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 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…

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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?

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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.

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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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