Tagged: Chicago White Sox
Has the window closed for the Detroit Tigers?
Baseball is one of the few major American sports where trades are a major factor for any team, both during the season and in the off season.
Dave Dombrowski seems to have an itch to overhaul his ball club every year, but given the fact that Mr. Illitch wants to win now, you can hardly blame him for drafting talent and shipping it off almost immediately. The number of prospects that the Tigers traded away in the past year alone to get big names (David Price, Joakim Soria) down the stretch is astounding.
Since the start of the 2014 season, the Tigers have received:
Joakim Soria
David Price
Anthony Gose
Shane Greene
Alfredo Simon
Yoenis Cespedes
Alex Wilson
Gabe Speier
They traded away:
Austin Jackson (starting CF)
Drew Smyly (only LF starter, showed a lot of promise)
Willy Adames (SS- was named Ray’s top prospect after trade)
Jake Thompson (RHP – Tigers 2012 2nd round pick)
Corey Knebel (RHP – Tigers 2013 1st round pick)
Devon Travis (2B – Tigers 2012 13th round pick)
Robbie Ray (RHP – Received in exchange for Doug Fister in 2013)
Eugenio Suarez (SS – played half a season in majors in 2014)
Rick Porcello (RHP – staple in Tigers rotation for years)
Of the 9 players traded away in the past year, I would argue that 7 of them would be considered prospects. The scene that unfolded with Austin Jackson running off the field in mid-inning was bizarre and unusual, but it’s characteristic of how Dombrowski has run this team. He’s opportunistic and is not worried about taking a risk, but at what cost? The Tigers farm system is absolutely depleted, and the trades last year did not pay off now, which is what they were intended to do. Last season truly turned into win at all costs. The pitching staff is not young, and there are no big name arms waiting in line for their opportunity.
While Dombrowski has fleeced some teams in the past (Marlins for Cabrera, D-backs for Scherzer), you have to wonder how long you can go trading away the core of your farm system (and your future) before you run out of assets. Your major league club is not getting any younger. I am fearful that the Tigers have sacrificed far too much to win now and the damage the farm system has already been felt (last year, starting rotation and bullpen, anyone?)….
What are your thoughts? Has the window closed on the Tigers to win a World Series? Are all of these trades moves of desperation? As a fan of the game, I like what the Royals have done, and I think the White Sox will be strong contenders for the AL Central as soon as next season. However, I believe the Royals are the team that the Tigers will be chasing for years to come. They have positioned themselves to win for the foreseeable future by building a team the right way – through their farm system.
Justin Verlander Socked Again
Justin Verlander has not been himself this season.
Even after manager Jim Leyland chose him as a personal pick for the A.L. All-Star team, and announcing that a flaw had been discovered in his mechanics that was to be corrected, he was pounded by the lowly Chicago White Sox Tuesday. He got through 7, giving up 12 hits and 5 earned runs, including two long-shots. He only struck out 3.
The White Sox, coming in with a dismal .296 OBP (good for 28th in the league) and having only scored 314 runs this season (good for 29th in the league) made mincemeat of Tigers pitching Tuesday, clocking 23 hits. Has Verlander been bad this year? Certainly not. I think the bullpen issues magnify Verlander’s struggles, but as Tigers fans, we have been spoiled for the past several years with his dominance on the mound every 5 days. It was must see TV every time he took the mound. Now, he appears to be just another part of a strong rotation. He still has an ERA that is only .3 higher than his career average. But not since May have we seen more than 10 K’s in an outing, and not since June 12th have we seen any more than 5 K’s. Four outings have also come with at least 5 earned runs.
What do you think? Has Verlander lost his dominance, and will he ever be able to regain his form to be what he was in his MVP season a year ago? Max Scherzer has filled in admirably, but I think every fan is crossing their fingers that #35 will return to his old form to help carry this team down the stretch.
How the Tigers are doing against the AL Central
Your divisional record at the end of the year is typically a good indicator of how successful or unsuccessful your season was.
So far, the Tigers hold a 23-13 record against their divisional opponents, a 63.9% winning percentage. That is good for 3rd best in all of baseball, behind Boston (at 70% in the AL East, a staggering number) and Philadelphia (at 64.4% in the NL East).
Here is a breakdown of past year’s AL Central records for the Tigers and their standings at the end of the year.
2011: 23-13 (63.9%) – 1st (in progress)
2010: 38-34 (52.8%) – 3rd
2009: 39-34 (53.4%) – 2nd
2008: 27-45 (37.5%) – 5th
2007: 36-36 (50%) – 2nd
2006: 45-30 (60%) – 2nd
2005: 29-46 (38.7%) – 4th
Looking at this, you can see how winning percentage in the division tends to correlate well with the final standing in the division. The Tigers have only played half of their divisional schedule, but, if history holds up and the Tigers play the second half at the same pace as their first, they will finish atop the AL Central for the first time ever.
In case you were wondering, Detroit has 9 games remaining against Kansas City, 12 against Cleveland, 9 against Minnesota, and 6 against Chicago. There is a critical stretch between August 26th and September 14th. The Tigers play 19 games in that span, and all of them are against AL Central foes. That could be the time where we find out if the team has what it takes to really pull away from the rest of the field or if they are going to make it a battle down to the very last game against Cleveland on September 28th.
I would prefer to know before then.
The Optimist Tiger 