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Tigers named Ryan Garko as the club’s Vice President of Player Development and Assistant GM

https://totallytigers.wordpress.com/2022/09/02/saturday-survey-43/
SATURDAY SURVEY.
Totally Tigers

The Detroit Tigers have announced that their expected #1 catcher, Jake Rogers, will not be returning at all this year after having Tommy John surgery. Rogers was excellent defensively but struggled with the bat.

Tucker Barnhart?s contract expires after this year. He also struggled mightily at the plate but offered better defensive skills and experience that was helpful to the young pitchers.

Eric Haase has been seeing more time behind the dish but he is not as strong defensively. However, he is one of the top hitters on the team. He can also play first base.

The Tigers are not expected to have a catcher in their minor league system capable of coming up next year.

Going into the 2023 season, which one of these players should become the #1 catcher for the team?

Who should be the primary catcher for the Tigers next year?

1. Tucker Barnhart

2. Eric Haase

3. Jake Rogers

4. None. The Tigers will have to find one from outside the organization.

VOTE
 
https://totallytigers.wordpress.com/2022/09/08/five-for-friday-42/
FIVE FOR FRIDAY.
Totally Tigers

Yesterday, I wrote about how the Tigers have started to mop up the mess created by Al Avila. The easy stuff has already begun but it will be up to the new GM to handle the more complicated issues.

Avila spent over $243 million on free agents alone this year and it was a major reason why he got fired. Chris Ilitch stated that he saw no improvement in the Tigers at the MLB level.

Today, here are the 5 biggest mistakes Avila made in signing players for the 2022 season. With 1 exception (Pineda), the remaining 4 signings are what the new GM will need to resolve if this team is to get better.

Considering that the Tigers have been rebuilding for 7 years, neither fans nor Chris Ilitch will expect this GM to simply sit by and wait for these contracts to expire. The expectation is that any new GM will have to move on either improving each player?s situation or attempting to trade them.
 
https://totallytigers.wordpress.com/2022/09/09/saturday-survey-44/
SATURDAY SURVEY.
Totally Tigers

With less than a month to go in the 2022 season, the Tigers are playing ?the kids? more often. Four positional players have joined Riley Greene on the roster and are currently being evaluated for their potential and possibility of making the 2023 Opening Day roster.

They are:
Kerry Carpenter (OF, DH)
Ryan Kreidler (2B, 3B, SS)
Josh Lester (3B)
Spencer Torkelson (1B)

Which one of these players offers the team the most promise and potential? How well do they fill the desired offensive and defensive needs of the organization? Can their skills be seen as solutions to filling some of the many holes on this team?
Tell us by cast for your vote!

Which of these players offers the greatest potential and solutions for the Tigers' 2023 roster?

1. Kerry Carpenter

2. Ryan Kreidler

3. Josh Lester

4. Spencer Torkelson

VOTE
 
This is what happens when you hire new player development people. For the first time, the Tigers are hosting a 10-day instructional camp for 45 promising prospects in their minors system. All planned by Ryan Garko, VP of Player Development.

The camp will be led by 40 staffers and include drills and tutoring. The focus will be on the past year and identifying the strengths and weaknesses of each player.
Led by the coaches, sports-science group and analytics staff.
 
https://totallytigers.wordpress.com/2022/10/06/five-for-friday-46/
FIVE FOR FRIDAY.
Totally Tigers

Scott Harris officially took over yesterday after several weeks of greeting and meeting as many within the organization as he could. Yesterday, he presumably got to work making some decisions and coordinating with other departments on various projects.

Undoubtedly, Harris has one of MLB?s longest to-do lists. He will be touching every department within the organization. With some, he?ll go more in-depth. With others, he may only have time for a quick dive.

When an organization is being restructured, it?s not all going to happen in one year. Harris will focus on the areas needing the most attention while systematically digging through layers over time with other departments.

All we know right now is that he said there will be significant changes. Both he and Manager A. J. Hinch have diplomatically stated several times that no one?s job is safe. You can also probably include Paws in that statement.

Of course, Scott will have his laundry list of priorities. And there are undoubtedly many.

But which are the most important?

Which ones should he tackle first?

Which ones, if addressed first, will positively influence and create changes in the other areas needing attention?

What do you think?

Today, I?ve put together a list of 5 hot-button areas needing attention. By all means, this is not a complete list but a substantial one. And I guarantee that every one of you will find the issue you feel is most pressing.

Your assignment?

Tell us which one ( to paraphrase Sean Connery?s infamous line ?1 point only.?) of these 5 is the most important one to prioritize and why.

Drafting system
Front Office personnel
Medical/training/conditioning
Player development
Roster revamp
Next week, I?ll report on the results.
 
https://totallytigers.wordpress.com/2022/10/13/five-for-friday-47/
FIVE FOR FRIDAY.
Totally Tigers

New PoBO Scott Harris and Manager A. J. Hinch are hard at work now that the season is over and Harris has gone through his orientation. Their to do list, especially Harris?, is impossibly long.

Part of what they need to address is the mess left by former GM, Al Avila. One of the most important tasks will be to reassess players who have been ignored and left on their own, those who received spotty instruction and others who have been off the radar for awhile.

The player development system is almost 1 year old and not fully established by any means. Many players, including all the top draft picks, suffered under the old system for years while only having access to Ryan Garko?s new department for part of one year.

The Tigers need to go in and see what they can salvage before even more talent falls through the cracks. As I blogged about earlier in the week, out of the team?s top 20 draft picks from 2018, only 7 players remain. That is just pitiful. (I?m tempted to say something else but this is a respectful blog?.)

All these years of tanking need to demonstrate as many positive outcomes as possible. The team needs to reclaim and maximize as much talent as possible if they doesn?t want to have to go through yet another rebuild.

So who are the players who are most important to this organization? The ones the team needs if Detroit is going to move forward and show measurable progress?

I?ve got my top 5. But before I list them, here is my rationale.

I am not including Riley Greene. He has adapted well for his first year in the majors. He is the least of my worries.

I am also not considering players who have recently had surgery, like Casey Mize, and will be out for the entire year. I?ll worry about them next season.
 
https://totallytigers.wordpress.com/2022/10/17/first-clues/
FIRST CLUES. This is a Great read.
Totally Tigers

New President of Baseball Operations, Scott Harris, reminds me of a duck. Calm and quiet on the surface but paddling furiously under the water.

This is how it is whenever anyone new, from outside the organization, comes in. You?ve got to do a lot of work first before you can make changes that everyone else will see.

Harris took 3 weeks to complete an ?orientation? process as he called it. On his first full day, changes were made to the coaching staff. On the next day, another move. This time in the Front Office.

After that? Not much. But don?t get concerned.

The changes, they are a?comin?.
 
https://totallytigers.wordpress.com/2022/10/25/giddy-up/
GIDDY UP!
Totally Tigers

I am writing this on October 25th but had to look twice at the calendar because it felt like December 25th. Christmas came early for us, Tiger fans! Or rather it feels like Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa and Festivus all rolled into one.

The Tigers are finally making changes. Changes that should have been made 8 years ago in terms of personnel.

And then there are changes that should have been made decades ago as the Tigers ignored all the departments and resources that every other organization had added and improved ? advanced farm systems, analytics, technology, drafting, biometrics, conditioning and others.

It now appears that Detroit will be officially entering the 21st Century.
 
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