2026 DETROIT TIGERS REGULAR SEASON THREAD

[roarintiger1]

4 hours ago, Tiger337 said:

How about Jack Morris? He can pitch to the score.  

But, Jim Morris would make for a better story........ Maybe they would make a movie about him.   😉

[papalawrence]

51 minutes ago, roarintiger1 said:

But, Jim Morris would make for a better story........ Maybe they would make a movie about him.   😉

Make it Jim Abbott and they're golden

[IdahoBert]

[NorthWoods]

I woke up this morning and thought "What will Gage Workman do today to wow us?".   Then I realized it was an off day so even he may be powerless today.

[oblong]

Nothing speaks to an org's confidence in a player's future than handing out a uniform #99... of course maybe that's what he wanted.  But also of course, #99 is Wayne Gretzky and it's famously unique to him so.... not sure I like that either.

 

[chasfh]

I feel differently about the Tigers giving him #99: I don't think it's a lack of organizational confidence thing as much as it is a style thing, because uniform number 99 has a unique history in sports, much in the way the number 00 does. Gage might have even asked for it. But I think if the Tigers truly wanted communicate the ephemeral nature of his tenure with us with a spring training numbers, I think it would be more like #74 or #87 than #99.

I have a feeling someone like McCoskey or Beck is going to write a feature piece contemplating Gage's uniform number 99. Who knows, they might be working on it this very minute.

[oblong]

According to B-R, 3 Tigers have worn it and I have no memories of the 2 who wore it last year wearing it...

Matt Gage and Rafael Montero.

The unique history of the number is why I don't like it.  It's like Bull Durham and the fungus on shower shoes.

 

 

 

[gehringer_2]

He didn't wear it at Toledo, or at Erie  before he was rule 5'd either.

He was wearing 14 with the Hens and no-one on the current 40 has it. Wore 27 before his Rule 5 but that's now Sweeney's.

Edited 22 hours ago by gehringer_2

[oblong]

Was Verlander transferred to the 60 day DL?  I have been kind of out of the loop.

[Tiger337]

Just now, oblong said:

Was Verlander transferred to the 60 day DL?  I have been kind of out of the loop.

yes

[gehringer_2]

8 hours ago, oblong said:

Nothing speaks to an org's confidence in a player's future than handing out a uniform #99... of course maybe that's what he wanted.  But also of course, #99 is Wayne Gretzky and it's famously unique to him so.... not sure I like that either.

 

 

8 hours ago, chasfh said:

I feel differently about the Tigers giving him #99:

I thinks it's odd enough that there must be some subtext to it.

[gehringer_2]

So on the ESPN Tiger site right now, Buster has an interview with Boras. So what Boras says is that the deal here is that they did not use an arthroscope on Skubal, they used a new micro device (come kind of fiber optic micro canula) that isn't much larger than a hypodermic needle. That is why they are looking for less than 'std' return possibility. The story is the new even-less-invasive-than-a-'scope treatment tech provides a possibility for faster recovery.

Edited 14 hours ago by gehringer_2

[Shelton]

In youth travel baseball “sub” players often wear #99 (it’s the extra uniform without a name that most teams have for such situations), so I could see workman leaning into that in an ironic way. When he was selected in the rule 5 by the cubs I remember him (and his wife) being kind of salty about the whole situation, so I feel like he might be doing a bit. 

[gehringer_2]

1 hour ago, Shelton said:

In youth travel baseball “sub” players often wear #99 (it’s the extra uniform without a name that most teams have for such situations), so I could see workman leaning into that in an ironic way. When he was selected in the rule 5 by the cubs I remember him (and his wife) being kind of salty about the whole situation, so I feel like he might be doing a bit. 

yeah - that makes sense, but you wonder about him nibbling the hand that feeds him here - even if it's a pretty little nibble. Maybe at this point he feels like he's good enough he can make a secure career in AAA for some number of years with or without the Tiger's support, and whatever time he gets in the majors is playing with house money.

[Shelton]

11 hours ago, gehringer_2 said:

yeah - that makes sense, but you wonder about him nibbling the hand that feeds him here - even if it's a pretty little nibble. Maybe at this point he feels like he's good enough he can make a secure career in AAA for some number of years with or without the Tiger's support, and whatever time he gets in the majors is playing with house money.

I think if anything it’s self-motivating. I don’t see it at as a dig at the tigers in the slightest. 
 

I suspect now that he got that real 40-man spot he’s probably pretty happy and excited. I’m sure he knows he’s ticketed for a return to Toledo at some point soon given how many guys are on the IL. But he probably also feels pretty secure against a DFA, and that 40-man spot means he’s going to be getting these promotions more frequently.

I don’t think a guy like Jung feels similarly now that workman has those 40-man bona fides.