Tag: Detroit Tigers

Posted on

The Detroit Tigers Christin Stewart may be running out of time

Fe-Fi-Fo-Fum, certainly Detroit Tigers outfielder Christin Stewart can smell Riley Greene, Parker Meadows and Daniel Cabrera coming for his job. He has to know the Tigers minor leagues have some solid outfield prospects. Yet for all the hype from spring training to summer camp to the 60 game regular season Christin Stewart did not deliver.

Christin Stewart was advertised as a hitter. A masher, if you will. Stewart hit home runs and a lot of them in college and the minor leagues. For a player who was taken in the first round in the 2015 MLB draft, Stewart has struggled in Detroit.

In 60 games this season, Stewart’s stats are as followed: GP-36, AB-90, R-6, H-15, 2b-3, T-0, HR-3, RBI-9, BB-5, SO-30, AVG- .167. It does not take a baseball fan to understand these are not good numbers. Throw in the fact Christin Stewart was a first round draft pick and it looks like he is on the verge of being a bust.

As mentioned before Riley Greene, Parker Meadows and Daniel Cabrera are young proven outfield hitters in the Tigers system. One two or most likely all three will be roaming the Tigers outfield when the dust settles on the organization’s rebuild.

Christin Stewart who does not have and adequate arm or speed is in a difficult spot. His limitations in the outfield would be better masked and he could move to designated hitter (DH) if he could show he could hit.

Unfortunately, Stewart is not hitting either. Many baseball experts expect Riley Greene and Danial Cabrera to be in Detroit at some point during the 2021 season. Both have speed and above average arms. Both are solid contact hitters and both project as future All-Stars.

Stewart by all accounts could be a part of the Detroit Tigers future if he can begin to hit. But time is quickly running out. It is fair to say  Christin Stewart’s career is at the cross roads.

Posted on

An updated look at the state of the Detroit Tigers, Red Wings, Pistons and Lions rebuild’s

All four Detroit Michigan sports teams are under construction. Rebuilds across the board. It has not been a fun time for the sports enthusiasts around the state of Michigan and the rest of the country. Yet here we are, it is time to update the four major sports teams rebuild efforts to date.

Let’s take a look at the worst and possibly longest rebuild in sports, or close to it. The Detroit Lions. Bob Quinn was brought in from the New England Patriots and there was hype when he arrived in Motown. The hype is gone, fans have soured and the Lions are a total mess. Losers of 11 games in a row with no end in sight. The Lions should fire Quinn and all associated with him and start from scratch.

The Detroit Pistons, In better shape than the Lions (who is not?) The Pistons have young talent to build around. Bruce Brown, Sekou Doumbouya, Luke Kennard, Christian Wood give the Pistons some nice players to build around. The Detroit Pistons are armed with some cap space for the first time in a long time so that will help speed the process up a bit.

The Detroit Tigers, the Tigers also have some nice young talent to build around. Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal, Isaac Paredes, Spencer Torkelson, Riley Greene are a few of the names Tiger fans should know or begin to learn. The Tigers still have work to do on the rebuild, however they are in good shape moving forward.

The Detroit Red Wings, general manager Steve Yzerman is still building his team. Like the Tigers the Red Wings have some nice prospects to build around. With the No. 4 pick in the first round Yzerman is poised to bring in another high-end prospect, not to mention Yzerman also has cap space. Cap space is a good thing it is even better when a GM with a proven history of spending wisely is in charge.

So there it is in a nutshell. The Lions are a mess as usual, the Pistons, Tigers and Red Wings are advancing rather nicely in the rebuilding of the respected organization.

I am sticking with my initial thought that the Detroit Red Wings finish their rebuild first.

 

Posted on

With the sudden retirement of manager Ron Gardenhire, the Detroit Tigers should get a good manager

Saturday afternoon at Comerica Park, Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila met with manager Ron Gardenhire in their usual pre-game meeting. It was then Gardenhire told Avila he was retiring effective immediately. Tigers bench coach Lloyd McClendon will manage the team for the remainder of the season. That said with a much improved minor league prospect pool the Detroit Tigers should have little problems hiring a good manager.

First off one thing I will not do is drop names and speculate who could be in the running for the sudden managerial opening. What I will do is explain why the Detroit Tigers will be able to attract a good solid manager.

As mentioned earlier, the Tigers prospect pool is an attraction on it’s own. Casey Mize, Spencer Torkelson, Tarik Skubal to name a few have the Tigers rebuild now moving along at a faster rate.

The fact that Tigers owner Christopher Ilitch publicly said he would spend money on high priced free agents the closer the prospects got to the major leagues also helps making the Detroit managers job attractive.

Ron Gardenhire did his job. He lost (as expected) a lot of games in his three seasons in Detroit. That was not the point. He was brought on board to get prospects up to major league playing standards. He did his job.

In my opinion, the next Detroit Tigers manager needs to be a person who can get the team to take the next step. That is the key. Gardenhire coached prospects to things the right way, now come the need to get the entire team on the same page and begin to win.

The Detroit Tigers opening will have it’s fair share of coach’s who will throw their names into the mix, because the Tigers have a history of spending money something Ilitch said he would do.

The key is for the Tigers to nail the hire. No former fan favorite player, nor a coach with a big name. The hire needs to be able to balance a largely young roster with some veterans sprinkled in and begin to move up the win/loss column.

These are the final steps of the rebuild.

Posted on

The Detroit Tigers are two games out of a playoff spot, what it means

DETROIT, MI – OCTOBER 17: A Detroit Tigers batting helmet sits in the dugout during Game Five of the American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox at Comerica Park on October 17, 2013 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

The rebuilding Detroit Tigers entered the 2020 COVID-19 shortened season with by- and- large low expectations from the media and fans. Yet, that same rebuilding Tigers ball club sits just two games out of the eighth and final playoff position. That is both good and bad news.

The good news is the Detroit Tigers young players and prospects they called up are keeping the team afloat in the playoff chase. Shedding a little light the Tigers rebuild may in fact be working. This coupled with the fact that the organization has not called up more or all top prospects lends it’s self to what looks  like a bright future in Motown.

The bad news. The Detroit Tigers will not have the top pick in the 2021 MLB draft. In fact the Tigers may not even have a top 10 draft pick. This is bad simply because the team is not done rebuilding. Even with a minor league system ranked anywhere from No. 6 to No.2 depending who you read.

One thought here is that as players now appear to be major league ready (Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal, Isaac Paredes) Detroit Tigers owner and president Christopher Ilitch has said he will spend money to put a winning team on the field. The organization could begin to look at big name free agents as many experts are say next season many Detroit top prospects will be added to the roster.

If the Detroit Tigers make the playoffs it is not the end of the world. It does however mean they may have to get creative how to improve the organization without the aid of a top five draft choice.

The same could be said if they do not make the playoffs. The Tigers record is better than all of the bottom feeders in MLB. The Tigers still would be looking at a non top 10 draft pick, they could eek out perhaps the No.9 pick in the draft.

The good news in all of this is Detroit’s young players and prospects are keeping the team in the playoff race.

Posted on

Two prospects help the Detroit Tigers win the series against the Cleveland Indians

Sunday against the Cleveland Indians the Detroit Tigers watched two of the organizations top prospects pave the way for a series win. Left-handed starting pitcher Tarik Skubal and third baseman Isaac Paredes. Giving a look at what is to come for Tigers baseball.

Sunday’s game started much the way Tarik Skubal’s first start, started. A home run. This time however Skubal did not buckle or get held up in the home run. Instead, Skubal dug in and showed flashes of why he was such a fast riser in the Detroit Tigers minor league system.

In 2 1/3 innings pitched (due to a pitch count) Skubal showed his competitiveness. Striking out five Indians batters four of which wiffed on Skubal’s elusive fastball. Skubal only allowed three hits and one walk. Showing better control this time out.

Tarik Skubal looked confident as he mixed his pitch’s much better in his second major league start.

On the flip side, Detroit Tigers prospect Isaac Paredes has shown to be getting more and more relaxed and confident the more at-bats he has. Friday night at Progressive Field facing the Cleveland Indians not only did the young Paredes hit his first major league home run, the home run happened to be a grand slam.

Sunday, Paredes continued his progression. Paredes had two left field singles and a double to deep left field in a 3 for 4 afternoon. This is a surprise to no one inside the Tigers organization. Paredes has been touted as a solid contact hitter with some pop in his bat.

As Tigers fans watch some of the clubs top prospects take their first major league steps, they can not help but be encouraged by what they have seen. With no Matt Manning as of yet, both Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize have shown well.

While Isaac Paredes has Detroit  fans dreaming of a time when he and Tigers prospects Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene make up the middle of the batting order.

The series win was sweet for the Detroit Tigers and the Tigers fan base. Because prospects led the charge.

Posted on

The Detroit Tigers lost again, but pitcher Casey Mize shows promise

Casey Mize had a nice first day on the job. In his major league debut Mize pitched 4.1 innings striking out seven Chicago White Sox hitters while not issuing a single walk. Not bad at all for the Detroit Tigers No. 2 ranked prospect.

As Mize was advertised on the mound he did make a costly mistake. One that Mize brought up after the game. The Detroit Tigers took the lead and Mize gave the lead back to Chicago. Such is the life of a rookie pitcher.

In the 119 years of Detroit Tigers baseball no Detroit pitcher has ever had a debut of seven strikeouts and no walks. Not Hal Newhouse, Denny McLain, Mickey Lolich, Mark Fydrich or even Justin Verlander and Jack Morris, all of whom are Tigers pitching legends.

Despite a few misses, Mize showed good command of the strike zone. Painting the corners, giving up a second inning home run can unglue young pitchers in a hurry. Mize gave up a second inning home run to the White Sox Edwin Encarnacion, the young pitcher seemed to dig in and make some adjustments.

For the Detroit Tigers and the fans base, Casey Mize’s may have had the most highly anticipated Tigers debut since 2005 when Justin Verlander first took the mound in the Motor City.

Casey Mize had a great poker face during his debut, his confidence was on display, but he also showed focus and refocus. Mize displays four plus pitches that gives him the upper hand and will surely show its self as he continues to pitch and gets into a five day routine.

While the Tigers lost as a team, one of the organizations top prospects took the mound for the first in what looks to be a long time to come. Casey Mize was very solid in his debut.

He should be fun to watch the rest of the season.

Posted on

Detroit Tigers No. 2 prospect Casey Mize to pitch tonight, Tarik Skubal’s rude awakening

Casey Mize was drafted first overall in the 2018 MLB draft. Having shot through the Detroit Tigers minor league system it is time for Mize to make his major league debut tonight as the Tigers take on the Chicago White Sox.

From the day he was drafted Detroit Tigers pitcher Casey Mize became the face of the Tigers rebuild. Pressure? Sure anytime a player is tabbed as “the next great thing,” there is pressure. Do no tell Casey Mize, he is not listening.

Mize has put in his work in the Tigers farm system. Last season in his Double-A (Erie Seawolves) debut, Mize went out and tossed a no-hitter. Mize is always tinkering with his pitch’s. One pitch he does not work on is his split-finger-fastball. Which is Mize’s “out pitch.”

Casey Mize is not wide-eyed heading into his first MLB start. Having been groomed for this type of spotlight since his college days at Auburn, Mize pitched in the tough SEC.

Mize’s pitching counter part and fellow Detroit top prospect Tarik Skubal, faced the White Sox last night and did not have a fairy tale start. Skubal who has not pitched against Double-A and has just  two years of pro ball experience was given a baptism by fire.

Skubal clearly feeling the nerves pitched outside of his norm. Nerves will do that to even the great pitchers in the game. After the game Tarik Skubal said he knew what he did wrong and vowed to work on those thing in between start.

Both Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal have the stuff and mental makeup to quickly move past a bad start. They project as long term pitchers for the Detroit Tigers for the foreseeable future.

There will be growing pains. Not just for Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal and Isaac Paredes. But also for the other top Tigers prospects as they approach the major leagues right up to the time they are wearing the Old English D.

Each prospect will have good days and not so good days until they find the consistency needed to play day in and day out.

Posted on

Detroit Tigers “Patient hitter, great hitter, great bat-to-ball skills,” possessing Isaac Paredes collects first big league hit

Isaac Paredes hits. Last season while playing for Double-A Erie, Paredes numbers were solid. The young Paredes (21 years old)  hit .282 with 13 home runs and 66 RBIs. While his time in the minor leagues show Paredes’s numbers a bit better, with 424 career minor league games played, Paredes hit  93 doubles, six triples, 40 homers and 232 RBIs with a .274 average.

Last night in Chicago against the White Sox, Isaac Paredes gave a look into the future, one past his call-up time (more on that in a minute.) Paredes found his name in the batting order at No. 8. Few believe this is where he will stay. Hitters like Paredes move up the order quickly.

Paredes has advanced plate discipline, That discipline helped him climb up the Detroit Tigers minor league system. Pitching for Chicago was 13 year veteran  Gio Gonzaez, Gonzaez would get the young Paredes out in his first major league at-bat.

The second time through was a different story. Paredes, hit a high fastball on the outside corner for a single and driving in two runners. Issac Paredes said through his translator that he was “pretty nervous” during his first at bat.

Paredes, regained focus and came through with the bases loaded. This has been the Issac Paredes story. The guy just hits. For average. For power. Paredes has always been viewed as a building block for the Detroit Tigers.

Slow starts do not phase the young talented hitter. During his minor league playing time Paredes would have a slow first month and then catch fire. Good hitters do that.

It would not be surprising if the Detroit Tigers do not option Paredes back to the minor leagues. Even with the COVID-19 shutdown, Issac Paredes was rumored to be one of the players the Tigers were going to call up at some point this season. That did not change.

What may is Paredes might just stick and stay in Detroit. Speaking of which with the organization having called up three top prospects, the team hinted that the rebuild is nearing it’s end.

Posted on

Detroit Tigers draft picks Spencer Torkelson and Dillon Dingler showing progress

Embed from Getty Images The Detroit Tigers top two draft picks Spencer Torkelson and Dillon Dingler who are both in Toledo, working out and taking part in simulated games are showing progress in their development. This comes on the heals of the fact neither Torkelson or Dingler stood out in summer camp at Comerica Park.

In an odd year for every sport, baseball was no different. Spencer Torkelson and Dillon Dingler were both waiting for the draft during the COVID-19 mandatory shutdown.

They went from working out, however much they were able to do, to being drafted by the Detroit Tigers to summer camp to facing 90 plus MPH pitches from Major League Baseball starting pitchers. Some would argue that was a bit unfair. There could be some truth in that. But as some say it is what it is.

Dave Littlefield, Tigers vice president of player development, said Torkelson and Dingler have both shown progress in Toledo. Littlefield went on to say both players bats are coming alive the more pitchers they face.

Dingler hit a home run to right field the other day and Torkelson has been swinging the bat better and better the last few days. All signs are very positive for the Detroit Tigers rebuild efforts.

Spencer Torkelson continues to work at third base with Detroit Tigers legend  and MLB Hall of Fame member Alan Trammell. Dave Littlefield said Torkelson is making some nice plays at third base. His glove work and foot work are said to have improved since the end of summer camp.

Make no mistake about it, two players will not make or break the Detroit Tigers rebuild. However, being the top two picks for Detroit this year, the expectation is that Torkelson and Dingler will be the one’s to push the rebuild forward. There are other players as well.

When a player has the scouting report the Tigers top two 2020 draft picks have anything less than progress could be taken as a red flag. That is not the case. It is highly doubtful either Torkelson or Dingler will see major league action this summer. That is just fine. Development is much more important at the present time.

 

Posted on

Jordan Zimmermann may have thrown his last pitch for the Detroit Tigers

Embed from Getty Images Free agency is a gamble. The Detroit Tigers have signed players who have elevated their own play as well as the play of the team. Unfortunately that has not been the case with pitcher Jordan Zimmermann.

The Detroit Tigers have placed veteran right handed pitcher Jordan Zimmermann on the 45 day injured list with a right forearm strain. Prior to the 2016 season, the Tigers signed Zimmermann to a five year $110 million dollar contract. Zimmermann looked dominant first month in Detroit. Then it started to fall apart.

Last season Jordan Zimmermann went 1-13 with a 6.91 ERA. The MLB season is 60 games this year due to COVID-19. Zimmermann hopes to return by the end of the 2020 season.

By placing the oft injured pitcher on the 45 day DL and not the 10, (it is said Zimmermann preferred), the Detroit Tigers opened a spot for one of their non roster invitees. This seasons 45 day DL is equivalent to last year’ s 60 day DL.

While it has not worked out for Jordan Zimmermann on the field and his contract looks really bad, there is a silver lining in all of this. Zimmermann has worked and helped other Detroit Tigers pitchers. Michael Fulmer, Matthew Boyd and Daniel Norris to name a few have benefited from Zimmermann’s help and mentorship.

Sometimes free agency works well and when it does not, it sticks out. You can not solely blame Jordan Zimmermann for the unraveling that took place while he has been in Detroit. He simply took the money the Tigers offered.

Jordan Zimmermann was one of the game’s top starting pitchers when he signed a deal with the Detroit Tigers. There is no going back only a look ahead. For both Zimmermann and the Tigers organization. As it seems likely Zimmerman has thrown his last pitch in Detroit.