1984Echoes

Hinch sticking with his 90-pitches or so game plan though...

Should be the end of Olson's day. Nice start. Now if the Tigers could just hold on here...

July 18th. Immediately after Trump becomes the official Republican Presidential nominee, all these squib Republicans who have NOT said they will vote for the Democratic Presidential nominee in November (in other words... said "anything else") will turn around and state: "I support the Republican Party and therefore will vote (holding my nose) for the Republican Presidential candidate in November." Every. Single. One of them.

It does not. Also... I think after getting crushed in the Verlander and Martinez trades... He became gun-shy and refused to even consider any major trade again... He did win several of these smaller trades... But being gun-shy as an MLB GM is not a recipe for success.

Also Joe Wentz for Shane Greene. Wentz is just starting out so we don't know what he can do. I like him as a middle reliever 2-3-inning guy so we'll see how that works out. A bad 2023 so he has to overcome his (-0.8) career WAR so far... Greene had a 1.0 WAR after leaving Detroit so it's not a huge bar to get over.

That could fit just about anywhere in the bottom half of the lineup...

Gotta hope DPJ turns into Tyler Boyd.

If it's Naegleria Fowleri (brain eating amoeba) or Toxocara Canis (got the worm from his dog? Shoulda called Kristi Noem...): Why didn't it finish the job? Too distasteful so it crept back out his ears looking for something better?

Baseball Reference has his career OBP versus lefties at .319 (prior to today) so, overall, slightly better...

Lower than righties in 2022 and 23. Higher in 2021 and so far this year. You win by... a small sample size... 😉

He is however... Having a night. So, good call by AJ it looks like.

Ibanez has a .307 OBP over 800 PA's over the past several years in MLB. Is that how you define small sample size?

If that lit a FIRE under everyone's asses... Then they should have demoted Parker a week ago... But I'll take it.

Don't call it #2... Call it "X" Receiver. Yes, he most likely would have started at "X". Unless DPJ somehow beat him out...

FYI: Tyler Boyd, 1 year $4.5 mill with the Titans...

That's just so ugly... So who is nicked up and not playing? Urshela, Carpenter, and Canha too? But Hinch has Ibanez of the .258 OBP leading off...? Let me help you AJ: Perez Greene Vierling Tork! Ibanez Rogers Baez Kelly Vilade Just as ugly... But it makes oodles more common sense.

PS: And the Cutter and the CU are the more devastating pitches (or the FB much less bad than in 2023): Pitch RV/100 Usage wOBA Whif % K % PutAway% Hard hit % FB-24 1.4 38.2 % .427 13.7 % 16.7% 14.3 % 33.3% FB-23 (-2.9) 41.6 % .479 19.0 % 17.6% 15.7 % 57.3% cutt-24 1.5 28.7 % .114 37.8 % 35.7% 22.7 % 25.0% cutt-23 (-0.3) 25.1 % .378 29.1 % 17.9% 20.3 % 41.1% CU-24 4.5 24.3 % .075 56.0 % 58.3% 33.3 % 20.0% CU-23 0.1 17.5 % .296 31.8 % 16.5% 11.7 % 21.3% CB-24 (-0.9) 8.8 % .000 16.7 % 50.0% 6.3 % 0.0% CB-23 (-0.9) 15.8 % .285 28.5 % 33.3% 18.9 % 20.8%

It's a deceptive one. I'm not saying it doesn't exist... it does... but you're not reading the context correctly. Look at G2'sa post right after yours... Also, look at the change in RV (Run Value) per 100: FB change from 2023 to 2024 (-2.9 to +1.4 = ) 4.3 change in value. CU change from 2023 to 2024 (0 to 4.5 = ) 4.5 change in value. The difference in speed between the two pitches is improving BOTH pitches...

Can we get some of that on the Detroit Tigers please...?

I think that's all he needs on this team to "break out". I can overlook a lack of power in one guy if he's a high-OBP guy and does other things... If he can prove a high-OBP in MLB that might be just enough. And yes, the flexibility and a need to be better than adequate in the field with that flexibility is also needed as a part of that package... So... we'll see. Maybe he'll have a lot of "grit" and be a "glue guy"?

His changeup is doing it though... Or... to restate that in G2's terms: If he put a couple MPH difference between his FB and CU... then the change in speeds is making his FB that much more effective. If you look at wOBA, not a huge FB difference. But a huge difference in CU and cutter wOBA. I think it's the variance in speeds between the pitches that is improving him across the board (manifested in different ways...).

I don't know if his off speed was at > 90 in prior years... But I'm going to guess that that's his "secret to success". Changeup? Curveball? Both? He's an effective pitcher by changing speeds though... that's what it looks like to me anyways...

I am perfectly on board with giving him a chance to prove he's more than just a 4A player... Let's see what he's got...

I think the key is something that's been mentioned in here a few times... I think with today's pitching... That the mantra should be: "Go with the pitch". I would enforce this throughout the Org. Take outside pitches to the opposite field. Pull middle pitches. Fight off inside pitches. Control the strike zone. I think that all adds up. And it includes their favorite "control the zone" mantra. But if they are locked into "look for pitches only in 1 zone...", or anything like that... I think they're messing up. It has to be "go with the pitch". IMO. And "go with the pitch" means you don't swing for the fences as a sell-out with outside pitches... you simply try to "barrel" and that's it. No need to do a Ty Cobb "choke" on the bat, just don't sell out on outside pitches and go for contact instead... IMO.

PS: If anyone is on notice with this BTW... I think it's the first two guys I mentioned: Tork and Keith.