TRADE DEADLINE UPDATE: The Tigers are working on a number of deals. Top sources firsdt announcing that Lorenzen and Cisnero are heading to Baltimore in exchange for 3 prospects.Now being reported that Lorenzen is going to Philly.
We are constantly updating news on Twitter. Follow us there @totallytigersbb .
I’m writing this blog exactly 24 hours before the trade deadline. And so far, all’s quiet on the Midwestern Front.
But things are bubbling below the surface. Multiple reports of negotiations going on. And not just with one team.
So far, Scott Harris has not uttered Al Avila’s famous line about there not being any interest shown by other teams.
Multiple journalists are reporting that a variety of franchises are interested in Eduardo Rodriguez and Michael Lorenzen.
So why is this taking so long?
There are actually multiple reasons.
First, that trades rarely take little time to happen. GMs start conversations weeks in advance as they explore options and plant seeds with other teams.
As we know from this year, there are a significant number of organizations who were on the bubble about whether they were sellers or buyers. They were going to make up their minds as late as this past weekend.
Which is why Scott Harris is being smart and waiting. He wants to gather as many viable customers as possible. And then play them off against each other.
That’s what smart GMs (or PoBOs) do. We just forgot what it looked like for the past 8 years.
But if you look at what’s going on right now, there’s little activity out there. It’s not just the Tigers who are waiting for deals. Most other teams are, too.
The GMs know that most trades are made at or near the deadline. Finding that solution before time runs out is a great motivator. Buyers need that acquisition before it’s too late. Sellers wait until the last minute in order to get the best deal.
We saw it twice – when it was literally down to the wire. Dave Dombrowski walking into the Tigers’ dugout to have Austin Jackson pulled from a game because he was just traded. And Justin Verlander finally signing his trade papers with less than 1 minute until the deadline.
So what should Tiger fans be expecting?
First, that the team is a seller. Their strategy is very different than most of the other teams. Even the other sellers.
Their top priority is to get something for 4 players before they walk at the end of the year and the Tigers get zippo in return. They are Eduardo Rodriguez, Michael Lorenzen, Chasen Shreve and Jose Cisnero.
Their second priority will be to listen to offers on other players and determine if any of them are too good to pass up because they will significantly jump-start the team’s progression.
However, unlike Avila, Harris isn’t going to accept just any offer put his way. If it doesn’t meet the desired goals, he won’t make the move.
This is Harris’ first real test as the head of the Tigers. If he makes a bad or weak deal, it will sit in the other GM’s minds for the rest of time and make it much harder to complete deals in the future.
Harris needs to position himself as a strong deal maker – but also a fair one. He needs to get other GMs wanting to bargain with him down the road because they will know it will be a smooth and fair process. He doesn’t want to come across as weak or difficult to work with as Avila was.
With that said, Scott has a difficult task. He’s got talent to sell but his 2 biggest trade candidates are rentals. Two months of control is not much at all but teams giving up players in return can feel the hurt for years. For the buyer, there is great risk attached. It’s going to depend upon how desperate they are.
Given this, fans can’t expect a great return. Translation: Don’t believe that the team will get a recognizable name back. Nor someone who can be plugged into the lineup this year. That’s because teams who are buyers are also contenders. They’re not going to give up a viable roster member in the heat of a playoff run to another team.
They will give up a player who is blocked positionally from advancing. They will also consider a prospect, but it won’t be a top one. Certainly not for a rental. Top prospects are only given up for name players who will be with their new team for 2 years or longer.
Secondary prospects- say ones ranked from #10 to #20 – are a best case scenario. But then again, the Tigers may also focus on getting certain positional players instead of focusing solely on the rankings.
For example, the Tigers are currently talking with 1 team about a trade and Scott Harris is interested in one of their minor league catchers. And we know the Tigers need that type of player.
So when will we start to see some action?
Today would have been convenient. It’s an off day – a perfect one for transitioning departures and arrivals.
But I think Harris will take this as close to the wire as he can comfortably get in order to leverage bargaining power as much as possible. The Tigers have 2 highly-prized pitchers that multiple teams want. I’m sure he’s going to play them off against each other.
But then there’s the issue with ERod. He has a 10-team no trade clause that will have to be navigated. That may take a little extra work and time.
Something may happen tonight. It may even be happening as I finish writing this.
Let’s see what happens. We’ll keep this blog running as things develop and update as needed. I’ll post any revisions and updates as they happen on this site.
So for this day, the conversation here is going to be about the Tigers’ potential and actual trades. Your thoughts, your reactions, your questions.
Let’s make it a great discussion day!
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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…
The Tigers ranked #1in MLB for bonus money given out to their draft picks. They were allotted $15,747,200 and spent $2 million over that limit. Per the rules, they are allowed to exceed it by 5%. There’s a 75% fine on anything over.
Their $17, 677,450 total is the second-highest in MLB history. Only the 2015 Astros spent more. Nine out of 30 teams spent less than $10 million of their bonus pool money.
So what does this say about the Tigers? That they’re not going cheap and willing to spend more in order to get what they want. It also says that they planned and allocated their spending pool well.
And that they are much more serious about building a top farm system than the previous Front Offices.
Wouldn’t you go nuts as a fan if you had Arte Moreno as an owner? Over the past year, he’s stated that he was putting the team up for sale. Then a month later, said he wasn’t. Treating a billion+ dollar corporation like it was a trading card. Making decisions on a whim.
This is the same man who OK’d the decision to hire Brad Ausmus as the manager all because he aced a written test.
The same man who has owned the team for 21 years and never made it to the World Series despite having Mike Trout on the roster. To make it even worse, the last time the Angels finished above .500 was back in 2015 and their last playoff appearance was in 2014.
And now, he’s flip-flopping on Shohei Ohtani. First, that Shohei wouldn’t be traded. Then, they were open to offers. And now, they’re keeping him (for the rest of the year) and just changed their team vision and strategy on the fly to suddenly ramp up their contention powers.
So instead of selling, they’ve suddenly decided that they are going to try to contend and get to the World Series in the near future. If you have visions of GM Perry Minasian sitting at his desk with a bottle of Johnny Walker, you’re not alone.
Ironically, after I had written this, a national publication said that Minasian now ranked #1 in being the most stressed GM.
All of this could change by the time of publication. But man, that is one crazy organization.
We knew that Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson were friends but now it’s come out just how close they are. They have adjoining lockers and spend every day in deep discussion. They even prep their baseball gear together and share supplies.
Each one feeds off of one another and now we understand why Torkelson stated that it was hard for him to play while Greene was on the IL.
There are plusses and minuses to having just 1 or 2 real friends on a team so we can only hope that both men expand their friendships to include the rest of the roster.
But it is a good sign overall that players who have come up through the minor league system are forming strong bonds with each other. We’re seeing more of that with the other young prospects still in the farm system.
It was not the case when Mr. I bought a team and few, if any, of the players had a history with each other. The last time the Tigers had players with strong teammate bonds was when a group named Trammell, Whitaker, Morris, Gibson, Parrish et al got promoted to Detroit.
Which one of these stories resonated the most with you?
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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday?
Could the Tigers’ broadcast team be changing next year?
The Detroit Tigers will be sellers once again at this trade deadline and they have 4 clear trade candidates. Eduardo Rodriguez who is widely expected to opt out of his contract and Michael Lorenzen, Chasen Shreve and Jose Cisnero who are on expiring contracts.
All 4 are considered to be rentals, thus lowering their value. They are not expected to receive solid MLB-experienced players in return, nor a team’s top-ranked prospects because of that.
Should the Tigers trade 1 or more of these 4 pitchers, what is your preference for the type of player?
Do you want the Tigers to acquire players with MLB experience who can be plugged into the current roster?
Or would you prefer that they get minor league prospects who can be developed by the Tigers new player development program and also provide depth to the team?
Prospects would most likely be ranked higher than MLB-ready players.
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 also respond to other readers.
TT will supply the ammunition. One thought-provoking question. Several options provided. One hard choice to be selected. One vote.
Ready?
Make sure to come back later and check the final results!
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FINAL RESULTS FROM A JULY TOTALLY TIGERS POLL:
If your #1/#2 pitcher was throwing a no-hitter, would you remove him in the 7th inn as he faced the lineup for the 3rd time and his pitch count was elevated?
Now that the Tigers have entered the 2nd half of the season, we have enough information to make some evaluations about the players.
Almost everyone believes that Riley Greene is becoming a very special type of player. Thus his performance so far has more or less been meeting our high expectations.
But what about the others? Are there players who have pleasantly surprised us? Players we expected would be performing at a lower level? Player who are now doing better than we thought?
Miguel Cabrera is a shell of his former self due to chronic injuries that no longer allow him to hit for power. After an extremely rough start to the season, he hit .304 in June and .303 in July. He continues to methodically work his way up the 3,000 hit club ladder.
Kerry Carpenter is 1 of the leaders in extra-base hits and currently has the team’s best slash line. He is also slowly improving in the outfield.
After Greene and Carpenter, Matt Vierling has the best OBP and is the Tigers’ best defensive player. He was acquired by the Tigers over the winter. He is expected to eventually take over the CF slot with Greene moving to a corner position.
And finally, there is Spencer Torkelson. Brought up too early last year, he struggled through 2022 and much of 2023. His stats have improved. His BA of .232 and OBP are not among the highest of the team, but he does lead everyone in HRs and RBIs, partially due to his positioning in the heart of the order.
Which of these 4 have pleasantly surprised you the most?
Make sure to come back and check the final results!
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FINAL RESULTS FROM A JULY TOTALLY TIGERS POLL:
Should the Tigers trade all 4 of their pitchers with expiring contracts by this year’s trade deadline?
We are just days away from the August trade deadline and the rumors are flying.
And that’s just what they are. Rumors.
It’s one of the most used strategies to generate interest and bidding wars. Or to deflect attention away from what you’re really trying to do during this time.
Teams have been known to use employees as decoys and go around a baseball conference and “whisper” about their team’s “interest” in a player.
No rumors should be taken seriously. That is unless you have Al Avila as your GM who would regularly blurt out who he was trying to trade.
So what are the biggest rumors floating out there about the Tigers? I’ve got my top 5 of stories not to be believed.
1.The Tigers are interested in an outfielder with the Diamondbacks. Why would Scott Harris try to trade for an outfielder when he’s got an overflow of them? Greene, Vierling, Carpenter, possibly Baddoo and then next year, Parker Meadows among others. Or interested in an outfielder who has no plate discipline? The Tigers desperately need infielders, not outfielders.
2. A number of teams are pushing to acquire Kerry Carpenter which has pushed fans onto the ledge. Lots of teams are undoubtedly interested but Harris is not going to trade a player who is team-controlled until 2028 and currently has the 2nd best offensive stats next to Riley Greene. The Tigers desperately need offense. They’re certainly not going to trade it away. Unless it’s to acquire Shohei Ohtani.
3. The Tigers may trade away a number of their young relievers who are still under team control. These youthful accomplished pitchers aren’t going anywhere. Especially when you have 4 pitchers with expiring contracts after this year who will definitely be traded if possible before the Tigers get nothing in return.
4. The Tigers may trade Spencer Turnbull. It’s true there is some friction between Turnbull and the organization but his value is near zero currently as he’s on the IL and still hasn’t shown that he’s recovered from Tommy John surgery. He’s got 1 year left until free agency (w/agent Scott Boras) but the Tigers will want to maximize his value by returning him to the mound this year before they attempt to try to trade him this winter.
5. Scott Harris may try to extend Michael Lorenzen’s contract. Lorenzen will be 32 years old next year and would want a multi-year contract of $15+ mill per year which is on the lower end of starting pitchers currently. It’s a move Scott Harris’ predecessor would have made but Harris is much smarter than that. Michael served a purpose for the Tigers – a pitcher looking to rebound who had potential but was, bottom-line, a stop-gap solution until better options presented themselves for the 2024 season.
Have you heard any other rumors about the Tigers that make you shake your head?
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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday?
The rumors about Matt Shepard’s game calling were proven true in Thursday’s first game.
So why the need to dig back through history? Especially when some fans say that they simply wish to move forward and don’t want to wallow once again into those inept years?
Because it is very important to understand what really happened during those years that created such a huge failure in the attempt to rebuild the Tigers franchise. The 2 most important reasons are:
1.The need to understand what happened so history will not repeat itself.
2. The need to know exactly what was done – or not – in the failed attempt to rebuild this franchise. By knowing those details, it allows fans to perform an educated analysis of what this team is currently doing. It also gives them a basis of comparison between the past and present Front Office leaders.
Very simply, if you don’t know what was done in the past, how are you going to have confidence in the future as the Tigers once again try to rebuild their rebuild? How will you know if what Scott Harris is doing is either good or bad if you don’t understand whether or not he is making changes to what was done under his predecessor?
Today, let’s focus on the organization’s individual departments and how they helped or hurt the rebuilding process. Each of these departments has someone in charge to plan and oversee the work.
However, it is up to the GM to work with each department head in setting goals and changing policy. It would be expected that each department head would be proactive about what needed to be accomplished and how best to get there.
To reiterate, all of the information presented today and going forward into the future is being repeated from reports published through legitimate media resources and established journalists. I give no credence to sites that explore gossip or exist for click bait.
All of the sources used today come from within the baseball industry. That said, there is always the possibility that what was reported could have been of a complex nature with many additional layers that were not revealed.
The 4th installment will focus on all the departments in charge of developing players and providing the necessary resources, technology and information to both other departments as well as the roster, GM, manager and coaches.
Noticeably absent in Part 4 are those areas in charge of player acquisition. There is just too much to cover for this topic so it will be the final and last chapter in our thorough analysis. That will happen next week so please save your comments about drafting, trading, free agency, etc. for then.
Now, let’s dig in and identify all the departmental factors that provided road blocks to the rebuild.
The franchise was old and antiquated. I do not remember any owner during my lifetime who invested in this franchise beyond the roster. All investments were put into the fruit of the tree with none going into the roots. The organization was always one of the very last to adopt new strategies and tools. Most organizations have a 10-20 year jump on what the Tigers are now trying to do.
New departments such as analytics take time to build and evolve. The Tigers aren’t going to have a top analytics department in a couple years when other teams have been at it for 2 decades and employ 20-40 analysts while the Tigers have app. 7. Currently, Detroit ranks #28 in the size of their analytics department.
In other words, it takes time for an organization to modernize and create a track record of success. A couple years won’t do it.
For all the love that Mr. I got for pouring money into the roster, he invested zippo into the organization. He ignored the farm system and was forced to buy a roster because the farm system had been allowed to further rot.
For all the dislike Chris Ilitch gets, he is the first owner to invest in the franchise’s infrastructure. Starting the year after Covid, he has been pouring millions into multiple departments. Adding significant new employees to multiple departments. Building out analytics. Buying super computers, Rapsodo machines, high speed cameras and other high tech advanced machines to be used within departments as well as to analyze players’ form.
Not to be forgotten is the hiring of an extensive number of new executives, managers, coaches and advisors who require higher salaries given their resumes. Top people require top salaries. Remember, in the past the Tigers spent on the cheap hiring either rookie, retired or unemployed managers and coaches.
Communication and coordination were non-existent. It may have been missing all along but Al Avila did not resolve or create an organization in which departments communicated with each other. Essentially, no department really knew what the others were doing or planning. Each did their own thing and didn’t incorporate other departments into their plans or strategies.
It’s not even clear if each part of the organization was working towards the same goals. What we do know is that certain departments did not coordinate on major planning issues with other areas of the organization in which they shared common ground. (I’m covering some examples in greater detail down below.)
Player development was ineffective and slow. There’s no need to go in-depth again about this problematic department. Players in the system forever. Players who got promoted but didn’t have the proper tools to succeed. The high turnover of players who left the system. Many of the top draft choices who are no longer with the team or in baseball. Players who left the Tigers and succeeded elsewhere.
The Tigers did not have a systematic way of playing that is taught throughout all minor league levels. Pretty standard stuff in most of the other organizations.
Dave Littlefield was a close friend of Al Avila. He was hired as a scout for the Tigers in 2014 by Al and less than a year later, promoted to VP Player Development upon the departure of Dombrowski. Littlefield was removed from his position 1 year after the hiring of A. J. Hinch. Hinch had been the D’backs minor league operations manager and then the head of player development. You can connect the dots.
Ryan Garko came in and within a couple months, had developed a manual of how every prospect would play the game. He restructured the entire minor league system, eliminating many of the old-timers with long-standing ties to the Tigers who had burrowed back into the organization. He created a new system of directors who oversaw the various training programs which allowed for players to be tracked consistently throughout their entire minor league experience and for communication and custom-designed development programs to be shared among every manager and coach. All of this to create an individualized development program that was consistently followed.
And we’re already seeing the results less than 2 years into the new leadership and overhaul.
Analytics were not used effectively. Just because you have an analytics department doesn’t mean it works or is implemented throughout the organization properly.
Jay Sartori is the head of that department and it is yet unclear whether he is effective and capable under the new regime. He’s not as visible as the other VPs and his department’s work tends to take place behind the scenes. Don’t be surprised if he is included in that expected second wave of employees who will leave this coming winter.
What we do know is that whatever information was generated by his department was not effectively used by the rest of the organization. We don’t know how that information was passed down or to whom. We do know that the Tigers had Josh Paul who was the Quality Control Manager and in charge of translating and sharing that info with the roster. He was fired by Harris.
The speed bumps in analytics being passed down to where it could be used are many. Was it up to just 1 person to communicate the information? And did those who received the info understand it? Was the information translated well enough to be utilized successfully?
We do know that when you introduce a new system that involves technology into a group that is led by older, traditional baseball men who are unfamiliar with it, there will be problems. Especially when you have a former manager-turned special assistant say he doesn’t believe in it sends a very mixed message and doesn’t encourage participation.
We know that the Caesar system didn’t work very well for whatever reasons. Justin Verlander is on the record for saying he was blown away by the Astros’ program when he was traded to Houston. He stated that he had no idea just how many resources were available to help him and credits their analytics department with helping him become a better pitcher.
We do know that the Tigers now have a new system for translating and communicating info to players. There is a process in place for the current roster to prepare for games and also review games just played.
Analytics is still a very new department for the Tigers. It’s going to take more than a couple years to refine and expand the department. It’s still a work in progress so let’s wait until the off-season to see what changes may be made.
As previously mentioned, still to come is the analysis of the remaining departments. The most important part of the organization saved for last – player acquisition. We’ll cover all of those topics next week.
The good news is that Scott Harris has been changing those. But there is still much work to do.
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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday?
Just how well did the Tigers do in the draft? We’ve got the list!
The Detroit Tigers are currently 8 games under .500 (through Monday’s games) and 7 games out of 1st place. They are just 3 games out of 2nd place.
Next Tuesday is the trade deadline. The Tigers have 4 pitchers (ERod, Lorenzen, Cisnero and Shreve) on either opt out or expiring contracts. Conceivably, they could lose all 4 at the end of the year and get nothing in return if they aren’t traded.
There are also other players rumored to be of interest to other teams.
What should be the goal of this organization be as we approach the trade deadline?
Keep the top performers mentioned and work towards having the best year possible? Potentially even aiming for a wild card slot?
Or should this organization use the trade deadline to improve the roster going forward? Adding new and needed talent and depth by trading off players who are unlikely to be here next year?
One option may provide a short-term thrill. The other, short-term disappointment followed by a stronger future.
Which choice would you select?
This is today’s question to kick start some good discussion threads here – and to take with you wherever you go during the rest of the week.
Make sure to come back and check the final results!
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FINAL RESULTS FROM A JULY TOTALLY TIGERS POLL:
Is it better to draft the top-ranked player available or to draft a player who is a better fit?
So why the need to dig back through history? Especially when some fans say that they simply wish to move forward and don’t want to wallow once again in those inept years?
Because it is very important to understand what really happened during those seasons that created such a huge failure in the attempt to rebuild the Tigers franchise. The 2 most important reasons are:
1.The need to understand what happened so history will not repeat itself.
2. The need to know exactly what was done – or not – in the failed attempt to rebuild this franchise. By knowing those details, it allows fans to perform an educated analysis of what this team is currently doing. It also gives them a basis of comparison between the past and present Front Office leaders.
Very simply, if you don’t know what was done in the past, how are you going to have confidence in the future as the Tigers once again try to rebuild their rebuild? How will you know if what Scott Harris is doing is either good or bad if you don’t understand whether or not he is making changes to what was done under his predecessor?
Today, let’s focus on the former GM, Al Avila, and the skill set he brought to the Tigers. He was the de facto leader of the Tigers, setting the example and expectations for the rest of the organization.
To reiterate, all of the information presented today and going forward into the future is being repeated from reports published through legitimate media resources and established journalists. I give no credence to sites that explore gossip or exist for click bait.
All of the sources used today come from within the baseball industry. That said, there is always the possibility that what was reported could have been of a complex nature with many additional layers that were not revealed.
Now, let’s dig in……
1.Favoritism got him the job. Avila was a favorite of Mike Ilitch and was allegedly treated like a son. Years ago, Mr. I promised Al the GM job. He gave it to Al before actually “releasing” Dave Dombrowski and without interviewing a single candidate. We all know that in business, you should never hire a relative or someone with whom you are close. It clouds perception and makes difficult discussions uncomfortable.
2.The man had no filter. Unlike his former boss, Avila said everything out loud. Other teams as well as the fans knew exactly what he was thinking. He never put himself in a position to bargain from strength. Remember all the times he said he was trying to trade Player X? How trade returns were going to be minimal? How no team wanted players like Nick Castellanos? Avila is the guy you want at your poker table.
3. He punished employees who disagreed with him or didn’t show loyalty. In the previous blogs, I wrote about how 1 of Brad Ausmus coaches and the AAA manager were both fired for speaking up and how Avila created a “yes man” culture. To add to that is the report from 2015 that came from a high-level Tigers employee stating that a decision had been made to fire Ausmus at the end of the year. Mr. I had been pushing for it. The leak was reported to have greatly irritated Avila who then decided that he would retain Brad instead and “show” the employee that leaks weren’t allowed.
4.Avila put and kept friends in charge of running the Tigers, instead of infusing the organization with new and more qualified people. With the departure of Dave Dombrowksi, there was zero turnover within the Front Office, which is highly unusual when regime changes are made. Avila fired no one and during his 8-year tenure, only hired 1 major decision-maker, Jay Sartori. Oh, and he did hire his son, Alan, as one of the team’s attorneys.
Contrary to public thought, Al did not hire Dr. Georgia Giblin. She was matched up by U-M to the Tigers via an internship for her doctorate. After completing it, Sartori offered her a permanent job.
Likewise, Avila was not the one responsible for bringing A. J. Hinch into the organization. That credit goes primarily to Tigers VP Scott Bream, who is close friends with A. J. And we should give some credit to Chris Ilitch who insisted that Hinch extend his 1-day interview and stay in Detroit for 2 more days in order to hammer out an offer and contract.
Additionally, Avila was not responsible for finding Ryan Garko who came to the Tigers at the end of 2021 to head up player development. Garko had ties to A. J. Hinch, Chris Fetter and George Lombard who pushed for the Tigers to hire him.
Despite industry-wide criticism of how inept his long-time friends like David Chadd and Dave Littlefield ran their player development and scouting/drafting departments, they remained. They even got promoted.
When it was clear that Dave Littlefield had to be replaced in 2021, he wasn’t fired when Garko came on board. He was simply moved into another position.
5.He was not respected by other GMs. Remember my blog about meeting a former GM last year and our discussion about Avila? His diplomatic response that said everything about Avila’s reputation as a GM? Add to that the stories coming out of other Front Offices that stated Avila’s trade proposals were “unrealistic” and “laughable.” More than a couple high-ranking MLB Front Office execs said that Al wasn’t creative enough to be able to design a rebuilding plan and enact it. That he worked within a very safe box and never took the risks necessary in order to move forward.
6.Other Front Offices said he was too dependent upon an inner circle in the decision-making process. Some baseball execs said that Al leaned upon others for info and advice much more than they saw with other organizations. That he wasn’t confident in making independent decisions. Two of those were David Chadd and Dave Littlefield, who were both broomed by Scott Harris.
Another was Jim Leyland, who was a constant presence at Comerica. He sat for many of the home games in the GM suite, busily taking notes. To share with whom? And he always sat next to Al at every spring training game. He was part of the War Room during the official drafting process, sitting immediately to Avila’s right with Chris Ilitch to his left. In an interview, Leyland discussed what his responsibilities were during the draft days. He was part of the decision-making process.
Al assigned some scouting and roster building duties to JL as well. It was Leyland who was responsible for the signings of Jordy Mercer and Josh Harrison. Coincidentally, both of them former Pirates. Leyland occasionally still helps out the Pirates when needed (ex – helping the new manager acclimate to his job). He was also responsible for several other swaps of players and personnel with Pittsburgh including getting Don Kelly a coaching job and hiring Tom Prince to manage the Mud Hens. All of these moves are usually done by the GM, not a “special assistant.”
7.There was no sense of urgency in implementing new policies or meeting a timeline of rebuilding. In 2015, Avila said that over the winter, the Tigers would develop a Tiger’s Way manual but nothing was done for 6 years until Ryan Garko was hired and put one into place in just several short months.
In 2015, he hired Jay Sartori to develop an analytics department. But the organization slow-walked its development for over 5 years, hiring just a handful of people while the rest of MLB had departments with 15-40 employees. In 2021, the analytics department started growing once again which coincided with the hiring of Hinch and Garko.
Given this baseline, what are we seeing now with Scott Harris in charge? Let’s compare the standards outlined above with what is happening now. (Each number above has its corresponding number below.)
1. Chris Ilitch specifically went outside the Tigers’ organization to find a new leader despite multiple journalists all believing he would simply promote 1 of the 3 Asst. GMs. He interviewed multiple candidates and pulled in a number of outside advisors to give him a well-rounded opinion on who might be the best fit. Scott Harris has zero ties with the Tigers and worked with no one at Comerica in a previous career. He came in fully independent.
2. Harris has taken a page from the Dombrowski handbook and has rarely shown his hand. He does not speak about intent or strategy. Not a word leaked out about the draft and everyone was surprised at how well everything was kept under wraps. As maddingly as it may be for fans, Harris is a consummate poker player and appears to be dealing from a position of strength.
3. At his initial press interview, Scott indicated that there were serious problems with the Tigers’ corporate culture that needed to be solved. They included the acceptance and sharing of new ideas and opinions. We are reading stories now that mention the back-and-forth discussions between department heads and formulation of policy that involves multiple decision-makers.
4. Harris broomed a substantial part of the organization when he took over, focusing on those departments that regularly could not boast of accomplishments. He brought none of his friends to Detroit. No one came with him from San Francisco – or for that matter from the Cubs either.
Instead, he gathered a group of individuals who came from over half a dozen top organizations. All of whom were gainfully employed, had impressive buzz about them and were desired by other teams.
There are still some former Avila regime members at Comerica. It will be interesting to see if Sam Menzin and Jay Sartori survive what is expected to be a second round of employee cuts after this year.
5. Harris is still young but he gets impressive props from former bosses like Rob Manfred, Theo Epstein and Farhan Zaidi. Did we ever hear from others in the industry about Avila’s skills? Um, no…
6. We still don’t know whether Scott has an inner circle of advisors. We do read about the changes to the Tigers and how many others are involved in the new decisions. But we also get a sense that Harris is making a lot of moves on his own so it would appear that he is much more independent and confident in his decision-making.
We also know that Jim Leyland has been returned to being the figurehead that all special advisors are supposed to be. Mascot and grandfatherly duties at spring training. And he was nowhere to be seen during the drafting process.
7. Since his hiring, Harris has been moving quickly in brooming the organization, expanding departments and hiring many new people. We are already seeing the results of his moves, esp. in player development and drafting.
At this point, we still do not know at what stage he believes this organization is at. He may not even know all the answers yet. He’s given no timelines nor has he shared the strategy that will allow this team to rebuild. This first year is shrouded in some secrecy and signs point to Harris and his execs doing a reassessment of everything before they make major moves.
But I suspect that this off-season will tell us much, much more about what the Tigers are addressing and how quickly they will move going forward.
It is then that we will be able to more accurately compare the former and current regimes.
Later this week, we’re going to delve into the overall organization – specifically the departments responsible for selecting, developing and growing the talent that feeds a rebuild. Today, let’s keep the conversations focused on the former GM. (I know that many of you want to want to discuss his trading skills but we’re going to save that topic for Thursday so please hold off on those comments for then.)
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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday?
Tigers fans need to stop worrying about this potential trade rumor.
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…
The Tigers, along with a handful of other teams, altered their parks’ dimensions over the past 2 years. Last winter, the Tigers lowered some of their fences and moved others in 8 ft.
Three other teams – Blue Jays, Mets, Orioles – made more significant alterations that changed how hitter-friendly their parks were.
Scott Harris said that the Tigers weren’t looking to fundamentally change their park but to tweak it. And it seems that the tweaking was not really enough to see any changes. So far.
In previous years, Comerica ranked as the ballpark with the most fly outs that would have been home runs in every other park.
It is said that it generally takes 3 years of data to ascertain the results but so far, there aren’t many changes to be seen at Comerica.
Except for triples. Comerica has ranked #1 for triples in MLB for the past 3 years.
Today, that number has been drastically reduced.
Is that a good thing? Or does it mean less excitement and action?
I’m not sure yet. I’m still wrapping my brain around the designing of Comerica by Mike Ilitch and a sports architect that was built for speed and small ball. But the same owner who helped design it then pushed for the opposite type of player to inhabit it – slow, defensively-challenged and a power hitter.
And 4 Presidents/GMs did nothing to change the obvious mismatch by not allowing its team to play to its strengths.
It took 23+ years for someone to change the strategy – Scott Harris.
It’s interesting to see so many social media comments from fans who complain about Eric Haase. They want him gone because of his lack of hitting.
Somehow, they may still be stuck on their memories of Lance Parrish. Catchers haven’t been prized for their hitting in almost 2 decades now.
It’s all about calling a game, guiding pitchers and defense. Hitting now for a catcher is an afterthought. If you get one who can hit, it’s an unexpected bonus.
Changes to the game, analytics and evolution have now made a catcher’s offense take a backseat. A good catcher contributes much more to preventing runs than creating them on his own.
Haase may simply be having an off-year. But what can’t be denied is that he is an asset behind the plate. He’s now called 3 no-hitters in his career – and that doesn’t happen by accident.
In the recent combined no-hitter, all 3 pitchers involved personally credited Eric with guiding them every step of the way. When pictures were taken, they pulled him into the frame.
This last week, both Eduardo Rodriguez and Michael Lorenzen directly credited Haase for their effectiveness and keeping them focused.
Sure, hitting is exciting. It’s a visible sign to fans. But sometimes it’s what you don’t see that is just as intriguing – and it can win more games.
Mets owner Steve Cohen often reminds me of Mike Ilitch. He likes his stars. And he often interferes in the signing of players.
I wrote earlier in the season that it was a bad move for him to sign both Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer as his #1 and #2 starters. Both receiving over $43 mill/year with contracts that cover 2-3 years.
What could go wrong with having your top starters aged 40 and 39, right?
And we’ve seen it implode even before the halfway mark. Both former Tigers getting booed regularly by Mets fans. I don’t think that ever happened in Detroit.
And now we’re learning that they are being shopped before the trade deadline. It might be difficult given their ages, salaries and full no-trade clauses.
In fact, JV’s rotation schedule has been tweaked to allow an extra start before the trade deadline. You know why.
Currently, each is owed $14 mill for the rest of the 2023 season. It is expected that Cohen will absorb the majority of the rest of their contracts. The one hitch is what he expects in return.
One would think that Justin Verlander would sign off on a return to Detroit. He’d be reunited with his former manager, A. J. Hinch. And he would get the services of Fetter, Lund et al to help him be the best possible pitcher he can be at his age. And he could return to mentoring young pitchers.
For the Tigers, you’ve got to think that having him back would fill the void by the departure of Miguel Cabrera. The last franchise face leaving, the other one returning. JV’s return would sell tickets.
However, the return of an ageing pitcher is problematic esp. when you are building a younger team for the future. It would only work as a quick, short fix until other starters are able to be promoted and gain experience.
But the bottom line is that Scott Harris is not going to allow any top prospects to leave. Prospects that the Mets are likely to want in return for a salary dump.
Which one of these stories resonated the most with you?
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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday?
Why is talking about Lou Whitaker’s absence in Cooperstown not enough?
As the game of baseball changes, so must the historical records. As in the beginning of the game, there has been an evolution in how America’s pastime has been played.
Today, analytics has shown that it is significantly harder to throw a complete game or no-hitter for many reasons. Players have become bigger and throw harder. There are more and different pitches. Baseballs have changed. Players train their entire lives starting as children and come into the game with much more mileage on their arms than previous generations.
But one of the most important stats is when a pitcher faces a lineup for the third time, the chances of a batter getting a hit goes up significantly. Every team now is much more likely to remove their pitcher before then.
This has cut down significantly on complete games and also singular pitcher no-hitters.
There is evidence that allowing a pitcher to throw an entire game significantly increases his chances of serious arm injury. We’ve seen it happen to a number of Tiger pitchers, including Spencer Turnbull who had Tommy John surgery shortly after throwing his no-hitter. It is appearing more and more likely that Turnbull will be missing close to 2 years.
Recently, the Tigers threw a combined no-hitter, which was only MLB’s 20th.
If you were the manager and your #1 or #2 pitcher was throwing a no-hitter, would you remove him in the 7th inning as he faced the lineup for the 3rd time and his pitch count was elevated?
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 also respond to other readers.
TT will supply the ammunition. One thought-provoking question. Several options provided. One hard choice to be selected. One vote.
Ready?
Don’t forget to come back and check the final results!
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FINAL RESULTS FROM A JULY TOTALLY TIGERS POLL:
What are your feelings about the last half of the Tigers’ season?
Totally Tigers 