bobrob2004

Cark, Mark with a "c."

Shortening people's names who normal don't have them shortened can sound strange. Jon Schoop Harry Castro Ty Alexander Mike Fulmer

When do we start playing non-good teams?

Fire Ausmus...I mean Gardenhire...I mean... All managers suck.

Avila is the one that said we had to win in April.

There were terrible calls by the umpires on opening day and Hinch did absolutely nothing. I miss the days where managers would get ejected by arguing bad calls. Is it too early to call for Hinch's head?

Ah you found it! Yeah, a double steal makes more sense. Sounds like he would've been a fun player to watch.

I remember reading a story where a team was trying to do a hit and run. The batter swung and missed, but the runner successfully made it to 2nd. The runner yelled back, "let's try it again!" And on the next pitch he ran back to first base. Everyone just stood there shocked, the batter, catcher, umpires. The rulebook was changed the following year to state that runners cannot run the bases backwards. I wish I could remember more details.

I just found out he was on the Opening Day roster.

This year is also the year of the Tiger in Chinese New Year.

4/29.

I can't keep up with all the playoff rounds, so I'll just guess: Mets over Angels in 7 AL MVP - Jose Ramirez AL Cy Young - Dylan Cease AL Rookie - Julio Rodriguez NL MVP - Fernando Tatis Jr. NL Cy Young - Sandy Alcantara NL Rookie - Brennen Davis

Yes, I was always spelling it Parades too. I'm still bummed that I learned how to spell Tuiasosopo and Saltalamacchia and they were only here for a short time. I could've used those brain cells for better use.

I've used it for the last few years. It's good for the whole season. *Blackout restrictions apply.

That's it, I'm done until next year. I don't care if Avila trades for Corbin Burnes or Tyler O'Neill, I'm not doing another prediction this year. I'm also glad I don't have to do a prediction for Shohei Ohtani. Although on second thought, that one might actually be fun. See ya next year.

Bobrob’s 2022 Preseason Prediction #15 –Austin Wade Meadows Austin Meadows had a breakout season in 2019 when he hit .291/.364/.558 with 33 home runs and 89 RBI. Then production fell in the COVID-shortened 2020 season when he only played in 36 games. However, his production still didn’t fully come back after playing a full season in 2021. Was 2019 a fluke? The first stat that jumps out is his .331 BABIP in 2019, which is pretty high and hard to repeat. This fell to .249 in 2021, which seems to be on the opposite side of the luck bar. I would expect Meads to have a higher batting average simply due to things evening out. What is concerning is the drop in power, going from a .268 ISO to .224. Going into his age 27 season, I would expect him to be entering his prime years of highest production, including power numbers. The good news is that both his walk rate (9.1 percent to 10 percent) and strikeout rate (22.2 percent to 20.6 percent) slightly improved, even though his plate discipline stats show he was more aggressive. He swung at 46.7 percent of pitches in 2021, up from 42.2 percent in 2019. And when he made contact, only 34.9 percent were hard-hit, down from 45.4 percent in 2019. Over half of his batted balls were fly balls (53 percent), while only 28.7 percent were ground balls. This gave him a 0.54 GB/FB ratio, the lowest of any everyday player last year. In 2019, it was at 0.80 GB/FB ratio, which was still below league average. Other split stats were also concerning. Being a left-handed hitter, Meadows is obviously better against right-handed pitching. In 2021: Vs. RHP - 402 PA | .251/.336/.536 | 10.9% BB% | 19.7% K% Vs. LHP - 189 PA | .198/.270/.293 | 7.9% BB% | 22.8% K% Meadows also struggled more when the defense used a shift: 2019 - 286 PA | .322 AVG | .416 SLG 2021 - 335 PA | .241 AVG | .326 SLG Finally, this last split is likely noise, but I wanted to end optimistically. Meadows performed better under more pressure situations. In 2021: High Leverage: 124 PA | .294/.379/.559 Low Leverage: 260 PA | .228/.304/.427 Going into 2022, there’s a lot of factors to consider, new team, new ballpark, entering his prime years, and having another year of experience under his belt. Meadows definitely needs to make some adjustments, but I also think some stats will just naturally even out. I don’t think he’ll be as good as 2019, but I also don’t think he’ll be as bad as 2021, somewhere in the middle most likely. It will be interesting to see how his playing time changes once Riley Greene comes back. Will he be in a right-handed pitching platoon situation? Will they trade Robbie Grossman? Will Miggy take less of a role and Meadows move to DH? Experts’ Predictions/Projections: Steamer – 523 AB | .246/.326/.465 | 27 HR | 83 RBI | 6 SB | 58 BB | 133 K ZiPS – 526 AB | .259/.332/.498 | 29 HR | 102 RBI | 8 SB | 54 BB | 128 K THE BAT – 509 AB | .251/.331/.480 | 27 HR | 81 RBI | 7 SB | 57 BB | 125 K ATC – 512 AB | .247/.323/.467 | 26 HR | 86 RBI | 6 SB | 55 BB | 129 K FGDC – 521 AB | .252/.329/.482 | 28 HR | 92 RBI | 7 SB | 55 BB | 129 K RotoChamp – 499 AB | .246/.323/.463 | 25 HR | 83 RBI | 7 SB | 54 BB | 122 K CBS Sports – 540 AB | .263/.328/.500 | 30 HR | 100 RBI | 6 SB | 50 BB | 128 K ESPN – 516 AB | .238/.317/.455 | 26 HR | 96 RBI | 6 SB | 57 BB | 125 K My Prediction: 2021 Prediction – N/A 2021 Actual – 518 AB | .234/.315/.458 | 27 HR | 106 RBI | 4 SB | 59 BB | 122 K 2022 Prediction – 529 AB | .263/.342/.501 | 27 HR | 96 RBI | 7 SB | 62 BB | 127 K

Bobrob’s 2022 Preseason Prediction #14 –Riley [Insert Middle Name Here] Greene Riley Greene was a first round pick by the Tigers in 2019 and has been a top 50 prospect by Baseball America for the last three years, #49, #31, and #4. He has most of the tools you look for in a player, including hitting for average, power, speed, and defense (many people believe he can be an elite centerfielder). In 2021, Greeney hit .301/.387/.534, with 24 home runs, and 16 stolen bases between AA and AAA. His BABIP was .392, which is going to be very hard to repeat in the Major Leagues, so his batting average may not reach .300 (at least not right away). However, he has the speed to beat out infield singles, so a higher than average BABIP is very possible. He hit 8 triples and was only caught stealing once last year, for a successful stolen base rate of 94 percent. Both are very likely to carry over to the Majors. Greene’s walk rate was an above average 11.3 percent and his strikeout rate was a concerning 27.4 percent. There were 20 qualified hitters last year who had a strikeout rate of over 27 percent last year, as it’s becoming normal for hitters to strikeout more often as long as they hit for power. Over half of these players (12), hit 30+ home runs. Entering his age 21 season, Greene has time to develop more power to be part of this group. AL Rookie of the Year winner Randy Arozarena might be a good comparison to what we might expect out of Greene. Arozarena hit .274/.356/.459 with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases, 9.3 percent walk rate, and a 28.1 percent strikeout rate last year. If he’s able to develop the home run power, it’s not at all out of the possibility that Greene can hit like Fernando Tatis, Jr., who hit .282/.364/.611 with 42 home runs, 25 stolen bases, 11.4 percent walk rate, and a 28 percent strikeout rate. Somewhere in the middle is where I’d expect Greene to hit in his prime. Unfortunately, Greene suffered an injury with his foot during Spring Training and will be out for at least 6-8 weeks, maybe longer if they keep him in AAA for an extended period of time for rehab. My guess is that he’ll be on the Major League roster around the All-Star Break. This also allows the Tigers to manipulate his service time so that he is under control for an extra year. This makes it extremely hard to predict his stats, as there is usually an adjustment period for both rookies making the leap from the Minors to the Majors as well as coming off an injury (not to mention how much playing time he’ll actually get). Experts’ Predictions/Projections: Steamer – 316 AB | .255/.325/.440 | 12 HR | 43 RBI | 4 SB | 30 BB | 93 K ZiPS – 514 AB | .268/.335/.465 | 23 HR | 71 RBI | 12 SB | 47 BB | 158 K THE BAT – 412 AB | .236/.306/.378 | 11 HR | 44 RBI | 5 SB | 38 BB | 133 K ATC – 411 AB | .253/.324/.420 | 14 HR | 52 RBI | 9 SB | 39 BB | 127 K FGDC – 338 AB | .262/.330/.452 | 14 HR | 46 RBI | 6 SB | 32 BB | 102 K RotoChamp – 397 AB | .254/.328/.431 | 15 HR | 51 RBI | 7 SB | 37 BB | 122 K CBS Sports – N/A ESPN – 367 AB | .259/.344/.460 | 13 HR | 52 RBI | 8 SB | 43 BB | 113 K My Prediction: 2021 Prediction – N/A 2021 Actual (AAA) – 159 AB | .308/.400/.553 | 8 HR | 30 RBI | 4 SB | 22 BB | 51 K 2022 Prediction – 374 AB | .257/.330/.455 | 15 HR | 47 RBI | 8 SB | 38 BB | 126 K And that’s all 9 position players and 5 starting pitchers. It’s not like Al Avila is going to make a last minute trade or anything…

Oh c'mon! I just finished my write-up on Riley Greene and I wasn't going to do any more.

Bobrob’s 2022 Preseason Prediction #13 – Spencer Enochs Torkelson Spencer Torkelson has been the #5 prospect by Baseball America for the last two years and Riley Greene is currently the #4 overall prospect. The last time the Tigers had two prospects in the top 10 was in 2007 with Cameron Maybin at #6 and Andrew Miller at #10. Instead of trading these guys for the next Miguel Cabrera, it looks like they are going to try to build a contending team around them. Tork was the overall first pick in the 2020 Rule 4 Draft. 2021 is the only year he has spent in the Minor Leagues, hitting a combined 30 home runs spread across three levels, including a home run every 16.1 plate appearances in AAA. Power is definitely Tork’s strongest asset, as his batting average was only .238 in AAA and .267 overall, while his ISO was .293 in AAA and .285 overall. 53 percent of his hits went for extra bases. When he hits a home run, can we call it Torque Power? Tork’s on-base percentage was also very good at .350 in AAA and .383 overall with a 13 percent walk rate in AAA and 14.5 percent overall. Like most power hitters, strikeouts are a concern, 20.3 percent in AAA and 21.5 percent overall. I wouldn’t be surprised if this goes up even more in the Majors, probably around 25 percent (especially in the first season). The 21-year-old initially struggled when he first advanced to AAA. He hit .177/.279/.373 in his first 13 games with 2 home runs. But he finished strong, hitting .271/.388/.615 with 9 home runs in his remaining 27 games. It wouldn’t be a big surprise if he struggled early in the year. But I’d be shocked if he struggles so much that they have to send him down to AAA. Torkelson has officially made the opening day roster and will hopefully stay at first base all year. If he struggles, Kody Clemens or Willi Castro could fill in at second base with Schoop moving back to first base. However, I’d be shocked if that happened. In fact, Tork is in early consideration for Rookie of the Year, along with teammate Riley Greene, Julio Rodriguez (SEA), Adley Rutschman (BAL), and the early favorite, Bobby Witt, Jr. (KC). With rookies, it’s always difficult to predict as Minor League stats don’t always translate to the Majors, especially in the first year. But I’m going to be a bit optimistic here. Experts’ Predictions/Projections: Steamer – 454 AB | .250/.339/.490 | 27 HR | 75 RBI | 4 SB | 57 BB | 118 K ZiPS – 462 AB | .249/.334/.489 | 28 HR | 77 RBI | 4 SB | 55 BB | 117 K THE BAT – 383 AB | .238/.318/.415 | 15 HR | 51 RBI | 2 SB | 41 BB | 98 K ATC – 379 AB | .244/.332/.447 | 18 HR | 58 RBI | 3 SB | 45 BB | 100 K FGDC – 481 AB | .249/.337/.490 | 29 HR | 80 RBI | 4 SB | 59 BB | 123 K RotoChamp – 311 AB | .244/.335/.457 | 16 HR | 48 RBI | 3 SB | 37 BB | 80 K CBS Sports – 474 AB | .259/.333/.464 | 23 HR | 73 RBI | 3 SB | 48 BB | 127 K ESPN – 390 AB | .241/.341/.459 | 20 HR | 68 RBI | 2 SB | 55 BB | 107 K My Prediction: 2021 Prediction – N/A 2021 Actual (AAA) – 147 AB | .238/.350/.531 | 11 HR | 27 RBI | 1 SB | 23 BB | 36 K 2022 Prediction – 560 AB | .241/.315/.463 | 32 HR | 86 RBI | 0 SB | 58 BB | 159 K

My comment was more tongue in cheek. I think at times people give Hinch way too much credit just like I thought people gave Ausmus too much criticism. Personally I don't think managers make that much of a difference.

Can we put Baddoo in CF and use Haase in RF? Or move Grossman to RF and use Haase in LF?

They forgot to factor in for A.J. Hinch. He's worth 10 wins all on his own, right?

Interesting that Greene is playing RF instead of CF today.

Bobrob’s 2022 Preseason Prediction #12 – Matthew George Manning If it weren’t for several injuries, Matt Manning likely wouldn’t have pitched much at the Major League level last year. He was called up in mid-June and stayed in the rotation for the rest of the season, although his innings were limited in September. He showed signs of brilliance (in his last start he pitched 5 innings, allowing 2 hits and 7 strikeouts). However, he was wildly inconsistent, ending with an ERA of 5.80. There are signs that Matty’s (Manny? Georgy? Ziggy? Let’s give him a good nickname) ERA was unfortunately high. His FIP was only 4.62. Also, his left-on base percentage was a very low 61.9 percent, while the league average was at 72.1 percent. Typically, pitchers are not that far away from the league average, so given a bigger sample it is likely that this stat would even out, which will result in a lower ERA. Manning’s shinning stat in 2021 is his low 1.1 HR/9 rate. His walk rate (3.5 BB/9) is higher than he showed in AAA (2.8 BB/9) and AA (2.6 BB/9), so an improvement is very likely. His 6.0 K/9 was a bit disappointing considering that it was at 10 K/9 in both AAA and AA and 11 K/9 overall in the Minor Leagues. It may not go over 9.0, but I would expect this stat to increase in 2022 as he gains experience. Manning throws several pitches, including a 4-seam fastball, sinker, slider, changeup, and curveball. The slider was his poorest pitch in 2021, throwing it 15.2 percent of the time and allowing an opponent’s batting average of .371 and a slugging of .468. His changeup could also use an improvement, throwing it 12.7 percent of the time and allowing an opponent’s batting average of .293 and slugging of .488. It’ll be interesting to see what adjustments he makes in 2022. Going into 2022, the Tigers could go with a 6-man rotation of Rodriguez, Mize, Skubal, Pineda, Manning, and Peralta, with Alexander making some starts. The Tigers have a deeper rotation than they have in the last few years and could afford to send Manning down to AAA for more seasoning if he struggles early on (provided everyone avoids major injuries). On the flip side, I can easily see Manning improving so much that he outperforms Mize and Skubal. It’s really a coin flip at this point. Experts’ Predictions/Projections: Steamer – 123 IP | 7-9 W/L | 4.88 ERA | 1.43 WHIP | 93 K | 44 BB ZiPS – 121 2/3 IP | 7-8 W/L | 4.59 ERA | 1.41 WHIP | 94 K | 42 BB THE BAT – 121 IP | 7-11 W/L | 5.06 ERA | 1.42 WHIP | 87 K | 41 BB ATC – 121 IP | 6-8 W/L | 4.76 ERA | 1.38 WHIP | 93 K | 42 BB FGDC – 114 IP | 6-8 W/L | 4.75 ERA | 1.42 WHIP | 87 K | 40 BB RotoChamp – 119 IP | 6-9 W/L | 4.76 ERA | 1.40 WHIP | 90 K | 41 BB CBS Sports – N/A ESPN – 134 IP | 6 Wins | 4.57 ERA | 1.41 WHIP | 101 K | 46 BB My Prediction: 2021 Prediction – N/A 2021 Actual – 85 1/3 IP | 4-7 W/L | 5.80 ERA | 1.51 WHIP | 57 K | 33 BB 2022 Prediction – 131 2/3 IP | 7-9 W/L | 4.65 ERA | 1.352 WHIP | 111 K | 43 BB

Now compare Miggy's current contract to his previous one.