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………..

The Tigers and Bally Sports Detroit may have found their best primary tv broadcasting partner for Jason Benetti.  Unfortunately, it’s not the guy they hired.

Social media polls and feedback show that most fans are happy with Craig Monroe as the second half of BSD’s tv team.

But there are instances when Benetti and C-Mo don’t mesh the way they should.

Bally and the Tigers have hired a number of broadcasters to assist Jason this year.  Maybe too many.  Having a revolving cast of characters may eventually exhaust viewers if they constantly have to keep up with who is broadcasting each day.

And it’s clear that if you don’t have a Detroit Tigers pedigree, you won’t be hired.  The cast for this year’s games are Kirk Gibson, Todd Jones, Craig Monroe, Carlos Pena and Dan Petry.  C-Mo will broadcast the majority of games.

Petry is a nice guy and informative but boring.  And it’s obvious that Todd Jones has zero broadcast experience.  Get him in the booth and the atmosphere quickly starts to resemble a bunch of frat boys reminiscing.

For all of C-Mo’s personality, his energy level and voice modulation is simply too high and often overshadows Benetti.  Let’s remember, it’s Jason who is the star. 

Simply put, Monroe is all gas, no brake.

Then there is Carlos Pena.  He comes to the broadcast team with extensive professional experience and you can hear it in his voice.  Working for the Red Sox and Cubs – and as an analyst and commentator for MLB TV.

He is the perfect match for Benetti.  And you can tell Jason likes him.

The two are perfectly synced and have styles that complement each other.  There is a friendly banter between them that is not forced.  It all flows naturally.  You can tell they enjoy each other’s company.

As a bonus, Pena brings a level of knowledge to the broadcast that the others don’t. He tweaks his commentary for the fan who wants to know more about the details and strategy of the game.

Unfortunately, changes cannot be made this year.  Contracts have been signed promising everyone a certain number of games and salaries.  But maybe next year, we’ll see a revamping. 

Until then, I look forward to watching the Benetti/Pena pairings.

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Have you been wondering what happened to Tiger fans’ 2 favorite former pitchers?  I’ve got some updates.

Eduardo Rodriguez, who said he’d never go to a team out west, is now with the Arizona Diamondbacks.  And he never made it out of spring training, suffering a strained left shoulder.

Last week, he had another set back and has been put on the 60-day IL.  Having not built up his arm strength in spring training, he’ll have to undergo a full ST once he is injury-free.  He’s not expected back until sometime around the All-Star break at the earliest.

Let’s just hope that he keeps in touch with his manager and Front Office and returns their phone calls and texts.

And then there’s Spencer Turnbull who appears to be free of the neck and toenail injuries he claimed he had with the Tigers.  He’s with the Phillies now courtesy of former Tiger-turned-Phillie, David Chadd, who signed him to a pity contract.  A 1-year minor league contract with a pay cut and the promise of a call-up if any Phillies get injured. 

That’s exactly what happened.  SP Taijuan Walker got injured and Turnbull got to take his place.  And he’s pitched very well so far.

But now Walker is getting ready for his return and will displace Turnbull.  Rumors have Dave Dombrowski designating him as a reliever going forward.

This is that infamous next contract year for Spencer.  He’s a free agent after the 2024 season so he’s working towards that big payday now. Only made possible by last year’s move in which he and Scott Boras threatened the Tigers with legal action if they didn’t cough up an undeserved year of service time.

Let’s see if he creates any drama with the Phillies should things not go his way.

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For the last 6 years, Tiger fans have been bombarded by the former Front Office and local media about how great their #1 draft picks would be.  Especially the positional players like Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson.  We’ve been told countless times that these guys were sure things and can’t miss players.

But now after several seasons, the lustre is starting to wear off.  Greene has shown great promise at the plate but his defense has been below average (until recently w/the move to LF) and the injury bug has derailed each of his first 2 years. There’s a chance he can still become a more complete player but it’s the ability to stay healthy that is the biggest concern.

Torkelson may still be trying to recover from being coached by the horrible former player development system and then a premature promotion to Detroit.  His first year was a disaster both in the field and at the plate.

Last year was much better with a team-best 31 HRs and 94 RBIs.  But defensively, he earned a -11 DRS and ranked as MLB’s worst 1Ber.  A mixed bag.

This year, there is continued concern.  Another slow start offensively.  Tork has yet to hit his first home run.  And in the field, he already is sitting at -4 DRS with only 3 weeks into the season. He already now ranks once again as the worst defensive 1Ber in MLB and cost the Tigers a win over the weekend.

Both players have shown promise at times but the real test is whether they can do it consistently.

The player who may just shine above everyone else was not a #1 draft pick. In fact, he was 19th and has, until very recently, been taking a backseat in terms of attention to both Greene and Torkelson.

Kerry Carpenter. (And for the record, I wrote this before his stellar performance this past weekend.)

He ended up achieving the team’s best slash line in 2023 and currently holds it again this year.  By a wide margin, too.  Leading the team now in every single offensive category.

But it’s his fielding that is of special note.  He came to Detroit with the reputation of “all bat, no glove” but worked tirelessly with George Lombard on his defense.

Today?  He’s a plus defender.

Don’t be surprised if he becomes the fan favorite very, very soon.

Which one of these stories resonated the most with you?

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