For teams out of contention for a postseason spot, September can be a grind. Simply knocking games off the schedule can become a focus if you are not careful. Yet, for a Tigers team in transition, the final month of the season still has value. Organizations are constantly evaluating, regardless of position in the standings. Like all …
Continue reading “Three Questions for the Tigers in September”
He blends in quietly in the Detroit Tigers clubhouse. Most rookies try to be seen and not heard, and Victor Reyes is no different. Although the 2018 Tigers are a young bunch, Reyes knows he should probably still be in the minor leagues. The Rule 5 draft, however, has given Ryes an opportunity that many never …
Continue reading “Rule 5 Pick Victor Reyes is Making Big League Strides”
The Tigers recent road trip to the West Coast provided a glimpse of what a playoff contender’s bullpen looks like. And it’s pretty impressive. The Oakland A’s have elbowed their way into the postseason picture not with a dominating rotation, but rather a hard-throwing, door-slamming bullpen. The Tigers got a steady dose of Lou Trivino, Jeurys Familia, …
Continue reading “Victor Alcántara Has Mastered His Control Issues”
Forging relationships is something that organically happens in the game of baseball. When you spend seven months of the year with a group of individuals, you automatically become joined at the hip. Mike Fiers is no different. The right-hander was dealt to the Oakland Athletics on Monday ending a short-lived tenure with the Tigers, but …
Continue reading “The Tigers Rebuild Continues With Fiers Trade”
The glow of a big win was still fresh when hitting coach Lloyd McClendon hopped on the Tigers team bus after a 6-3 win over the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on the final day of the season’s first half. The Tigers had lost six games in a row and the outlook seemed dim that the …
Continue reading “Improving the Two-Strike Approach is a Must for the Tigers”
While the Tigers have already passed the midpoint of the season in terms of games played, the All-Star break represents the end of the first half and the beginning of the second half. With the non-waiver trade deadline looming, the Tigers are in the position that many predicted. Sitting 12 1/2 games behind Cleveland in …
Continue reading “All-Star Break-What we Learned in the First Half”
When the Detroit Tigers signed Jordan Zimmermann to a free agent contract prior to the 2016 season, fans and front office personnel alike looked at the right-hander as a rotation centerpiece for the next five years. A decorated career with the Washington Nationals produced two All-Star appearances and a no-hitter for Zimmermann. The investment looked …
Continue reading “Jordan Zimmermann’s Transition is off to a Good Start”
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 …
With the top overall pick in this year’s June Amateur Draft, the Tigers feel they landed a difference maker in Auburn right-hander Casey Mize. Mize officially inked a reported $7.5 million deal with the club this week, and after making the rounds at Comerica Park, one could only come away impressed with the newest Tiger.
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 …
Continue reading “Why Jeimer Candelario’s June Struggles Are Not Concerning”
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 prospect. This …
Eight Years. That’s how long Tigers utility man Niko Goodrum waited for his turn. For eight seasons, Goodrum toiled in the Minnesota Twins minor league system waiting for his chance. It wasn’t supposed to take that long. Not for a player drafted in the second round. Yet, year after year he waited. Goodrum is a …
Continue reading “Examining Niko Goodrum’s Value to the Tigers”