1984Echoes

Only as likely as they are able to show on the field and at the bat...

I'm still voting for Wenceel to surprise steal the starting 2B spot...

Very specific... But I like this...

It was on Youtube yesterday. They already have a video of the SAM taking out his jet and you can watch the jet fall from the sky all the way down (not quite ground as theres' too much distance in the video but it goes behind some buildings in the distance and then you can see the fireball and smoke rising behind that distant building...) with the missile smoke trail going right through and beyond the jet...

Russian CIVIL WAR!!! (v 5.0)

He's obviously taking a stand against the Lions for drafting Hendon Hooker and is therefore on a Posting Strike.

Because he could be the next Carp, or Matt Joyce... Or the next Brennan Boesch... No way to know the answer until...

I don't think you ever know if a prospect is real or not until they face MLB pitching... Even top 100 prospects flop in MLB. So... That is the ultimate test and, the answer to your question, won't be known until then...

Right... So I think rookie Brodric Martin will be more critical in this area. Not that I'm placing all of my hopes on a 5th round rookie... But I think he's the guy/ position (NT), along with any other improvement Alim McNeil may or may not be able to make this year, that affects the run game the most. One more but... "But", like Tater, I still think Campbell will have a positive impact on the run defense, even if I agree with you that the DT's will be more critical in this area...

Yes! The more accurate description is chicken-****. But mostly... I'm afraid to jinx... anything. So I'm keeping my mouth shut and will just enjoy everyone else's hijinks in this thread...

I'm terrified of this thread and ain't gonna say ****. Whatever happens this season, for better or for worse... happens.

Chiarot is losing NHL mobility by the minute. He may have NHL toughness still, but no longer the defense. I think that creates both difficulties and opportunities: A Petry-Gostisbehere pairing probably needs to be 90% offense and 10% defense... so protected... but also pretty dangerous on offense/ PP so I think this pairing holds and is utilized as I said in a protected/ offensive game plan. Maatta-Holl looks good as a 2-way, but then what to do with Chiarot? I think he has to be utilized in measured doses. So it should be more like Maatta/Chiarot - Holl IMO. Which means when Simon is ready... and I agree it doesn't look like he'll be ready at the start of the season + I think they want him to learn a couple things at a much higher level (I forget specifics) before he gets more NHL time. The opportunity is that: Maatta/Chiarot left side on the second pairing. I would have no qualms benching either one of these guys if Simon is indeed ready... Or... both. Or... if one of them gets injured for a couple weeks and Simon is (A) not quite ready then the other guy starts and McIsaac gets called up as 7th or (B) IS ready then Simon gets called up and takes over the left-side 2nd pairing for as long as he is up...

Can we get that on camera please? I would especially like to see him hog-tied and then a binkie shoved in his mouth and taped down to keep him quiet.

I was just going to say... but this works too... How about for the next 10 years? But 2035 beats that by two so I'm going to go with Lord Stanley here...

I didn't state there would be street demonstrations... check what you quoted again... I said they would "scream." That is all. But if you'd like me to elaborate, or simplify: I'm stating they'll be on his side no matter what. They could care less if he is in court, on TV, guilty, or not. On TV means nothing to them except a chance to "scream." Hopefully it won't come to further violence by the MAGA fascists. But my point is: Nothing will break the Cult of MAGA except humiliation/weakness (Trump breaking down and weeping "could" cause enough revulsion to break the cult? But that's just a guess...). IMO.

Everyone seems to have forgotten... and you are treating this as a rational person... when... MAGA would scream for executions or a Civil War with every perceived slight of Trump in court and on TV... no matter how MF'ing GUILTY he is. And it would confirm his GOD STATUS with every utterance he made in court. Brilliant or moronic. The only way to cut him off at the knees, in court and on TV, is for him to have a public breakdown and start weeping uncontrollably. That just may break his immortal coil.

Petry will be a good transition guy (better than Lindstrom) to get from Seider + ___???___ to Seider + Hopefully Tuomisto & Pellika... and Gibson? Anton Johansson? (Sorry... I'm talking futures here... Holl & Petry are the transition guys to get us to our future hopeful right-side D's...)

I'm just waiting for the Electric Chair moment. Or the Guillotine moment. That hasn't been used in quite awhile... Could I get a guillotine please? For Trump and all of his RICO crew?

Nope... didn't mention the HR. But, Rather: The .280 BA and the .365 OBP this year (in AA & AAA combined). He's mostly plus BA and OBP at every level. Oh, and he also plays 2B (naturally, not as a refugee from 3B or because the Org can't find a position for him...). I know he started as a SS but he's been better at 2B the past several years. And he has some speed and a little bit of power to boot (so, yes the HR... but only 14 last year in 356 AB's (plus 10 triples and 18 SB's...) and only 8 this year I think in 377 AB's... plus 4 trip's and 22 SB's). I think you're just yanking my chain there but... 😉 you know...

PS: I think Wenceel should be given a legitimate shot at 2B next year... He actually fits the Harris "type": high hit tool, controls the strike zone (reasonably well...)

Just a guess but... I'd put more money on the 5th string QB (Adrian Martinez - PS) making it through this season than on the 4th string QB (Sudfeld).

On RH hitters... The big FA get this offseason is Jung Hoo Lee, but he's also a LH'ed OF'er... There are no magic pill FA's this year outside of Lee, that the Tigers have a chance at, IMO. Just a lot of warmed over leftovers. The best RH'ed FA's this year are: Jeimer Candelario (HAH!)?, Teoscar Hernandez?, Brian Anderson? and Matt Chapman? Not much there at all. I'd go after Teoscar maybe. None of them "command the strike zone" though so I'm not certain what Harris will go after... maybe a trade more than a FA? Internally... Bigbie is RH'ed, but I don't think we can count on him for anything. He may be able to make the Tigers and be Carpenter 2.0, but I think that is a "prove it" type of player/ play, not a "we can count on it" type. Wenceel is a switch-hitter and was high-OBP from the right side... until this year when his splits flipped and he's struggled as a rightie (but a .411 OBP from the left side) but he's a fringy player at best as a utility type (unless he can grab a 2B job?). Campos is RH'ed but he's a long way away at this point and is struggling so far... Dingler is also RH'ed... but looks like Rogers 2.0 - great defender, low BA, has some power... but can't get to that power consistently because of the low BA. So, just like Rogers, I guy you want at the bottom 3 in the lineup to extend the lineup, but not someone you want in the top 5 as a key run-producer. From the right side, we have only Tork, who is still struggling with learning MLB pitching (I think he can get to another level but it's torture watching him trying to get there...) who I would want in the top 5, and maybe Vierling... but Vierling is an iffy guy in the top 5 as well. And Tork at his current level is just not good enough in the top 5 for a serious competitive team so, he has to get better. And the Tigers need better, from him and other solutions, on the right side. Best avenue appears to be, again, the trade route, IMO.

I keep thinking Riley has the arm for RF but I think you're right... it should be Greene in LF and Meadows in CF, everyone else in RF or DH or subbing out a few games at LF & CF. Oh, and how much time does Vierling get at 3B next year? I think that depends on how Keith fares. And I think Keith spends most of his time at 3B, not 2B. Not 100% at the hot corner, but I think it ends up 95% of his time is at 3B...

In addition... I think there will be a few guys in Toledo next year who may warrant a cup of coffee, or more, in 2024: Madden & Mattison to start with. Mattison in the BP... and maybe Flores joins them, but is it in the BP? I think they keep Wilmer in the rotation until circumstances dictate otherwise... Do Hurter and Gipson-Long break with Toledo, or stay in AA in 2024? Faedo & Wentz play somewhere... although I don't know where... in 2024. If nothing else, maybe these guys will help with depth.

And I think this is the CURRENT Offseason 2023-24 question to ask as Ratko had pointed out in the 2023 regular season thread: PS: If Meadows is on the team... isn't he CF and Greene RF? Now Vierling gets sprinkled in (all 3 spots and some 3B) and only LF is the big open spot (along with DH) to sift through KC, Malloy & Baddoo as Ratko has pointed out. But also, one of the keys to 2024: how does Harris get himself a healthy starting rotation in 2024, and who are our 7 to 8 starters between Detroit & Toledo?