https://totallytigers.wordpress.com/2022/03/30/the-lost-generation/
THE LOST GENERATION.
Totally Tigers
I want to start with a sad tale. But it?s one that hopefully has a happy ending.
Let?s start by digging into the past. We need to do this so we can compare it with what is going on now.
You will never read about it in the major Detroit dailies but the national sports writers are reporting it.
And many Tigers fans have been aware of it for quite awhile now.
The prospects have been falling through the cracks.
At least until this year.
Too many stories of how long players are taking to climb the minor league ladder.
Too many stories about prospects stalling at certain levels.
Too many stories about prospects who get called up and can?t survive.
Too many prospects simply disappearing or aging within the system.
And it?s not unusual to see some of them in the minors for 6-7 years. Daz Cameron and Kody Clemens have been in development for ages now and are expected to stay there, for the most part, this year as hopefully the new powers that be try to get them back on track.
And then you hear the stories about players who have been struggling and end up hiring their own coaches outside of the Tigers? system.
The list is endless: Derek Hill, Parker Meadows, Jake Rogers and others all hiring Doug Latta to help them with their hitting.
The infamous story about JaCoby Jones being advised by Scott Bream and a Tigers? scout to go hire his own hitting coach.
Too many stories about how Lloyd McClendon continued to teach players an antiquated hitting system that messed them up. Including Jeimer Candelario until he was able to work with someone else.
Then you?ve got the prospects the Tigers got from some infamous trades as they tore down the organization 5 years ago:
Franklin Perez, Daz Cameron and Jake Rogers for Justin Verlander
Dawel Lugo, Sergio Alcantara and Jose King for J. D. Martinez
Grayson Long and Elvin Rodriguez for Justin Upton
Wilkel Hernandez and Troy Montgomery for Ian Kinsler
Nolan Blackwood and Logan Shore for Mike Fiers
Alex Lange and Paul Richan for Nick Castellanos
All of these new players were fairly well-ranked from their former organizations. Where are they now?
Was this simply a matter of Al Avila making horrendous trades or was this an issue of the Tigers? failure to develop them properly?
Or a bit of both?
Take a look at top draft prospects the Tigers collected. Beau Burrows, Christin Stewart, Derek Hill and Jonathon Crawford. The best of the bunch, Matt Manning, spent 5 years trying to make it to Detroit.
If top draft picks are struggling, doesn?t it make sense that the players acquired via the trades listed above would have an even more difficult time?
Well, Tiger fans, there?s good news now at the end of this dark tunnel.
There?s a light.
Changes are being seen as the Tigers were finally motivated to change their Player Development system.
Ryan Garko is now in charge after leaving the best system in MLB (Dodgers) for Detroit. He brought in Director of Pitching Development Gabe Ribas, Director of Coaching and Field Coordinator Ryan Sienko, Lower Level Pitching Coordinator, Director of Latin America Player Development, Euclides Rojas and others. All from a variety of backgrounds that come from MLB, colleges, Driveline, Texas Baseball Ranch and other independent organizations.
In all, Garko brought in 15 new people to oversee the system.