FIVE FOR FRIDAY

/ totallytigersblog

by Holly Horning

The Detroit Tigers finished the 2023 season in 2nd place.  Their best record since 2016.  However, they ended up 6 games under .500.

In 2022, they finished in 4th place, 30 games under .500 with 96 losses.

At quick glance, they appear to be performing better and more consistently.  There have been some discussions that they could vie for the AL Central title next year given that this division is historically the weakest in MLB.

Outside of that rationale, are there other reasons to believe that the AL Central is theirs for the taking?

I’ve got 5 factors to consider………

1. The Royals have spent the most money out of the 5 teams and signed multiple free agents.  However, they are by far the weakest team in the Central and lost 106 games last year.  It’s hard to imagine that they could move from being MLB’s 2nd worst team to finishing in 1st place for the division.

2. Terry Francona is no longer the manager of the Guardians and widely given credit for the team’s performance over the years.  Their new manager, Stephen Vogt, has only 1 year of coaching experience – in the bullpen.  Expect him to perform significantly poorer as he takes over.  He has already been compared to Brad Ausmus.

3. The White Sox continue with manager Pedro Grifol who took his roster to 101 losses last year (his first year), a significant drop from the previous season.  The team as a whole is very dysfunctional from the owner on down.  And they are rumored to have their best pitcher, Dylan Cease, on the trading block.  Given owner Jerry Reinsdorf, your guess is as good as mine regarding the rationale.  But a team that can’t get it together behind the scenes, also can’t function well on the field.

4. The Diamond Sports bankruptcy is forcing the Guardians and Twins to significantly cut payroll.  It is believed that the contracts they have with Diamond will be terminated and a large chunk of revenue will be lost, thus the need to sell off players and sign lesser talent.  It happened to the Padres last year and they had to take out loans in order to cover payroll.

5. The Tigers currently appear to have the most stable Front Office.  Scott Harris is going into his 2nd year and now there is the addition of GM Jeff Greenberg.  Harris’ first year was one of reassessment. There have been visible improvements in performance, the farm system, player development and other areas. 

More top prospects are expected to be promoted in 2024 and the current younger players in Detroit come into the season with more experience.  Last year, the team played near .500 in August and above .500 in September.  The Twins won only 9 more games last year.  It’s not a hard number to overcome.

Is there another reason we can include that supports the potential for the Tigers to take the AL Central title in 2024?

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7 thoughts on “FIVE FOR FRIDAY”

  1. The Tigers look suddenly to be the most stable in a dumpster fire of a division. That’s the most compelling reason and if starting pitching can get healthier a slightly over .500 mark seems possible. And that could take the division.

    Liked by 3 people

  2. I’m believing the Tigers will win 15 more games in 2024. Whether or not that gives them the division lead depends on a ton of other factors.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. The Royals have done the most to help themselves. The Tigers should be favorites to win the division if they can improve 2 years in a row (2023 and 2024), and not backslide like they did in 2022 after a promising 2021 season. If we aren’t above .500 by Memorial Day we will most likely have our answer.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Another reason would be how and why the Tigers were able to play above .500 in September. The how is interesting because they did it against many playoff bound teams overcoming many late season injuries. The why is all about maturation and how the team play came together in consistent wins.

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  5. the royals rebuild is a complete failure. Thier short stop and middle reliefers came through, so more or less they spent to catch up to us. General young players improving and couple veteran additions should give us the edge for first.

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  6. Another reason for optimism is the potential strength of the pitching staff if their pitchers can avoid significant injuries. Between the off season signings and getting the injured starters back on the mound, their depth looks surprisingly good. Though I’d love to see the same effort to upgrading the lineup, Harris has assembled a pretty decent pitching staff that looks good enough to compete for this year’s division crown.

    Liked by 1 person

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