The 20222 baseball season is coming to a close next week. (Phew!)
For many Tiger fans, the most exciting part of the year will start on October 6th when new President of Baseball Operations, Scott Harris, takes over and tries to right the rebuilding ship.
But until that date, let’s look back at the Tigers’ season. There were a few good things that happened.
Miguel Cabrera joined the 3,000 hit club and we watched him inch his way up the ladder and pass other baseball greats. He also achieved over 500 HRs and combined with hits, is only 1 of 4 legitimate players to have done so.
Riley Greene made his debut and constantly dazzled us with his plays in CF.
And finally, the Avila Reign of Error ended with the hiring of President of Baseball Operations, Scott Harris.
Which one of these was the highlight of your year?
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A couple Fridays ago, I asked readers to submit their top 5 list of positional players they would keep for next year’s roster. I also promised to tally the results and report them.
Then a little somethin’ somethin’ happened in the Tigers’ Front Office and the final results of that story got put on the back burner.
Until now.
Let’s pick up where we left off and get back to that poll.
If you need a refresher on that blog, check it out here:
There was a definite pattern seen in reader voting. Important to note because less than 10% of those who read TT on that date voted. (An above average percentage of reader participation for all social media platforms.)
For the record, not everyone could offer 5 positional players they would keep (which was a viable voting option). A number of readers submitted lists with less than 5 players.
And those who listed pitchers only had their remaining list of positional players tabulated.
Finally, readers who clicked “like” for someone’s list did not count in tabulating the vote.
Now, for the results…….
There was 1 player who made everyone’s list.
Duh, as if you don’t know it was Riley Greene.
Here is the complete list ranked from most votes to least.
35+ VOTES
Riley Greene
30+ VOTES
Spencer Torkelson
20+ VOTES
Kerry Carpenter
15+ VOTES
Eric Haase
Ryan Kreidler
(Haase and Kreidler were tied.)
10+ VOTES
Javier Baez
Harold Castro
(Baez and Castro were tied.)
5+ VOTES
Austin Meadows
LESS THAN 5 VOTES
Miguel Cabrera
Akil Baddoo
Kody Clemens
In summary, if the team was to keep only 5 positional players, they would be:
Riley Greene
Spencer Torkelson
Kerry Carpenter
Eric Haase
Ryan Kreidler
What are your thoughts about this list?
Was there anything about the voting results that surprised you?
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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday?
Final voting results for a number of TT’s Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday polls.
Ever since he was hired, we’ve been discussing new PoBo Scott Harris’ philosophy about how to build a successful baseball organization. In his press conference, he referred to 3 main concepts. The last one, he said, was the most important one and the key to winning.
It’s controlling the strike zone – on both sides of the plate. It is the quickest way to improving the team.
Today, we’re going to look at the Tigers’ offensive game…
… and just how very far they have to go.
So many people have been pointing their fingers at hitting coaches Scott Coolbaugh and Mike Hessman as the primary suspects. Yes, they shoulder some of the blame, but not all of it.
And that’s because they were given a roster chock full of some of baseball’s sloppiest hitters.
The primary suspect is Al Avila. He put the roster together without even seeing the pattern of what he was doing. Or thinking it didn’t matter.
On a functioning team, the GM uses analytics to help assemble a balanced roster. Players who hit LHP and RHP better, players who hit for power or average and players who hit certain pitches better than others are some of the categories teams consider.
The GM is supposed to take into account all characteristics of every hitter’s profile. Too many players sharing the same characteristics is not good. Their opponents will prey upon that.
But Avila didn’t do that. Despite having an analytics department, on the surface it sure doesn’t appear that he used it because he assembled a roster filled with players who all had the same hitting profiles.
No plate discipline.
Very low walk rates.
Inability to hit fastballs.
Bad baserunning.
And as a result, the roster reached historic lows this year and are about to set both team and MLB records for fewest number of runs scored. The Tigers are scoring half the runs of the average number of runs plated by the other 29 teams.
While Coolbaugh and Hessman were ineffective in their jobs, we can’t blame them solely. There’s only so much you can do with the talent you are given.
This team didn’t under-perform as many have said. They performed exactly as their extensive stats and history have shown.
Other than the disturbing fact that Avila collected a bunch of identically-hitting players, he then made it even worse.
He signed Javier Baez to a 6-year contract. Baez ranks #2 in worst plate discipline in all of MLB.
How bad? He swings at 47.4% of pitches outside the strike zone.
Yes, almost half.
Just the type of player the Tigers need more of…. A quote from Miracle Max in The Princess Bride sums it up best: “Why don’t you just give me a paper cut and pour lemon juice over it?”
And if you’re thinking that Chris Ilitch should shoulder some of the blame, he’s largely exempt. His guilt is tied to keeping Avila on as GM as the team attempted to enter the rebuild phase.
First of all, an owner is not versed in the team’s protocol for making decisions. He relies upon the GM to make his case for signing a player.
Avila had to present a rationale to Chris for this signing. He simply didn’t perform due diligence and overstated his case.
You wouldn’t be wrong in thinking that Al simply had no clue about the qualities needed to build offense on a team. The skills needed simply weren’t anywhere on his radar.
Isn’t it scary to learn that about someone who ascended to the GM role?
Al put together a lineup in which every player on it couldn’t hit fastballs, had horrible plate discipline, couldn’t work counts and couldn’t generate walks.
Is it any surprise these records are being set?
Is it any surprise that this team is 1 of MLB’s worst teams? That they regressed instead of improved?
That they set new records for shut-outs?
That they are once again flirting with another 100-loss season?
But this isn’t a first-time event for Avila. The Tigers have routinely had the worst plate discipline going back most of his tenure (to 2018), ranking dead last in MLB every year.
This season, the entire team swung at 36.6% of all pitches outside of the strike zone. Much more than any other team.
I simply don’t understand how this couldn’t come to his attention. How no one within the Front Office pointed out that this could be an issue. How he either wasn’t using analytics (or didn’t know how) or that Caesar simply doesn’t work.
For all of the bragging about the money poured into research, resources and equipment, I simply don’t see any evidence that it was used effectively.
And I have to cast serious doubt now on the abilities of his Assistant GMs, David Chadd, Sam Menzin and Jay Sartori. It’s their job to help their boss make solid decisions.
They appeared to have been AWOL. Or ignored.
David Chadd, who goes back to working for Avila in Miami and is part of that clique will most certainly be gone after this year.
Menzin was a Dombrowski hire and the Director of Baseball Operations. There is no published record nor statements about his accomplishments. Even Chris Ilitch, after firing Avila, did not make Menzin the “Interim GM” but merely the “point of contact” for the team. He appears to be an enigma so it’s hard to say if he will stay.
Sartori was an Avila hire and we know Al’s track record on hiring people. And it doesn’t look good for Sartori given that either Avila ignored his advice or that the Caesar system he developed is faulty.
But turning back to this roster, it appears that Avila’s outdated ways of assembling a roster confirmed that the team, despite the additions of Menzin and Sartori, stayed as outdated as they have been.
So now what do the Tigers do?
Scott Harris indicated that everyone’s hitting profiles would be examined. And one can logically expect that there will be a significant roster turnover, favoring smarter hitters with better plate discipline.
No coach, no matter how talented, could come in and perform miracles with the hitters the Tigers currently have.
And Chris Ilitch is expecting this team to move forward in some capacity next year. He won’t tolerate a repeat of the 2022 season.
Neither will Harris.
Granted, controlling the strike zone also applies to pitchers so there will be improvement in that area. I also have much more confidence in Chris Fetter’s ability and updated coaching techniques. (We’ll tackle that subject at a latter date so save your comments for then.)
But we could see a significant turnover in positional players, especially with the infield.
Trades will happen and in exchange, the Tigers will accumulate hitters with much better plate discipline, working counts and hitting fastballs.
Scott certainly has his work cut out for him.
The purge is coming.
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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday?
He doesn’t speak but his bat does.
A. J. Hinch gives us a hint about who will probably be making the roster next year.
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 back in actual 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:
New PoBO Scott Harris told us all to expect a lot of moves when he officially takes over next week. Those moves could be in the form of both personnel and roster re-imagining.
During his tenure, former GM Al Avila failed to make any strong signings or trades and it’s expected that Harris will attempt to offset some of the $243 million Avila spent on 5 free agents by attempting to trade 1 or more of them in order to revamp the roster so it is more effective. Here are those players:
Javier Baez – 5 years left at $120 million Andrew Chafin – 1 year left at $6.5 million Austin Meadows – 2 years left (arbitration kicks in @ app. $5 mill/year) Eduardo Rodriguez – 4 years left $63 mill Jonathan Schoop – 1 year left @ $7.5 million
Some of these players will be more valuable as trade pieces than others. Some of them, due to either salary or performance, will be more or less tradable.
For each of them, consider what each might generate in return should they be traded.
Additionally, there is the potential that the Tigers may have to eat a portion of their salaries in order to effect a trade.
Which one of these 5 players will bring back the best return in terms of receiving new talent if he were to be traded?
Which trade has the potential to boost the Tigers’ roster the most?
Which trade may bring back the most players or the highest level of talent?
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The Detroit Tigers just finished beating up the White Sox. And if you’re keeping count, it’s their first sweep of a series in 4 years.
The Sox were definitely off their game. Unfocused, untethered and obviously bowing to the pressure of a division chase.
Granted, they’ve had a lot of distractions near the end of the year and happening at the worst possible time.
Their manager, Tony La Russa, was sidelined with heart issues and there was no timetable given for his return. Meanwhile, their bench coach, Miguel Cairo, became the interim manager. But things definitely got more complicated when La Russa was cleared to travel with the team, but not to manage it.
Huh?
So you’re sitting on a plane with your manager who is on sabbatical and your interim manager. Bet that went over well with all the players and Cairo.
So now the team has crashed and burned and it’s really no surprise.
None of this should have happened. Not even the hiring of La Russa 2 seasons ago.
So what does all of this have to do with the Tigers?
The two teams share one trait in excess.
Loyalty.
And it came back to bite both of them.
You see, the White Sox were up and coming a couple years ago. Widely expected to become the darlings of AL Central. They had rebuilt and were expected to contend.
But when it came time to hire a new manager, owner Jerry Reinsdorf overruled his GM and the entire Front Office by hiring Tony La Russa.
Why?
Because of loyalty. Reinsdorf felt badly about firing Tony decades ago and decided he wanted to right a wrong. The two of them had become very close friends after Reinsdorf bought the team and La Russa came on board.
None of it sat well at all with the fans who have been very vocal at the games. And the hiring had many of the players shocked. Even angry.
And now, their anticipated seat at the top of the heap has been put on hold.
All because of loyalty.
Which now brings me to another owner. One who valued loyalty so very highly.
Mike Ilitch.
For the all the money Mr. I poured into the team during the last half of his ownership, he routinely sabotaged the team’s path to contention. Overruling Dave Dombrowski on a number of player issues and leaving others to clean up his messes.
Moves that were made because of loyalty. They included:
Record-setting contracts to Verlander, Cabrera, Fielder and others that were overpriced and unrealistic long-term because these players were owner favorites.
Signing Prince Fielder to that monstrous contract because he had known Prince since he was a small boy.
Upping the contract extension offer to Victor Martinez for 4 years because another team had offered 3. It was at least 1 year too many as we watched Victor and his painful knees at the plate.
And then, there’s the story of Mr. I and Al Avila. The two became close and it was often reported that Mike treated Al like a son. He kept him in the organization and refused teams who came calling to interview Avila. Al had been told by Mr. I that he would become GM of the Tigers at some point. Which he did in 2015 and resulted in 7 years of failed misery.
But loyalty works both ways and there were those who fell out of favor with Mr. I because he felt the trust was broken.
After losing the playoffs, Fielder’s performance and non-caring comments were seen by Mr. I as his failure to perform in both action and word. It resulted in Mike demanding that Dave Dombrowski trade him.
Then there was Max Scherzer who prioritized money over the team and used the organization’s contract extension offer as leverage to get an even bigger contract. That was the end of their relationship with Mr. I personally cutting off all negotiations with him.
Dave Dombrowski also fell out of favor with his boss in the end. Realizing that it was unlikely he would receive yet another contract extension, Dave went behind Mike’s back and was contacting other teams about a new job while he was still employed by the Tigers. Again, the loyalty bond was broken and Dombrowski was released from his contract to “explore other job opportunities.”
It is so very hard to separate the business side from the emotional one. When loyalty is allowed to enter the picture, it clouds the decision-making process. And it ends up taking years to undo the damage created when emotions overrule the business acumen.
Mr. I may have passed away 6 years ago, but his son, Chris is still cleaning up the mess his father’s loyalty created on the contract side and in the Front Office.
Speaking of the son, Chris appears to be very different than his father. Of course, he was the one who decided that beloved players like Justin Verlander needed to be traded. His father would never have done that.
It will be interesting to see if he is loyal to anyone within the Tigers. Especially when and if things aren’t working well after a couple years and the team ends up not progressing as quickly as expected.
Loyalty has its limits. Or at least it should.
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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday?
Riley Greene ranks #1 in this category in all of MLB.
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…
Many fans on social media were wondering why Miguel Cabrera and his manager were determined for him to return from the IL with only 2 weeks left in the season. It’s not like there was anything meaningful left in the year.
Then there was the announcement that Miggy would be playing more. Instead of 1 game per series as he had been doing, he’d play in 2.
For Miggy, obviously pride is a factor. Maybe even other motivators.
But it’s much more likely that the Tigers desperately want to get an updated handle on his physical state and endurance before the end of the year. Can he keep up being in the lineup at that frequency? Or will there be days where he can’t play 2 games in a row? Will the knee or bicep flare up again?
They are going to take this info into the off-season as the team, newly steered by Scott Harris, will decide whether or not keeping Cabrera on the roster is viable for 2023. And if so, for how long?
But working against Miggy is the emergence of Kerry Carpenter. In just his first 25 starts, he’s hit 6 HRs as a rookie and averages app. 1 hit for every 3 at-bats. He also leads the team in OPS – and it’s not even close.
He’s also been working extensively with George Lombard to improve his outfield skills and showing progress.
With most baseball teams eliminating a player-specific DH in favor of a rotating one, will the Tigers buck that trend and keep Miggy? Maybe even adding a secondary DH in Carpenter?
If Al Avila was in charge, probably. But given Harris’ background, I don’t think it’s likely he’ll allow this team to continue to remain outdated.
As I extensively blogged over the past weeks, the Tigers will have tons of positional holes to fill. The only position that is a slam dunk is CF with Riley Greene.
The outfield may need as many as 2 new players. Second base and SS may be changing with rumors of Schoop being on the trading block and Javy Baez moving to 2B. First base is a question mark with Torkelson penciled in for now. And the Tigers will be looking elsewhere for their catcher and third base man.
Where will they get all of these players?
If you look at Toledo’s roster, there’s not much depth there. One-third of that roster is “filler” – older players signed for depth due to injuries.
Will Chris Ilitch lay out more big bucks? Probably not just yet. He got burned this year and he may want to see what Scott Harris and the TBD new GM can do first. And who knows? Scott Harris may not hire a GM this year. He may wait a year. Other teams have done that.
The current positional roster members won’t bring back much in trades.
Which leaves pitchers are the primarily source of trade currency.
I won’t be surprised if one of the better starters, like Matt Manning, is traded in order to get multiple players with MLB-ready skills in return. It seems to be the most plausible path at the moment.
And it may just be one of the first real tests of our new PoBO’s trading skills.
Do you remember the blog I wrote not too long ago about the problems created by a team packed with star players? I discussed some of the reasons why the Tigers, with so much incredible talent, failed to win more than 1 game in 2 World Series. A team that collected so many individual awards but little that was team-related.
On MLB Radio the other day, Joe Carter was interviewed about his time with the Blue Jays in the 1990’s. It was a team packed with star players, including Jack Morris.
But Carter said that there was a problem created by all those players. Tons of talent but there was no allegiance to the team or to other players. He said that when you get so many talented players, they are focused on embellishing their own egos, stats and prioritizing their futures and earning potentials above working as a team.
Joe said that when players weren’t actively on the field or at the plate, most of them were back in the clubhouse doing their own thing.
But that all changed when the Jays signed Dave Winfield for the 1992 season. Carter credited him as the biggest influence for changing the culture of the organization and taking the team to the World Series – and winning it.
Early in the season, Winfield saw what was going on and went into the clubhouse during the game to use his standing as an accomplished veteran to change the mindset from “I” to “team.” He yelled at the players about the importance of backing up and supporting your teammates and that no one should be in the clubhouse – but on the bench or at the railing instead. After that speech, they all headed for the dugout – and stayed.
Winfield was the catalyst.
The team turned around and ended up winning the ring that year. Didn’t hurt that Winfield got the game –and series – winning hit.
Which brings me back to the Tigers. It sounds as if they didn’t have their own Dave Winfield back in the years from 2006 through the mid-10’s. Who exactly was their leader?
We know that there were multiple malfunctioning units within the roster. Ego battles between 3 starting pitchers. Fights in the clubhouse and selfish moves by certain pitchers during the playoffs prioritizing their next big paycheck instead of taking the team to the World Series.
It just goes to show you that talent is only one factor in creating a team that goes all the way. Leadership can take you over the top.
If you have any.
Which one of these stories resonated the most with you?
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The Tigers newest leader, Scott Harris, is now the President of Baseball Operations. Hired last week, he is now on the job, spending 3 full weeks solely focusing on learning about the organization and meeting everyone. His plan is to fully understand how the franchise is being run and what each individual is contributing to the effort.
Harris transitions to decision-maker on October 6th, the first day of the off-season. He is expected to start making changes immediately. And there are lots of them to be made.
Including some very tough decisions.
Rest assured that Harris took the job after understanding and accepting what needs to be done and that some of what he does may be controversial.
One of those issues involves Miguel Cabrera. Miggy has $32 mill left on his contract and an $8 mill buyout on top of it. Due to chronic injuries, Miggy is a shell of his former self and is relegated to playing DH. Over the course of the year, his playing time has diminished to where he was only capable of being in the lineup for 1 game out of each series. He is no longer able to use his right leg to drive balls and has turned primarily into a singles hitter.
But Miggy is a first-ballot Hall of Famer and baseball protocol dictates that those players should have some kind of farewell tour and official recognition before they retire. But he is a part-time player taking up a full roster spot and the Tigers desperately need to shake up their roster and lineup.
Speaking of the roster, Harris will need to shake it up in a significant way. It is expected that there will be lots of turnover. As a result, he will need to find a number of new players to fill those openings.
The Tigers are currently limited in viable replacements and it is believed that some significant trades will have to be made. Trades that may involve young talent that would bring back multiple players possessing a higher caliber of talent and potential.
It is not likely that Riley Greene will be on the trading block but other players, most notably pitchers, may. Men like Matt Manning and other promising and presumed starting rotation members.
Which of these moves – determining Miggy’s future or trading top young talent – will be the mostdifficult decision to make?
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 maxto 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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In his introductory speech, new President of Baseball Operations Scott Harris said that there are 3 main concepts that will drive the work in Detroit. They are:
1. Acquire, develop and retain young players.
2. Create a culture of development where everyone and everything has the ability to improve.
3. Controlling the strike zone dictates everything about the game – offense, pitching and defense.
If you had to pick just one, which of these 3 do you believe is the most important one for the Tigers?
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Today, dear readers, you are in charge of Five for Friday. I’ve been writing about new President of Baseball Operations Scott Harris all week. Now it’s your turn to create an overall fan reaction to this hire.
If you want to learn more about Harris, check out these recent blogs:
To quickly summarize Scott’s achievements, he has shot up the ladder with a number of MLB’s top organizations and worked for the best minds in the game – Epstein, Hoyer and Zaidi to name a few. He has experience in rebuilding teams, replenishing farm systems, drafts and even the physical/biomechanics fields. He’s also worked with budgets, large and small.
As GM, he helped the Giants win 107 games last year which was a franchise record. Oh, and he has a ring.
Harris is 35 years old with an MBA and has also worked for MLB. He has been employed in baseball for 12 years. And he’s never been fired or demoted. He has also had at least 1 other offer to be a GM.
With the Cubs, he was Director of Baseball Operations and promoted by the Giants to GM. With the Tigers, yet another promotion to President of Baseball Operations, the first time for this position in Detroit.
Chris Ilitch used a dozen people directly in his search that included people inside and outside the organization. Many others were asked for input.
What do you think about this hire?
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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday?
For the first time, Ryan Garko has added a new program for the off-season to help prospects in their development.
Finally, there is something for Tiger fans to watch. Only it’s not on the playing field. At least, not just yet.
It’s the hiring of Scott Harris to be the first President of Baseball Operations (PoBO).
We started dissecting Tuesday’s press conference yesterday. In case you didn’t read it (and your only excuse is being trapped under a heavy immovable object), here it is:
Let’s continue the assessment today by digging deeper into what was said, not said and implied.
First, I continue to be impressed with the changes that were made. Harris is, for all intents and purposes, the anti-Avila.
You always got the sense from the former GM that he was reactive and simply trying to hold his own head above water. Nothing about him inspired confidence. His facial expressions, his speech, his interviews or his moves. Confirmed by the knowledge that he leaned heavily upon others within the organization to guide him.
Chris Ilitch did a complete 180 in hiring Harris. He oozes confidence, easily expresses himself and clearly identifies how he thinks and how he will move. This is a man who repeatedly talked about embracing the challenges and the opportunities now presented to him. In fact, he said the word “opportunity” at least 2 dozen times.
Rather than being reactive as Avila was, Scott is going to be proactive. He clearly is one who is drawn to challenge and relishes the chance to create something from nothing.
And it all was illustrated in the very beginning of the press conference when Harris outlined the 3 main concepts that will drive this organization forward. Avila never told us anything about the vision when he was in charge. He probably didn’t even have one.
Those important three points are:
1. Acquire, develop and retain young players.
Under Avila, the Tigers acquired young players through tanking. They were not well-developed and a significant portion of them did not last.
2. Create a culture of development where everyone and everything has the ability to improve.
We’ve seen players who say “it is what it is”. We’ve heard stories about veterans like Javy Baez who are resistant to coaching and trying new things with the help of others. But Harris wants to take it step further and have Detroit develop into an organization where players, esp. free agents, want to come because their resources and coaching will help them get better. Scott said that they will come because the team’s technology, coaches, support staff and overall environment will draw them here. Four factors that the organization will address and improve.
This organization, he said, needs to create a culture of development that permeates all levels of the franchise.
3. The strike zone dictates everything about the game – offense, pitching and defense.
Scott’s comment perfectly summarizes everything that is wrong with how the Tigers have played the game. From not throwing strikes, to absurdly low walk rates and not getting favorable counts at the plate and on the mound. He said “We want to dominate the strike zone on both sides of the ball.”
When did we ever hear anyone within the organization discuss strike zones? Other than to complain? It dictates pitch counts, how long innings last and the wear and tear put upon the pitcher’s body and arm.
Scott summarized with “It touches essentially every part of our game, so we’re going to start there. We want to dominate the strike zone on both sides of the ball, and we want to acquire, develop and retain players that can give us a chance to do that.”
And in a hint of what is to come, he added “It’s going to anchor all of our evaluations.”
It’s logical to believe that once everyone’s strike zone capacity and potential is analyzed as Harris stated, that those not meeting the threshold for improvement will be moved.
This could be a very, very busy winter. Expect to see a lot of changes in the roster.
Speaking of evaluations, Harris repeatedly stated that he is not going to opine on anything until he has a chance to meet everyone, find out what they are about and ask a lot of questions. He said that he will be assessing the strengths and weaknesses of every employee. That may even include Paws.
We do know that he will be addressing Miguel Cabrera’s rapid decline. And the farm system in which he diplomatically said it would be unfair to share what his former employer, the Giants, think about it. You can only imagine though….
It was a very smart move to bring Scott on board before the end of the year. Most teams don’t hire their top executives until after the season is over.
But Harris is here now – he was in his office today. And he’s started his work getting to know everyone and everybody.
In 2 weeks, when the season mercifully ends, he’ll be ready to roll when most other teams are headed for the playoffs or taking a quick breather.
Some will be watching the playoffs. Me? I’ll be watching the moves being made by Harris.
On MLB TV, all 3 former Front Office executives concurred that Harris’ biggest job will be to create a professional structure out of the “mom and pop” organization that existed there for decades and to find a lot of the right people to run it. While there is much work to be done, they all agreed that the Tigers are financially in the best shape in the entire AL Central and the only team that will spend easily – on the right stuff.
But Harris’ most important thoughts have nothing to do with the 3 main concepts. They have to do with the overall strategy about how to build a winner.
About what distinguishes winners from the other wanna-bes.
The first is not about having a rigid set of yearly goals or a 5-year plan. Baseball is always throwing curveballs at a team and it’s important to be flexible and not simply work towards goals set in previous years. Things change and you have to be prepared to change with them.
Instead, Harris said that it’s about “putting your head down” and working together in order to “string together as many smart decisions as possible.”
As a result, our new PoBO stated “We’re going to make a lot of moves this winter.”
Thus ends certain fans’ speculation that the Tigers are going to mostly sit tight until some contracts run out or wait for young prospects to mature. That’s what Al Avila would have done.
Ilitch hired an aggressive executive who emphasized that it’s smart moves and educated/calculated risks that will move this organization forward.
Finally.
Now onto the last and probably most important point of all.
Innovation.
Harris couldn’t say this word enough. Neither could Ilitch. It is the primary reason why Scott was hired. He has a long track of working for them as well as being one.
As he explained, it’s dangerous to copy what has worked for other teams. Because when you do, you will never be as good as them. He said “Innovation is where real growth appears.”
Harris was hired to chart the Tigers’ own path. Not follow someone else’s.
And it’s innovation that will determine who within the organization stays – and who goes. Those who stay will be willing and able to think differently and consider multiple options. They will have the ability to volunteer fresh ideas. They won’t be afraid of change.
And they won’t be afraid of the challenge.
And I believe that hints at a significant number of the former regime’s personnel saying goodbye to Detroit. Maybe not all in the beginning. Even Theo Epstein, Harris’ former boss, wrote that changing a culture takes more than a year and that weeding out those who are unable or unwilling to buy into a new program takes at least a couple years.
And we all know there are a number of personnel who have been holding this organization back. People who have kept the Tigers stuck in the past and earned them the reputation of being old and outdated.
Could it be that the Tigers have finally hired the right man to modernize this team?
It looks that way.
Wouldn’t it be ironic if Chris Ilitch becomes the owner who finally made this team successful for the long haul?
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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday?
Ilitch’s other smart move that involved Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman.
Totally Tigers 