Tiger Cubs (notes on the minors)

[RandyMarsh]

I'm definitely not writing off Tork at all but I definitely have tempered my expectations and hopes. Based off of the publicity he got his last year in college and the hype he had I thought he had a legit chance to be a top 5 hitter in baseball in terms of just hitting the ball now I don't have those same expectations.

I still think he can be a plus hitter, maybe even an All Star Level guy if everything goes right but being a true silver slugger type guy I'm starting to doubt. But admittedly this could all just be recency bias and putting too much emphasis on how he looks at the moment. If he crushes the ball the rest of the year my views may suddenly change. 

[Tenacious D]

Mike Schmidt's early career (not suggesting Tork will be a HOF'er, but that even some of the greats struggled):

[Longgone]

52 minutes ago, RandyMarsh said:

I'm definitely not writing off Tork at all but I definitely have tempered my expectations and hopes. Based off of the publicity he got his last year in college and the hype he had I thought he had a legit chance to be a top 5 hitter in baseball in terms of just hitting the ball now I don't have those same expectations.

I still think he can be a plus hitter, maybe even an All Star Level guy if everything goes right but being a true silver slugger type guy I'm starting to doubt. But admittedly this could all just be recency bias and putting too much emphasis on how he looks at the moment. If he crushes the ball the rest of the year my views may suddenly change. 

Fans, in general, spend too much time staring at stats, and then overreacting.

[mtutiger]

Good to see

[buddha]

1 hour ago, RandyMarsh said:

I'm definitely not writing off Tork at all but I definitely have tempered my expectations and hopes. Based off of the publicity he got his last year in college and the hype he had I thought he had a legit chance to be a top 5 hitter in baseball in terms of just hitting the ball now I don't have those same expectations.

I still think he can be a plus hitter, maybe even an All Star Level guy if everything goes right but being a true silver slugger type guy I'm starting to doubt. But admittedly this could all just be recency bias and putting too much emphasis on how he looks at the moment. If he crushes the ball the rest of the year my views may suddenly change. 

i'm definitely not writing him off, im just worried.

im a worrier.

[SoCalTiger]

Yes it seems the biggest miscalculation was declaring the rebuild over and pushing Tork and trading Paredas etc instead of just starting the season with the new free agents , holding our minor league position players and bringing them up slowly when ready. 
 

Maybe Al was feeling the heat to end the suck and now it’s double suck. 
 

But no matter he’s still the boss. 

[Shinzaki]

His BA last year at Toledo and Erie wasn't tht great..He did a lot of damage when he made contact though and he walked a lot.  Maybe they should have started him in Toledo to get things going and take the pressure off of him  but hindsight is 20/20

[Hart]

If you are not at least a little concerned about Tork, you are not living in reality.  That's not to say he is more likely to bust than succeed or you can't be optimistic overall.  But there is no doubt the perspective on him has to have changed a little bit from last year...and not for the better.  

[LongLiveMaroth]

Another HR for Dingler

[mtutiger]

Tork with a homer in his first AB tonight!

[gehringer_2]

3 hours ago, buddha said:

i'm definitely not writing him off, im just worried.

im a worrier.

I believe Tork was the 1st position player in his draft class to start in the Majors, so he was fast tracked. But the lost year hurt Tork's draft class a lot. He should have come into this season with 450 more AB.

I hope it's just a matter of him learning that he has to try to do less. Even guys who have hit as well and as easily as Tork all their lives may have to adjust their ambitions when facing MLB pitchers. 

Edited July 29, 2022 by gehringer_2

[gehringer_2]

1 hour ago, mtutiger said:

Tork with a homer in his first AB tonight!

Norris with 2 no hit  innings in his 1st Mudhen appearance. 

Remember when Norris, Boyd and Fulmer were the future starting staff for the Tiger's return to relevance?

Good times.

[TJ Rollercoaster]

As some have been disappointed with Tork's performance in the majors this year, one of the other players who was frequently discussed as a candidate for the #1 selection in 2020, Max Meyer, just had TJ surgery

[chasfh]

5 hours ago, Tenacious D said:

Mike Schmidt's early career (not suggesting Tork will be a HOF'er, but that even some of the greats struggled):

That 1973 OPS+ was 92, which would make him one of the leading hitters on this year’s Tigers.

[Tenacious D]

32 minutes ago, TJ Rollercoaster said:

As some have been disappointed with Tork's performance in the majors this year, one of the other players who was frequently discussed as a candidate for the #1 selection in 2020, Max Meyer, just had TJ surgery

Here’s the other guy that was in the conversation

 

[gehringer_2]

Torkelson walks on 4 close pitches leading off the bottom of the 9th with the Hens down one. I like that.

EDIT: Carpenter reaches on a two base error, Davis drives them both in for the walk-off.

Edited July 29, 2022 by gehringer_2

[mtutiger]

5 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

Torkelson walks on 4 close pitches leading off the bottom of the 9th with the Hens down one. I like that.

Lead to Carpenter reaching on a throwing error and Brendon Davis ending it with a single... 7-6 W

[RandyMarsh]

30 minutes ago, Tenacious D said:

Here’s the other guy that was in the conversation

 

Asa Lacy was another one and he's been hot garbage every year thus far for the Royals in their system and not even in most people's top 100s anymore. Like 2018 with Mize it could be one of those years where nobody at the top ends of being any good. 

[gehringer_2]

Dingler and Lipcius homer in 8-3 Erie win.

[mtutiger]

The slide from Kerry Carpenter is 👌

[LongLiveMaroth]

Dingler HR
 

Crouch HBP in the 9th and left the game. Lets hope he's OK and nothing is broken.

[1984Echoes]

17 hours ago, RandyMarsh said:

I'm definitely not writing off Tork at all but I definitely have tempered my expectations and hopes. Based off of the publicity he got his last year in college and the hype he had I thought he had a legit chance to be a top 5 hitter in baseball in terms of just hitting the ball now I don't have those same expectations.

I still think he can be a plus hitter, maybe even an All Star Level guy if everything goes right but being a true silver slugger type guy I'm starting to doubt. But admittedly this could all just be recency bias and putting too much emphasis on how he looks at the moment. If he crushes the ball the rest of the year my views may suddenly change. 

Paul Konerko?

[mtutiger]

4 minutes ago, 1984Echoes said:

Paul Konerko?

Objectively, one would have to be thrilled if Tork turned out to be similar to Paul Konerko

[1984Echoes]

Just now, mtutiger said:

Objectively, one would have to be thrilled if Tork turned out to be similar to Paul Konerko

Yep!

Absolutely!

And also... look at Konerko's first 2 years in the league. Very similar struggles. 

He broke out at 23, 3rd year in...

[RandyMarsh]

1 hour ago, 1984Echoes said:

Paul Konerko?

Yeah I was thinking him or maybe a Mark Teixeira type if all goes well. Teixeira was consistently at or near All Star level but only had a couple seasons where he was really elite.

That of course would be a solid turnout but at the time of the draft I was hoping he'd be more of a Goldschmidt type, the type of guy who you could basically pencil in to be a top 5 or 10 hitter every year so "only" being a Teixeira or Konerko would be somewhat disappointing based off how I felt at draft time. 

Edited July 29, 2022 by RandyMarsh