THE HUNGRY HEART

by Holly Horning

When Scott Harris was hired just a little over a year ago, he indicated that the type of players he would acquire would be different than those selected by his predecessor.

He pointed first to the physical skills and the lack of plate discipline/high strikeout rate of the hitters and the inability of pitchers to throw strikes.

But like his former boss, Theo Epstein, he also mentioned the intangibles that were important to consider and crucial to the makeup of the roster.  Qualities such as character and mental fortitude.

And commitment.  That the Tigers wanted players who placed a priority on getting better.  Players who wanted to come to Detroit for what it offered.

Players who didn’t place their priority on going where the highest paycheck would be.

Players who were looking for opportunity.

Gradually, we saw roster members with “me first” attitudes get traded, DFA’d or allowed to walk.  Ones like Eduardo Rodriguez who treated people horribly and with disrespect.  Harris refused to even engage in conversations to keep him from opting out.

Spencer Turnbull who fought and threatened the team all year because his priority was being on the roster despite poor performance.  His priority was to receive service time to use for free agency despite not having earned it.  They attempted to trade him twice with no takers.  He ended up being DFA’d.

Kody Clemens who stated that his priority over the winter was his busy social schedule that would prevent him from playing winter ball as the Tigers had requested.  He had struggled all year and ended up getting traded in the off-season.

Even Spencer Torkelson, who had a rough intro to MLB, said his winter would be spent playing with his new puppy while making no reference to improving his game.  That is, until it appears that someone had a talk with him.  His tune quickly changed.

And now, I’ve been reading about the collection of “hungry” players that is growing.

It’s obvious that Harris wants players who are hungry.

That hunger is described in many ways as we read about all the new players coming on board.  Players who lost a parent early in life, had immediate family members dealing with cancer, growing up with limited means of playing baseball, dealing with injuries that took them out of the game long-term or developmental delays from Covid.

Circumstances that contributed to these players’ motivation to succeed in baseball.

Others, like Kerry Carpenter, have identified that not getting initially drafted or drafted lower down was their motivation. 

Carpenter was drafted in the 19th round of the 2019 draft.  He said being drafted that low put a chip on his shoulder that has driven him since.  That and the death of his father, his #1 supporter, when he was young. 

Kerry also has an impeccable work ethic which started at an early age when he worked multiple jobs in order to fund his baseball dreams.

So far, this list of hungry Tigers includes:

Justice Bigbie

Mark Canha

Kerry Carpenter

Jason Foley

Sawyer Gipson-Long

Tyler Holton

Andy Ibanez

Colt Keith

Buddy Kennedy

Carson Kelly

Casey Mize

Gio Urshela

Matt Vierling

None of these guys were handed their careers on a silver platter.  None of them sailed through their lives or careers to get to the MLB level.  All of them had to deal with extended financial, career or health roadblocks.  And came out on the other side.

None of them take their careers for granted.

In the end, it’s an advantage when you know nothing is guaranteed.  When you appreciate what you now have and want to keep it.  When you struggle to get to where you want to be, you do what it takes in order to stay there. 

And this is an advantage for the Tigers.  Motivated players spread their enthusiasm and drive to everyone else on the team.

It leads to stronger character – and leadership.

Being hungry keeps a player centered.  Keeps his priorities on track.

We’re no longer hearing stories coming from Tigers that hint of priorities beyond the field.  And it’s a far cry from the past.

Remember the players of the previous decade?  Players who showed little passion about losing playoff games?  One who got traded for shrugging off the losses and making infamous comments about other priorities in life.  Another who took the day after being eliminated from the playoffs to show off his new expensive car.  And many others who simply shrugged or showed zero regret for losing games that should have been won.

We saw few hungry players back then.  Other than Ian Kinsler, J. D. Martinez and maybe Nick Castellanos, we’re hard-pressed to identify any others.

Having a roster full of hungry players is what Theo Epstein identifies as a key to winning.  Winning big.  And it was identified as a significant component in helping the Cubs win the World Series.

This new Tigers roster is hungry.  And so are their fans.

Both sides hungry for playoffs.

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