2022-23 Detroit Tigers Offseason Thread

[chasfh]

Justyn-Henry Malloy looks like a walking, slugging beast with AAA experience. I think there’s a good chance he treads Comerica at some point next year.

[Tigermojo]

Malloy was The Braves number 11 prospect. 23 years old, .404 OBP in the minors.

[kdog]

Tigers paid down a portion of Joe's 2023 salary to get JHM. And they got a dude with a good walk rate who hits right handed(yuuuuge need). Maybe he turns into something or he doesnt; decent flier.

[microline133]

Regardless of the prospects involved, the Tigers gave the Braves cash to support getting rid of Jimenez...That speaks volumes. Good move and I say that without any care about the actual return.

[StatikIEV]

1 minute ago, KL2 said:

He goes to mop up duty for a year if he makes it, then you can stick him in triple a and use him for depth

I understand the line of thought, but we would be putting a guy who has a total of 3 games at AA on the Major League roster all year...so we can stash him in AAA and he can be like 15th on the depth chart?  What us the risk vs reward matrix here?

[Tigermojo]

From Fangraphs:

6. Detroit Tigers (38)

Mason Englert, SP, from the Texas Rangers

Englert’s second healthy pro season was fantastic, as he made 24 healthy starts and pitched just shy of 120 innings with a 30% K% and a 7% BB%, commanding four pitches with aplomb. He doesn’t throw very hard, sitting 90-94 and living off deception created by his arms-and-legs delivery and the pitch’s odd angle. After that, Englert mixes in an above-average changeup and two solid breaking balls — a mid-80s slider and upper-70s curveball — both of which he commands. He probably doesn’t have a huge long-term ceiling but Englert’s feel to pitch is polished enough for him to essentially make the leap from High-A to the majors and stick as the Tigers’ fifth starter.

[1984Echoes]

7 minutes ago, mtutiger said:

The return is Justyn-Henry Malloy and Jake Higginbotham... the former being the centerpiece of the deal.

Pretty good value for Joe on the surface... Malloy looks promising.

Malloy: Will be 23 next year... RH'ed batting LF'er & 3B'man with an insane minor league OBP of .404 in 738 total PA's along with 22 HR's. Got all the way up to AAA last year for a cup.

Higginbotham is a 27 y.o. (in Jan) Lefty Reliever with.. not much that looks inspiring. Whatever.

Malloy looks interesting and could - potentially - be a really nice return for Jimenez.

[mtutiger]

3 minutes ago, StatikIEV said:

I understand the line of thought, but we would be putting a guy who has a total of 3 games at AA on the Major League roster all year...so we can stash him in AAA and he can be like 15th on the depth chart?  What us the risk vs reward matrix here?

Because he has a lot of talent and is emblematic of the kind of pitcher that Harris wants in our system, my guess.

The Rangers and people who follow the org think really highly of him, which speaks some volumes... they have a decent farm system.

[Longgone]

4 minutes ago, StatikIEV said:

I understand the line of thought, but we would be putting a guy who has a total of 3 games at AA on the Major League roster all year...so we can stash him in AAA and he can be like 15th on the depth chart?  What us the risk vs reward matrix here?

His ceiling is a mid rotation guy, do you think those grow on trees? It's very low risk with potentially high reward.

[Cruzer1]

1. 6. Justyn-Henry Malloy | OF
    

   Born: Feb 19, 2000

   Bats: R Throws: R

   Ht.: 6'2" Wt.: 212

   Signed By: Chris Lionetti

   Minors: .289/.408/.454 | 17 HR | 5 SB | 478 AB

   VIEW PLAYER CARD

   Track Record: Malloy ranked as the No. 214 prospect in the 2021 draft class out of Georgia Tech, where he showed impressive on-base skills and developing power. The Braves signed him for $300,000 in the sixth round, and he had a solid 2021 pro debut before breaking out in 2022 and pushing himself to Triple-A Gwinnett and then the Arizona Fall League.
   
   Scouting Report: Malloy is a strong and physical corner infielder and outfielder who homered 17 times between three minor league levels in 2022. He played in pitcher-friendly home parks, making the total more impressive. While Malloy might have above-average raw power, his strike-zone discipline and contact ability drive his value as a prospect. Malloy has one of the keenest batting eyes in Atlanta's system and chased just 18% of the time while also showing quick hands and good bat-to-ball skills. He has a chance to be an above-average hitter who walks at a high rate, though scouts are mixed on his true power potential. His exit velocity numbers are modest, but he has flashed impressive pop to the pull side. Of note, his power numbers trended down as he moved up levels. A well below-average runner, Malloy will be limited to a corner and his most likely defensive home is left field. He played third base at High-A Rome and flashed plus arm strength but had trouble with throwing accuracy and needs much more work on his hands and footwork at the position. Malloy exclusively played left field and DH at Double-A and Triple-A and fits best at that position.
   
   The Future: Malloy's defensive limitations could cap his upside as an everyday player, though his pure hitting ability and zone control could make him a quality platoon option. More power could increase his potential role as well.
   
   Scouting Grades: Hitting: 55. Power: 45. Speed: 30. Fielding: 40. Arm: 55

   https://www.baseballamerica.com/teams/1025/atlanta-braves/organizational/?year=2023&type=P

[1984Echoes]

2 minutes ago, 1984Echoes said:

Malloy: Will be 23 next year... RH'ed batting LF'er & 3B'man with an insane minor league OBP of .404 in 738 total PA's along with 22 HR's. Got all the way up to AAA last year for a cup.

Higginbotham is a 27 y.o. (in Jan) Lefty Reliever with.. not much that looks inspiring. Whatever.

Malloy looks interesting and could - potentially - be a really nice return for Jimenez.

So this looks like to me the kind of under-the-radar calculated risks that Harris was talking about where... maybe he finds solutions to Tigers' needs by looking under rocks and pulling out Malloy's (if he makes it) and such...

[kdog]

 

[kdog]

 

[chasfh]

1 minute ago, kdog said:

 

 

“Shapes and power”. I quite like that.

Edited December 8, 2022 by chasfh

[1984Echoes]

7 minutes ago, Tigermojo said:

From Fangraphs:

6. Detroit Tigers (38) - Mason Englert, SP, from the Texas Rangers

... He probably doesn’t have a huge long-term ceiling but ...

 

4 minutes ago, Longgone said:

His ceiling is a mid rotation guy, do you think those grow on trees? It's very low risk with potentially high reward.

 

His profile doesn't scream to me mid rotation guy but, rather, 5th starter... just as Fangraphs has him pegged.

Which is still useful and valuable on any team.

But I don't see mid-rotation there, unless... injuries.

But also... I would say that I hope this isn't the ONLY starting profile that Harris goes after (command of multiple pitches and the strike zone but nothing dominant or overpowering...); I hope this is just a "he was available and will fill a back end rotation need..." kind of guy. I still hope he goes after top of the rotation guys in trades & the draft... etc. 

I don't think Harris will be limiting himself in that way... I just wanted to voice a concern...

 

 

 

 

[mtutiger]

I do wonder if this move may precipitate some other 

1 minute ago, chasfh said:

“Shapes and power”. I quite like that.

Words never uttered by Al Avila lol

[StatikIEV]

13 minutes ago, Longgone said:

His ceiling is a mid rotation guy, do you think those grow on trees? It's very low risk with potentially high reward.

For us, yes, we have a zillion guys with a ceiling of 'mid rotation guy' (thinking he can be a 3 is a bit generous...maybe 4 if you squint hard enough IMO).  The risk is he eats up a live roster spot all year...and better players don't get their shot. 

 

Edited December 8, 2022 by StatikIEV

[Longgone]

3 minutes ago, 1984Echoes said:

 

 

His profile doesn't scream to me mid rotation guy but, rather, 5th starter... just as Fangraphs has him pegged.

Which is still useful and valuable on any team.

But I don't see mid-rotation there, unless... injuries.

But also... I would say that I hope this isn't the ONLY starting profile that Harris goes after (command of multiple pitches and the strike zone but nothing dominant or overpowering...); I hope this is just a "he was available and will fill a back end rotation need..." kind of guy. I still hope he goes after top of the rotation guys in trades & the draft... etc. 

I don't think Harris will be limiting himself in that way... I just wanted to voice a concern...

 

 

 

 

The fangraphs report was prior to the uptick in the fastball and slider that he was showing towards the end of the year. Player evaluation is not static.

[Tenacious D]

2 minutes ago, StatikIEV said:

For us, yes, we have a zillion guys with a ceiling of 'mid rotation guy' (thinking he can be a 3 is a bit generous...maybe 4 if you squint hard enough IMO).  The risk is he eats up a live roster spot all year...and better players don't get their shot. 

 

Somebody has to replace Harold Castro’s innings next season.

[Longgone]

2 minutes ago, StatikIEV said:

For us, yes, we have a zillion guys with a ceiling of 'mid rotation guy' (thinking he can be a 3 is a bit generous...maybe 4 if you squint hard enough IMO).  The risk is he eats up a live roster spot all year...and better players don't get their shot. 

 

Did you see how m any pitchers they went through last year? I wouldn't worry about opportunities.

[Tiger337]

I like the Malloy acquisition.  One of my hopes going into the off-season was that they would start putting more emphasis on OBP skills, something they have been lacking for years.  Dumping Reyes and the Castros was a good start.  The next step is the acquisition part. Malloy is likely not ready yet, but I love his profile.  I am not too sorry to see Jimenez leave.  He still has promise, but has never shown any consistency for any length of time.  I'll take the chances on Malloy's greater upside.  

[Tiger337]

4 minutes ago, Longgone said:

Did you see how m any pitchers they went through last year? I wouldn't worry about opportunities.

You can never ever ever have too much pitching!

[Longgone]

1 minute ago, Tenacious D said:

Somebody has to replace Harold Castro’s innings next season.

His fastball is a 50, slider and command at least above average, change is plus, curve is serviceable, repeats his delivery and maintains his stuff. High release point allows his stuff to play up. Not sure what y'all are looking for, but this was a good get. 

[1984Echoes]

1 minute ago, Longgone said:

The fangraphs report was prior to the uptick in the fastball and slider that he was showing towards the end of the year. Player evaluation is not static.

OK great...

But "end of the year" is a very small sample size and no guarantee of linear development. And "uptick" doesn't state "put-away slider" or "dominant FB".

If he doesn't have a put-away pitch at the MLB level... he'll struggle to get out of innings and allow base-runners even when he limits walks. He'll be limited to the back end of the rotation. 

I'll believe mid-rotation when I see it...

Otherwise... you're reading too much into "uptick"... I mean, maybe it's there. But again, I'll believe it when I see it.

[StatikIEV]

5 minutes ago, microline133 said:

Regardless of the prospects involved, the Tigers gave the Braves cash to support getting rid of Jimenez...That speaks volumes. Good move and I say that without any care about the actual return.

My annoyance isn't so much with Justyn-Henry Malloy or his prospect status...its the fact we are clearly now in rebuild year 7.

Yippee we are getting some teams #11, #25th, 38th best prospects and we are bottom feeding the rule 5.

Harris says on day 1 we need to fill holes at catcher, 3rd, OF.   Now a couple months later, its 'lets go with haase/rogers at C, an unproven AA prospect at 3rd, and a still nothing I'in the OF'...while at the same time it's 'maybe Cabrera will take the field again' and we are too cheap to hold onto 40% of our bullpen (that was our only decent thing last year finishing 8th in the league).

I mean...yay Tigers baseball 2023?