MONDAY MUSINGS

by Holly Horning

Today, it’s about quick hits – bits of news that catch my radar during the week as well as connecting the dots re ongoing stories.  Even the quirky.

So let’s get to it!  Here are the most interesting topics that hit my radar over the past week………..

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A number of articles recently have come out about the Tigers’ international draft process and how extremely dry it’s been in the past.  Quite frankly, if the Tigers ignored their farm system for decades, it’s logical that they also allowed cobwebs to grow on their international arm, too.

It’s literally been years since the Tigers actually got a somewhat worthy player out of their international process (Gregory Soto).  But now the new Front Office has kicked it into gear and shaken off the dust.  There is an actual plan with a lot of new people in charge.  And it’s being back up with major bucks including a new academy in the Dominican Republic.

New players like Nestor Miranda (#45 ranked) have been signed.  And it’s very helpful that Rob Metzler is now heading up this program.  He came from the Rays and has an impressive record of international signings.

The problem with the international system is that it will literally be years before we know if the new plan is working.  Many of these players are very young and they will need years of development before we know if they will be successful.

With the regular draft, it’s app. 3 years before we know how things will probably turn out.  With the international draft, we need to double those years at the very least.

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With only 3 weeks until pitchers and catchers report to spring training, guess which pitcher is still hunting for a new team?

Former Tiger Spencer Turnbull, who was DFA’d by the Tigers back in November – over 3 months ago.

Gee, I wonder why….

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If we need more proof about the improvement in the new player development system, look no further than Jackson Jobe.

Curiously, he did not make MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 players in 2021 until the end of the year despite being the #3 overall draft pick. Then he first ranked #50.  In 2022, he hit the list at #40 and ranked #9 for RHPs.

At the beginning of 2023 (or end of 2022), he fell to #54 but remained at #9 for RHPs.

But after recovering from some back issues, he tore up the minors.  By the end of last year, he became the 9th best pitching prospect and is ranked #2 out of all RHPs.  (The rankings for the Top 100 are not out yet.)

So why the huge improvement and upward movement in the rankings?

It’s his slider.  Scouts say it’s among the very best.

And where did this slider come from?

He threw it in high school but it took the Tigers’ new minor league pitching department personnel to help him perfect it. The jump in his slider only happened during 2023, when all the new coaches, specialists and coordinators came into the organization.

Which one of these stories resonated the most with you?

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• Absolutely nothing going on in the baseball world of interest to Tiger fans. So we had to get creative.

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