This Detroit Tigers team makes me immeasurably angry. And it's damn near time for heads to roll.
I haven’t posted here in months. Part of that is because I have a new job and the time isn’t there. Part of it is that the motivation hasn’t been there. Part of it is that I’ve decided to focus on keeping my batteries charged and not overextending myself.
But I can’t help it anymore.
This is going to be scatter-brained. It’s going to be written poorly. But it is an outpouring of emotion and frustration. And it’s on a personal blog. So take it for what it is. We aren’t going for Pulitzers here.
The Detroit Tigers are draining. They are fun-suckers. Here I sit during the most beautiful weather week the state of Michigan has had in months and I’m upset.
Because my baseball team’s season was over before Mother’s Day brunch. Because this team could give less of a rip about its dreadful, historically bad start.
I love the Tigers. In many ways, they were what ignited this sports fandom that feels like a curse today. There truly is something romantic about baseball and the connection you get from this sport is beautiful. I will always be grateful to my dad for fostering that and now that he is no longer here, watching this team feels like one of my lone remaining connections to him.
A lot of people have similar stories. This is why it is so disheartening to see a season that was supposed to be a turning point become a giant step backward.
This team’s “give a shit” level is extremely low. And so is mine. Thanks for that.
Al Avila might be a brilliant baseball mind (allegedly), but he is a horrid general manager. The Tigers got relatively nothing out of trades for some of their best players in the last several years. The organization took the easy way out and tanked, allowing the only top prospects they have to fall into their laps. No money was spent. No investment was made. We were sold a bill of goods.
That doesn’t sound like the same ownership group that brought you District Detroit, does it? I think another parking lot just got paved where a restaurant was supposed to be.
The Tigers finally spent money this offseason, and we were supposed to champion that as if we were supposed to say thank you. It is a baseline expectation to spend at least enough to put a respectable product on the field. They took the easy and cheap way out and delivered nothing but false promises. Then have the gall to act like we should thank them for showing a shred of competency.
The signing of Javier Baez was needed and he’s been a quality upgrade, but he is not a top-three hitter in a contending team’s lineup. He just isn’t. Other than signing Javy and trading for Austin Meadows, this organization banked on a group of outlier guys, an aging Miguel Cabrera, and AAAA players.
That has put an enormously unfair about of pressure on Spencer Torkelson (and eventually, Riley Greene). They have to come up and be Kris Bryant and Juan Soto out of the box because of how barren the offensive talent is.
The “build” portion of the rebuild came a season or two too late. You have to invest in infrastructure for young hitters to come up and succeed. Nobody was asking the Tigers to give someone $400 million over 12 years. But there is not a single “fear bat” (h/t Chris Castellani) in the lineup. There has not been since Miggy had his legs under him.
Let’s talk about Miggy for a second, too. The Tigers were 6-7 after a 13-0 win over the Rockies on his 3,000 hit day. That truly felt like a passing of the torch moment for this organization. Torkelson homered in Miggy a few batters after his milestone hit. Miggy made a toast after the game saying they wanted to focus on winning and competing for the AL Central crown.
So why down 7-0 against the hapless A’s are you in the dugout yucking it up en route to a 9-22 start to the season. Losing isn’t fun. It sucks.
The carefree attitude and “meh, we will figure it out eventually” mentality this team has taken on is bothersome. AJ Hinch has to wear that, too. He does not strike me as a hellraiser or someone who is going to take a Louisville Slugger to a water cooler. But at some point, you are what your record says you are. The so-called best manager in baseball has to be able to pull a few strings somewhere.
This team is on a speeding freight train to hell with no answers or solutions in sight other than to hope it turns around. Just like we have been hoping for seven years that this rebuild was in steady hands.
It’s the hope that kills you.
Everyone has to be better soon or somebody has to lose their job. Hitting coach Scott Coolbaugh is probably going to be the sacrificial lamb. But the Tigers have to ask themselves where this is truly going. And ownership has to get off its ass and demand it get better. If this tailspin continues and the Tigers have to sell off some pieces at the trade deadline, Avila cannot be allowed to handle that. Period. Unless you want another haul of Dawel Lugo-esque prospects.
Last year’s run through the last few months of the season was fun because it was a pleasant surprise. If the Tigers figure it out this year, it won’t be a good story. It won’t be fun. It won’t be another “gosh, just think what we can be with another strong offseason.”
It will be a slap in the face.
This team should have never been mistaken for a playoff or World Series contender, but they also have zero excuses to be what the eyeball test would say is the worst team in baseball.
I can’t do it every night, every pitch with this group. I probably gave them too much time. But they don’t look like they care, so why should we?
This is pathetic. And unacceptable.
So figure it out, or get tuned out. Again.