The Detroit Tigers continue their significant drought at the plate. In a search for answers, many are noticing how well Justyn-Henry Malloy is doing in Toledo. His slash line is a very impressive .358/.495/.519/1.014 (through Thursday).
However, Malloy has only played in 23 games (through Thursday) at the AAA level. And we know that how well you hit in the minors cannot be translated into how well you will do in the majors.
Malloy’s other issue is his defense. He’s very rough at 3B. There is some talk that the Tigers may move him to another position.
There is concern based upon last year’s example when Spencer Torkelson was brought up to Detroit too early and struggled the entire year while also being demoted back to Toledo. It is believed that his early debut set him back in his development.
But the Tigers are desperate for offense. What should they do?
Should they promote Malloy or give him more time in Toledo?
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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Final results from an April Totally Tigers poll:
What is the best solution for second base?
Move Maton from 3B and pair with Schoop. Put Nevin and Kreidler at 3B. 78%
It is becoming increasingly apparent that Jonathan Schoop’s struggles from last year are continuing this year. Early on, A. J. Hinch started platooning him. And given Javy Baez’s injury, Schoop had to take his place in the lineup the other day to disappointing results.
What should the Tigers do? Remove him from the roster in favor of a current player? If so, then another roster move will need to be made and positions will need to be shuffled. Or should they wait a little longer until a player from AAA is ready to take over?
For the record, Justyn -Henry Malloy is not a candidate yet given he’s only played 23 games in AAA.
Ryan Kreidler (RH) .111/.111/.111/.222 (Detroit stats only)
Nick Maton (LH) .149/.259/.351/.610
Zach McKinstry (LH) .265/.321/.449/.770
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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday?
What does Gerrit Cole have in common with Tiger fans?
The Tigers are 6 months into their new regime. And while many fans only look at the new acquisitions and win/loss record to see how things have changed, the impetus for improvement most often starts in other areas.
Some of them taking place in areas of the organization that fans do not see. Most of them happening off the field and before rosters are even assembled.
The Tigers hired Scott Harris because he has an approach to the game that the Tigers lacked. He’s seeing things differently and doing things differently.
If you look closely enough, you’ll see what is different about this team that goes beyond signing players. And it’s all based upon establishing a solid foundation that creates a stable organization, motivates everyone involved and inspires the best possible performance.
I’m seeing a lot of changes in this organization since Harris took over. Too many to cover in 1 blog so I will instead list what I believe to be the 5 most interesting things the Tigers are now doing differently.
1.A MODERN LINEUP
No more fixed lineups day after day with no attention being paid to the ballpark or opposing pitcher. Like most teams today, this lineup changes according to the factors that analytics tracks and connects to increasing winning percentages.
The Tigers are now rewarding players who have better at-bats. Players who get on base more are moving up in the lineup and leading off. Others like Miguel Cabrera and Jonathan Schoop who are consistently struggling are moving all the way down into the bottom third of the lineup.
2. NO LONGER UNTOUCHABLE
Under previous managers, veteran players always got a pass because of their salaries and seniority. No longer. Jonathan Schoop was given a very short leash early on and now finds himself playing sporadically despite being the sitting 2nd baseman. Who will be next when and if things go south? (For the record, it won’t be Miggy. There is an order to play him that comes from ownership.)
3. PAY ATTENTION OR RIDE THE PINE
In the last 10 years, the Tigers have benched app. 2 players. Jim Leyland benching an exasperated Pudge Rodriquez for a glaring error made by third base coach Gene Lamont, costing the Tigers a run. Brad Ausmus taking Rajai Davis out of a game for successfully stealing a base on his own initiative. Misplaced punishments.
Within a single week this season, A. J. Hinch benched both veteran Javy Baez and Riley Greene for not paying attention to what was going on during the game and costing the team runs. Messages sent, messages received – and the sloppy play hasn’t been an issue since.
4. RELIEF
It took over a decade but the Tigers finally have a bullpen by design and not by default. In previous years, it was assembled strictly on the basis of experience and spring training readiness. It didn’t matter if there were multiple players with similar arsenals.
This year, the bullpen was assembled with the goal of being able to address any situation and for relievers to complement each other. Which is why each of the new 7 relievers has different strengths and different best pitches. And why there is no official closer. For the last 10 days, the Tigers’ bullpen ranks #4 in MLB.
5. CHEMISTRY COUNTS
A decade ago, the Tigers had so many stars – but none of them were leaders. Scott Harris indicated as much. He also said that there was a problem within the clubhouse last year with a lack of leadership and some team chemistry issues that negatively impacted performance.
And when you’re building a newer, younger team, you need players to step up, take charge and create cohesiveness. Harris said this was a big reason why the Tigers re-signed Matthew Boyd. And now they’ve got Nick Maton and Matt Vierling who have taken over the clubhouse and dugout while getting everyone to buy in and join the group.
Is there another change you’re seeing this year that was absent in previous seasons?
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Hasn’t it been a treat to watch Eduardo Rodriguez pitch this year?
Enjoy it while you can because we may not be seeing him next year. Or even later this year.
ERod has an opt-out after this season and a no-trade clause to 10 teams of his choosing (that can change every year).
He signed a 5-year contract for $77 mill. That contract, if completed in full, runs through the 2026 season.
And now we see that it really may be quite the bargain.
But the problem for ERod is that his contract is a bargain. And that he may want to change things.
Players insist on opt outs for multiple reasons. Most of them involve having the chance to leverage performance for a higher salary. But some also don’t want to be tied to a team they may end up not liking or teams that are rebuilding or showing hints that tear downs are in the near future.
In Rodriguez’s case, salary is probably the biggest sticking point. He clearly stated that’s why he left Boston.
Before coming to the Tigers, the Red Sox made him a qualifying offer of $18.4 mill which he turned down for free agency. In his first year with the Tigers, he made $14 mill. Same with this year.
Starting next year, he would earn $18 mill followed by $16 mill and then $15 mill in his final years. Each one of those years below the qualifying number.
Currently, ERod’s yearly salary ranks #40+ in starting pitcher salaries. He has a 2.32 ERA and a measly .839 WHIP.
He has pitched perfectly – in 1 case taking a perfect game into the very late innings. In 5 starts, he has only 1 win to his name and 2 losses because of the Tigers’ lack of offense.
He’s got to be frustrated.
If you were a top pitcher for one of baseball’s worst teams, wouldn’t you be thinking about the greener pastures out there?
Of course you would.
Especially if they came with teams looking to play baseball in October.
He’s probably wondering if the Tigers will be anywhere near competitive during his 3 remaining years. When your career gets closer to ending, you start thinking more and more about wanting to go out on top. Or at least being on a talented team.
He’s got to be considering that he was offered almost $19 mill for 1 year and why he shouldn’t be deserving of a similar figure on a multi-year basis.
ERod is also going to want to extend his career. All ballplayers do. Almost all will take more years with less salary per year than a shorter contract that offers a larger base salary.
He just turned 30 and if he stayed with the Tigers, he’d be 33 when his contract ended. Try getting a solid contract for more than a year when you are 34 – and not named Justin Verlander.
If you were him, wouldn’t you want a new contract that paid you more and extended your career by 2-3 years? It’s within the realm of possibility that he could get a new and more substantial contract for 5 years.
Which is probably why he is pitching his heart out so far this season.
So what other options do the Tigers have for starting pitching after the 2023 season?
Not much. They’ve got a lot of young pitching and a lot of injuries. A lot of unknowns. There is no clear heir to the throne yet.
And they will not have a veteran starter if ERod opts out. Matthew Boyd is the only other veteran and his contract expires after this year. Every team needs at least 1 experienced veteran to take the mound.
Conceivably, the Tigers could try to extend Eduardo this year. But would they want a starter to stay until he’s in his mid-late 30’s? He’d want at least a 2-year extension.
Will they try to keep him the entire year knowing that he could opt out and they would receive nothing in return?
Is Detroit more likely to trade him to a team in the hunt for the post-season? Probably, but there are also potential problems with this strategy.
Will a team be willing to part with any players or prospects of moderate to real significance knowing that they might have ERod for only a couple months? He would be a short-term rental because he could still opt out.
Will the fact that Eduardo ghosted the Tigers for 6 weeks in 2022 be a concern for any new team? Or the stories that have hinted at his reluctance to be a team player?
And that is the real problem with opt out contracts. It is a roll of the dice for teams in which they can lose talent with little to no compensation. And a reason why owners want to talk to the MLBPA about getting rid of them or at least modifying them. (Good luck with that.)
The only thing we do know is that Scott Harris is going to have to make a decision within the next 2 months. A decision to extend or to trade. They will not allow a starting pitcher to leave without getting anything in return. The Tigers need every possible breathing ballplayer they can get their hands on.
Rodriguez has until 5 days after the conclusion of the World Series to opt out. By that time, it will be much too late for the Tigers to get something in return.
They will probably have discussions with his agent months earlier to get an idea about Eduardo’s intentions. Much as they did with Justin Upton as they tried to push him out the door while continuing their tear down.
Despite a rebuild that has been going on for 7 years, the Tigers still don’t have any viable starting pitchers who can assume the reins of being the #1 or #2 pitcher for next year.
Scott Harris certainly has his work cut out for him.
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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……..
During Monday night’s game, on a single by Javy Baez, Akil Baddoo went from 2nd to 3rd where he stopped on direction by the 3rd base coach. Riley Greene ran from 1st to 3rd with a head-first dive. The only problem was that he failed to look at his coach for direction and ended up on the same base as Baddoo. It was very bad base running by Greene.
The other week, manager A. J. Hinch benched Javy Baez for not paying attention while base running.
For Tuesday night’s game, Greene is not in the lineup. It could be because of the opposing pitcher, his recent struggles at the plate or his bone-headed running the other night. Or, all of the above.
Hinch, ever diplomatic, is not going to reveal his rationale.
But for discussion purposes, let’s assume the benching is a result of Greene not paying attention on the field.
Was this the right thing to do? Should players be benched for making mistakes because their heads aren’t in the game? Or should exceptions be made, esp. if the player is fairly new to the game? Riley has not yet played 1 full year with the Tigers.
What do you think?
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In the beginning, there was something called batting average.
But like any other industry, baseball can’t stand still. It has to evolve. It can’t be stuck in time and ignore bigger and better ways of evaluating talent.
Technology was the big game changer and it was the impetus for teams to better evaluate talent so they could gain the edge in winning. Computers allowed Front Offices to better and faster crunch numbers, allowing them to see how they could more successfully assemble rosters.
Thus, batting average began to take a back seat to other stats that were more telling.
Ironically, it was Branch Rickey who invented On Base Percentage back in the ‘40’s. But in the 1990’s, baseball minds started assembling what is known as the slash line. Over 20 years ago, it was used to great success by Billy Beane and adopted by the rest of MLB.
Beane’s premise was about cutting through what are potentially deceiving stats and focusing in on players who walked more than the average in MLB. It became all about getting runners on base for the chance to score runs.
Let’s take an example of how Batting Average (BA) doesn’t tell an accurate story when used on its own.
Harold Castro.
Fans continue to wonder why he was jettisoned from the team. Afterall, his BA was among the highest on the team.
It’s because he was ineffective as a run producer. As a Tiger, he was almost exclusively a singles hitter. He had no power to drive the ball and in his full years, 75%-90% of his hits were singles. And when you look at his slash line (more on that in a moment), he was well below average in the last 3 stats.
Let’s now look at what a slash line is.
It is a set of either 3-4 numbers separated by a slash / line. Here they are in order – please note the differences:
BATTING AVERAGE (BA) – It is determined by dividing hits by total at-bats. An at-bat includes hits, reaching base via error, fielder’s choice or retired on a non-sacrifice. It does not include walks, catcher interference, balks or sacrifice.
ON BASE PERCENTAGE (OBP) – This is about how often a player reaches base safely. It includes hits, walks and HBP. It excludes errors, fielder’s choices and dropped 3rd strikes.
SLUGGING PERCENTAGE (SLG) – It involves calculating only hits but weighted to give more credit to extra base hits. Doubles weigh more than singles, triples more than doubles and HRs more than anything else.
These 3 stats are used most often but there is a 4th that is often included.
ON BASE PLUS SLUGGING (OPS) – It is calculated by adding OBP and SLG together. It is adding how much you get on base with hitting power.
So why has baseball turned away from looking solely at BA?
It’s because it doesn’t paint the whole picture of a player’s capability as we saw with Harold Castro. Using a series of stats to showcase all of a player’s offensive skills gives an accurate account of the real talent.
Take for example, Mike Trout. At one point he was hitting in the mid .270’s but he had MLB’s 2nd highest OBP. He was being walked a lot and as a result, getting on base often and scoring lots of runs.
The converse can also be true. A player who has a high BA and SLG but has only a slightly higher OBP which means he’s walking less but getting lots of extra base hits.
One can also infer that if a player has a really high SLG, he’s probably hitting lots of HRs.
And if a player has a really high BA, OBP and SLG, he’s a real threat and one of MLB’s best. Think Miguel Cabrera back when he won the Triple Crown.
So what’s a really good slash line? It depends upon the player and the purpose as to why he’s on the team.
A leadoff hitter should have a higher OBP. They need to get on base so they can be driven in. Your #3 and #4 hitters should have higher SLG – used to drive in runners.
You can expect that if a player has one of the team’s highest OBP, he’ll be moved to the #1 or #2 slots. And if those players’ OBP are dropping, they will be moved down in the order.
To put the current Tigers roster into perspective, let’s identify the average MLB numbers for each statistical category:
The average BA is .243 . Anything over .300 is exceptional.
The average OBP is .312 . Anything over .370 is considered to be among the top.
The average SLG is .395 . Anything over .550 is outstanding.
The average OPS is .706 . Anything over .800 is among the best. That stat can go up to 1.00.
It is very rare for a player to score highly across all 4 statistical categories.
OPS is considered to be 1 of the top 2 stats (with OBP) as it is a combo of being able to get on base and also hit for power. The best players in MLB will have the highest numbers. Over .900 and you are an All-Star. Score a 1.000 and you are in the running for MVP.
To put this into context, Miguel Cabrera had 6 years with an OPS of .900 or higher. Four years of 1.000 or more.
Now, let’s look at the Tigers. Remember, you can’t evaluate the entire slash line as 1 piece since players rarely do well in every category. Instead, look at where they perform above average in each category and see how many of those categories they do well in.
We’re going to use the averages listed above for reference. Also keep in mind that some players have a very small sample size so numbers may be inflated as a result. If you don’t see a player’s name in the lists below, I may have excluded him because of a very small sample size. (Selection is based upon games through Sunday.)
BATTING AVERAGE
Eric Haase
Zach McKinstry
Jake Rogers
ON BASE PERCENTAGE
Akil Badoo
Jake Rogers
SLUGGING
Kerry Carpenter
Zach McKinstry
Jake Rogers
ON BASE PLUS SLUGGING
Kerry Carpenter
Zack McKinstry
Jake Rogers (.911 – exceptional)
And finally, if we look at the entire team, here are their stats:
BATTING AVERAGE: .209 (below average)
ON BASE PERCENTAGE: .273 (below average)
SLUGGING: .323 (below average)
ON BASE PLUS SLUGGING: .596 (below average)
Now that we have this baseline, let’s revisit these stats again later in the season.
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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday?
A Tiger receives MLB’s play of the week award.
Now that you know what a slash line is, check out Justyn-Henry Malloy’s.
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 bring them out in the open and invite conversation about some of these subjects.
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…
Another week, another former Tiger in the news – and this time, in a big way. Max Scherzer came back from the IL to pitch and immediately got into trouble with MLB. He’s now serving a 10-game suspension for violating the sticky stuff rules. (This is part of an even bigger story given now that 4 of the 5 Mets starting pitchers are unable to pitch due to suspension or injuries, including Justin Verlander.)
Several umpires from last week’s game inspected Max 3 times and ordered him to clean off his hands. When he came back after the third time, he was found to be so sticky that when they touched his pitching hand, their fingers literally stuck to him. The substance was also dark in color which was overtly suspicious given that rosin is white. The umpires included in their report to the Commissioner that despite trying to scrub off what they had touched, their hands remained sticky for the rest of the day.
Scherzer vehemently denied the claims and even swore on his children’s lives that there was only sweat and rosin on his hand. But MLB’s statement said: “Based on the umpires’ training to detect rosin on a pitcher’s hands, they concluded that the level of stickiness during the fourth inning check was so extreme that it was inconsistent with the use of rosin and/or sweat alone.”
Why is the issue of sticky stuff so significant? When it’s used, it significantly increases the spin rate of a baseball which makes it much harder to hit. In turn, pitcher stats can be unfairly inflated.
And if you’ve been watching or reading the daily baseball news, it seems that teams know Max is breaking the rules. When the new measures were implemented 3 years ago, Scherzer has been checked more than any other pitcher. Multiple managers have insisted that he be inspected during some games. And when so many teams and umps target Max, you know baseball people are talking amongst themselves.
Let’s remember that the former clubhouse manager for the Angels, Bubba Harkins, named Scherzer in his lawsuit against the Angels. He had been providing sticky stuff to a number of MLB pitchers which included Scherzer, Verlander and Gerritt Cole.
So why the interest in a former Tiger? Because it makes you wonder if and how much he was using sticky stuff when he pitched for Detroit. Whether all those awards and stats were honestly earned or if they were tainted. Of special note are all of the strikeouts he accumulated. Using sticky stuff increases a pitcher’s strikeouts. Remember the game against Detroit in which he struck out 20 Tigers and tied an MLB record?
Don’t you also wonder that if the allegations are true, whether that factor may have led to a different ending in Detroit? Would a pitcher who played clean – and had fewer record-breaking stats – have stayed in Detroit or at least not created a bidding war for his services?
It’s interesting to read fans’ comments about why certain players should no longer be on the Tigers’ roster or why prospects who are raking in Toledo deserve to be at the MLB level. All based solely upon their batting average or HRs.
It’s just not that simple. Over 2 decades ago, looking at a player’s BA was proven to be an unreliable factor. It was often seen as a product of placement in the lineup combined with the team’s overall offensive strength. The 4-part slash line is a much better indicator of a player’s offensive talents.
Yes, looking at offensive numbers is much more interesting than deciphering defensive stats but player development people and managers are looking at the entire package. Hitting is only 1 part of the skills required to survive in MLB. Maturity, experience, meeting increasing challenges and expanding hitting and pitching arsenals are also part of the evaluation process. And so is……
……defense. So many fans look at the offensive stats but fail to evaluate the defensive metric.
Offense create runs but being defensively weak costs your team runs while padding the score of your opponent.
Consider that performing well in AAA doesn’t mean those same stats will be achieved at the MLB level. It’s an apples and oranges comparison. Moving up a level means that the challenges and talent levels of your opponent will be greater.
Take Parker Meadows for example. Many wonder why he was sent down to Toledo after raking during spring training. Some believe he’s needed now in Detroit because of the team’s anemic offense.
The reasons are two-fold. Very few jump from AA directly into the majors. But also, Meadows is unable to hit LH pitching. If he was with the Tigers, the opposing pitchers would quickly have his number.
Then there’s Justyn-Henry Malloy. Yes, he’s hitting. But he’s having issues with throwing accuracy. That’s why he’s not in Detroit. Yet.
As we learned with Spencer Torkelson, when you send a player up to the bigs too soon, you risk setting them back. Players will tell you that when you go through slumps, your dependable skills also suffer because you are so focused on the skills giving you problems.
But it’s just not issues with hitting and defense. Proper development of a player has layers to it. Can he hit both LH and RH pitching? Can he hit both fastballs and off-speed pitches? And if so, how long has he been doing it? Just a couple weeks, a month or longer?
Is he a defensive asset or liability? Will he help save runs or will he cost the team with runs allowed? Does his defensive range fit into the position and complement the defensive abilities of those who play next to him? Does he have speed and solid footwork?
And if he hits RH or LH, does it fit in with the team’s current needs?
There are so many factors that determine a player’s readiness for the majors that go well beyond the batting average.
If you were watching the Tigers 5-game winning streak last week, did you notice the changes? The team’s batting habits were changing.
Walks went up, strikeouts went down. Fewer swings outside the strike zone. Plate discipline improved.
It appears the message about controlling the strike zone was being heard.
Remember all those years when Tiger batters made 3 quick outs? When the opposing pitcher used 10 pitches or less to get them all out? When their half inning lasted an entire 5 minutes? When you were tired of hearing “three up and three down”?
The lineup has been working counts. They were swinging at fewer bad pitches.
Both Spencer Torkelson and Nick Maton battled pitchers into giving up double-digit pitches before they both hit HRs – to win the games.
Even Javy Baez took 12 pitches – count ‘em, 12! – before hitting a double that drove in 2 runs to win the game.
It’s a step in the right direction. But it doesn’t mean that the lineup won’t revert back to its old habits (as it seems to be) as they started doing again over the weekend. It takes a lot of reps to turn new habits into ones that become instinctive and second nature.
Improvement isn’t going to be linear. This team, especially early on, is going to ride that infamous roller coaster we’ve been discussing recently.
And hopefully that roller coaster is going to level out at some point this season.
Which one of these stories resonated the most with you?
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Baseball is just over 3 weeks into the season with 3 new rules being implemented. One of them is the pitch clock.
So far, an average of 26 minutes has been shaved from each game, making them resemble the length of contests from 20+ years ago. The reduction in time is not in actual play but it involves dead time – mound visits, batter adjustments at the plate, pitcher confabs, etc.
Many fans report that the pace has picked up and the tempo more even. Both of which hold their attention better. And more families are able to attend because the end times are conducive for those with young children or work days.
However, some fans complain that shorter games takes away from their entire experience and amount of time spent at the ballpark.
So which system – old or new – do you prefer now that you’ve seen the pitch clock in action?
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?
APRIL POLL RESULTS:
Which strategy for improvement would be your top priority?
Focus on development of top prospects and young players. 78%
Controlling the strike zone on both sides of the plate. 22%
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In one of his first official trades, PoBO Scott Harris traded Kody Clemens and closer Gregory Soto to the Phillies in exchange for Nick Maton, Donny Sands and Matt Vierling.
Here are their stats (through Thursday):
Kody Clemens: .063 BA and .180 OPS
Gregory Soto: 4.32 ERA and 1.080 WHIP
—
Nick Maton: .151 BA and .621 OPS. Maton leads the team in HRs and RBIs. Playing 3B primarily with some 2B. Excellent defense, speed.
Donny Sands: Catching in Toledo
Matt Vierling: .231BA and .619 OPS. Playing CF and RF. Excellent defense and range.
How would you grade the trade so far?
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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday?
A former Tiger comes close to pitching a perfect game.
Detroit Tigers’ PoBO Scott Harris has hinted in a variety of ways that this year’s roster may be churning at a regular pace as players try to meet the goals of producing offensively and defensively. Not to mention pitchers who have to produce solid innings.
We’ve already seen a few changes, mostly due to injuries.
But who is the most likely of the current 26-man roster to find themselves back in Toledo – or worse? Who has the most pressure placed upon them to produce?
I’ve got my top 5 list.
1.Akil Baddoo – He was the last player to be cut in favor of Kerry Carpenter yet found himself back in Detroit quickly when Austin Meadows had to go on the IL. Baddoo is continuing to struggle at the plate while there are those in Toledo who are primed to come up to Comerica in the near future. The potential outfielders who could be fits outnumber the positions available.
2. Michael Lorenzen – Despite it being his first outing, he really got tagged in his debut and sports a 13.50 ERA and horrendous 2.50 WHIP. The Tigers are paying him for 1 year and just slightly more than Jonathan Schoop. If he can’t control that infamous strike zone, the Tigers could drop him in favor of Joey Wentz who is expected to return to Toledo when Matt Manning comes off the IL.
3. Austin Meadows – We all know about his mental struggles that put him back on the IL just 10 days into the season. It’s not a good indicator of how he may fare for the rest of the year if and when he returns. He’s also struggling at the plate which is probably a result of the issues he is facing. Knowing that there will be a lot of pressure placed upon him when he returns, how well will he handle this pressure and will the Tigers continue to allow him to go on the IL?
4. Tyler Nevin – It’s early but Nevin has only 1 hit in 4 games played and is sporting a .100 BA. But when you consider that his positions are 3B (currently filled by Maton) and LF (competing w/3 other candidates), he currently doesn’t fill any of the team’s holes which makes him much more vulnerable to being demoted when the Tigers need to bring someone else up.
5. Jonathan Schoop – He’s already platooning because of his hitting woes. A .200 BA and sporting the team’s lowest OPS. His contract expires at the end of this year and the Tigers currently are developing some players in AAA to take over.
Is there another candidate currently on the roster who qualifies for this list of those most likely to see their time cut short? If there is, you’ve got to tell us which of the players above your candidate would replace.
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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday?
How long before a Mud Hen gets called up to Detroit?
Totally Tigers 