Detroit Tigers

[jaadam4]

It sucks right now but the last couple of decades have been good to us. The Wings, Pistons and Tigers have all had awesome teams for a long time. Both Michigan and Michigan State have had a lot of success in both football and basketball.

Its just hard that we suck all at once.

[froot loops]

Having a brutal baseball team in the summer is a drag. The other three sports teams can point to some plausible path. In MLB if you aren't going to spend and you are going to try to rely on a farm system you can point to the Rays but most likely you become the Marlins.

[GALion68]

No hope with the Tigers being a contender anytime soon, none. Not with Chris I running the team.

[Cody_Russell]

and it seems doubtful that Chris will fire Avila because the multi-year contract extension was less than 2 years ago.

Safe to say Avila had his shot. Can’t build a team with limited cap like the Rays. Questionable if we can say Avila can build a team by spending because of the 2016 free agent signings.

Smart thing would be to fire Avila and hire a top executive from the Rays if you don’t want to spend.
Hire the Troy Weaver/ Brad Holmes of the Rays.

[chemiclord]

To even have a chance to build a team like the Rays, you have to be neck deep in analytics, which the Tigers have largely been allergic to. Even IF Hitch was invested in that sort of thing, it takes a LOT of time to build up the infrastructure and scouting to do things that way.

[jaadam4]

Having a brutal baseball team in the summer is a drag. The other three sports teams can point to some plausible path. In MLB if you aren't going to spend and you are going to try to rely on a farm system you can't point to the Rays but most likely you become the Marlins.

True on all counts

[froot loops]

The thing is, it's a buyers market in free agency the last few years. Nobody is participating, that's how they turned it around in the early 2000s, they got Ordonez and Rodriguez for discounted rates and they got Guillen in a salary dump. Half of he league is trying to do what the Rays are doing, it is not a realistic expectation that the Tigers are going to all of a sudden do something they have failed at for the last 40 years.

[froot loops]

Lost 4-0 today, they have scored 18 runs in the last 10 games.

[chemiclord]

Lost 4-0 today, they have scored 18 runs in the last 10 games.

Chris I. will spend when the time is right, Froot!

Why don't you believe him?

[Whitley]

The thing is, it's a buyers market in free agency the last few years. Nobody is participating, that's how they turned it around in the early 2000s, they got Ordonez and Rodriguez for discounted rates and they got Guillen in a salary dump. Half of he league is trying to do what the Rays are doing, it is not a realistic expectation that the Tigers are going to all of a sudden do something they have failed at for the last 40 years.

And they also spent in the draft.....that got them guys like Porcello, Castellanos, Andrew Miller etc. But even with that---- if Verlander does not pan out and they don't make the Miggy deal none of it matters.

Tigers have not scored runs. The lineup lacks a tent pole guy to build around. With few exceptions it is not a team that walks a decent amount and strikes out a good bit. When the power is not there the offense looks like trash.

I am actually encouraged by the starting pitching so far this year. Boyd and Fulmer have rebounded. Turnbull should be pretty good. Mize and Skubal show starts where they flash their upside.

Candelario is playing okay. Grossman was a nice get too.

BTW the Rays are not the model I would want for Detroit. My model would be the Padres. Very deep farms system and then spend when the time is right.

[froot loops]

Al Avila has been GM since 2015, he was in charge of the farm system before that. Right now the Tigers do not field an everyday player that was produced by his farm system. Boyd and Fulmer were a going away present from DD. Expecting a deep farm system from this crew is a fools errand, we need to see baby steps. You know like every once in awhile produce at least a league average player. This is probably a worse everyday lineup than the 2003 crew had.

[chemiclord]

BTW the Rays are not the model I would want for Detroit. My model would be the Padres. Very deep farms system and then spend when the time is right.

And we have been telling you for years... THE TIME WILL NEVER BE RIGHT! There will always be an excuse Chris will use to be a miser. It's what he did the last time he was in charge of the team, and it's what he's doing now.

Emulating the Rays is the only chance. Because Chris I will NEVER spend.

[jaadam4]

Avila reminds me of Blashill, I have no idea why either still
have the jobs that they do

[froot loops]

It isn't going to work with Avila but it's bigger than Avila. The Tigers' seem incapable of finding any productive players for the farm outside of the 1st rounders and their international talent procurement is at least as weak. It was that way when people were so hot to start rebuilding and they actively wanted the Tigers to stop spending money.

There is never going to be a time where they can produce enough players to feel the time is right to spend. They have a top heavy farm system that has some pitching and a couple unproven positional players. It's been like that since Fetzer gutted the farm system in the 80s.

[Cody_Russell]

Rays model, Padres model. I don't care. All I know is Avila is not the guy to lead this franchise going forward... and it certainly seems doubtful that Chris will move on from Avila this year. Is this a Millen-WCF relationship? Maybe.
The fact that the 2021 Tigers team is the worst team in MLB is the last straw.

About the analytics. You have to get started at some point.
Comparing to the Lions... After the Millen setback, it took the Lions three different hires to catch up to the league when it comes to technology/ analytics... right?

Brian Xanders --> Bob Quinn --> Brad Holmes.

I've read that AJ Hinch (the one good Avila hire IMO) uses some analytics, but as an organization, sounds like it's lacking.