2024 - 2025 Detroit Tigers Offseason

[IdahoBert]

“Brennan Boesches of the world.”

It was like during the All-Star break everyone had time to look at the film and see how to pitch to him better, and damn if they didn’t. These guys have to constantly make adjustments and the ones who can’t flame out. 

[Tenacious D]

1 hour ago, Shinzaki said:

I heard Tork doesn't use video because he thinks it will steal his soul

I’ve heard he only listens to audio.  Can learn everything he needs from the “crack of the bat”

[romad1]

1 hour ago, Shinzaki said:

I heard Tork doesn't use video because he thinks it will steal his soul

Because he hates our freedoms?

[Sports_Freak]

1 hour ago, Tenacious D said:

I’ve heard he only listens to audio.  Can learn everything he needs from the “crack of the bat”

He's walking back his comments. He says too much information overwhelms him and makes his slumps worse. Whatever, hit the ball consistently and I don't care what his process is. Don't hit and pack your bags for Toledo.

[casimir]

12 hours ago, Tiger337 said:

You listed 27

For a 26 man roster.

[casimir]

16 hours ago, Motor City Sonics said:

So, Full 25 man. 

What are we looking at here

C - Rogers, Dingler,

INF - Baez, Ibanez, Jung,  Keith, McKinstry, Sweeney, Torres

OF - Carpenter, Greene, Meadows, Perez, Vierling

SP -  Flaherty, MIze, Montero, Olson, Skubal, 

RP - Brebbia, Brieske, Foley, Holton, Hurter, Kahnle, Maeda, Vest

 

Maybe they'll go sign Jose Quintana for a year.   I feel like starting pitching is still thin, even with Jobe waiting until it gets warm (I doubt he throws less than 40 innings by mid May).     Maybe they got with 4 starters and use an Opener one time through the rotation.   

Very interested to see what Mize does this year.   I don't think any of us should give up on that guy.  It seems like it's all in place for him to finally show why he was a 1/1.  

I would guess Jobe is slated for a maximum of 150 innings based off his previous seasons and how teams try to build younger arms up.  How they accomplish this, I’m not sure.  As far as cold/climate, that might be a factor in the approach to this season.  I suspect it’s going to be more about how his forecasted innings are gated throughout the season.  Do they start his season out with shorter outings?   Do they have him miss a start here and there when the schedule allows or when Hinch tries a pitching chaos game?  Some sort of combination of the two?

I know he debuted last season and pitched in the playoffs.  I’m glad the depth is such to where they shouldn’t feel compelled to starting him in Detroi on Opening Day if there isn’t a need to.  They can afford to be patient with him.

At the same time, if his stuff is ready, then how do they find a way to not waste those pitches while watching his stamina?  Maybe that’s where he opens and goes through a lineup once or maybe 3 innings total and then he’s done for earlier in the season starts?  It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out.

[casimir]

Stavenhagen mentioned something about 3B that we might be missing at the 10,000 foot level.  Maybe there’s more of a Jung/Ibanez platoon at 3B than we think at this point.  So, ok, let’s think about the IF….

They played Keith vs LHPs last season (somebody had to with all of the LHHs).  Torres is the everyday 2B.  Sweeney/Baez at SS.  McKinstry (versatile defensively) and Ibanez (to hit vs LHPs) probably make the team.  OK, sure, nothing new here.  6 players there.

The OF of Greene and Meadows in LF and CF.  Probably close to everyday, but they still will need days out of the OF (DH day or rest day for Greene, day off for Meadows vs certain LHPs).  Carpenter who they won’t hit vs LHPs.  3 players there.

So now up to 9 non C and non P.  Room for 1 more because Vierling takes a spot.  But to whom does that last spot go to, and how will that dictate Vierling’s usage?  If it’s one of Malloy/Torkelson, we’ll that probably pushes Vierling to more OF time (although theoretically McKinstry could get a little time).  If it’s Perez, than that probably allows Vierling to get more time on the dirt.  But it likely wouldn’t be at the expense of Ibanez, although when you think about him, he’s probably going to be am option at 1B vs LHPs.

[RatkoVarda]

i have been assuming that Baez would not be on OD roster, ostensibly because he is recovering from hip surgery

[chasfh]

3 hours ago, gehringer_2 said:

Maybe people have gotten conditioned by football. Everyone on a football team uses film to learn what the opposing team does tactically, but baseball isn't football. In baseball taking and watching video is what you pay coaches and your bio-med people to do. If they see something that can help a hitter they take it to him. There is no value in *requiring* your players to become kinesiologists - adding non-performance based requirements to your player selection criteria just reduces the pool of good players you give yourself access to and I'm sure AJ and Scott Harris know that well.

I would bet it’s easier and more effective for a coach to watch the video and then show the video to the hitter and point out what he sees and give him the coaching with the visual aid, than it is for the coach to watch the video and keep the video away from the hitter and then try to explain what he saw on the video and then give him his coaching without the visual aid. 

[chasfh]

3 hours ago, Longgone said:

I’m talking more about taking a few random interview quotes and then building an elaborate fantasy universe filled with projected motivations and then acting as if pure assumptions are fact.

I know, it’s the internet.

Just can’t quit me, huh? 🤣

Well, first of all, I was not “acting as if pure assumptions are fact.” My post was littered with qualifiers such as “I suppose”, “I think”, and “I believe”. If I was stating something as though it were fact, I wouldn’t have used any of those qualifiers.

Secondly, you’re not going to succeed at shaming me for spouting my opinion on an Internet opinion board, so you might as well stop trying to do that and go back to talking about the Tigers instead. 😁

Edited February 15 by chasfh

[romad1]

1 hour ago, Sports_Freak said:

He's walking back his comments. He says too much information overwhelms him and makes his slumps worse. Whatever, hit the ball consistently and I don't care what his process is. Don't hit and pack your bags for Toledo.

I would definitely be fine if he was the generational talent hitter we thought when we drafted him.   I also think the comments were semi-suicidal for this organization.  Possibly not for the Colorado Rockies which have a reputation for being less oriented toward success.

[IdahoBert]

Did the Tigers really believe Spencer Torkelson could play third base when they drafted him? He had never played anything but first base at Arizona State, which could be seen as a vote of no confidence in his versatility and athleticism. But Arizona State is a big deal and they might’ve had a lot of acrobatic whippets to fill other positions so it was great sticking him at first base.

[Longgone]

1 hour ago, chasfh said:

Just can’t quit me, huh? 🤣

Well, first of all, I was not “acting as if pure assumptions are fact.” My post was littered with qualifiers such as “I suppose”, “I think”, and “I believe”. If I was stating something as though it were fact, I wouldn’t have used any of those qualifiers.

Secondly, you’re not going to succeed at shaming me for spouting my opinion on an Internet opinion board, so you might as well stop trying to do that and go back to talking about the Tigers instead. 😁

I was more expressing my irritation at the gratuitousness of it, rather than an attempt to shame you, which I know is a fool’s errand.

[Motor City Sonics]

15 hours ago, Tiger337 said:

You listed 27

Injuries, man, Injuries

[Motor City Sonics]

This whole idea of keeping both McKinstry and Baez is annoying.     If Jung looks great this Spring and McKinstry is McKinstry, why do we need to keep him.  The options?   If you're worried about losing a McKinstry, then I don't know what we're doing here.  Who cares?   The guy's a stiff that has a great 3 week run once a year.    He's Ryan Raburn with a better glove.  Besides, if they cut him, what are the chances of another team taking him anyway? 

[Tenacious D]

1 hour ago, IdahoBert said:

Did the Tigers really believe Spencer Torkelson could play third base when they drafted him? He had never played anything but first base at Arizona State, which could be seen as a vote of no confidence in his versatility and athleticism. But Arizona State is a big deal and they might’ve had a lot of acrobatic whippets to fill other positions so it was great sticking him at first base.

I remember reading that Tork might have played 3B at AZ State, but they had fellow future Tiger Gage Workman at third, and he was the better fielder.

[gehringer_2]

20 minutes ago, Tenacious D said:

I remember reading that Tork might have played 3B at AZ State, but they had fellow future Tiger Gage Workman at third, and he was the better fielder.

Yes, I remember Tork's college coach saying he would have played 3rd if not for Workman, but the bar for NCAA infield play isn't that high by MLB  standards! IDK, Torkelson's hands are relatively soft, but he hasn't shown great range and while he throws well enough to turn the 3-6-3 DP nicely we've never seen him try to throw from 3rd. 

OTOH, in the 2nd half Keith's throws on DP had a ton of zip and very accurate, but I guess the medicos must not want to see him push the arm otherwise the refusal to give him a try at 3b would seem pretty dumb.

Edited February 15 by gehringer_2

[Tigermojo]

Tigers' clubhouse manager Jim Schmakel retires

Well deserved. He must have so many great stories to tell after 47 years in Detroit plus 10 in Toledo.

[gehringer_2]

3 hours ago, chasfh said:

I would bet it’s easier and more effective for a coach to watch the video and then show the video to the hitter and point out what he sees and give him the coaching with the visual aid, than it is for the coach to watch the video and keep the video away from the hitter and then try to explain what he saw on the video and then give him his coaching without the visual aid. 

Sure - that could be well be true but it's still a primary task of the coaching staff to do the screening. I would guess a lot of guys would not get much from looking at their own video or their own kinsesiology metrics - you have to be trained in the latter and develop a trained eye to pick up subtle shifts in the former even if you have side by side view. It's not a skill I would worry about my players spending their time on when I can put specialists on my staff to do it. Now if he doesn't cooperate with the staff when they want to get baselines and metrics on him, that's another matter, but that was not said or implied.

[chasfh]

1 hour ago, Longgone said:

I was more expressing my irritation at the gratuitousness of it, rather than an attempt to shame you, which I know is a fool’s errand.

lol, oh really?

I have directed nothing toward you, the person—I even said you'd made a good point about Tork—and yet you are offended by my opinion and are taking it very hard, and weirdly personally, and insulting me in the process. I guess trying to make sense of that is also a fool's errand.

Look, we can stop here and part friends if you want. I'd rather, if you don't mind.

[chasfh]

14 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

Sure - that could be well be true but it's still a primary task of the coaching staff to do the screening.

Not necessarily. Maybe the Tigers require their players to upload video of their swings during the offseason so coaches can review it and feed back. (I think I even read that somewhere although I'm not inclined to run around trying to find a link.)  And maybe they require the players to view the video before they upload it and provide the coaches their own impressions of their own swings in order to make the process a collaborative dialogue between them, versus a top-down distillation of coach-to-player instruction. I admit this one is just ... ahem ... baseless speculation on my part, but it wouldn't surprise me if that were the case. Would that surprise you?

Maybe that's not the way everyone would do it, but if this is the case, it would certainly be the Tigers' prerogative to establish who has the primary task of assessing video, right? And it may well be on the players, most of whom are not exactly in a position to throw up their hands and protest, "hey, itsa no my job".  After all, coaches can't travel to all of however many players' offseason homes at all times to work with them on their swings on a one-on-one basis. So why wouldn't a team require players, especially those with swing issues—which is probably most of them—take an active role in creating, uploading, and assessing video of their own swings?

I also don't think ballplayers have to be necessarily university-educated in kinesiology to have a good idea of how their bodies actually move versus how they should move. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that players on balance know a lot more about body movement dynamics than some folks give them credit for. After all, their careers depend on knowing this. And theirs is a much more savvy tech generation than any that have come before them.

[1776]

1 hour ago, Tigermojo said:

Tigers' clubhouse manager Jim Schmakel retires

Well deserved. He must have so many great stories to tell after 47 years in Detroit plus 10 in Toledo.

Thanks for posting. Fun read.

[romad1]

Longgo spent a lot of time being annoyed at us for questioning Tork’s statements.

[casimir]

2 hours ago, Tigermojo said:

Tigers' clubhouse manager Jim Schmakel retires

Well deserved. He must have so many great stories to tell after 47 years in Detroit plus 10 in Toledo.

That was good, thanks for sharing.

[casimir]

3 hours ago, Motor City Sonics said:

This whole idea of keeping both McKinstry and Baez is annoying.     If Jung looks great this Spring and McKinstry is McKinstry, why do we need to keep him.  The options?   If you're worried about losing a McKinstry, then I don't know what we're doing here.  Who cares?   The guy's a stiff that has a great 3 week run once a year.    He's Ryan Raburn with a better glove.  Besides, if they cut him, what are the chances of another team taking him anyway? 

There’s probably room for Jung, McKinstry, and Baez on the roster at the same time in a not so unbelievable scenario.