Place for Baseball
The rebuilding Detroit Tigers find themselves in a position they have not enjoyed in about a decade. They finally have a farm system that gives the future a helping of hope. A farm system full of legitimate prospects that has the organization teeming with excitement about the future. Years of contending and spending left the…
The woman stood next to the Tigers dugout on a gorgeous spring afternoon at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, FL. Spring training was in full swing and she was anxiously waiting for her name to be called to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. I was invited to meet her, and when I extended my…
It’s a slippery slope for a young pitcher in March. The balancing act between working on certain pitches in spring training and pitching well enough to make the team. Veterans have a clear advantage by spending spring training honing certain parts of their game if they choose. If Jordan Zimmermann wants to add a new…
The 2018 season is upon us and with another spring training in the books, here are some notes about this year’s squad heading into the season opener. Victor Martinez has shined on Opening Day. He has hit safely in 11 of the last 12 lid-lifters he has played in, posting an average of .310 with two…
Sometimes we forget they’re just like us. Athletic ability tends to obscure the fact that professional athletes have their personal challenges too. Tigers reliever Joe Jimenez has had his share. Jimenez is a native of Puerto Rico, and when Hurricane Maria unleashed its Category 5 wrath on the Caribbean island last year, many families were left in…
The 2018 Detroit Tigers continue to surprise people. From the seasoned fan to the casual observer. On any given night, the Tigers lineup or rotation can feature some less-than-household names. Those names, however, are becoming more familiar to Tigers fans. Niko Goodrum? Check. John Hicks? Yep, heard of him. Grayson Greiner? Sure, he’s the catching…
When the Detroit Tigers fully committed to a rebuild of the organization last year, they found a trade partner in the Chicago Cubs. The Tigers shipped lefty Justin Wilson and Alex Avila to the Cubs for Chicago’s top prospect, Jeimer Candelario and infielder Isaac Paredes. As a minor leaguer, Candelario showed flashes of power and…
Jeimer Candelario watched his first inning drive off Cincinnati’s Tyler Mahle clear the left field wall at Great American Ballpark on Wednesday and must have reveled in the feeling of rounding the bases once again. It had been a while since he was rewarded for a positive at-bat. It has been miserable June for Candelario, to…
The Tigers minor league system is full of legitimate big league pitching prospects, that much is no secret. The last half-decade of drafts has restocked the organization with talent that was desperately needed following years of depleting a system in the pursuit of a World Series title. With the top overall pick in this year’s June Amateur Draft,…
Baseball is a humbling game. We’ve heard the saying many times. Those that are able to accept failure and move on are typically those that enjoy longevity in the game. Talent aside, the daily challenge of performing is what separates baseball from any other professional sport. In eight years of broadcasting minor league baseball, I…
