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Detroit Tigers Team Notes Over 3 Million Views!!! Thankyou!

November 17 in Tigers and mlb history:

1887: The National League meets and officially recognizes the Brotherhood by meeting with a committee of three players, Monte Ward, Ned Hanlon, and Dan Brouthers.

1913: Future Hall of Famer Wilbert Robinson is named as the Brooklyn Dodgers' new manager in replacement of Bill Dahlen. The Dodgers will become known as the "Robins" in honor of their new skipper. Robinson will compile a 1375-1341 (.506) record during his 18-year tenure in Brooklyn, twice taking the team to the World Series.

1920: San Francisco (PCL) traded Bert Cole to the Detroit Tigers for Babe Ellison.

1944: Tom Seaver The legendary Hall of Fame pitcher was born in Fresno, CA.

1947: The Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Browns engineer a blockbuster eight-player deal. The key player is shortstop Vern Stephens, who comes to Boston after hitting .279 with 15 home runs and 83 RBI. The Red Sox also acquire 11-game winner Jack Kramer while giving the Browns $300,000 in cash and six players, including pitchers Jim Wilson and Al Widmar. Stephens will lead the American League in RBI in two of the next three seasons while averaging 33 home runs each year.

1949: The Chicago White Sox drafted Bill Connelly from the Detroit Tigers in the 1949 rule 5 draft.
1949: The Chicago White Sox drafted Joe Erautt from the Detroit Tigers in the 1949 rule 5 draft.

1950: Redford beats St. Gregory 7-6 in the annual Goodfellow Game at Briggs (Tiger) Stadium.

1953: The St. Louis Browns officially become the Baltimore Baseball Club Inc. The Baltimore franchise board officially changes its name to the Orioles, the traditional name for baseball teams from the city.

1957: Bobby Layne throws a touchdown pass and kicks four extra points in the Lions 31-10 win over the 49ers before a record crowd at Briggs (Tiger) Stadium.

1959: San Francisco Giants slugger Willie McCovey is selected as the National League Rookie of the Year, after hitting .354 with 13 home runs and 38 RBI in just 52 games. McCovey gets all 24 votes to make him the second Giants player in a row to win the award unanimously. Teammate Orlando Cepeda ran away with the award in 1958.

1960: Hank Greenberg drops out of the bidding to run the new American League franchise in Los Angeles.

1964: The New York Mets name former New York Yankees great Yogi Berra to their coaching staff. Berra signs a two-year contract and will work under another former Yankee legend, Casey Stengel, who is now the Mets' manager.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FhpLvjiX...png&name=small

1965: Major League Baseball owners unanimously elect William D. Eckert as Commissioner, succeeding Ford Frick, who leaves office after 14 years. Eckert, a retired Lt. General in the United States Air Force, becomes baseball's fourth commissioner. He will serve only one term before being replaced by Bowie Kuhn.

1971: At age 22, Oakland Athletics pitcher Vida Blue becomes the youngest player ever to win the Most Valuable Player Award and only the fourth to capture both the Cy Young Award and the MVP in the same season.
Tigers' workhorse pitcher Mickey Lolich finishes in second place while leading the league in Wins 25, Innings Pitched 376, and Strikeouts 308. Vote totals were 98 for Blue and 85 for Lolich.

1975: The Texas Rangers trade future Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins to the Boston Red Sox for outfielder Juan Beniquez and two pitchers. A seven-time 20-game winner, Jenkins will win only 12 games for Boston next season.

1979: On a flight to Austin, Texas, Daniel Okrent sketches out the first draft of rules for what will become Rotisserie League Baseball. Had the friends he was seeing not ignored these rules, the Rotisserie League would have been called Pit League, after the Austin barbecue joint where Okrent first unveiled them. Two weeks later in New York, he pitches the idea to a more receptive group with whom Okrent lunches monthly at La Rotisserie Francaise.

1982: Center fielder Dale Murphy wins the National League MVP Award, becoming the first Braves player to be so honored since Hank Aaron in 1957, when the team played in Milwaukee.

1984: Tigers pitching coach Roger Craig announces his retirement. Would return to manage the Giants.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DpFLje2X4AAV04J.jpg

1987: George Bell becomes the first Toronto Blue Jays player ever to win the American League MVP Award, edging Alan Trammell of the Detroit Tigers, 332-311. Bell hit .308 with 47 home runs and a league-leading 134 RBI.
Trammell hit .343 with 28 home runs, 105 RBI, 205 hits, 329 Total bases, Slugged .551 with an OPS of .953 and an OPS+ of 155.

1992: Major League Baseball holds the expansion draft to stock the rosters of the National League's two new teams, the Florida Marlins and Colorado Rockies. A total of 72 players are chosen.

1992: The Colorado Rockies drafted Scott Aldred from the Detroit Tigers as the 15th pick in the 1992 expansion draft.
1992: The Colorado Rockies drafted Kevin Ritz from the Detroit Tigers as the 46th pick in the 1992 expansion draft.

1998: Tom Glavine of the Atlanta Braves edges San Diego Padres closer Trevor Hoffman for the National League Cy Young Award. It is the sixth time in the past eight seasons that a Braves pitcher has won the award.

1999: Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones, who hit .319 with 45 home runs and 110 RBI, wins the National League MVP Award. Jones becomes the fifth Braves player to be so honored, joining Johnny Evers (1914), Bob Elliott (1947), Hank Aaron (1957) Dale Murphy (1982 and 1983) and Terry Pendleton (1991).

1999: The Detroit Tigers signed Carlos Mendez as a free agent.

2000: The Detroit Tigers signed Ryan Jackson as a free agent.
2000: The Detroit Tigers signed Carlos Mendez as a free agent.

2004: After being wined and dined by Detroit Tigers legend Al Kaline and team owner Mike Ilitch, free agent Troy Percival signs a two-year, $12 million deal, surprising everyone, including his agent, by announcing he wants to play in Detroit next season. Before the preliminary meeting in the Motor City, the former Angels closer had been scheduled to meet with the Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs later in the week. Bothered by arm problems in 2005, Percival will finish 1-3 with eight saves and a 5.76 ERA in just 26 games pitched.

2005: Major League Baseball owners vote unanimously to approve the toughened steroids policy agreed to with the players' association earlier this week.

2006: The Detroit Tigers signed Tim Byrdak as a free agent.
2006: The Detroit Tigers signed Kevin Hooper as a free agent.

2008: Albert Pujols is named 2008 National League MVP, his second time as MVP. Despite missing some time to injury, Pujols led the National League in total bases. He also led in slugging and OPS.
The win is a bit ironic as Pujols had criticized the selection of Ryan Howard in 2006 when Howard's team failed to make the playoffs; this time, Howard (the runner-up) and the Phillies did make the playoffs while Pujols' Cardinals did not.

2009: Kansas City Royals pitcher Zack Greinke wins the American League Cy Young Award in a landslide. Greinke went 16-8 in spite of pitching for a last-place team and posted a league-leading 2.16 ERA, with 242 strikeouts.

2009: In his last major television appearance, Ernie Harwell is interviewed by Bob Costas on MLB Network.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DqYUb2PW4AAknXg.jpg #GodBlessYouErnie

2010: The Tigers sign free agent reliever Joaquin Benoit, coming off a sensational year with Tampa Bay, to a three-year deal worth $16.5 million.

2011: Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers is the winner of the National League Cy Young Award, gathering 27 of 32 first-place votes and finishing ahead of the two aces of the Phillies, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee. The 23-year-old lefthander went 21-5, tied with Ian Kennedy for the most wins in the NL, and finished first with a 2.28 ERA and 248 strikeouts.

2011: Major League Baseball announces major structural changes for 2013 as a result of its approval of the sale of the Houston Astros to a group headed by Jim Crane. The Astros will move from the NL Central to the AL West, giving both leagues 15 teams split into three five-team divisions. As a result, teams will play a more balanced schedule and there will be interleague play during the entire season to accommodate the odd number of teams in each circuit. There will also be two additional playoff teams, but the new postseason format will be annouced at a later date as it is tied to current negotiations with the Players Association regarding the new collective bargaining agreement.

2014: The Detroit Tigers signed Jefry Marte as a free agent.

2016: The Detroit Tigers signed William Cuevas as a free agent.
2016: The Detroit Tigers signed Logan Kensing as a free agent.

2016: OF Mike Trout of the Angels wins his second AL MVP Award, finishing ahead of Boston's Mookie Betts. In the National League, second-year 3B Kris Bryant of the Cubs is a runaway winner one year after being named the league's Rookie of the Year.

2020: Theo Epstein, the architect behind the Chicago Cubs' 2016 World Series title that ended a drought of over a century, and before that of the Boston Red Sox's first title in almost 90 years in 2004 as the original wunderkind General Manager, resigns from his job as team President of the Cubs. Still in his forties, he is likely to look for a new challenge in baseball at some point in the future, but for now he sticks to his principle that a senior executive should not stay with an organization for more than ten years.

2022: Aaron Judge of the Yankees, who set a new American League record with 62 homers, is the winner of the circuit's MVP Award while Paul Goldschmidt of the Cardinals wins in the MVP Award. Both players had been the recipient of the Hank Aaron Award given to the best hitter in each league earlier this off-season.

2023: Brenan Hanifee of the Detroit Tigers granted free agency.
2023: Garrett Hill of the Detroit Tigers granted free agency.
2023: Spencer Turnbull of the Detroit Tigers granted free agency.

Tigers players, managers,and announcers birthdays:

George Stallings manager 1901.

Willie Jensen 1912.

Davey Claire 1920.

Dick Weik 1953-1954.

Orlando Pena 1965-1967.

Brad Havens 1989.

Rick Rizzs announcer 1992-1994.

Billy McMillon 2000-2001.

Shane Greene 2015-2019.

Tigers players who passed away:

Earl Hamilton 1916.

Baseball Reference
 
DEEPER DISCUSSIONS.
Totally Tigers


The Detroit Tigers may be looking for a longer-term (3+ years) free agent this off-season. But what type of a commitment should they make?
In general, the higher the profile of the free agent, the longer and more expensive contract he will want. They always favor the number of years over the yearly salary.
The starting point for a top 20 free agent contract is 6 years. For a top 10 player, contracts start at 8 years. There are currently 30 players in MLB under contract for 10 years or more.
Once that contract is given, it becomes extremely hard to trade that player down the road as the team falls out of contention or as the player ages.
The Tigers have certainly had their share of long, expensive contracts that included Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander. Currently, Javier Baez just completed one-half of his 6-year contract with the Tigers. They are paying him $140 mill and it will end in 3 years when he is 35 years old.
Even with the signing of Miguel Cabrera, none of these contracts aged well in the end for the Tigers.

So should the Tigers once again get serious about the top free agents? Is it too soon to determine where their greatest need is considering all of the talent in their farm system who are getting close to their MLB debuts?
There are lots of factors to consider:
position and age of player (when contract ends)
blocking of top young talent who may have to be traded away as a result
significant financial gap between free agent’s contract and current top talent (ex.: Tarik Skubal, expected to earn $8 mill in 2025) that may create friction
long multi-year commitment
timing with the ripening of the roster for serious contention

So if the Tigers want to sign this type of free agent, who should they target? We’ve got 3 options for you to choose in the following poll.
Today’s blog addresses this question and allows readers to share their thoughts in more detail. And hopefully, to actively engage with others by responding to their posts and creating back-and-forth discussion threads. The more the merrier!
For this one blog only, you’ve got 6 sentences max to share your thoughts. Of course, you can also respond to other readers.
TT will supply the ammunition. One thought-provoking question. Several options provided. One hard choice to be selected. One vote.
Ready?

Who should the Tigers target in free agency for the 2025 season?

1. 3 yrs. -- top 31-40 ranked free agents

2. 4-5 yrs. -- top 21-30 ranked free agents

3. 6-8 yrs. -- top 11-20 ranked free agents

VOTE
 

Motor City Metrics Tigers Podcast: Does Tarik Skubal get an offer he can refuse? 82 minutes.
The gang gets together to discuss news out of the GM Meetings, TV Contracts, Roki Sasaki, the Arizona Fall League, and anything else on their minds.
 
November 18 in Tigers and mlb history:

1882: The case of the Allegheny Club versus Charlie Bennett is won by Bennett. Prior to the 1882 season, Allegheny signed Bennett to a $100 agreement which stated that he would sign an 1883 contract with the club after the season. Instead, Bennett re-signed with the Detroit Wolverines. This case will later have bearing on the fight over the reserve rule during the 1889-1890 Players League war.

1887: The National League adopts a new contract that spells out reserve provisions for the first time. The NL refuses to accept the players' demand that the salary be written out on all contracts, however.

1917: The Detroit Heralds beat the Racine Regulars 19-0 in Ohio League football at Navin Field (Tiger Stadium)

1949: Brooklyn Dodgers infielder Jackie Robinson, who hit 16 home runs with 124 RBI and led the National League with a .342 batting average, becomes the first black to win the Most Valuable Player Award. Stan Musial, Ralph Kiner, and teammate Pee Wee Reese are the runner-ups.
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1951: Former Chicago Cubs first baseman and future star of the TV series The Rifleman Chuck Connors becomes the first player to refuse to participate in the major league draft. Currently the 1B for the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League, Connors wants to stay in California, instead of going to whatever team might draft him for the major leagues. The PCL views his refusal in a positive manner, allowing them to ask for higher prices for minor league players than what the major leagues usually offers.

1954: In an enormous two-part trade begun on November 14th, the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles complete an exchange of 17 players. Included are first baseman Dick Kryhoski, pitchers Bob Turley and Don Larsen, catcher Darrell Johnson and shortstop Billy Hunter, from Baltimore. To the Orioles go outfielder Gene Woodling, shortstop Willie Miranda, pitchers Harry Byrd and Jim McDonald, and catchers Gus Triandos and Hal Smith. The trade will help both teams.

1962: Dick McAuliffe hits a home run, Tigers play to 3-3 tie in last scheduled game of goodwill tour of Japan.

1963: The Detroit Tigers send outfielder Rocky Colavito, pitcher Bob Anderson, and a reported $50,000 to the Kansas City Athletics for second baseman Jerry Lumpe and pitchers Dave Wickersham and Ed Rakow.

1964: Baltimore Orioles third baseman Brooks Robinson is voted American League Most Valuable Player, outpolling Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees 269 to 171.

1966: Los Angeles Dodgers ace pitcher Sandy Koufax announces his retirement, due to increasing pain in his arthritic left elbow. Just three weeks earlier, Koufax won a record third Cy Young Award.



1970: Cincinnati Reds catcher Johnny Bench wins the National League MVP Award with 326 points, 108 more than Billy Williams of the Chicago Cubs. Bench hit for a .293 average with 45 home runs and 148 RBI, while Williams finished with .322, 42, 109.

1974: The Tigers shake things up with a big trade, sending shortstop Eddie Brinkman, outfielder Dick Sharon, and pitcher Bob Strampe to the Padres for slugger Nate Colbert, a three-time all-star first baseman. Colbert had averaged 27 homers for San Diego over six seasons, often launching impressive home runs, but he?ll struggle in Detroit where he lasts less than a season.

1977: The Free Press reports on the sale of the old green Tiger Stadium seats, which were being replaced with plastic ones.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DOnmtJmW4AEkEWE.jpg

1980: Despite having missed 45 games with injuries, George Brett is named American League Most Valuable Player. The 27-year-old third baseman's .390 batting average was the highest in the major leagues since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941.

1981: Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt wins his second consecutive National League MVP Award, joining Ernie Banks and Joe Morgan as the only NL players to take the award back-to-back. In the strike-shortened season, Schmidt hit .316 and led the league in home runs (31), RBI (91), runs (78), walks (73), on-base percentage (.435) and slugging percentage (.644).

1985: Dwight Gooden of the New York Mets (National League) and Bret Saberhagen of the Kansas City Royals (American League) win the Cy Young Award in their respective leagues.

1987: Chicago Cubs outfielder Andre Dawson becomes the first player from a last-place club ever to win an Most Valuable Player Award, taking National League honors with a .287 batting average and as the league leader in home runs (49) and RBI (137).

1997: The Detroit Tigers traded Travis Fryman to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Matt Drews (minors), Gabe Alvarez and Joe Randa. Fryman would be traded to Cleveland two weeks later.

1997: The Tampa Bay Devil Rays drafted Bubba Trammell from the Detroit Tigers as the 22nd pick in the 1997 expansion draft.

1997: The Arizona Diamondbacks drafted Bryan Corey from the Detroit Tigers as the 63rd pick in the 1997 expansion draft.

1999: The Detroit Tigers released Luis Garcia.

2000: The Seattle Mariners sign Japanese star outfielder Ichiro Suzuki to a three-year contract, making him the first Japanese position player in major league history.

2004: The Detroit Tigers signed Troy Percival as a free agent.

2004: Although the Montreal Expos may not know where they will be playing next season (the final Major League Baseball approval for the move to Washington, DC has been postponed) or the team's new name, the former Montreal franchise will know who is the club's manager. Frank Robinson, after compiling a 233-253 record despite many restrictions and hardships, will return to the helm for his fourth year as the skipper of this nomad ship.

2007: For the first time ever, Team USA beats the Cuban national team in the Gold Medal game of a Baseball World Cup. They become the first non-Cuban team to win since the South Korean national team in 1982 (when Cuba sat out). Cuba had won every time they had entered since 1951. Yadel Marti and several relievers fail to shut down the US in a 6 - 3 defeat. Steven Shell gets the win and Jeff Stevens wraps up the game. Jayson Nix drives in two and will be named Baseball World Cup Most Valuable Player.

2010: Commissioner Bud Selig states that Major League Baseball is considering expanding the postseason by two teams, by adding a second wild card in each league. The two wild card winners would face each other in a best-of-three series to open the postseason, with the three division winners getting a bye. The proposal will now be discussed at the December Winter Meetings and would need to be accepted by the Players Association.

2010: Felix Hernandez of Seattle wins the 2010 American League Cy Young Award. In spite of a won-loss record of only 13-12 - the fewest wins by a starting pitcher to win the Cy Young Award in a full season -, "King Felix" draws voters' attention with his 2.27 ERA in 249.2 innings and 232 strikeouts

2011: Major League Baseball owners and the Players Association reach a tentative deal on a new five-year collective bargaining agreement. The agreement signed in Rosemont, IL near Chicago's O'Hare Airport, includes a ceiling for bonuses paid to picks in the amateur draft and international free agents. It also provides for testing for human growth hormone and a raise in the minimum salary to $480,000. The agreement will be finalized on November 22nd.

2011: The Detroit Tigers signed Gerald Laird as a free agent.

2012: The Detroit Tigers signed Kevin Russo as a free agent.

2013: The Detroit Tigers signed Jhan Marinez as a free agent.

2015: The Milwaukee Brewers traded Francisco Rodriguez to the Detroit Tigers for a player to be named later and Javier Betancourt (minors). The Detroit Tigers sent Manny Pina (December 10, 2015) to the Milwaukee Brewers to complete the trade.

2020: Major League Baseball announces that Mets 2B Robinson Cano has tested positive for the banned steroid Stanozolol. Since it is Cano's second positive test, he will be suspended for the entire 2021 season.

2021: Shohei Ohtani of the Angels is rewarded for his historic season as a two-way player by winning the 2021 American League Most Valuable Player Award, by unanimous vote, beating out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Blue Jays who receives 29 of 30 second-place votes. In the National League, it is Bryce Harper who is the winner, a second time for him as he also won the award in 2015.

2022: Jeimer Candelario of the Detroit Tigers granted free agency.
2022: Harold Castro of the Detroit Tigers granted free agency.
2022: Willi Castro of the Detroit Tigers granted free agency.
2022: Brendon Davis of the Detroit Tigers granted free agency.
2022: Miguel Di*az of the Detroit Tigers granted free agency.
2022: Kyle Funkhouser of the Detroit Tigers granted free agency.
2022: Michael Papierski of the Detroit Tigers granted free agency.
2022: The Detroit Tigers selected Bligh Madris off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays.

Tigers players, coaches, and managers birthdays:

Deacon McGuire Detroit Wolverines 1885, 1888, Detroit Tigers 1902-1903, 1912.

Jack Coombs 1920.

Charlie Fuchs 1942.

Phil Stidham 1994.

Luis Pujols coach 2002, manager 2002.

Gary Sheffield 2007-2008.

Brendan White 2023.

Baseball Reference
 
Last edited:
MONDAY MUSINGS.
Totally Tigers

Today, it’s about quick hits – bits of news that catch my radar during the week as well as connecting the dots re ongoing stories. Even the quirky.
So let’s get to it! Here are the most interesting topics that hit my radar over the past week………..
 
Tigers offseason trade targets: Brent Rooker would be a big boost to the offense.
Free agency looks like a tough market to shop in for hitters once again. So let’s look at alternate paths, starting with the A’s slugger.
BYBTB
 
7 storylines to follow for 2025 HOF ballot.
MLB.com

14 players are on Hall of Fame Ballot for first time.
MLB.com

Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia among 14 newcomers on Hall of Fame ballot.
espn
 
Tyler O’Neill could balance out the Tigers offense at a reasonable price.
The lefty mashing, free agent outfielder had a huge season in Boston, and could really balance out the Tigers’ offense.
BYBTB
 
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