gehringer_2

correct, you are stuck with Grossman in the field full time at least until we get back Reyes or Meadows, at which time a more occasional day would be in order until he (hopefully) pulls out of his funk. But you don't need to maximize his AB when he is struggling. OK - here are our starters' OBP for May (get yourself a stiff drink before reading.....) Grossman: 233 (180 the last two weeks) Cabrera: 346 Daz: 300 (only 10 AB!) Harold: 216 Hill: 189 Jeimer: 260 Javy: 200 Schoop: 260 (275 last two weeks) Torkelson: 279 (342 last two weeks) Barnhart: 222 (200 last two weeks) Willi: 313 (1 for his last 22 and that was a swinging bunt) Willi was basically on fire for 14 games from April 28 to May 16 (34 ab) when he OBP'd at 432. He's was cold before that and has gone cold again since with an OBP of 226. That is his more normal career condition. Number don't lie but a fluke is a fluke. Willi had a similar hot streak in the Covid season (100ab), he doesn't sustain them - and he can't field.... But, putting Willi aside; You absolutely have no lead off hitter - Could try Daz there for a couple of games but I admit that's not likely a winner, after that I might go Jeimer (has some history of walking + SH, then Schoop, Cabrera, Torkelson, then probably Robbie and Javy. In fact it might even help to get to Jeimer thinking OBP and opposite field a little more, he's getting beat inside a lot as a LHB on the big swing.

this is a cannard. You are either a democracy or you are not. If you want to have a chamber that is more deliberative, give them single 10 yr terms, don't elect them non-democratically. Non-democratic election doesn't insulate them from political whims, it just makes them subject to the whims of a tiny minority - not helpful in any scheme. Tiny states should have tiny voices, they represent a tiny number of people. We call that 'democracy'

I posted a top six upthread, or maybe in another thread. Grossman wasn't in it. For me it also goes to the morale issue on the team. I believe you made an argument up thread more or less against the idea of motion for the sake of motion. While that's true enough, I'm not sure I agree with that under all circumstances when you approach from the human factors perspective. Both from a morale and accountability standpoint, I think sometimes doing something just to show you are doing something does come into play simply because you have to demonstrate that the status quo is not becoming acceptable. It's an arguable point where that is, but IMO the Tigers are there.

True, but it's also true that the marginal value of most decisions is small, that doesn't mean it still isn't dumb to ignore it. Weird to see a couple of sabers arguing that we after measure and analyze every piece of quantitative data we just turn around and give management a pass on ignoring it. In favor of what? The 'gut feeling' Robbie is going to hit today?

that's fair enough, all I'm asking for is for management not make things even worse by doing dumb stuff. If a guy has 100AB at a 250 OPB you don't leave him at lead-off, at that point it's just dumb. If you are playing really bad players in preference to guys you could be looking at that at least have some chance to help you, that's dumb. If you are grinding up a young prospect instead of leaving him where he could develop when you have all kind of arms that could be sharing the load, that's dumb. Aesthetically, I can accept losing easier than losing and being dumb. We can argue whose responsibility the decisions are, that fine, I don't claim any insight into that, but dumb is dumb, and since the players know it as well as anyone, I can't believe it helps morale either.

and excess hero worship of people who simply did the best they did to hammer a bunch of compromises to meet the conditions of the time is a factor that keeps us of blind to the fact that these were practical men, who if they looked at the loss of democratic character of this country would certainly be in the forefront of trying to do something about it. The truth is that the Civil War invalidated the major premise of the Founders that the US would be collection of states. The Civil War made this a single unitary nation, and the nature of the current world demands we remain one, but it's one left with a Constitution ill suited to the that changed reality. Constitutionally, the disconnect between the Founders' vision and the actual nation has been growing since 1865 and will only continue to get worse - especially if American's don't open their eyes to the fact that a modern nation that will not practice democracy is bound to descend into something much worse.

LOL, are you saying this describes the Castros? I have three current complaints with Hinch and/or Avila - W. Castro, abuse of Brieske and batting Grossman leadoff. If they were fixed would they be a better team? IDK, but at least they would be a more rationally managed team. The way I look at it, just because a team is losing doesn't give everyone a pass on doing dumb stuff that just helps perpetuate it. It's sort of like using losing as an excuse for waiving all accountability.

yup. We have to get to the point where responsible gun owner are going to have to say "Yeah, I like to hunt and target shoot but my recreation isn't worth this carnage", because basically we need a Constitutional revision of the 2A and that will never happen until the 'good' people who don't think they are, realize that yeah - they really are part of the problem.

If it were me I'd find a different sacrificial lamb than Brieske to make a couple of starts - maybe more BP days, or Peralta or Fulmer. Kid has potential but his off speed command just isn't there yet. Seems excessively cruel to keep beating the kid up in particular when you could be spreading the pain around more widely. It's not there is much need to preserve depth in the back of the BP when you don't have any save or hold situations for Chafin, Fulmer and Soto anyway. This is Hinch again feeling like he has to have all these levers to push on a machine that isn't even turned on.

Have seen a few things about inventories being up a good bit. We'll see.

Funny you should mention Gardenhire. When he replaced Ausmus, my 'head scratch' index dropped from a high level almost to zero despite them still being a very bad team. Last year again, bad team, but still almost no action on the 'head scratch' meter. But so far this season the 'head scratches' are starting to come fast and furious. I mean sure, Clemens may fail absolutely, but there is ZERO cost in finding out when your current offense is the worst in this quadrant of the galaxy.

They are addicted to their fantasies about Willi's ceiling. But the odds of Willi ever getting close to his ceiling were probably already figured out by Cleveland.

Grossman is the killer. You can't have a lead-off guy with a 244 OBP. The first 6 hitters for now need to be Schoop, Tork, Cabrera, Javy, Jeimer, Barnhart, in some combination. Tigers have seem to have this weird idea that you just leave slumping guys in place until it's over. Well sure, you may need to let them play out of it, but you don't need to maximize their AB's while they're doing it.

Clemen OPS against RHP is currently 1.039 I don't know if Einstein actually said it or not, but the definition of insanity ascribed to him applies.

Hinch has just plain gone insane. Move Willi-freaking-Castro off this roster and if not at least don't let him bat LH when it matters. If this is his idea of a roster that insures more 'flexibility' it's time he learns to manage with a little less!

It comes down to Willi batting left handed with the game up for grabs... /...sigh... /

LOL - do they still give an award for 'comeback player of the year'?

There are only two regulars missing from last season's offense, one is Baddoo. You can't tell me this is all because they let Niko go......🤷‍♀️

should use Soto here. He needs the work again.

there's one of the longest singles you're going to see.

he's hitting 116 for all of May. 4.0.3. OPS

they did play a bit of defense there.

yeah - probably. Not a good result though - that's likely going to keep him there for another start.

So tonight Manning struck out the side in the 1st inning, then gave up 2 singles and 2 walks and was pulled at 43 pitches with 2 out in the 2nd and 1 run in. I thought he was not supposed to be on a low limit.

two well hit balls, nothing to show.