2024 Detroit Tigers Spring Training Thread

[casimir]

22 hours ago, Tigermojo said:

It was either Monroe or Benetti, when he hit his third home run, who came up with that one.

Yeah, I think I remember that now.

[Dave Christian]

Badoo 0-3 today with3 k's.

Bye bye.

[casimir]

2 minutes ago, Dave Christian said:

Badoo 0-3 today with3 k's.

Bye bye.

He was destined for Toledo to start the season anyway unless injury opened up a LHH OF spot.  I don’t think today’s effort affects that.

[Tiger337]

I love when fans freak out about spring training statistics of someone is headed to Toledo to start the season.  It's one of the beautiful things about baseball.   

[Edman85]

Wasn't sure what thread to put this in, but I saw some buzz about a panel the founders of BP are doing and decided to find their first article posted on their website. At least the first one available on the website today. The founders "founded" the company the year before, and the author in this case wasn't among the five. Having said that, it has several ties to long-running inside jokes and topics here. Let me share:

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/3/interview-with-frank-catalanotto/

Here we have...

• Keith Law pumping up a Tigers prospect.
• A Tigers prospect
• Keith Law calling it the Rule V draft.

Anyways, 27+ years ago, I thought that was funny.

[gehringer_2]

29 minutes ago, Edman85 said:

Wasn't sure what thread to put this in, but I saw some buzz about a panel the founders of BP are doing and decided to find their first article posted on their website. At least the first one available on the website today. The founders "founded" the company the year before, and the author in this case wasn't among the five. Having said that, it has several ties to long-running inside jokes and topics here. Let me share:

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/3/interview-with-frank-catalanotto/

Here we have...

• Keith Law pumping up a Tigers prospect.
• A Tigers prospect
• Keith Law calling it the Rule V draft.

Anyways, 27+ years ago, I thought that was funny.

Randy Smith over-ruling his staff on the basis of a personally observed SSS. Figures. And Larry Parrish throwing Smith under the bus. Was that also around when L Parrish left the org?

[oblong]

31 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

Randy Smith over-ruling his staff on the basis of a personally observed SSS. Figures. And Larry Parrish throwing Smith under the bus. Was that also around when L Parrish left the org?

I know Larry managed after Bell got fired into 1999 and he was at Toledo for a long time after over a couple of stints.  Good company man. 

[Tiger337]

The Randy Smith administration made the Alex Avila administration look good.  

[chasfh]

13 hours ago, Edman85 said:

Wasn't sure what thread to put this in, but I saw some buzz about a panel the founders of BP are doing and decided to find their first article posted on their website. At least the first one available on the website today. The founders "founded" the company the year before, and the author in this case wasn't among the five. Having said that, it has several ties to long-running inside jokes and topics here. Let me share:

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/3/interview-with-frank-catalanotto/

Here we have...

• Keith Law pumping up a Tigers prospect.
• A Tigers prospect
• Keith Law calling it the Rule V draft.

Anyways, 27+ years ago, I thought that was funny.

I was so unhappy when we traded Frank Catalanotto.

[roarintiger1]

16 hours ago, Tiger337 said:

I love when fans freak out about spring training statistics of someone is headed to Toledo to start the season.  It's one of the beautiful things about baseball.   

I remember years ago while I was attending a spring training game that Skeeter Barnes was playing third base and failed to field a simple ground ball.   Folks in the crowd were yelling "See you in Toledo."   

[1776]

Canha is 2 for 18 this spring. I hope the rest of the guys are learning something from watching him grind out at-bats. 

[casimir]

12 hours ago, chasfh said:

I was so unhappy when we traded Frank Catalanotto.

Didn't he end up with the highest WAR after that trade was made?  Or maybe it was Francisco Cordero?  Ugh, good times....

[Edman85]

10 hours ago, casimir said:

Didn't he end up with the highest WAR after that trade was made?  Or maybe it was Francisco Cordero?  Ugh, good times....

By bWAR

Cordero: 16.4

Catalanotto: 13.6

Zaun: 12.8

Gonzalez: 8.6

Kapler: 7.0

Patterson: 2.4

Haselman: 1.5

Thompson: -0.2

[casimir]

34 minutes ago, Edman85 said:

By bWAR

Cordero: 16.4

Catalanotto: 13.6

Zaun: 12.8

Gonzalez: 8.6

Kapler: 7.0

Patterson: 2.4

Haselman: 1.5

Thompson: -0.2

Zaun higher than Gonzalez?  That'd win a few pops at the bar.

Edited March 11, 2024 by casimir

[oblong]

14 minutes ago, casimir said:

Zaun higher than Gonzalez?  That'd win a few pops at the bar.

For sure.

Of course Randy sent him to KC before playing for the Tigers.  Later on in his mid and late 30's he was hanging around in Toronto having ok seasons.   

Such a horrible horrible deal. That deal set the stage and was the symbol for the first 5 awful years at Comerica Park.  Remebember the closing ceremonies at Tiger Stadium, they had Cordero, Kapler, and maybe Catalannato, riding in a van with police escort to take Home Plate to Comerica Park.   The Future.

Nah... we got other ideas.  

[RandyMarsh]

I didn't really pay close attention to these things at the time but wasnt Justin Thompson supposed to be the centerpiece of the trade from our side? If so its kinda funny that he ended up with the lowest WAR.

[Tiger337]

That trade was what made me realize Smith was an awful GM.  There have been trades with worse results, but a mediocre team trading away a bunch of young talent for a one-year rental who doesn't fit your new ballpark was just a bad idea.  Avila was bad at player develpment, but that was a deal he would never make.  

[Tenacious D]

18 minutes ago, RandyMarsh said:

I didn't really pay close attention to these things at the time but wasnt Justin Thompson supposed to be the centerpiece of the trade from our side? If so its kinda funny that he ended up with the lowest WAR.

Yes—he was by far the most established piece on our end.  I think injuries derailed his career with Texas.

[theroundsquare]

I recall it well.  Justin Thompson didn't pitch for Texas (or anybody) at all until several years later.  I really liked the Cat and was disapppointed when he was traded

[oblong]

Well we didn't need Cordero, we had Matt Anderson!  

Justin Thompson pitched one of the games I saw in person, probably until we hit our peak with guys like JV, and Max and Anibal.  It was a midweek afternoon game in Apr of 1999.  My friend and I went to the game, I had just finished school, finally, and was about to begin my job search, so I was free and clear of any B.S. like studying, etc.  Newly married with no other responsibilities.  Was going to be a fun day.

Justin gave up one hit into the 9th, before another single, then Todd Jones came in for 3 quick outs.  The only run was a Brad Ausmus HR in the bottom of the 8th Game was over before 3 o clock.  We had plans to hit up a strip club on MI avenue after.... but they were all closed.

The legend by Smith is that Ilitch made him do the trade.... who knows.  He also claimed to have a deal the following summer to get Mariano River and Bernie Williams.  The org would have kept Rivera as a starter, he would have flamed out, and they would have traded Bernie for a AA prospect.

[chasfh]

The thing I remember most about Justin Thompson, other than the predictions of his inevitable stardom, was how weirdly he torked the upper half of his body when he pitched, and you couldn’t help but think, “this guy is one big injury just waiting to happen“. 

[oblong]

He pitched 1.2 innings after the trade.  

[RandyMarsh]

I was in High School at the time and knew very little of prospect rankings, where guys were drafted, advanced stats etc. so I had no idea how Catallanato was viewed in any of those regard but all I know is that anytime I watched he seemed to play well so I liked him and was bummed he was traded. 

[casimir]

18 hours ago, oblong said:

Well we didn't need Cordero, we had Matt Anderson!  

Justin Thompson pitched one of the games I saw in person, probably until we hit our peak with guys like JV, and Max and Anibal.  It was a midweek afternoon game in Apr of 1999.  My friend and I went to the game, I had just finished school, finally, and was about to begin my job search, so I was free and clear of any B.S. like studying, etc.  Newly married with no other responsibilities.  Was going to be a fun day.

Justin gave up one hit into the 9th, before another single, then Todd Jones came in for 3 quick outs.  The only run was a Brad Ausmus HR in the bottom of the 8th Game was over before 3 o clock.  We had plans to hit up a strip club on MI avenue after.... but they were all closed.

The legend by Smith is that Ilitch made him do the trade.... who knows.  He also claimed to have a deal the following summer to get Mariano River and Bernie Williams.  The org would have kept Rivera as a starter, he would have flamed out, and they would have traded Bernie for a AA prospect.

I didn't know Rivera was in the Tiger sights.  I do recall some sort of Higginson for Williams chatter, but I don't know if it was one for one or if other players were involved.

[alex]

40 minutes ago, casimir said:

I didn't know Rivera was in the Tiger sights.  I do recall some sort of Higginson for Williams chatter, but I don't know if it was one for one or if other players were involved.

Yea, a lot of 'chatter'. I remember hearing chatter as well - something about Mike Drumwright (RHP) and Roberto Duran (LHP) for Williams, but the NYY Pres/or owner 'supposedly' nixed it.