tiger2022

Wouldn't be the first time teams have used the IL to stash a player, but it seems as if any of these guys were really that impressive they would just play them. All these guys are fringe MLB players at best. If the Tigers lose any of these outfielders that wouldn't make any other team's roster, is it that big of a deal? It's not like the Tigers wouldn't be able to find other guys that can rack up a .550-.600 OPS or whatever they do.

I really don't think roster congestion is a big concern when it involves a bunch of players that can't hit. There really isn't any teams out there that are going to be beating down the door for a Detroit Tiger who can't crack this starting lineup. Not sure why the Tigers would trade any of their bullpen arms for simply an innings eater in this season.

It's only fair to give Avila credit for the pitching if he is going to take the blame for the offense.

Kudos to Al Avila. It is difficult to put together a roster where all 8 of the starting position players are bottom 5 in the league offensively at their position. The entire infield have BA's under .200 and OPS's under .600. 17 home runs from the starting infielders. And the strength of the offense...the outfield. Meadows, .322 SLG. Grossman .245 SLG, Hill .289 SLG, Badoo .220 SLG. Reyes is off to an okay start, but I don't expect him to sustain it. Maybe he proves me wrong. Barnhardt seems like a solid defensive catcher who would be fine if he were on a more capable offensive team, but he supplies very little offensively either. It's sad when your top offensive player is a 39 year old shell of his former self who can't get around on a fastball any longer and who many were hoping would retire after he got his 3,000th hit. Harold Castro is a great utility player. Someone asked why Willi Castro keeps getting chances, well, why not? He just turned 25 and who else can do anything with the bat outside of Miguel and Harold? He probably wouldn't be on any other MLB rosters, but he could be considered a stud on this roster. To be fair, the pitching staff is the only reason this team even has double digit wins. Skubal has emerged as the ace of the staff. Faedo and Brieske seem like they are middle of the rotation guys. I have never seen the appeal to Rodriguez other than a guy who can give you innings; although you can do a lot worse than him. Mize seemed like he was on his way to being a reliable if unremarkable starter. The bullpen has been the true strength of this team. Lange, Vest, Fulmer, Foley, Chafin, Jimenez, and even Soto have been top of the line. What would the record be without the bullpen. It's tough to contemplate how bad they would be. Guess that is my rant for the week, although I'm pretty sure every one already knew all this.

Ever think maybe the players just suck? That seems like a pretty good theory to me. Reyes, Torkelson, Hill, Badoo, Clemens, and Haase would find it really difficult to make almost any other MLB roster. Baez is uncoachable, the Castros are utility players (they are hitting at least decently). Grossman was never a great hitter but isn't hitting for average since he tries to hit home runs now. Barnhardt was never some stud hitter anyway. What hitting coach is going to have these guys up there even in the .240s? I'm not defending Coolbaugh because I have no idea what he even does with the players, but I just don't think a lot of these guys would be on the roster of most MLB teams.

The only thing I know about Coolbaugh is I had his baseball card and thought he had a great last name.

I am not saying he won't be, but a lot of guys that have rough first years end up not being stars. To me, he looks overmatched and lost at the plate. You can't coast by on your potential, you have to prove it in the majors.

I am not saying Coolbaugh is a great coach, but he doesn't have much to work with. A chef can only do so much with spoiled meat and rotten veggies.

Well, somebody has to pitch for this trainwreck. It must be tough going out on the mound knowing your team might get up to 4 hits the entire game. When was the last time a Tiger hit a home run? Outside of pitchers, how many Tigers would actually be on another MLB roster let alone start?

I feel bad for Rodriguez. He has nice movement on his pitches but isn't ready for MLB. Hinch didn't do him any favors the last few times by keeping him in there to get roasted by the other team. The guy doesn't have the poise and makeup to overcome things, like last start when he induced a typical pop up to center field and Castro let it go over his head; he just lost it after that and HInch just left him in to give up another 7 runs. Send him back down to AA to get his confidence back up and reevaluate him next season.

That is up for debate. He certainly doesn't play like an everyday player at this point. He is constantly overmatched even by mediocre pitchers. He has the potential but there have been lots of guys with potential who ended up being bad.