2025 Detroit Tigers General Discussion Thread

[Motor City Sonics]

19 hours ago, RandyMarsh said:

Not that there is ever a good time to get TJ surgery but I always feel like this time of year is the worst cause you essentially missed all of 25, almost assuredly all of 26 and then 27 when you come back it could take you half a season or more to get your command and other kinks worked out.

 

I am of the belief that we aren't even going to have a season in 2027. This upcoming labor dispute will be the worst in MLB history.  

 

And come on, with Jobe we all knew this was coming.     It just seems like every pitcher has to have this now.  The body wasn't meant to throw a ball in the 90's relentlessly.  

Edited Thursday at 06:09 PM by Motor City Sonics

[romad1]

1 hour ago, KL2 said:

no rush to fill that spot just to fill it

This is very philosophical.  I'm just asking if it has happened. 

[Edman85]

15 minutes ago, romad1 said:

This is very philosophical.  I'm just asking if it has happened. 

He was right though. It will be filled when it needs to be filled.

[romad1]

3 minutes ago, Edman85 said:

He was right though. It will be filled when it needs to be filled.

[I'm responding just because I'm heavily invested in data centers.]

Oh man, I hadn't thought of that, wow.  Mind blown.  True, I could have googled that information or used X or bsky to search up transactions.  

Thanks for the tip you two!

:--)

[Sports_Freak]

15 hours ago, Tenacious D said:

I don’t think Jobe’s loss is as significant for this season, besides the missed development opportunity.  He probably was good for another 60-70 innings.

Next season sucks—that was the opportunity to have he and Skubal form a potential 1-2 lethal combo.  Now Tarik needs to be resigned for that to happen.

Cobb looks increasingly unlikely to make it to Detroit.  I see a trade happening for a starting pitcher, i.e., Zach Eflin.

And as a reminder, Skubal had TJS, too.  He turned out pretty good.

 

Skubal is under team control for next season.

[Sports_Freak]

2 hours ago, Arlington said:

I thought I heard that Jobe didn't need to have the ligament replaced, just braced.  It's a quicker recovery time - he could be pitching next year.  SGL had his surgery in mid-late April 2024 and he's back starting in less than 14 months.    

I think Sawyer had his surgeries in '23. He's been out for almost 2 years.

[gehringer_2]

2 hours ago, Sports_Freak said:

Throwing all of those pitches, along with a pitch clock, may have something to do with it. The pitch clock has to be looked at, pitchers need recovery time after throwing too many pitches. Arm and shoulder fatigue?

the only thing about blaming it on the pitch clock is that injuries just kept getting worse all the years the games kept getting longer. Recovery time effects might cut either way. Keeping the total hours under stress down may have benefit  in the opposite direction as extending the same exertion over a longer period.

[gehringer_2]

1 hour ago, Sports_Freak said:

I think Sawyer had his surgeries in '23. He's been out for almost 2 years.

SGL pitched at Toledo through the end of '23 season. He went to the IL early in April or May of '24 after issues started in ST.

https://www.milb.com/player/sawyer-gipson-long-687830?stats=gamelogs-r-pitching-mlb&year=2023

Edited Thursday at 07:59 PM by gehringer_2

[chasfh]

4 hours ago, Arlington said:

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6406636/2025/06/11/best-worst-mlb-manager-2025-player-poll/

 

I was really surprised how little respect Hinch and the Tigers got in polling among MLB players.  They asked 100+ players which opposing managers they would and would not want to play for.  Hinch got only 4 votes.  The leader Bochy got 20.  Ten other managers received more votes than Hinch including Cora with Boston.  

They also asked about organizations and no one mentioned Detroit among the best and 2 players voted it among the worse.   The Guardians, Twins and Royals were mentioned favorably with the Guardians ranking 5th behind the Dodgers, Yankees, Braves, and Cubs.   The Tigers revival hasn't been long, but jeesh. Not only winning at all levels they often have the best team in the league.  Probably takes time to be noticed.

 

I kind of was surprised about no support for Hinch too, at first. As I've thought more about it, I figure maybe it's because so many players just like playing for salt-of-the-earth players' managers, old school guys who graduated from the School of Baseball who will let them pretty much do what they want, approach their job however they want, don't want to be sat down or pinch-hit for because the data says they should be, stuff like that. You know, treated like grown men working as a partner to the manager, not like interchageable widgets being led around like a grunt. That's pretty much Bochy to a T.

I do sense that Hinch's players like playing for him, but guys who haven't played for him might have ideas about him they hear secondhand, like, maybe that he's an egghead, or a high-falutin' psych major who gets into your head and tries to make you do stuff you wouldn't want to do, or something. People don't like to feel like they're being manipulated, so I could see a lot of players balking at playing for AJ if they think he's like that, at least as of June, 2025.

As for the organization, I actually saw that result as progress. Nobody would have dreamed of wanting to come to Detroit two years ago. If they'd have taken the poll in 2023, we almost certainly would have been in the neighborhood of the White Sox, Rockies, A's, et al. If we take advantage of this window, if we make it to at least one Series and especially if we get a ring, and as our guys become more established and respected throughout the game and they evangelize how great it is to play here, I bet that will change in a couple or three years.

Edited Thursday at 08:50 PM by chasfh

[Arlington]

40 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

SGL pitched at Toledo through the end of '23 season. He went to the IL early in April or May of '24 after issues started in ST.

https://www.milb.com/player/sawyer-gipson-long-687830?stats=gamelogs-r-pitching-mlb&year=2023

Tigers announced he was to have the surgery on April 19, 2024.  Then he had a hip or some other type of surgery in June.  Not sure when he was cleared to pitch again but it probably wasn't too much later than the beginning of May 2025.  So his recovery was roughly a little over 12 months he is effectively pitching in the majors in a little over 13 months.  I find the utterly amazing. 

 

Interesting article about the advances in TJ surgery, TJ3.  https://www.nyp.org/advances/article/orthopedics/dr-christopher-ahmad-why-the-tommy-john-surgery-must-continue-to-evolve  12 month recoveries are possible with the new techniques of bracing and protecting the tendon.  

 

By the way, least we forget, Dr. Frank Jobe developed and performed Tommy John's surgery

 

 

[Edman85]

2 hours ago, romad1 said:

[I'm responding just because I'm heavily invested in data centers.]

Oh man, I hadn't thought of that, wow.  Mind blown.  True, I could have googled that information or used X or bsky to search up transactions.  

Thanks for the tip you two!

:--)

Welp, it looks like it is Matt Gage.

But I wasn't being sarcastic: just trying to relay how 40 man rosters work. You don't fill for the sake of filling. You just make a move when you need to.

[chasfh]

3 hours ago, Tenacious D said:

Wonder how much, and for how long, Hinch is suffering for his past sins?

I could see that, although I don't think players would see AJ's sin as being the ringleader of a team that cheated its way to a World Series win—which he wasn't, and there's a solid evidence on record that he wasn't—but more that perhaps he was perceived as not supporting his guys and for trying to dodge responsibility for the thing and leave his players to take the blame. This, despite that he was banned from the game for a year for the thing, while every Astros player, meaning those for whom there was solid evidence they were involved or even ringleaders themselves, got off scot free.

[Arlington]

7 minutes ago, chasfh said:

I kind of was surprised about no support for Hinch too, at first. As I've thought more about it, I figure maybe it's because so many players just like playing for salt-of-the-earth players' managers, old school guys who graduated from the University of Baseball who will let them do what they want, approach the game how they want, don't want to be sat down or pinch-hit for because the data says they should be, stuff like that. That's pretty much Bochy to a T.

I do sense that Hinch's players like playing for him, but guys who haven't played for him might have ideas about him they hear secondhand, like, maybe that he's an egghead, or a high-falutin' psych major who gets into your head and tries to make you do stuff you wouldn't want to do, or something. People don't like to feel like they're being manipulated, so I could see a lot of players balking at that, at least as of June, 2025.

As for the organization, I actually saw that result as progress. Nobody would have dreamed of wanting to come to Detroit two years ago. If they'd have taken the poll in 2023, we almost certainly would have been in the neighborhood of the White Sox, Rockies, A's, et al. If we take advantage of this window, if we make it to at least one Series and especially if we get a ring, and as our guys become more established and respected throughout the game and they evangelize how great it is to play here, I bet that will change in a couple or three years.

Yeah, good explanations.  I can see how players may not see how cool Hinch actually is.  He sure highlights the value of each player and there is a 26 player contribution.  No one is on the roster as a fallback, perhaps to give another player a rest (except maybe Jake, now)  Even when they send someone down they do so with improvement tasks and those often have turned careers around (alas, not Akil).  I wonder would Tork, Baez, or McKinstry be having the same years on another squad? 

I attributed Hinch being ignored in the manager of the year voting to the scandal and to ignore him is a scandal in and of itself.  Seriously, to trade away nearly a quarter of a team in July to be left with 1 and 5/8 starters, and defy 0.2% playoff odds (essentially a 1 in 500 year event) to advance through the playoffs, with a team of just two all-stars and a bunch of rookies. THAT should have been recognized to some degree.  Moreover, the team didn't just inch into the playoffs.  By season's end, it was established as the best AL wild card team.  

[gehringer_2]

2 hours ago, Sports_Freak said:

I think Sawyer had his surgeries in '23. He's been out for almost 2 years.

I can understand the confusion as MLB had a large story with the headline "SGL's 615 Day Journey". IDK where they got 615 days from when he had come to ST in 24 and was pitching in Toledo by May of 25.

[Sports_Freak]

1 hour ago, gehringer_2 said:

SGL pitched at Toledo through the end of '23 season. He went to the IL early in April or May of '24 after issues started in ST.

https://www.milb.com/player/sawyer-gipson-long-687830?stats=gamelogs-r-pitching-mlb&year=2023

I thought i read that he was out for almost 2 full years.

[Sports_Freak]

17 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

I can understand the confusion as MLB had a large story with the headline "SGL's 615 Day Journey". IDK where they got 615 days from when he had come to ST in 24 and was pitching in Toledo by May of 25.

And here I thought I was dreaming. And I think Jason even repeating that false narrative the other day. 615 days sounds much longer than 15 months...lol

[romad1]

1 hour ago, Edman85 said:

Welp, it looks like it is Matt Gage.

But I wasn't being sarcastic: just trying to relay how 40 man rosters work. You don't fill for the sake of filling. You just make a move when you need to.

Sorry for my obnoxious response.

[Tenacious D]

3 hours ago, Sports_Freak said:

Skubal is under team control for next season.

Yes, but Jobe’s isn’t pitching in ‘26

[Sports_Freak]

N/M

It was a good Willie Horton video with Rajai Davis. But for some strange reason, it won't share.

Edited yesterday at 02:54 AM by Sports_Freak

[Motor City Sonics]

Going into this Reds series the Tigers are 16-5-1  in series this year. 

*- sweeps

Series Wins              
Mariners (Road)  2-1
*White Sox (Home)  3-0
Yankees (Home)  2-1
Twins (Road)  2-1
Royals (Home)  3-1
Padres (Home)  2-1
*Orioles (Home)  3-0
Angels (road)  3-1
*Rockies (road)  3-0
*Red Sox (Home)  3-0
Blue Jays (Road)  2-1
Cardinals (Road)  2-1
*Giants (Home)  3-0
Royals (Road)  2-1
Cubs (Home)  2-1
Orioles (Road) 2-1
39-11

Series Loses            
*Dodgers (Road)  0-3
Brewers (Road)   1-2
Astros (Road)   1-2
Rangers (Home)   1-2
Guardians (Home)  1-3
4-12

Series Splits             
White Sox (road) 2-2
2-2

 

45-25

[IdahoBert]

On 6/12/2025 at 2:38 PM, chasfh said:

I kind of was surprised about no support for Hinch too, at first. As I've thought more about it, I figure maybe it's because so many players just like playing for salt-of-the-earth players' managers, old school guys who graduated from the School of Baseball who will let them pretty much do what they want, approach their job however they want, don't want to be sat down or pinch-hit for because the data says they should be, stuff like that. You know, treated like grown men working as a partner to the manager, not like interchageable widgets being led around like a grunt. That's pretty much Bochy to a T.

I do sense that Hinch's players like playing for him, but guys who haven't played for him might have ideas about him they hear secondhand, like, maybe that he's an egghead, or a high-falutin' psych major who gets into your head and tries to make you do stuff you wouldn't want to do, or something. People don't like to feel like they're being manipulated, so I could see a lot of players balking at playing for AJ if they think he's like that, at least as of June, 2025.

As for the organization, I actually saw that result as progress. Nobody would have dreamed of wanting to come to Detroit two years ago. If they'd have taken the poll in 2023, we almost certainly would have been in the neighborhood of the White Sox, Rockies, A's, et al. If we take advantage of this window, if we make it to at least one Series and especially if we get a ring, and as our guys become more established and respected throughout the game and they evangelize how great it is to play here, I bet that will change in a couple or three years.

This is a really good post. To be brutally honest about most modern athletes, we can project all sorts of positive qualities on to them we want and get all Ken Burnsie about them, but at the end of the day they’re just jocks, full stop.

They’re not 300 Spartans defending Greece or honoring Zeus on some hyper-real pasture in the Olympics 2700 years ago. They are good at some highly specialized physical activity that is only meaningful in a limited number of venues. Otherwise, they are just guys.

But here they are feted gods, and they don’t like being told what to do. They are used to being treated like really, really, big deals. They may well have been treated this way since they were children because they had some unusual athletic gift. AJ manages them like a tactician. They want to be big shots, not cogs in a machine. But they do like to win, and we like watching them win.

I remember sitting on an airplane next to some boring guy many years ago and just before we landed I noticed he had a ring on his finger the size of an old style flash cube on an Instamatic camera and it was a World Series ring and he had been on the 1978 Yankees as a role player of some sort. I could’ve been talking to him the whole time and I wasn’t because in fact, now, he was just another real estate agent. In Mesa AZ. Not a god. Staking a whole lot on what these guys think might not be the best thing to do. 

Just like money, winning changes everything, and the Tigers are winning, and Hinch is a really big part of it. 

[chasfh]

2 hours ago, IdahoBert said:

I remember sitting on an airplane next to some boring guy many years ago and just before we landed I noticed he had a ring on his finger the size of an old style flash cube on an Instamatic camera and it was a World Series ring and he had been on the 1978 Yankees as a role player of some sort. I could’ve been talking to him the whole time and I wasn’t because in fact, now, he was just another real estate agent. In Mesa AZ. Not a god. Staking a whole lot on what these guys think might not be the best thing to do. 

This paper gets me to wondering, I wonder how many World Series winners who got rings wear them everyday out in the world? I always thought more like it was something they would put in a case at home like a trophy, and maybe break it out for special occasions, rather than just wear it everyday day like a wedding band or something.

I saw Scott Harris’s ring he received with the 2016 Cubs when I played at Cubs Camp. His dad was on my team and he’d brought it to camp to give nobodies like me a thrill. That thing was super heavy. I guess you’d have to be a really big guy to wear that around regularly.

[IdahoBert]

1 hour ago, chasfh said:

This paper gets me to wondering, I wonder how many World Series winners who got rings wear them everyday out in the world? I always thought more like it was something they would put in a case at home like a trophy, and maybe break it out for special occasions, rather than just wear it everyday day like a wedding band or something.

I saw Scott Harris’s ring he received with the 2016 Cubs when I played at Cubs Camp. His dad was on my team and he’d brought it to camp to give nobodies like me a thrill. That thing was super heavy. I guess you’d have to be a really big guy to wear that around regularly.

I don’t know if the guy sat there the whole time going “please, please please please please somebody notice it.” I’m pretty sure he wore it when he was with clients because it would be a good way of impressing the crap out of people. 

[papalawrence]

4 hours ago, IdahoBert said:

This is a really good post. To be brutally honest about most modern athletes, we can project all sorts of positive qualities on to them we want and get all Ken Burnsie about them, but at the end of the day they’re just jocks, full stop.

They’re not 300 Spartans defending Greece or honoring Zeus on some hyper-real pasture in the Olympics 2700 years ago. They are good at some highly specialized physical activity that is only meaningful in a limited number of venues. Otherwise, they are just guys.

But here they are feted gods, and they don’t like being told what to do. They are used to being treated like really, really, big deals. They may well have been treated this way since they were children because they had some unusual athletic gift. AJ manages them like a tactician. They want to be big shots, not cogs in a machine. But they do like to win, and we like watching them win.

I remember sitting on an airplane next to some boring guy many years ago and just before we landed I noticed he had a ring on his finger the size of an old style flash cube on an Instamatic camera and it was a World Series ring and he had been on the 1978 Yankees as a role player of some sort. I could’ve been talking to him the whole time and I wasn’t because in fact, now, he was just another real estate agent. In Mesa AZ. Not a god. Staking a whole lot on what these guys think might not be the best thing to do. 

Just like money, winning changes everything, and the Tigers are winning, and Hinch is a really big part of it. 

Well said. And re: feted gods - with aau teams, this special treatment can start around age 12. Certainly see this with basketball, and I assume baseball as well. AJ seems to be managing egos well - team first, all in. 

[Shinzaki]

There's a kid from my daughter's HS that spent some time in the majors after going to college...he was a three sport star in HS, but baseball was his best sport.  Scouts knew who he was when he was 11 or 12