https://totallytigers.wordpress.com/2024/01/10/headed-in-the-right-direction/
HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
Totally Tigers
We?re starting to witness proof positive that the changes made to the Detroit Tigers? organization are starting to pay off. Specifically as it pertains to player development.
For the first time in decades, the Tigers? farm system is no longer a laughing joke. Even Keith Law has good things to say about them.
But what is funny is the credit that some fans are giving Al Avila for the rise in prospect rankings and the farm system.
Their rationale?
That Avila drafted most of these players.
To quote Cher from the movie Clueless??.?As if.?
To give the former GM the credit is to believe that once a player is drafted, his skill level is already formed. That he?s not going to improve, regress or further develop his skills.
Or to even credit Avila with the player selection. The Tigers picked #1 and #2 for years under the old Front Office. It?s not like they were actually making the hard decisions about which players to draft. The official prospect rankings essentially took care of that.
To see the measurable progress being made, let?s compare the previous and current Front Offices in their farm system development. (And for the record, I?m not using farm system rankings that assign ?gimme points? solely based upon where the player was drafted, which also unfairly rewards the teams with the highest draft picks. I use the systems that base their evaluations on talent only.)
And to do this, we need to review the rankings during each year. (Please note that many evaluation systems rank 2-3 times every year ? beginning of the season, mid-season/post-draft and end of year.)
