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Dombrowski fired, Dumb Ass Al Avila Fired Now DD back to World Series

In what's becoming an annual exercise: Opposing teams have gained 28.8 bWAR from trade deadline deals with the Tigers. More than half of that is Verlander.

The Tigers, so far, have received 2.1 bWAR in return. That's up 1.7 from last year.
 
In what's becoming an annual exercise: Opposing teams have gained 28.8 bWAR from trade deadline deals with the Tigers. More than half of that is Verlander.

The Tigers, so far, have received 2.1 bWAR in return. That's up 1.7 from last year.

how do they calculate bWAR?
 
Not sure how much DET has spent on IFA signings since Aug 2015 has to be 25-30M and to hit on ZERO..thats right ZERO ..one less than one..the likely 100 players DET has signed out of Latin America..kind of goes with the hit rate on rule 4 draftees..that answer is TWO.
 
https://www.mlb.com/tigers/news/tigers-shake-up-front-office-player-development-staff
Sam Menzin, Jay Sartori promoted to VP/asst. GM role.
Tigers' organization looking for new head of player development.
Tigers official site

https://www.blessyouboys.com/2021/8...tori-sam-menzin-david-littlefield-david-chadd
Detroit Tigers announce major changes to the front office.
The new breed is taking over.
BYBTB

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/s...t-tigers-restructure-front-office/5671469001/
Tigers restructure front office, begin search for a new player development boss.
Detnews

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/...in-jay-sartori-front-office-moves/5667650001/
Detroit Tigers promote Sam Menzin, Jay Sartori; and finally Dave Littlefield transitions to new role.
Freep

https://www.mlive.com/tigers/2021/0...ce-changes-including-2-new-assistant-gms.html
Tigers announce front office restructuring, including 2 new assistant GMs.
Mlive
 
https://totallytigers.wordpress.com/2021/09/03/the-saturday-survey-150/
THE SATURDAY SURVEY.
Totally Tigers

The Saturday Survey offers the opportunity to weigh in on a relevant topic.
So here is a poll to gauge the pulse of our passionate readers.

Today, we center the discussion on the Tigers? Front Office moves this week.

As always, we welcome your comments, so please vote and then submit your reasons (4 sentences max!) for how you voted in the usual comment box. Don?t forget to come back later and view the results!

Earlier this week, the Detroit Tigers made some moves in their Front Office, promoting 2 young and talented minds while moving Dave Littlefield and David Chadd out of their current positions. How do you feel about what the Tigers have done?

How do you feel about what the Tigers have done with the Front Office?

1. Thrilled

2. Looks promising.

3. Should have done more.

4. Not excited at all.

VOTE
 
https://totallytigers.wordpress.com/2021/09/05/the-big-story-13/
THE BIG STORY.
Totally Tigers

What was the biggest story of the week? (Last Monday through Sunday, that is.)

Was it something singular, a pattern seen or an overall theme? Or was it a story that will carry over throughout the year?

Our two bloggers will each give their takes from what stood out for them over the past week.

As always, we want to hear what you?re thinking. So, give us your big story in no more than 4 sentences.
 
https://totallytigers.wordpress.com/2021/10/07/five-for-friday/
FIVE FOR FRIDAY.
Totally Tigers

This week, we saw the annual end-of-year press conference by the Tigers in which Al Avila and A. J. Hinch took center stage.

What a difference a year makes. The window into this rebuild has opened juuuuust a little bit more. If you were listening carefully, there are some interesting takeaways beyond the actual words spoken.

Here?s my top 5 list of the most important points expressed during their time on the dais.
 
https://totallytigers.wordpress.com/2021/10/13/patterns-dont-lie/
PATTERNS DON?T LIE.
Totally Tigers

I?m hearing the rumors about the Oakland A?s Billy Beane possibly becoming a new GM with another team. I?m also wondering whether hiring him will finally solve the decades-old dysfunction of NY?s second baseball team. The Mess, er, the Mets.

Don?t you ever wonder about teams that exhibit the same old patterns year after year? The same teams doing well, others wandering in the dark, the frequently scandal-ridden and those constantly mired in the mud? Or the ones that simply have a pulse and not much else?

Why is it that some organizations just keep their heads down and do their jobs the right way like the Cards? Or others, like the Angels, have players die and employees committing illegal acts? Yet others that allow a pervasive culture of sexual harassment to thrive?

Why are there patterns?

It all boils down to the corporate culture. It?s about leadership ? or the lack of it.

It?s about those who truly want to be the best and pay attention to the details. For others, the focus is on profits.

It?s about some teams being proactive ? and others being reactive.

The owners also serve as a huge influence. Look at those like George Steinbrenner. Look at the meddlesome owners who force their GMs to make unwise moves. Even consider how teams change dramatically, like the Baltimore Orioles, when they get new owners.

There are lots of factors at play. And when you have teams that consistently win year after year, teams should take note. More importantly, when organizations struggle year after year, they need to look inward. It?s the organization holding them back.

If you?re a baseball fan, you know what I?m talking about. Even when there is great fanfare attached to a certain team, you tell yourself that you?ll believe it when you see it. Expectations, for certain organizations, are ingrained.

So how would we break down all 30 MLB teams?

I?ve taken each of the organizations and assigned them to 7 different categories that describe the perception of their overall corporate culture. It helps to explain their performance, esp. when they often spend lots of money and get little to show for it.

It?s not all about the talent on the field. What it is about is how well the organization runs overall and the expectations that are set from above.

What I?ve used in my analysis is recent history going back approximately 10 years. Sometimes more. I?ve gone through their win-loss records for each year. And I don?t just analyze the past year. It?s about more than that. We?re looking at patterns.

I also look at what is going on behind the scenes. Where are the problems? Why are they in the news?

I?ve taken into account teams that were purposely rebuilding and having some bad years, but have bounced back nicely when the rebuild was complete.

I have also defined each of the categories to give you an idea of the pattern seen for each of the teams sitting together. Each category is ranked from best to worst.

Ready?
 
https://totallytigers.wordpress.com/2021/10/20/j-d-martinez-was-right/
J. D. MARTINEZ WAS RIGHT.
Totally Tigers

What do the Red Sox, Dodgers, Giants, Braves, Astros and Cardinals all have in common other than being playoff teams this year?

They hit the fewest ground balls in MLB (around 40%) and it?s a key to success. A level of success that allows you to play October baseball.

Baseball is constantly changing and adapting. And in order to understand and appreciate it, we need to be willing to embrace changes to the game that are supported by results and mountains of data.

Teams employ dozens of analysts who have all majored in sports statistics and have access to the best computers and software imaginable. So when they run programs and video of players through super computers, they are going to get detailed information that drives what teams do. These organizations then put these strategies into play and carefully watch the results.

Because of this, the old rule of hitting hard grounders back up the middle are ?loooong gone? as Ernie would say. Statistics now show that hitting ground balls is the worst kind of contact. Much of the reason is attributed to the defensive shift which now makes hitting grounders easy outs. Avoiding them, as do the teams listed above, are crucial to winning.

In other words, successful teams focus on hitting the ball in the air.

Look no further than the success story of J. D. Martinez who worked with independent hitting coaches Craig Wallenbrock and Robert Van Scoyoc. They overhauled his swing completely in order to generate more lift. J. D. is now considered one of MLB?s premier hitters.

Both coaches, btw, now work for the Dodgers.

But it?s not enough to simply get the ball in the air. It has to be hit hard either in a line or in the air.

The stats back all of this up. Players have a .241 BA and .266 slugging percentage when hitting ground balls. Balls in the air have generated a .399 BA and .782 slugging percentage. The latter also generates much more run production......

There was a reason why they ranked last in almost every offensive (and it truly was!) category before this year.

Lloyd McClendon, their former hitting coach, believed in swinging down on the ball to create backspin ? a theory roundly disputed by most hitting coaches. In effect, he was teaching players to level their swings, instead of helping them arch their swings. The exact opposite of what almost every other team was teaching.

So it?s no surprise that an increasing number of Tiger players were going outside the organization to hire their own hitting coaches.

Analysts point to how the Tigers? hitters were messed up and set back in their development due to Lloyd?s coaching.
 
https://totallytigers.wordpress.com/2021/10/21/five-for-friday-3/
FIVE FOR FRIDAY.
Totally Tigers

I?ve written a lot on this blog about the importance of corporate culture.
It is the beginning and ending point for all teams (and quite frankly, all organizations) in their quest to be the best.

Changing the corporate culture is responsible for teams such as the Cubs in finally winning a World Series. It is why the Yankees are MLB?s most successful team.

And it is why the Mets have had scandal after scandal and currently cannot find a single quality candidate who wants to be considered for their GM slot.

And excellent corporate culture is exacting. It?s demanding. It is clearly defined. And it demands that everyone buy in.

Traditionally, corporate culture is set at the very top. However, some dynamic individuals have been able to start the progression from elsewhere within the organization. All it really takes is an owner (or the guy at the very top of the pyramid) who is willing to allow change to happen. Willing to allow someone else from within to instigate it.

Case in point is when Theo Epstein moved to the Cubs and got carte blanche from the Ricketts children to change almost everything about the organization.

I could go on but I want to address the Tigers? corporate culture. A system that has made me very unhappy over the years. A system that has willingly embraced mediocrity, resignation, outdated methods and loyalty above performance.

But now the Tigers have a new manager ? and new coaches ? and we are seeing changes. Good changes. Big changes.

And it?s a very good start.

What A. J. Hinch is promoting is actually spreading in all directions. It probably started in the interview process and fueled Chris Ilitch to take that first big step. It then spread to the players and finally arrived in the Front Office. Now it is filtering down into the minors.

Having the right attitude and describing the right vision can go a long way into getting people to buy in. It can also create the right level of enthusiasm that allows others to decide to step up their game.

The mindset, the actions and the words we?ve seen and read this year all come from an evolving corporate culture.

Is it perfect yet? No. But it?s moving in the right direction and that?s what counts. For this moment, at least.

So what exactly am I seeing this year that?s new? Here are my 5 biggest difference-makers that are starting to improve this team.....
 
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