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

March 16 in Tigers and mlb history:

1895: John T. Brush, owner of the Cincinnati Reds and the Indianapolis Hoosiers, transfers six Reds players to his other team. This sort of exchange becomes increasingly common in the 1890s as owners of more than one team shuttle their players between their teams throughout each season in an attempt to stock their most profitable team of the moment. This strategy causes much distrust among fans, who feel that their loyalties are being trampled.

1900: At an American League meeting in Chicago, Ban Johnson announces that an A.L. team will be placed in the Windy City to ensure the stability of the league. Other franchises are in Kansas City, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Detroit, Cleveland, and Buffalo. In an agreement with Chicago National League officials, the A.L. club will be situated on the south side of the city and will be permitted to use the nickname Chicago White Stockings, formerly used by the N.L. team.
However, the White Stockings will not be able to use the word Chicago in their official name. The new franchise, known as the White Sox, will be the 1901 A.L. champion in the junior circuit's inaugural season as a major league.

1906: Lloyd Waner is born in Harrah, Oklahoma. Although Waner weighs only 150 pounds in his prime, he can hit for average, steal bases, field and throw as a center fielder, and beat opponents in countless ways. He does not draw many walks or hit for much power, however. He will make his major league debut in 1927, batting .355 while garnering 223 hits, the latter figure establishing a National League rookie record that will stand until the 21st century.
Waner will hit over .300 in 10 of his first 12 seasons, compiling a career mark of .316 with 2,459 hits, striking out just 173 times in an 18-season major league career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies and Brooklyn Dodgers. Waner will be elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1967 during one of their "open-door" periods.
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1907: In a trade of legendary outfielders, the Detroit Tigers send Ty Cobb to the Cleveland Naps in exchange for Elmer Flick. But Cleveland's manager, Nap Lajoie, rejects the trade of future Hall of Famer. Flick will bat .302 this year, while Cobb will lead the American League with a .350 mark.
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1908: Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Honus Wagner, at age 34, announces his retirement. An annual rite of spring, it will not keep him from playing in 151 games, more than in any of the past 10 years, and leading the National League in batting average (for the sixth time), hits, total bases, doubles, triples, slugging, runs batted in, and stolen bases. He will miss the Triple Crown by hitting two fewer home runs than Tim Jordan's 12.

1932: In St. Petersburg training camp, Babe Ruth signs a one-year contract for $75,000 and a percentage of the exhibition gate. Legend has it the Bambino signed a blank contract with the amount filled in later by New York Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert.

1935: Baseball legends Lou Gehrig, Ford Frick, Babe Ruth, Bill McKechnie & Joe McCarthy pose before a Boston Braves vs. New York Yankees spring training game in St. Petersburg, Florida.
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1953: American League owners turn down a bid made by Bill Veeck to move the St. Louis Browns to Baltimore, MD. Spearheaded by Washington Senators owner Clark Griffith, the vote is 6-2 against. Some observers speculate that the rejection is meant to force Veeck into selling his majority interest in the franchise. The next day, Veeck announces his willingness to sell the Browns for just under $2.5 million. The vote only delays the move by a year, however.

1954: St. Louis Cardinals star Stan Musial gets a preseason flu shot during spring training camp in Florida. Narration by #STLCards announcer Harry Caray.

1961: The state of New York approves a bond issue for the construction of a 55,000-seat stadium on the site of the 1939-40 World Fair in Queens' Flushing Meadows area. Shea Stadium will be inaugurated three years later.

1962: Eddie Mathews and his son Eddie Jr. wear matching #41 uniforms at Milwaukee Braves spring training!
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1972: Hall of Fame third baseman Pie Traynor dies in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the age of 72. Traynor batted .320 over a 17-year career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, with a career-high .366 in 1930.

1984: Who will play third base this season? Latest word is it might be Marty Castillo.

1985: Denny McLain, winner of the American League Cy Young Award in 1968, is convicted of racketeering, extortion, and cocaine possession in Tampa, Florida. McLain will serve 29 months of a 23-year sentence before an appeals court overturns the decision.

1985: John Fogerty released the single Centerfield.

2004: The Detroit Tigers released Ben Petrick.

2020: Commissioner Rob Manfred announces that the start of the upcoming Major League Baseball season will be delayed until mid-May at the earliest, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic which forced a stop to spring training on March 12th.

2022: A judge in California rules in favor of minor league players, deciding that they are year-round employees of their teams and are therefore entitled to financial compensation and the payment of travel expanses for attending spring training. The lawsuit, entitled Senne v. Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, was first filed in 2014 and after various reviews and passage by Congress of the unfortunately named Save America?s Pastime Act in 2018, only applies to three states - California, Florida and Arizona, but fortunately for the plaintiffs that covers all spring training and instructional league sites. The ruling rejects MLB's contention that the players should be considered trainees or apprentices and therefore not subject to regular labor laws. A full trial is scheduled to start on June 1st, but the ruling is likely to force MLB's hand in settling before then to avoid the risk of being assessed significant damages at trial.

2022: The Detroit Tigers signed Wily Peralta as a free agent.

Tigers players birthdays:

Ralph Works 1909-1912.

Charles Hudson 1989.

Curtis Granderson 2004-2009.

Kyle Funkhouser 2020-2021.

Tigers players who passed away:

Moe Franklin 1941-1942.

Dick Radatz 1969.

Billy Hoeft 1952-1959.

Baseball Reference
 
DEEPER DISCUSSIONS.
Totally Tigers

Just when we think these roster battles are settling down with only 2 weeks left until Opening Day, the Tigers are tweaking things again.
Partially due to key players being on the IL with undetermined dates of return. Also due to the holes that still need filling and go unresolved due to a lack of depth.
Detroit has now moved to a policy that could aptly be described as “flexibility on steroids.”
Last year, a number of players were slotted into secondary defensive positions when needed. But now, A. J. Hinch has almost everyone getting into the act.
Maybe we’ll end up calling this “positional chaos.”

Kerry Carpenter is playing both LF and RF.
Justyn-Henry Malloy can now be seen at 1B and LF.
Andy Ibanez and Zach McKinstry are playing the infield and now the corner OF.
And Colt Keith had a reunion at 2B.
Riley Greene, the best LHH defensive player in MLB last year with a +14 DRS is at CF again.

Hinch has stated that it’s not about the roster – but in the end, it really is. He says he wants the team to be prepared for any situation during a game. He talked about moving players around depending upon which pitcher the opposing team brings in.
And now, they have Javier Baez playing 3B. He hasn’t played there in 5 years. He made an error there the other day.
Hinch painted a picture of Baez at 3B, Sweeney at SS and the entire infield moving their positions around.

I can’t help but think of the quote “Jack of all trades, master of none.”
Is it really a good idea to take Riley Greene away from LF where he was the best in MLB and move him to CF where he is weaker defensively and also at risk for further injury to his legs?

On the other hand, this roster is very limited in many ways. Designated outfielders and when 1 (or 2 in this case) get injured, they don’t have an immediate heir.
The infield is also highly unstable. Other than Baez and Torres (who are both negative defenders), everyone else is new.

Like last year’s “pitching chaos”, is this new flexible+ positional plan an answer for finding solutions given a young, inexperienced roster and lack of depth?
Will the ability to be flexible on who plays where outweigh a focus on keeping players in their regular positions?
Which strategy is better?

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?

Which positional strategy do you prefer for the Tigers to use?

1. For players to stay in their regular positions for the most part.

2. For players to move around positionally based upon opposing pitchers and strategy.

VOTE
 
Gleyber Torres has been scratched with a right quad contusion.

Today's Updated lineup:
LF Justyn-Henry Malloy
CF Riley Greene
2B Andy Ibáñez
DH Kerry Carpenter
1B Spencer Torkelson
3B Javier Báez
SS Trey Sweeney
RF Zach McKinstry
C Jake Rogers
SP Jack Flaherty
 
Sunday Notes: Jackson Jobe and Andrew Painter Are Promising Power Pitchers.

Jackson Jobe supplied a quality quote when asked about last weekend’s three-straight-heaters punchout of Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr..””I’m done with trying to dot a gnat’s ass,” he told a small group of reporters. “It’s, ‘Here’s my stuff. If you hit it, good. Odds are, probably not.”
Jobe is a student of the art and science of his craft, so I proceeded to ask him where he feels he is in terms development. Has the 22-year-old Detroit Tigers right-hander essentially settled into his mound identity, or is there still work left to be done in the pitch lab?

“I’d like to think I got it pretty much all fine-tuned,” replied Jobe, who is No. 9 on our Top 100. “Now it’s just learning the best way to use it, the best way to sequence it. I put my stuff up against anyone in the league on paper, to be completely honest. It’s just a matter of learning how to harness it.”
Asked about any recent changes to his pitch metrics, the rookie of the year candidate cited his slider.
“I’m getting a little bit more depth and horizontal on my cutter, which I call a slider now,” responded Jobe. “It’s just a slider. I’m getting around two inches more depth, and an inch and a half of horizontal. I’m also throwing it harder. I’m really happy with my pitch mix. Like I said, I just have to figure out how to use it to its best capacity.”
Jake Rogers caught Jobe in his eye-opening spring start against the Blue Jays. Not surprisingly, the veteran backstop likes what he sees in the power arsenal.

“He has really good stuff,” Rogers said after the game. “He pairs it well together, from a really hard fastball, with good extension and good ride at the top of the zone, and then there’s the 91-mph cutter/slider. He threw a couple of two-seamers today when he was behind. I didn’t really see much of the breaking ball, but it’s another [weapon]. There is a reason he is viewed as he is, both by the Tigers and around the league. He’s really good.”
Any comps to pitchers he’s caught or faced in the batter’s box?
“Not really,” replied Rogers. “He’s Jackson Jobe.”

Fangraphs
 
Why the Detroit Tigers shouldn't trust their young core this season.
The front office needs to add a major in-season upgrade to put this team over the top.
MCBTB
 
March 17 in Tigers and mlb history:

1871: The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players is founded, setting the stage for the future National League in 1876. The entry fee for a National Association franchise is set at $10.

1886: The Sporting News, the weekly that will become "The Baseball Paper of the World," publishes its first issue.

1907: Tigers manager Hughie Jennings sends a telegram to the Cleveland Indians offering to trade Ty Cobb for Elmer Flick.
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1919: The Boston Red Sox, minus holdouts Carl Mays and Babe Ruth, sail from New York aboard the USS Arapahoe. The trip to spring training is stormy and most of the players will be seasick. Ruth will sign on the 21st in New York and leave that night for Florida. Mays, unsigned, will join Ruth and the Sox in Tampa.

1921: The New York Yankees, training in Shreveport, Louisiana, journey to Lake Charles to play a game against the St. Louis Cardinals, based in Orange, Texas. The game is proclaimed "Ruth-Hornsby Day," but Hornsby hits only a single while Ruth lofts a home run over the short right field fence. The Yankees win, 14 - 5.

1936: Much-heralded rookie Joe DiMaggio makes his debut with the New York Yankees, collecting four hits including a triple.

1946: In Daytona Beach, the Brooklyn Dodgers take the field against their minor-league farm team, the Montreal Royals. With Jackie Robinson in the lineup for Montreal, the game marks the first appearance of an integrated team in Organized Baseball in this century. A crowd of 3,100 attends the game at City Island Park, which will be renamed "Jackie Robinson Stadium" in 1990.

1953: Bill Veeck says that he will accept an offer of $2.475 million for his 80 percent of the St. Louis Browns stock. Baltimore Mayor Thomas D'Alesandro seeks a syndicate to buy Veeck out. The group will eventually purchase 206,250 shares at $12 per share.

1953: Milwaukee County Stadium will be available to the Boston Braves at a very reasonable rental rate.

1965: Jackie Robinson is signed as a member of the ABC-TV major league baseball broadcast team, becoming the first black broadcaster to receive a network position. ABC provides the first-ever nationwide baseball coverage with weekly Saturday broadcasts on a regional basis.

1966: Pitchers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale play hardball when negotiating with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The duo signs movie contracts showing they are serious about retiring from baseball if their salary demands are not met.

1969: The St. Louis Cardinals trade former National League MVP Orlando Cepeda to the Atlanta Braves for catcher/first baseman Joe Torre. The trade will benefit both teams; Cepeda will help the Braves make the playoffs this year and Torre will win the MVP Award in 1971.

1971: Accomplished imposter William Street is charged w/ trying to extort $20K from Tigers' Willie Horton.

1977: U.S. Federal Judge Frank McGarr rules in favor of Bowie Kuhn, saying that the baseball commissioner acted within his authority in voiding the 1976 player sales engineered by Oakland Athletics owner Charlie Finley.

1978: For a St. Patrick's Day exhibition game, the Cincinnati Reds wear special green uniforms, rather than their traditional red, starting an annual ritual. The good luck works and the Reds beat the New York Yankees, 9 - 2. The St. Louis Cardinals, among other teams, will be next to follow suit. Although the Reds will never use the uniforms in regular season play, the green colors will become a spring training tradition for the team.

1984: Ferguson Jenkins announces his retirement. The 1971 National League Cy Young Award winner, Jenkins posted a record of 284-226 with 3192 strikeouts and a 3.34 ERA in 4500 innings pitched in a 19-season major career. He will be elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America in 1991.

1986: The Tigers celebrate St. Patrick's Day with green trimmed uniforms and every player wearing number 30, because of potentially free pizza.

1992: Pitcher Hal Newhouser and umpire Bill McGowan are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee. "Prince Hal" won two MVP awards with the Tigers and still has the record for most wins by a pitcher before his 30th birthday with 188 and won an even 200 games with the Detroit Tigers.

2005: During more than 11 hours of hearings by the Committee on Government Reform concerning major league players' use of steroids, Mark McGwire refuses to talk about the past and does not deny taking performance enhancing drugs. Other players testifying include Curt Schilling, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, and former big leaguer Jose Canseco, whose recent book, Juiced, prompted the congressional hearing. Palmeiro will be found guilty of steroid usage later this year.

2014: The Detroit Tigers signed Bryan Augenstein as a free agent.

2015: The Detroit Tigers signed Brendan Harris as a free agent.

2018: The Blue Jays field a line-up straight out of the 1990s in their 11 - 3 win over the Canadian junior national team. The team features an infield of Clemens, Biggio, Bichette and Guerrero, with Dwight Smith Jr. in left field and Grudzielanek at DH. They are all sons of major leaguers, except for Grudzielanek, who is Mark's nephew. Joining them by pitching a perfect 8th inning in 17-year-old Braden Halladay, son of the late Roy Halladay, who qualifies to play for the Canadians by virtue of having been born in Toronto, ON.

2022: The Detroit Tigers signed Andrew Chafin as a free agent.

2023: The Detroit Tigers signed Jose Ãlvarez as a free agent.

Tigers players and coaches birthdays:

Oscar Stanage 1909-1920, 1925, coach 1925.

Vance Wilson 2005-2006.

Tigers players who passed away:

Billy Purtell 1914.

Howard Ehmke 1916-1917, 1919-1922.

Van Fletcher 1955.

Baseball Reference
 
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