The Tigers have fired Al Avila

[Scottwood]

I think the new GM will build out a biomechanics department since the Tigers are very light there. I'd suspect that Chadd and Pleis could be fired and additional scouting and player development support will be added to the international operation. Maybe they won't fire anyone in the analytics department, but I could see more of an emphasis on adding people with pure quant backgrounds and around machine learning. They are kind of light there, as well. The Tigers just overhauled their player development system in the minors so they might let that play out more before making drastic moves. But, overall, yeah probably more tweaks than anything. The biomechanics department is the most obvious overhaul and 1 or 2 of the top scouts are scapegoat candidates. Chadd has been here so long, he seems like an obvious one.

I'd expect Hinch to fire Coolbaugh and Hessman and maybe they'll hire hitting coaches who were/are affiliated with Driveline to be with them now at the MLB level.

[Edman85]

21 minutes ago, Scottwood said:

I think the new GM will build out a biomechanics department since the Tigers are very light there. I'd suspect that Chadd and Pleis could be fired and additional scouting and player development support will be added to the international operation. Maybe they won't fire anyone in the analytics department, but I could see more of an emphasis on adding people with pure quant backgrounds and around machine learning. They are kind of light there, as well. The Tigers just overhauled their player development system in the minors so they might let that play out more before making drastic moves. But, overall, yeah probably more tweaks than anything. The biomechanics department is the most obvious overhaul and 1 or 2 of the top scouts are scapegoat candidates. Chadd has been here so long, he seems like an obvious one.

I'd expect Hinch to fire Coolbaugh and Hessman and maybe they'll hire hitting coaches who were/are affiliated with Driveline to be with them now at the MLB level.

They have a biomechanics department. It's still nascent, but they have it.

They have made a ton of "quant"/programming hires the last several years. About 15-20 deep there now, depending on the number of interns you count and who you count. That's in line with or even above the average team.

Edited August 13, 2022 by Edman85

[1984Echoes]

4 hours ago, Edman85 said:

What's weird to me is how tough it is to clean house in front offices these days. As they have grown from mom+pop organizations to 100-person operations on the baseball ops side, a new person coming aboard isn't going to be able to make too many sweeping changes. One of the reasons I was indifferent on firing Avila is I'm not sure this is something that can just be quickly u-turned. If a new manager takes over an Engineering Firm, it isn't like everybody on staff gets whacked right away. It's gradual, if at all.

Beyond that, the new person (or people? Maybe they go with President of Ops as well as a GM), likely waits a year to make sweeping front office changes if at all. If anything, it will likely be gradual like they were under Avila the last few years. Likely the people they want to hire for the first year may not be available until year 2 or 3.

Because it's been gradually changing the past few years... and quite a bit last year in particular...

I'm not certain there will be any sweeping changes. Another few years of middling turnover each year might actually get this team (FO) to where we want it to be...

[Tigermojo]

[Tigermojo]

Yeah.....

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/al-avila-is-out-in-detroit-what-will-the-tigers-do-next/

 

2022 Detroit Tigers roster:

 

 

 

[casimir]

12 hours ago, 1984Echoes said:

We have to buy out 2024 for $8 Mill.

He gets $40 Mill, at the very least, one way or another...

Reads to me as the rest of this season, 2023 ($32M), and either he plays in 2024 ($30M) or is bought out from 2024 ($8M).  So minimum of $40M after this season seems to be correct if its as simple as Cots has it laid out.

[1776]

After last night’s loss I thought more and more about this teams predicaments. I fully believe that AJ Hinch should be removed as manager. Al, in my opinion, made a mistake by hiring Hinch. Al made a lot of mistakes. I have reservations about the entire dugout staff at this point. I believe this organization needs a clean start over from the GM to the manager and through the dugout. They’re all a part of this fiasco. I wonder why all our pitchers end up with serious arm injuries? Have they been pushed into using mechanics that they’re not comfortable with? Who knows? The bats are nonexistent on this team. Dan said last night that this offense is challenging the futility of the 1904 Detroit Tigers offense.

i don’t believe Hinch ever discusses a players bad habits or bad decisions with them personally. Said it before, I believe he is a go along to get along kind of manager. That’s what he did in Houston. He didn’t control the dugout. I realize managers roles have changed over the years but there has to be some kind of understanding among the players that there are expectations that have to be met. Clearly Baez should have slid into a base last night and didn’t. I’m confident no coach advised him otherwise after the inning. 
Too many things wrong to think a new GM can repair all of this. It’ll also take some new faces in the managers/coaches ranks to bring this full circle. Clean house.

[IdahoBert]

On 8/12/2022 at 6:50 AM, Biff Mayhem said:

The Life of Bert. It would be an interesting novel. Heck, it could be written "fictitiously" as if you were a character and I think people who enjoy the literary arts would enjoy it; That's how good your written thoughts are.

Oh gosh thank you. 🥰

[TJ Rollercoaster]

On 8/12/2022 at 3:26 PM, Tenacious D said:

Bobby Higginson's dad used to raise hell at the old Freep board.

Also used to have CJ Nitkowski post on the old board - while he was playing for the Tigers iirc

[Tiger337]

7 hours ago, TJ Rollercoaster said:

Also used to have CJ Nitkowski post on the old board - while he was playing for the Tigers iirc

He was a regular on the AOL board.  I once made a nonsensical all caps text wall post about Gregg Jefferies mocking a huge Jefferies fan on the site.  Nitkowski e-mailed me about it pointing out all the inaccuracies.   I explained it to him though and he got it.  

[Edman85]

6 hours ago, Tiger337 said:

He was a regular on the AOL board.  I once made a nonsensical all caps text wall post about Gregg Jefferies mocking a huge Jefferies fan on the site.  Nitkowski e-mailed me about it pointing out all the inaccuracies.   I explained it to him though and he got it.  

CJ wasn't a big fan of the Falter Halter nickname...

[Dan Gilmore]

10 hours ago, Tiger337 said:

He was a regular on the AOL board.  I once made a nonsensical all caps text wall post about Gregg Jefferies mocking a huge Jefferies fan on the site.  Nitkowski e-mailed me about it pointing out all the inaccuracies.   I explained it to him though and he got it.  

In the recent discussion about Miggy- his slowness specifically, IL and retirement more broadly, I was tempted to make an all caps text wall post. It would have offered the single kernal of contradiction HE JUST STOLE THIRD!!! amidst a stream of incoherent ranting. Good times.

[Tigermojo]

6 minutes ago, Dan Gilmore said:

In the recent discussion about Miggy- his slowness specifically, IL and retirement more broadly, I was tempted to make an all caps text wall post. It would have offered the single kernal of contradiction HE JUST STOLE THIRD!!! amidst a stream of incoherent ranting. Good times.

That's probably when he tweeked his knee. He has sucked ever since.

[Edman85]

Hey

 

[Tigermojo]

What cruel irony is it that after all these years, the bullpen is the strength of the team? Too bad it doesn't matter because the starters and position players have been some of the worst in baseball over the course of this season.

[mtutiger]

https://theathletic.com/3507311/2022/08/15/tigers-next-gm-candidates/

Goes through a list of candidates, but the top of the list (and one he says is gaining traction):

Quote

Jason McLeod (Diamondbacks): Here’s one of the early names gaining some traction. McLeod is in his first year as a special assistant with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Prior to that, McLeod served as Theo Epstein’s chief scouting and player development executive with the Cubs. McLeod worked as an assistant GM with the Padres, where he overlapped in the front office with A.J. Hinch, and also worked under Epstein with the Red Sox. His proven success in the realm of player development makes him a natural fit, though he has interviewed for GM jobs before and never been hired.

AJ Hinch + Theo Epstein connections

[Edman85]

So... McLeod was Jared Porter's boss and had a falling out with the Cubs around the time that went down.

I have a strong feeling they get a Player Dev whiz and not somebody from the scouting ranks.

I also have a strong feeling it is somebody with Dodgers ties.

[mtutiger]

6 minutes ago, Edman85 said:

So... McLeod was Jared Porter's boss and had a falling out with the Cubs around the time that went down.

Completely forgot about that

[Edman85]

I may have had that timing wrong. I will look into it later. Haven't gotten to the NL in my deep dive.

Edited August 15, 2022 by Edman85

[kdog]

Does Dana Brown from Atlanta have any traction?

[gehringer_2]

15 hours ago, Tigermojo said:

What cruel irony is it that after all these years, the bullpen is the strength of the team? Too bad it doesn't matter because the starters and position players have been some of the worst in baseball over the course of this season.

It would seem that Al decided he wanted to be good at all the things DD was not. Unfortunately while he has shored up the things that they didn’t do well under Dombrowski, he has failed to also do well at any of the things Dave did. Result: team with weaknesses different from a Dombrowski team, but still weak, or in fact weaker. 

[buddha]

from cory's athletic podcast:

tigers are still way behind other clubs in modern development programs and are still a disorganized mess at a lot of levels.

aj hinch is the least of the tigers' issues and isnt going anywhere.

not sure if that's just a reporter pumping up people who give him access or not, but he's around the team and seems like a pretty good reporter.

[Edman85]

2 minutes ago, buddha said:

from cory's athletic podcast:

tigers are still way behind other clubs in modern development programs and are still a disorganized mess at a lot of levels.

aj hinch is the least of the tigers' issues and isnt going anywhere.

not sure if that's just a reporter pumping up people who give him access or not, but he's around the team and seems like a pretty good reporter.

A lot of stuff they are trying to do takes time.

And it's pretty clear Avila was over his head and may be a big reason things are a mess. Putting David Littlefield in charge of the most important part of baseball ops during a crucial period for that part of baseball ops is also likely a big cause.

[mtutiger]

23 minutes ago, buddha said:

from cory's athletic podcast:

tigers are still way behind other clubs in modern development programs and are still a disorganized mess at a lot of levels.

aj hinch is the least of the tigers' issues and isnt going anywhere.

not sure if that's just a reporter pumping up people who give him access or not, but he's around the team and seems like a pretty good reporter.

Sounds about right... AJ isn't going anywhere nor should he.

Edited August 15, 2022 by mtutiger

[CMRivdogs]