen the analysis Pedro Martinez did of Mize. Skubal already had TJS and may need another, but did he work on changing his mechanics after his first to reduce elbow stress or did he go back to what caused the original injury?

    Liked by 3 people

  16. Most teams face injury challenges, but the sheer number of health woes experienced by the Tigers this year reached epic proportions. Having said that, the pitching staff continues to be mostly competitive, despite absorbing the lions’ share of devastating injuries. That makes me think the biggest problem by far is hitting. There is not enough talent, not enough plate discipline, and not enough evidence the Tigers’ farm system can hone batting skills.

    Liked by 4 people

  17. Serious injuries involve tendons and ligaments. Beyond stretching, there isn’t much you can do to strengthen those things. There is a limit to the amount of stress they will take before injury. More movement on the pitched ball equals more stress on tendons and ligaments. Injuries are going to continue at a high rate among pitchers. Build the lineup.

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    • JV indicated the Astros had him shorten his arm. angle. He used to reach further back. He felt the tighter elbow angle caused more stress on his arm, while the Pitching Coach had told him it would cause less stress.

      Liked by 2 people

  18. It doesn’t matter who is on the team if they aren’t available. I can’t believe that the first thing a new GM addresses wouldn’t be the training and use of the pitching staff. For all the praise Chris Fetter gets, he has to shoulder some of the responsibility. Regarding the offensive offense, it can’t be a coincidence that every regular on the team has regressed from his career numbers. That has to be on the coaching staff.

    Liked by 3 people

  19. You may have seen an old article written by Brandon Sneed, about Justin Verlander and the injury problems and pain he was experiencing a while back that threatened his career. He wife[Kate Upton] suggested he visit Dr. Annie Gow, in New York a respected physical therapist, and she mapped out a plan and help fix him. His biggest problem was a complete lack of flexibility, that contributed to his physical. Holly has touched on this before, I think the Tiger pitchers and position players suffer from complete body conditioning, including core work and proper stretching, etc.

    Liked by 3 people

  20. Voted offense (it was a difficult choice), you could have the best pitching staff in MLB but if you have no offense it doesn’t matter which goes against the old saying “pitching and defense win games”. Neither of which the Tigers seem to have this year

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