sabretooth

The bottom line is that AA needs to go, but they should keep Hinch.

You cant blame Avila for being a below average GM....you can blame Chris for tanking resources for 5 years in the silly hope that Avila would build a top-flight organization that excels at drafting/development, trading, and FA acquisition. After 2021, I figured that the hire of Hinch and Fetters made them at least capable of getting the most out of most guys, which along with the tank picks and other acquisitions would be enough to get them over 500 (as projected by Fangraphs before the season) and give them a reasonable shot at the playoffs this year amd going forward. Injuries and a mass of cold starts has hurt them, probably enough to take the playoffs and likely even winning this year out of reach. The bad luck so far is not AAs fault, and neither is the fact that hes a mediocre GM at best. The main problem remains that we have had to wait for 5 years to start to crawl back to respectability, and a team was built this year thay was projected to win 83 games as long as things went right. That means that because things have broken a little here or there, here we are in the soup again, with some fans incredibly talking about tanking again, which would be insane if they did that (I really think tanking is not an option that they will consider). They at least got the spending up to a respectable level, but the marginal results and expectations at this point is really Chris I's fault for sticking with AA....another better GM, if hired some years ago, would have had more on the table roster-wise from the development of non-tanking picks, something that has been a bust under AA. Add in the so-so FAs (though AA has at least avoided the **big** misses in the last couple of years) and thats why we are here.

I will go a tad further...79 wins.

I will go out on a limb and say that they will win at least 75 games this year.

If Fetters can continue to make the most out of most guys, I think they can match or beat last years pitching. I am confident that the hitting overall will be at least as good as last year. They have virtually the same record as last year at this point, with the same guys slumping who turned it around, plus they have added Tork, Meadows, Baez, and hopefully soon Greene. Eveb if Baddoo does not rebound, and even if Haase was a momentary flash, and even if Grossman is only OK, and Candy isnt as good as '20 and '21, the four new guy uys should be enough to make up for that. Given the above assumptions, I thinm its perfectly reasonable to assume that they can finish similar to last year.

I agree about the hole, I think that has cost them about 10 games off their pre season midpoint of 83 games. I do think that if they get healthy and catch some breaks, they could be a winning team. Hell, last years team was within a few games of 500 and this team is much better IMO. Tork has nice peripherals, I think hes going to breakout soon. Would not be surprised to see Schoop, Haase, Grossman, Candy, and Baez start lighting it up too...and Meadows hasnt hit a HR yet? That will change too. Their pitching is a bigger ?, but I think when the hitting gets going they will start winning more games than not. I expect that to start happening any day.

This is still a team that could win 83+ games out of 162. They can still pull that out or better if they get healthy quickly, though mid 70s looks more realistic as a mid point. I call BS on our being a lottery team.

https://lionswire.usatoday.com/2022/05/02/lions-jeff-okudah-injury-update-video-workout/ Seems encouraging...thoughts?

For unborn humans who lack awareness, I have the same kind of empathy for them that I have for people in a coma who are expected to fully recover. If no harm is done to them, they will both have a good chance to thrive.

You have to be religious to feel empathy?

However human life is created, I will empathize with it. Note I said "practicable". I will support whatever practical protection for human life that I can. If that means that we protect babies in the womb, that's better than allowing them to be killed under the law. If that means protecting only most of them, that's also better than allowing them to be killed under the law. If we can come to a place where we stop creating human life that we allow to be destroyed under the color of the law, that would be ideal.

buddha makes a lot of sense here, even if I dont completely agree. You might know where I stand on this. Glad to see Roe go. Procedurally, if Roe is gone and replaced by laws allowing abortion, thats democracy. I agree with protecting life as early as practicable for one simple common sense reason that has nothing to do with religion: I identify with the unborn because that was me one day long ago, and that was every one of you too. All the rest of the disscussion is negotiation...not judging honest discussion one way or another. Carry on. I will not be responding but I will be reading.

I was going to say 4/25 but there wasn't a game

R-E-S-P-E-C.....UHHHH......that

Not for a starting/lead catcher. Out of the 30 catchers who had over 300 PAs last year and the 32 catchers who had over 600 PA between 2019-21, Barnhart was at an 80 wRC+ and the median was 97-99, where Haase was last year. Tucker's 80 wRC+ puts him at the bottom end of the top 32 starting catchers from 2019-21, and in the bottom tier in 2021. You could argue with the term "black hole", but he is a crummy hitter.

We all knew that Barnhart was a black hole at the plate.....I was kinda surprised by the love that he got from some folks. I have no problem with him being replaced.

Schoop had the opposite approach vs. the last 7 hitters....oh well.

I literally haven't turned on a game for about two weeks....I turned on this game just as the rally started....awesome timing

Oh my! Are THESE the TIGERS?

Another full count!!

Super inning....so cool

Yes!

Another full count

I literally just turned this game on to see Tork's lineout and three great at-bats by the bottom of the lineup. Wow!

What a great inning! Super approach by the Tigers hitters.