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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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.

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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.

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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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