2025 Detroit Tigers General Discussion Thread

[sagnam]

22 minutes ago, Tiger337 said:

Shades of 1984 when the 35-5 Tigers got swept by the Mariners.  

Hopefully it works out the same way.

[chasfh]

Putting aside the rough end to the first half ... as we go into the All-Star break, let's take a moment to really appreciate what the Tigers are. They are, in my opinion, the most special Tigers team of my lifetime. 

Yes, the 1968 and 1984 teams won 100+ games and rings. The 2006 and 2012 teams went to the Series. And the run from 2010 to 2014 was like nothing else any of us had lived to see up to that point.

But this team is so different from those teams. Not only do the 2025 Detroit Tigers have the best record in the majors. Not only do our underlying metrics show we are the among the best teams in baseball. Not only that we are completely running away with the division.

But, also, our future is still so, so bright. Sure, we thought that about 1968, and about 1984, and about 2006. But as we've already learned, those teams were run by stand-pat front offices who did not respond effectively to the needs we had so we could continue winning, and as such, they were essentially one-offs. But I think all of us know already that this front office will not, will never, just stand pat. That's the gift of having a PBO who is young and brilliant and hungry. He knows how to put the right people in the right spots, both on and off the field, to maximize our chances for success both now and later, and we know that the farm system will continue to bear fruit this year, next year, and for years to come.

But perhaps most special of all is this particular team, this active roster, right here. It is filled with young, hungry kids with the talent to play well, which a lot of teams have, but also, the aptitude and flexibility to learn how to win, which so many teams do not have. And the majority of these kids are under team control for years to come. We won't have to worry this winter about a blood-letting of players peeling off and scattering about to other teams. The team we see now is essentially the team we are going to see next year, the year after, and (perhaps with one notable exception) the year after that.

Plus, there are no prima donna superstars on this team. We might have reasonably thought the highest paid, longest-contracted player would become that guy, and maybe under any number of different regimes he might have. But this player has been brought into the fold by this brilliant front office and field management team, and is just as on board with the mission of the Tigers as all the guys who are making close to minimum and are still trying to establish their careers. They are playing together, truly, as a team, with a plan and the inclination to work together to win, and not merely a collection of individuals all trying their best on their own and hoping it pays off in wins. As we saw 10-15 years ago, you don't have to be a bunch of stand-up good guys to get fans on board as long as you're winning, but boy, is it ever sweet icing on the cake.

This organization has become, in much shorter order than we could ever have imagined, the envy of baseball, and I am glad I got to see a team like this playing under the Olde English D before it got too late for me. You young guys here, try to savor this moment as the special moment it is. Decades from now, you will look back on the mid-2020s and remember it fondly as that special moment the Detroit Tigers went from black-and-white to technicolor.

 

[IdahoBert]

8 minutes ago, chasfh said:

Putting aside the rough end to the first half ... as we go into the All-Star break, let's take a moment to really appreciate what the Tigers are. They are, in my opinion, the most special Tigers team of my lifetime. 

Yes, the 1968 and 1984 teams won 100+ games and rings. The 2006 and 2012 teams went to the Series. And the run from 2010 to 2014 was like nothing else any of us had lived to see up to that point.

But this team is so different from those teams. Not only do the 2025 Detroit Tigers have the best record in the majors. Not only do our underlying metrics show we are the among the best teams in baseball. Not only that we are completely running away with the division.

But, also, our future is still so, so bright. Sure, we thought that about 1968, and about 1984, and about 2006. But as we've already learned, those teams were run by stand-pat front offices who did not respond effectively to the needs we had so we could continue winning, and as such, they were essentially one-offs. But I think all of us know already that this front office will not, will never, just stand pat. That's the gift of having a PBO who is young and brilliant and hungry. He knows how to put the right people in the right spots, both on and off the field, to maximize our chances for success both now and later, and we know that the farm system will continue to bear fruit this year, next year, and for years to come.

But perhaps most special of all is this particular team, this active roster, right here. It is filled with young, hungry kids with the talent to play well, which a lot of teams have, but also, the aptitude and flexibility to learn how to win, which so many teams do not have. And the majority of these kids are under team control for years to come. We won't have to worry this winter about a blood-letting of players peeling off and scattering about to other teams. The team we see now is essentially the team we are going to see next year, the year after, and (perhaps with one notable exception) the year after that.

Plus, there are no prima donna superstars on this team. We might have reasonably thought the highest paid, longest-contracted player would become that guy, and maybe under any number of different regimes he might have. But this player has been brought into the fold by this brilliant front office and field management team, and is just as on board with the mission of the Tigers as all the guys who are making close to minimum and are still trying to establish their careers. They are playing together, truly, as a team, with a plan and the inclination to work together to win, and not merely a collection of individuals all trying their best on their own and hoping it pays off in wins. As we saw 10-15 years ago, you don't have to be a bunch of stand-up good guys to get fans on board as long as you're winning, but boy, is it ever sweet icing on the cake.

This organization has become, in much shorter order than we could ever have imagined, the envy of baseball, and I am glad I got to see a team like this playing under the Olde English D before it got too late for me. You young guys here, try to savor this moment as the special moment it is. Decades from now, you will look back on the mid-2020s and remember it fondly as that special moment the Detroit Tigers went from black-and-white to technicolor.

 

Great post Chas. Thank you. I’m confident that the guys in charge of this operation will keep pushing the right buttons to move this freight train organization forward. 

[Klondike]

Pitching pitching pitching. And maybe some defense help at 3rd. That is all. 

[Klondike]

A little factiod. The Mariners swept the Tiger's rigjt after their 35-5 start in 1984. They then proceeded to play .500 ball the resr of the way en route to their W.S. win.

[Tiger337]

8 minutes ago, Klondike said:

A little factiod. The Mariners swept the Tiger's rigjt after their 35-5 start in 1984. They then proceeded to play .500 ball the resr of the way en route to their W.S. win.

If 69-50 is .500 ball, then they played .500 ball!

[Tenacious D]

1 hour ago, chasfh said:

Putting aside the rough end to the first half ... as we go into the All-Star break, let's take a moment to really appreciate what the Tigers are. They are, in my opinion, the most special Tigers team of my lifetime. 

Yes, the 1968 and 1984 teams won 100+ games and rings. The 2006 and 2012 teams went to the Series. And the run from 2010 to 2014 was like nothing else any of us had lived to see up to that point.

But this team is so different from those teams. Not only do the 2025 Detroit Tigers have the best record in the majors. Not only do our underlying metrics show we are the among the best teams in baseball. Not only that we are completely running away with the division.

But, also, our future is still so, so bright. Sure, we thought that about 1968, and about 1984, and about 2006. But as we've already learned, those teams were run by stand-pat front offices who did not respond effectively to the needs we had so we could continue winning, and as such, they were essentially one-offs. But I think all of us know already that this front office will not, will never, just stand pat. That's the gift of having a PBO who is young and brilliant and hungry. He knows how to put the right people in the right spots, both on and off the field, to maximize our chances for success both now and later, and we know that the farm system will continue to bear fruit this year, next year, and for years to come.

But perhaps most special of all is this particular team, this active roster, right here. It is filled with young, hungry kids with the talent to play well, which a lot of teams have, but also, the aptitude and flexibility to learn how to win, which so many teams do not have. And the majority of these kids are under team control for years to come. We won't have to worry this winter about a blood-letting of players peeling off and scattering about to other teams. The team we see now is essentially the team we are going to see next year, the year after, and (perhaps with one notable exception) the year after that.

Plus, there are no prima donna superstars on this team. We might have reasonably thought the highest paid, longest-contracted player would become that guy, and maybe under any number of different regimes he might have. But this player has been brought into the fold by this brilliant front office and field management team, and is just as on board with the mission of the Tigers as all the guys who are making close to minimum and are still trying to establish their careers. They are playing together, truly, as a team, with a plan and the inclination to work together to win, and not merely a collection of individuals all trying their best on their own and hoping it pays off in wins. As we saw 10-15 years ago, you don't have to be a bunch of stand-up good guys to get fans on board as long as you're winning, but boy, is it ever sweet icing on the cake.

This organization has become, in much shorter order than we could ever have imagined, the envy of baseball, and I am glad I got to see a team like this playing under the Olde English D before it got too late for me. You young guys here, try to savor this moment as the special moment it is. Decades from now, you will look back on the mid-2020s and remember it fondly as that special moment the Detroit Tigers went from black-and-white to technicolor.

 

Have you softened your stance that players do not want to come here to play? 

[oblong]

22 minutes ago, Tiger337 said:

If 69-50 is .500 ball, then they played .500 ball!

That gets mentioned a lot and is worth highlighting.  It's one of those things that I've heard the experts on the radio say quite a bit over the last 40 years.  So then someone hears it and assumes its true and it becomes a legend.  They were 69-53 after 35-5.  That's a .565574 Win %.  Over 162 that % is 92 wins.  That's a good season.  They didn't coast after a hot start.

[Tiger337]

4 minutes ago, oblong said:

That gets mentioned a lot and is worth highlighting.  It's one of those things that I've heard the experts on the radio say quite a bit over the last 40 years.  So then someone hears it and assumes its true and it becomes a legend.  They were 69-53 after 35-5.  That's a .565574 Win %.  Over 162 that % is 92 wins.  That's a good season.  They didn't coast after a hot start.

92 wins would definitely be a good season.  In fact, no other team in the American League won 92 games that year.   

[lordstanley]

 

 

[HugoD]

 

3 hours ago, chasfh said:

Putting aside the rough end to the first half ... as we go into the All-Star break, let's take a moment to really appreciate what the Tigers are. They are, in my opinion, the most special Tigers team of my lifetime. 

Yes, the 1968 and 1984 teams won 100+ games and rings. The 2006 and 2012 teams went to the Series. And the run from 2010 to 2014 was like nothing else any of us had lived to see up to that point.

But this team is so different from those teams. Not only do the 2025 Detroit Tigers have the best record in the majors. Not only do our underlying metrics show we are the among the best teams in baseball. Not only that we are completely running away with the division.

But, also, our future is still so, so bright. Sure, we thought that about 1968, and about 1984, and about 2006. But as we've already learned, those teams were run by stand-pat front offices who did not respond effectively to the needs we had so we could continue winning, and as such, they were essentially one-offs. But I think all of us know already that this front office will not, will never, just stand pat. That's the gift of having a PBO who is young and brilliant and hungry. He knows how to put the right people in the right spots, both on and off the field, to maximize our chances for success both now and later, and we know that the farm system will continue to bear fruit this year, next year, and for years to come.

But perhaps most special of all is this particular team, this active roster, right here. It is filled with young, hungry kids with the talent to play well, which a lot of teams have, but also, the aptitude and flexibility to learn how to win, which so many teams do not have. And the majority of these kids are under team control for years to come. We won't have to worry this winter about a blood-letting of players peeling off and scattering about to other teams. The team we see now is essentially the team we are going to see next year, the year after, and (perhaps with one notable exception) the year after that.

Plus, there are no prima donna superstars on this team. We might have reasonably thought the highest paid, longest-contracted player would become that guy, and maybe under any number of different regimes he might have. But this player has been brought into the fold by this brilliant front office and field management team, and is just as on board with the mission of the Tigers as all the guys who are making close to minimum and are still trying to establish their careers. They are playing together, truly, as a team, with a plan and the inclination to work together to win, and not merely a collection of individuals all trying their best on their own and hoping it pays off in wins. As we saw 10-15 years ago, you don't have to be a bunch of stand-up good guys to get fans on board as long as you're winning, but boy, is it ever sweet icing on the cake.

This organization has become, in much shorter order than we could ever have imagined, the envy of baseball, and I am glad I got to see a team like this playing under the Olde English D before it got too late for me. You young guys here, try to savor this moment as the special moment it is. Decades from now, you will look back on the mid-2020s and remember it fondly as that special moment the Detroit Tigers went from black-and-white to technicolor.

 

Yeah, I agree with @IdahoBert - that's a great post @chasfh.   Couple of points I really agree with:

1. Maximizing both for now AND later.  It's tempting to go totally all in ("don't know when  you'll have a better chance",etc.), but that can lead to disaster and droughts, as we've seen.  Unless of course you have an unlimited budget to erase mistakes.   Gotta start contributing to a 401k when you can, rather than buying a sports car because "YOLO!"

2. Seemingly a great culture.  That's not always everything, but man that can make a huge difference over time. I'm sure many of us have seen that in our own real lives.   That starts with leadership.

3. This has indeed happened very rapidly, and I too was wondering if I'd ever see that (really awesome that we are seeing that with Lions, and maybe Pistons too)

One other thought I had is that I'm pretty sure the org will not follow the Rays model.  I would call it Rays Plus.

 

2. 

[papalawrence]

A lot to like about the Tigers' present and future. I've posted this before - I also love their style of play, even more that the station to station, big bopper Miggy teams. The one thing I hear repeatedly from the players is how thorough AJ is with preparation. All the structural pieces seem to be in place. Now just get some pitching help so they can win it this year!

[CaliforniaDreaming]

1 hour ago, lordstanley said:

 

 

I wonder if they gave Cal Raleigh a ride or made him catch his own flight after that 2-homer night...

[lordstanley]

And no super scary teams like the Dodgers in the National League. The Astros despite their success this year likely have peaked. Yankees and Red Sox will be up there due to budget ability, but the Rays or Mariners, maybe not. I'm not writing off the Twins, Guardians and Royals the next few years but nor do I have reason to believe they're going to take jump into being consistent 90+ win teams. In other words, no reason the Tigers can't start putting together a playoff streak in the years ahead and take it from there. 

[oblong]

11 minutes ago, CaliforniaDreaming said:

I wonder if they gave Cal Raleigh a ride or made him catch his own flight after that 2-homer night...

Good question.  I've often seen stories where the visiting team's All Stars ride along with the home team guys to the ASG.

 

 

[Tigermojo]

46 minutes ago, CaliforniaDreaming said:

I wonder if they gave Cal Raleigh a ride or made him catch his own flight after that 2-homer night...

Probably made him take the picture.

[SeattleMike]

3 hours ago, Tiger337 said:

If 69-50 is .500 ball, then they played .500 ball!

I don't know where this idea comes from, but if I had a nickel for every time I read somewhere that the Tigers played .500 after going 35-5 I'd be, well probably not rich, but have enough for a nice dinner out. Sixteen game over is a far cry from .500.

[sagnam]

4 hours ago, Klondike said:

A little factiod. The Mariners swept the Tiger's rigjt after their 35-5 start in 1984. They then proceeded to play .500 ball the resr of the way en route to their W.S. win.

Hopefully it works out the same way.

[lordstanley]

Here's the '84 Tigers game by game record.

https://www.baseball-almanac.com/teamstats/schedule.php?y=1984&t=DET

- The Tigers were 30 games over .500 after their first 40 games of course, at 35-5

- They then played the next 40 games at .500, as they were 30 games over .500 after their first 80 games, at 55-25

- But by 100 games in they were 38 games over .500

- At the 3/4 of the season they were back down to 35 games over .500, at 78-43. So after the 35-5 start they played the next half of the season, 81 games, at just 5 games over .500 (43-38, .530, 86 win pace). That's the closest I can see to "played .500 ball after the 35-5 game start"

- Then they turned it on again and finished the season 46 games above .500, having played the final 1/4 in 26-15, .634, 103-win pace

 

 

Edited 1 hour ago by lordstanley

[Arlington]

3 hours ago, lordstanley said:

 

 

Where's the bat boy.  Talk about missed opportunities.  He's a hero to some fans

[Tigermojo]

7 minutes ago, Arlington said:

Where's the bat boy.  Talk about missed opportunities.  He's a hero to some fans

They forgot him at Comerica. He's just going to order some pizza, watch old movies on the big screen, maybe stop a couple thieves and stuff.

[Shinzaki]

45 minutes ago, SeattleMike said:

I don't know where this idea comes from, but if I had a nickel for every time I read somewhere that the Tigers played .500 after going 35-5 I'd be, well probably not rich, but have enough for a nice dinner out. Sixteen game over is a far cry from .500.

69-50 is a .579 winning %.  If they had posted that % all season they would have won 94 games and still won the AL east

[lordstanley]

23 minutes ago, Arlington said:

Where's the bat boy.  Talk about missed opportunities.  He's a hero to some fans

 

[Arlington]

If the Tigers didn't make the playoffs last year after 0.2% odds, and they were chasing MN or KC this year I would still be over the moon about the future.  This wealth of talent in the minors is comparable to the early 1960s when Freehan, McAuliffe, Lolich, Sparma, Northrup, Horton, and Wert were coming up and the later 1970s with Kemp, Fydrich, Peaches, Morris, Tram/Whit, Parrish, Thompson, Gibson and Rozema.  What's in Erie right now is going to make it's mark, not just because of its talent but because these guys are developing a unique comradery.  They are winners, they are exciting,  and they are going to take Detroit by storm.  

[lordstanley]

38 minutes ago, Shinzaki said:

69-50 is a .579 winning %.  If they had posted that % all season they would have won 94 games and still won the AL east

And they went 7-1 in the playoffs and never trailed in either of the two series. Even if they had coasted to .500 after the 35-5 start, wouldn’t have mattered because they flicked a switch and dominated again when the post-season started.