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.

It’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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Many are too quick to want a player ousted after a couple weeks or a month because they are struggling.  I generally follow the rule of a 2-month trial for players (at least a year for executives) before I consider whether they are better off staying or returning to the minors.

Nick Maton makes for an interesting case and he’s now on my radar.  While he’s only hitting .166 (which is the lowest BA for the regular position players), his other slash line numbers are better than many of his teammates.  But it’s his numbers for HRs and RBIs that makes it really interesting.

Maton just relinquished leading the team in HRs and is #3 in RBIs.  And we all know that it’s not the BA that really counts, it’s how many runs you drive in that matters.

But he’s on the team’s radar and the subject of many conversations between the media and A. J. Hinch.  Which means he’s a potential target.

Scott Harris said he would be taking “calculated risks” in building this roster and Nick qualifies as one.  My guess is that they will give him until the All-Star break to see where he’s at and where all the 3B candidates are performing down in AAA before making a move.

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Speaking of the minors, I’m not big on following players more than superficially until they’ve had a good amount of experience.  It’s because they are essentially raw dough and anything can happen during their development.  I do start paying some attention once they reach AAA and start producing consistently.  Yet, it is still such a huge jump from Toledo to Detroit that it’s very hard to determine how they will do once they reach Comerica.

It’s not the most productive allocation of time and attention to this organization. Focusing in on the minors is like trying to predict the future.

Take the case of Justyn-Henry Malloy.  Off to a “torrid” start in April that resulted in fans clamoring for his arrival in Detroit.  But since mid-May, he’s been hitting well under .200 and his strikeout rate is over 30%.  His defense is also suspect and the Mud Hens are considering a change from 3B to the outfield.

The minors really are a roller coaster as well with players working on their skills, improving and then getting promoted where they start all over again.  And of course, great performance in AAA doesn’t mean they will do well at the MLB level.

Don’t even ask me about Colt Keith until he’s spent at least a month in Toledo………

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Have you seen the patterns of payroll spending in MLB?  In the NL East, half the teams are big spenders.  In the NL Central, it’s almost half the teams.  In the West, it’s almost all of them.

Turning to the AL, the East has most of its teams opening their wallets wide.  But with the Rays making fools of everyone else in their division.

The AL West has more than half their teams splurging on payroll.

And the AL Central?  The cheapest collection of owners.  Only 2 out of 4 other teams have spent more than the Tigers – and that’s pretty sad.

As I look at all 6 divisions, you can see that each team, in part, spends just enough money in response to what their counterparts in the division are spending.  That is, unless you are Mets owner, Steve Cohen.

The disparity in total payrolls is lowest in the AL Central.  Why spend more than the other 4 teams in your division if you don’t need to?

One would almost think that there is some sharing of information among the owners.  But that can’t be.

Would owners actually collude?  😉

Which one of these stories resonated the most with you?

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