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

https://totallytigers.wordpress.com/2023/10/05/five-for-friday-87/
FIVE FOR FRIDAY.
Totally Tigers

The 2023 season is over for the Detroit Tigers. The first year that PoBO Scott Harris came on board and started to guide this team differently.

It takes multiple years to reassess, rebuild and re-energize a team in search of becoming competitive. One can?t make a definitive statement about progress after just 1 year.

But we can look at what is going on throughout the organization in order to obtain hints.

And that?s what we are going to do today.

Here are the 5 biggest clues I?m seeing that support the premise about the Tigers getting back on track towards a successful rebuild.
 
https://totallytigers.wordpress.com/2023/10/07/deeper-discussions-90/
DEEPER DISCUSSIONS.
Totally Tigers

Detroit Tigers? PoBO Scott Harris and newly-hired GM Jeff Greenberg are currently sitting down and analyzing what their needs may be for the 2024 season.

There are lots of holes to fill. Pitchers who are leaving or on the IL, a weak offensive system, infield defensive issues and some players under-performing.

In your opinion, which area of the game should be given the priority in fixing? Which area will improve the team the most?

Pitching?

Defense?

Offense?

Today?s blog addresses this dilemma 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 area of the game should be the priority for the Tigers to address this off-season?

1. Pitching

2. Defense

3. Offense

Vote
 
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podca...plans-is-it-time/id1674627945?i=1000630755831
Days of Roar Tigers Podcast Guessing Detroit Tigers' offseason plans: Is it time to spend big? 62 minutes.

With the so-called non-game season here for the Detroit Tigers, Mark and Evan have a spirited debate over the team's payroll and future. Is it time to bring back J.D. Martinez? Later in the pod, the guys briefly talk A.J. Hinch's future with the team, Matt Shepherd's dismissal from the Tigers' broadcasting booth and Evan's stock watch article on which players have earned their roster spot for 2024.
 
tomdalton22 said:
I think it was this thread. They were talking about the Tigers building a new complex in the D.R.

Maybe they should think about somewhere a little safer.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/38689721/tigers-complex-latest-robbed-dominican-republic
Click to expand...

I don't remember but todays news is in the Tigers minor leagues, and the Team Notes thread.
https://www.freep.com/story/sports/...y-of-mlb-facility-in-the-country/71233512007/

The robbery happened days after the St. Louis Cardinals complex in the country was hit. The facilities of the Miami Marlins and Cleveland Guardians were also robbed recently, a person familiar with the robberies told the AP. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to disclose the details publicly.
 
https://totallytigers.wordpress.com/2023/10/26/five-for-friday-90/
FIVE FOR FRIDAY.
Totally Tigers

If you?ve read anything about Theo Epstein, you?ll remember that he said rebuilding an organization?s culture and foundation take a minimum of 3 years. Once you take over a franchise, there are many layers that require culling in order to get the right mix of talent, personalities and professional skills.

So no one shouldn?t be surprised that on an off day from the October games, the Tigers started making their second round of employee cuts. Eight more employees announced with additional ones that were not included in the reporting. Expect more once the World Series is over.

Most of those terminated are not among the top tier of decision-makers. However, releasing them makes a big statement about the cultural changes being made within the Tigers organization.

So what are the most important takeaways?

I?ve got 5:
 
https://totallytigers.wordpress.com/2023/10/30/the-best-money-ever-spent/
THE BEST MONEY EVER SPENT.
Totally Tigers

Isn?t it amazing what happens when you sign quality talent?

I?m not talking about the players.

I am talking about the personnel. Specifically Scott Harris, Ryan Garko, Rob Metzler, Kenny Graham, Gabe Ribas, Ryan Sienko, Mark Connor, A. J. Hinch and his coaches and the dozens of others who have been brought in to craft the entire process of acquiring, developing and promoting the talent we see on the field. (Jeff Greenberg remains off this list simply because he was just hired.)

It is the difference between night and day.

Few teams have been as clueless as the Tigers when it came to hiring those to run the organization. After Sparky Anderson?s retirement, there was a parade of first-time managers and former players who became skippers.

And it really was sad that the Tigers couldn?t go beyond their boundaries and explore managerial talent outside the organization. Instead, they took the easy way out by hiring Dave Dombrowski?s former Marlins manager, Jim Leyland, who had been retired for 6 years since walking away from both of his contracts with the Marlins (after 2 years) and Rockies (after 1 year).

Seriously, how many other organizations decided that going after long-retired managers was the perfect solution to their needs? It really does smack of either being unimaginative, lazy, desperate and/or believing that the personnel you bring in isn?t really important to winning.
 
Another sign that the Detroit Tigers' new Player Development dept. is paying off?
Erie SeaWolves, Double-A Eastern League Champions.
Major League affiliate: Detroit Tigers (since 2001).
Established: 1995.
First Title: 2023.
 
kalinecountry said:
Another sign that the Detroit Tigers' new Player Development dept. is paying off?
Erie SeaWolves, Double-A Eastern League Champions.
Major League affiliate: Detroit Tigers (since 2001).
Established: 1995.
First Title: 2023.
Click to expand...

while it's nice that they won, they seem to have been good for several years now.
 
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sulliru01.shtml
LET THE RIVER RUN.
Totally Tigers

On Tuesday, I blogged about the best investment the Tigers have ever made. Hiring top end talent to run every aspect of the organization. Talent that is already shown to have paid off in the scouting, development and promotion of players.

A number of Tigers have given testimonials now about how they have been helped perform better.
And now, we?re hearing from the minor leaguers, too.
 
https://totallytigers.wordpress.com/2023/12/07/five-for-friday-94/
FIVE FOR FRIDAY.
Totally Tigers

We are just moving into Scott Harris? 2nd year with the Tigers after an introductory year of re-assessment. A necessary year to put the Tigers onto the right path of success but a boring one for fans.

Things are just starting to get interesting now. New and fresh ideas are being implemented to a degree now where fans are starting to see the differences.

What is becoming increasingly apparent is that all of these changes we?re seeing could never have been implemented by the 2 previous GMs. And to be honest, even to the GMs who came before them.

Dave Dombrowski is not the kind of guy who is brought into an organization to implement organization change or improve the franchise?s infrastructure. His focus with all his former teams was to supercharge the roster and win quickly.

With Al Avila, none of the changes being made now would have even been on his radar. And even if they were, he would never have known where to start. None of it was ever in his wheelhouse.

He got by because he relied upon the tanking strategy and top draft picks to guide him in making decisions. But he never had a big picture in mind of how the organization should function as a whole.

For example, Avila implemented a rudimentary analytics department but couldn?t integrate it into the organization so it became relatively useless. So how could he possibly solve the bigger and long-standing problems of this organization?

Most importantly, he fostered a corporate culture that prevented open discussion among Front Office personnel about how to address these problems. Change and constructive criticism were frowned upon which meant the Tigers would never find the solutions to their problems.

These points keep coming back to me bigger and stronger with every new story about how Scott Harris and his new Front Office are evolving this franchise.

So which new changes has Harris and Co. made so far that have been the most dramatic? The ones that have most significantly changed the direction of this team?

I?ve got my 5???
 
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