3,000

Incredible. 

I wish I had been more appreciative earlier. I will likely never see another player like Miguel Cabrera. There may never be a player like him ever again. It's hard to believe that all too soon, we won't get to see him at the plate anymore. I can't imagine the Tigers without him. But that is still in the future. For now, we get to celebrate greatness.

Part of what makes him so great is his humility. I'm sure it is special to him to be hitting these huge milestones and getting his name in amongst the game's greatest players but the team is so much more important to him. If he gets all the records and milestones and the team loses, Miggy doesn't really enjoy the stuff that just about him. He wants to win. He wants his hits and home runs to help the team win and have a good season. It's not just about him. 

When the fans were all booing his intentional walk on the Thursday before he got #3,000 (April 21st, 2022), Miggy tried to calm them down and make them understand that the important thing was that we were winning. He's so classy and humble. Too many players, in baseball and other sports, when they are great, they know it and they get arrogant and rude. Miggy's attitude is part of what makes him so great and so special.

 
I can't believe how lucky I am to have gotten to experience so much of this great man's career. I lived through his Triple Crown season. (How was that already 10 years ago?!) I got to "see" him get 500 home runs and 3,000 hits and we'll soon see 600 doubles. It's something special and to live through it is a huge blessing and privilege. And he's on MY team!!! My hometown. I got to grow up watching Miguel Cabrera play baseball. I've taken it for granted for too long but not any more. I enjoy each and every game. Each and every moment. This has been one heck of a career and it's not over yet. He's special, and we all know it. 

Miggy, we love you 3,000 :)

Living Legend

Watch the 3,000th hit 

Miggy's career video 

Everything you need to know about Miggy's 3,000 hit

 

Photos taken by me in August 2016.

Will There Be Baseball in 2022?

 

I'm not an insider on baseball. I don't know all the "whys" behind the issues right now, following the end of the Collective Bargaining Agreement after the 2021 season. But as a fan and an outsider, there are some things that bother me about what is going on. 

 

To start with, I'm honestly shocked that players are willing to risk another season of not playing after just having most of 2020 cancelled. I would think they would want to avoid that scenario at all costs, but apparently there is some amount of money that is worth it (potentially). And that is my main point.

Baseball players - and athletes in general - make more money than almost anyone else in America. They lowest paid player in the MLB makes more than most people at almost $600,000. That's a lot of money for six months of work.

Now don't get me wrong, baseball is a lot of work. There is a ton of effort that each and every player puts in everyday and all year round to play this game. But it is also just a game. They are entertainers. They are living their dream, getting to play a game they love every day and get paid a ton of money for it. 

 

All that, to me, makes what is going on hard to stomach. You want more money? Really? I know there is more going on than just that, but it is an element. And with what our beloved commissioner has done with luxury tax penalties, it's just not possible for salaries to continue to go up. Teams cannot afford it. I've been saying for years that salaries cannot rise indefinitely. Economics forbids it. They will eventually plateau at the very least, if not start coming down a little. 

I just don't understand why each time the CBA expires it has to be this huge deal. Why can't you just reaffirm the last one, or make some minor tweaks, and then go on your merry way? This side of baseball is ugly and it makes me really sad because what I see is greed. Maybe others see it differently. Maybe it is necessary and good, but the appearance is not. 

Photo by Savannah Rohleder on Unsplash

2021 - The Best Losing Season I've Seen

Finally, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. To be honest, it is hard to believe it's been five years of rebuilding. In some ways, it doesn't seem like it's been that long, and in other ways, winning seasons and teams seem like a distant memory. I cannot believe what I watched this year!

The Tigers should not have done as well as they did. We dug ourselves a hole in April and never quite got out of it, but we got close to .500 a couple of different times. The last week to 10 days of the season were disappointing, to say the least, especially with how September started. But we had four winning months and we could have been much, much worse.

Imagine with me for a moment, if we had not had Tyler Alexander. What if Mize/Manning/Skubal had gone through rookie struggles or regressions? Can you imagine what our season would have looked like? Each time we had an injury that could have sunk us, someone (or multiple someones) stepped up. Help came from places you wouldn't have expected. Late in the season, we lost two of our late inning guys and the rest of the 'pen closed ranks. Could we have won some games we ended up losing if we had Soto and Cisnero? Maybe, but it's just speculation. Maybe they would have had rough days for those games too.

I'm sure there are some really ugly numbers for the 2021 season. I know there are areas that still need improvement. One that everyone will be talking about is offense. During the last two weeks, especially, we left way too many guys on base and in scoring position. We could have won if we could have scored those runners. But I submit to you that we have a VERY young offense. We have young guys and guys with not much Major League experience. Our catchers for most of the year were rookies. Our outfield is mostly rookies or guys with only a few years of experience. Commentators want more home runs but we tried that recipe for almost 10 years and it didn't work. Now we have a team who can walk, steal bases, and still hit some home runs. Want to know which team had the most triples this year? The Tigers. In all of baseball! Home runs are not everything. If you can't get guys on, you only score one run at a time. Not the best recipe for winning. 

I'm not saying don't sign guys if they can help, but I'd rather see the Tigers work with some of the talent they have to improve hitting. Don't go after a guy if all he does is hit for power. I would love to see guys who walk and hit doubles. Guys who are smart about the strike zone. Remember, we have a very young team. Learning the strike zone takes time. It takes practice. It takes experience. 

There will be new faces next spring, but I hope we don't walk away from what got started this season. I think there is a lot of promise here; a lot of hope. The Tigers have grit and that goes a long way too. All things considered, this was the best losing season I've lived through. Everyday felt like a chance to win. We had things to play for and, of course, don't forget about the season Miggy had. 2021 was an exciting baseball season and here's hoping it is the catalyst for even better seasons, starting in 2022.

What Am I Watching?

 Am I dreaming? Who are these Tigers? We had dug ourselves into such a deep hole at the beginning of the season that it seemed like we'd never escape and now there is a glimmer of hope. We haven't had more than a 4-game win streak all year but we've had several 5-game losing streaks and one awful 7-game losing streak. There are surprises in every area of this team and they are exceeding all expectations and hopes.

 

The Veterans and the Rookies

Robbie Grossman is the best free-agent signing the Tigers have had in many years. From the beginning of the season he has been an infusion. He walks like there is no tomorrow and he is one of our home run leaders! His defense is nothing to sneeze at either. He's not overrated or flashy but he's so solid and dependable and I am just thrilled with what he's brought to this team.

Jonathan Schoop has also been a nice surprise. Despite never playing first base until joining us, he's been really good there and his bat, especially lately, has been huge in the middle of the lineup. Having these veterans, along with Cabrera (obviously), has been a major blessing for a team that is so young and inexperienced. 

When it comes to rookies, no one is more green than Akil Baddoo. Our Rule 5 pick has barely played above Low-A ball before this year but you'd never be able to tell based on how he's done this year. Yes, he's cooled off from the torrid start, but what he's doing is, frankly, insane. He's even knocked Grossman out of the lead-off spot!

Our starting rotation is now our top three rookie prospects, a guy who is starting for the first time in many years, and a bullpen guy who being stretched out to start. And yet, we are pitching amazingly well. Losing Turnbull and Boyd (for the season and a long stretch, respectively) could have dealt us a death blow but somehow they have soldiered on and you almost forget that you're missing two of your best pitchers.

Everything Is Clicking

Pitching, both starters and relievers, is humming. Defense is flashing. The bats are spraying all over the field. Our running game is a level that I don't think I've seen in 10+ years of following Tigers baseball. I was just thinking the other day about how we have been thrown out at the plate a lot more this year. You'd think you would be losing runs and I don't have hard data but I think we probably are scoring more than in the past because we are forcing the issue. We are taking the extra base more and that will mean getting thrown out more. We also have a lot of young players who are still learning the finer points of running the bases but it's been impressive to watch. 

There have been so many times over the years when it seems like our pitching is on point but the bats can't hit anything. Then our bats heat up and the pitching slumps. We never could get multiple things going at the same time but that's not been the case much this year, especially right now.

This Is Fun

Maybe this is just a fluke but maybe it isn't. May and June showed a team that had promise. We never put a huge win streak together but the signs were there that things were different. The end of the first half was a deflating loss of momentum but the break seemed to bring out the best in everyone. Whatever happens in the rest of the season, this is a really fun moment and I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts.

Should The Tigers Trade Spencer Turnbull For A Big Bat? // My Response To Lynn Henning

 My family knows that I am not a big fan of Lynn Henning. He rarely writes anything I agree with and when he does, it's a big deal. His latest piece was right after Spencer Turnbull's no-hitter and he voiced on his opinion that the Tigers should probably trade Turnbull for a big bat. Unfortunately, I cannot link to the article like I wanted to but you can try searching "lynn henning spencer turnbull trade" and see if you can find the piece.

To begin, we have to look at where Henning is coming from. April was a terrible month for the Tigers. We dug ourselves quite a hole with a lot of losses. Our bats were almost non-existent for long stretches. It was bad. But there is more going on than quiet bats.

It Starts With Pitching

The Tigers radio announces have, for years, talked about how winning teams start with pitching. If you don't have pitching, you will struggle. During our rough stretch with the bats this year, our starting pitching was SUPERB!!! They kept us in each game. It was hard to be constantly losing 1 or 2 to nothing, but those scores meant we had the chance to win. Spencer Turnbull is part of that great pitching and it would be foolish to breakup a pitching staff that is doing so well on a team that is still rebuilding but getting close to being competitive again. This is not a veteran pitcher; Turnbull is young still so there is no urgency to trade him.

Our bullpen has had its ups and downs and wasn't great during our quiet bat stretch, but we know it can be better and it is showing improvement.

 

Defense Loses Games

You know what else was sterling during the bat struggles? Our defense. This makes sense because great defense goes hand in hand with great pitching. Teams who aren't making the plays and/or are making errors will give up more runs, leading to more lost games. The defense is part of the equation to keeping those games low-scoring and giving us a chance to come back.

And Then There Are The Bats

Let's talk about our bats. We are a cobbled-together team. There are a few veterans but they are here on a one or two year contract. The turn-over of veterans has been crazy during this rebuild. Then we have the youngsters who, even though many of them are in their third or fourth (or more!) year in the big leagues, are still learning. Many of them have gone up and down over those years between Detroit and Toledo and we also don't have much in the way of set positioning for these guys. It's a lot. 

We weren't scoring runs, but that doesn't mean we weren't in the position to do so. The Tigers are walking and stealing bases at a rate that I don't remember ever seeing in the ten or so years that I have been following the team. It's a different brand of baseball than Detroit is used to, but is that a bad thing? 

Another thing that Jim & Dan talk about on the radio is how the best teams are the ones who take the extra base and play small ball just as much, if not more, than they hit home runs. They talk about how a team who hits doubles is going to hit home runs. The Tigers hit doubles. And we have guys who have the power and potential to hit home runs. Are any of them going to be 30 home run hitters? No, probably not. But we tried for years to win it all with power hitters and fell short. Maybe it is time to try something different.

The Tigers are a different team. We are walking, stealing bases, and taking the extra base. That did not happen in the past. Our starting pitching, defense, and baserunning have all been excellent, for the most part. Our bullpen and offense has scuffled a bit but is starting to pick up. We have guys with power who can hit the occasional home run. So do we need a big bat? That depends on your goal and what style of baseball you want to play. This team is not going to be a home run team. Why get rid of a part of what's working to add a piece that isn't your style of baseball? I think Henning is looking at things from the perspective of the Tigers teams from years past but that's not who we are anymore. 

I don't think we need to be trading for a "big bat". I think we need more consistency for our players (knowing where they are playing, for example) and I think we need to change our mindset to be one of every 90 feet and smaller ball. If you expect home runs, then you'll be disappointed. If you expect smart baseball, welcome to Detroit.

One Month In...

We are just about one month into the season, so let's see where we are at, shall we?

First, I think that the schedulers can not give any scheduled off days in April and maybe even May, since the weather will give you them anyway. Save those off days for later in the season when we're making up all these rain/snow-outs and need a break. But that's not about the Tigers.

I know, it's still early, but the Tigers are blowing all the expectations away. I don't think anyone was expecting this. Really early on, it was our pitching and defense carrying the team and all our wins came when Shane Greene closed a game. (Seriously, how amazing has he been? Did anyone see that coming?)

The rotation was kind of in flux after losing Michael Fulmer. And don't get me wrong, we still miss him. Just imagine how much better we'd be with him. But Zimmermann looks like he just might be good this year, Moore and Ross were turning out to be surprisingly solid (before we lost Moore), Boyd is just astonishing and is going to be our rock it seems, and Turnbull is performing amazingly well for a guy who has barely started above Double A before joining the rotation. With Moore out, now Norris will finally get a chance to show what he can do when he's healthy. I'm excited for him.

The bullpen hasn't been too shabby! Besides Greene's dominance, we've had surprising contributions from guys like Farmer and Alcantra. VerHagen has been injured for a few weeks, so he is a bit behind the others and our Rule 5 guy, Reed Garrett, is holding his own so far (future blog post on the RUle 5 to come). Jimenez is scuffling right now but he'll figure it out and get back to being our lock-down eighth inning guy.

You look at the Tigers' position players and it's not that impressive. We don't have a lot of big names but these guys come to play and play with grit. Our catchers are throwing out everybody! It's not going to be long before teams just stop running on us. Early on, (and this is actually still the case), it all came down to pitching and defense. If either or both were having an off-day, we probably weren't going to win.

Ahh, the offense. It's an enigma. Once again, the contributions are coming from surprising places. Christin Stewart, before he got hurt, and Niko Goodrum were two of our best bats early on. Pretty much everyone is struggling to get going. Castellanos and Cabrera are still homer-less. It's odd but not worrisome. No one expects this to go on much longer. Harrison getting dropped from the lead-off seems to be helping him and hopefully he can take this back when he gets moved back up.

We've had quite a few injuries already this year, some that have taken out our guy for the season, but we were a cobbled together team to begin with, so more young guys doesn't change much. No one expected much from this Tigers team but they don't care what anyone expects. They come to play and give it their all. So far, it's keeping them relevant and interesting to watch. You have a feeling they can win almost any game. Most of their games have been close and they are doing well in the late innings and extra innings. It's exciting and I think even the most dour critics are having to sit up and take notice.

There is a lot of season left and anything can happen, but so far, this Tigers team is encouraging and fun to watch. They make you believe they just might be a force in the Central. Playoff bound? Probably not. But making other teams sweat and work for their places? Sure thing! 

Welcome to 2019!!!

It's been some time since I've had anything to write about.

The offseason was fairly uneventful for the Tigers. We said goodbye to some players (James McCann 😢) and signed a few guys to small deals. Nothing earth-shattering.

No one expects the Tigers to do well at all this year. I don't imagine us winning anything, but I don't see why we have to have a losing season. Time will tell, but so far, things are very encouraging.

Our pitching is PHENOMENAL!!!!! We don't have Fulmer and Norris isn't in the starting rotation. Two of our starters were guys we were taking a chance on and one is essentially a rookie and MAN! They are just dominating every. single. game. And not just the starters. Our bullpen has been fantastic. The pitchers are keeping us in every game.

Defense has been sparkling. We've made some errors but overall it seems to be going well and there have been some really fantastic plays when it counts (late innings of the last game in Toronto, anyone?). In addition, it sounds like our baserunning is much improved. I'm hearing guys take the extra base, move up on throwing errors, even steal! It's been fun.

Okay, now you'll want to talk about the bats. Guys, the bats are the least of our worries. We are actually starting to hit and now we need to score the guys who get on, but we can't have it all at once, can we? We're probably not going to be bombing the ball, but doubles are just about the best thing ever, plus, we are walking a lot, which is always good.

Here we are, eight games in, and the Tigers are 5-3. We've played scrappy and have had a chance to win almost every game. We are not getting blown away and we have a lot of young guys. It's a long season but it's off to a great start.