In 2019, the Detroit Tigers finished the season with a record of 47-114, easily the worst in the league that year. The silver lining in a season that bad is receiving the first overall selection in the next year’s draft. The Tigers used the first overall pick in the 2020 draft on Spencer Torkelson, a first baseman out of Arizona State University. (At the time, the club announced him as a third baseman, despite him not playing that position in college.)
Torkelson wasn’t able to play any organized ball for the Tigers that year, as the pandemic wiped out all of the minor league seasons, but 2021 was a rocketship ride up the minor league ladder. He started the year in High-A, playing 31 games and mashing at a rate of .312/.440/.569, wRC+ of 171. A promotion to a higher quality of competition in Double-A dampened his production, but only slightly. In 50 games there, he hit .263/.373/.560, for a wRC+ of 148. He was promoted yet again and got into 40 Triple-A games. Although the higher quality of pitching led to a decreased batting average, he still hit for power and drew walks, slashing .238/.350/.531, 129 wRC+. After that, he went to the Arizona Fall League but was sidelined with an ankle injury after just seven games. He is expected to be fully recovered for spring training. He is now considered the #4 prospect in all of baseball by all three of Baseball America, MLB Pipeline and FanGraphs.
After that tremendous showing at all levels, he seems a virtual lock to join the big leagues in 2022, the only questions will be about the date and which position he plays. In college, Torkelson primarily played first base, with a bit of outfield work sprinkled in. But when the Tigers drafted him, they announced him as a third baseman. In 2021, he played first and third somewhat evenly to start the year, with first base taking over as the season wore on. At High-A, he got into 15 games at first and 16 at third, with his Double-A stint featuring 23 at first and 27 at third. But in Triple-A, he played first base in 37 games, none at the hot corner. However, he did get into a couple of games at third base in the Arizona Fall League before the injury.
First base would seem to be the best path to playing time for Torkelson, both because of his greater experience at the position and because of the current makeup of the Tigers’ roster. Jeimer Candelario seems to have locked himself in as the third baseman after a strong pair of seasons with the bat. In the shortened 2020 season, he hit .297/.369/.503 for a wRC+ of 138 over 52 games. Although he played more first base than third that year, he moved across the diamond in 2021, playing 142 games at third and not appearing at first at all. Statcast considered him to be a roughly league-average defender, as he finished the year at -1 Outs Above Average. He also had another good year at the plate, hitting .271/.351/.443, 119 wRC+.
The situation at first base, however, can fit Torkelson into the picture much more easily. The Tigers gave most of the first base playing time to Jonathan Schoop in 2021, as he appeared in 114 games there. But that was Schoop’s first showing at the position, as he had largely been a second baseman prior to that. He even played 38 games at the keystone last year. If Torkelson were to take over at first base, Schoop could slide back to his traditional position at second. That would create a bit of a crowd in the middle infield for the Tigers, as they signed Javier Baez to take over the shortstop position. If Schoop was getting regular playing time at second, there would be little room for younger players like Harold Castro, Willi Castro, Isaac Paredes and Zack Short. None of those players have fully cemented themselves as everyday regulars just yet, but for a Tigers team that is looking to emerge from a lengthy rebuild, it should still be a priority to give chances for unproven players to blossom and take a step forward.
One way to help with this crowding would be to rotate these players through the designated hitter slot, giving them a bit of a rest while still getting reps in the batter’s box. However, that raises the question of how many DH at-bats will be going to Miguel Cabrera. While there’s no questioning he’s one of the greatest hitters of his generation, he hasn’t been an above-average hitter over a full season since 2016. His wRC+ dropped to 92 in 2017, then bounced back to 127 in 2018, though injuries cut his season short after just 38 games. In 2019, he dropped just below the league average of 100 again, coming in at 97. He snuck over the line in 2020 with a mark of 103, though that was the pandemic-shortened campaign. In 2021, he dropped down to 92 again.
Up until now, letting the veteran continue to play out his contract and hit career milestones hasn’t been an issue as the team hasn’t been earnestly trying to compete for some time. But push will likely come to shove at some point, as the club has already spent a lot of money this offseason in order to wipe their hands of this lengthy rebuild. Even if they don’t become AL Central favorites right out of the gate in 2022, Cabrera still has two guaranteed years remaining on his contract and will turn 39 in April. After getting 526 plate appearances in 130 games in 2021, how much rope will he get going forward? Is he destined to be squeezed out by younger players and eventually let loose in a similar manner to what happened to Albert Pujols last year? Or at least nudged into the type of bench role that Pujols settled into with the Dodgers? Cabrera is sitting on 2,987 hits and will surely be given the chance to cross the monumental 3,000 barrier, but at a certain point, the team’s desire to compete will clash with their desire for Cabrera to get the proper legacy treatment.
Regardless of how it plays out, the future seems bright for the Tigers. They have a roster with heaps of young talent that showed signs of promise in 2021. After a miserable 8-19 start in April, they went 69-66 the rest of the way. Since then, they’ve added Baez, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Tucker Barnhart to try and take them to the next level. With prospects like Torkelson, Riley Greene and Dillon Dingler on the way to help as well, they seem poised to be a fun and competitive team for years to come.
Down with OBP
The CBA?
For Love of the Game
Rob Manfraud if we have to name one “Who?”
Lefty_Orioles_Fan
Who’s Blocking Spencer Torkelson?
Well, who exactly is blocking Adley Rutschman?
KC42
I think MLBTR did a similar story on Adley a couple of weeks ago and the answer was the same: Service time manipulation.
But if the MLB passes the CBA proposal of acquiring draft picks for rookies getting ROY, MVP, and Cy Young votes, both will be in the Majors on opening day
jbigz12
I don’t know about that. Is giving up a 7th year of control of a guy like AR worth a potential comp pick?
If you know you’re not going to be competitive this year—I don’t think a comp pick makes it enticing enough. You can keep a guy down for 2 weeks and he can still get his votes. That’s basically just an IL stint.
mrdave
The only thing blocking Spencer Torkelson is service time manipulaiton.
bucsfan0004
Or maybe his lack of production/ABs in the minors. Another 400 MiL ABs wouldnt hurt and would probably be beneficial to his overall development. It has to suck for all of these top prospects who lost a year of playing in 2020.
xXTheFETTXx
I worked for the Whitecaps last year and watched him quite a bit. I remember the day he got called up. When Tork took BP the other team, including their coaches, stopped everything to watch. I don’t see where another 400 AB in the minors is going to show/prove anything that isn’t already known. The kid has monster power and a great eye. The only thing that I could tell that needs a bit more work is his glove.
dimitriinla
That and a .238 average at AAA. Hardly “a tremendous showing at all levels.” I’m sure they’ll want him to get more reps there with what they hope will be a permanent big league stay soon after.
IBackTheNats6
He had an obp of .350 and a slug of over .500 who cares about his average?
Finlander
They want to make sure he is not Rob Deer or Chris Davis.
dugdog83
You leave Rob Deer out of this. The man was a saint.
TroyVan
Yeah, he’s probably not ready. Greene is closer than Tork. Unless he has a monster Spring, he’s spending some quality time in Toledo.
Not even sure there’s a spot for him.
dsett75
Not a spot for Torkelson?? It’ll be….
LF-Grossman
3B-Candelario
DH-Cabrera
SS-Baez
2B-Schoop
1B-Torkelson
C-Barnhart/Haase
CF-Greene
RF-Baddoo/Reyes
Unless they decide to go big and sign Correa (I hope not if it’ll be 10 years) or Story and push Schoop to 1B. There’s also been talk of them signing a corner OFer. I have a feeling they might trade for the other SPer they want. The only other decent options out there are an injury prone Rodon or Kershaw, who’s not what he once was. I suppose Greinke would be a decent innings eater, but I’m hoping they’re looking for someone to slot in at the top with Rodriguez. Hence, a trade for maybe Sonny Gray or something. Castillo & Mahle will cost too much. Oakland’s guys are possibilities too.
racosun
Closer, lol. Tigers already tied those two kids together. They’ll come up very close to each other, within weeks if not days. Mark it, Dude.
TroyVan
Don’t forget about 2 Castros. And, for the record, I’d rather they play Hittin’ Harold.
I think you’re gonna see a team that plays well enough early to be thinking about the playoffs. Anyone who plays for the Tigers has to be productive. I’m not opposed to Tork taking someone’s job, as long as he earns it. What I saw in Toledo late last year is not a player ready to take anyone’s job in Detroit. Can’t wait til he does tho.
Airo13
Time for Miggy to at least drop in the lineup. Team finally spent to win. Throwing a ceremonial miggy in the 3 slot would not be smart.
The Saber-toothed Superfife
It’s so sad so many Americans refer to adult men and women as “kids”.
IMO that’s one of the reasons why things are falling apart…..
Adults thinking they don’t have to act like adults.
Elders who don’t want to face the fact they they are old. Those aren’t kids, man.
jbigz12
Cut his K rate in AAA and his output was 29% better than league average.
His BABIP was low in AAA—hence the average dip. Don’t think it was anything to worry about at all.
bobsugar84
Cabrera’s bat is still better than the two Castro’s, Short, and Parades. He’ll still DH the majority of games if he stays healthy while Torkelson will take the bulk of the starts at first, once he’s called up. There’s a chance Tork starts opening day with a strong spring but if service time manipulation is still a thing, then he’ll start in the Minors.
DarkSide830
yeah, I don’t see any of those three blocking him after he hits the service time threshold.
Rsox
Service time manipulation. It’s what blocks all top prospects.
not alkaline
I would like Detroit to get another year of control of Tork. And Riley and Dingler, Jobe all the prospects. Why not? FO will say they dont have money to sign(fill in the blank) that 6th 7th year.
Prospectnvstr
Brady Singer and Kris Bubic say hello. Yeah, I know neither of them have set the league on fire. However They are 2 VERY RECENT examples of a team not using service time manipulation. For most instances the service time manipulation makes perfect sense. Who doesn’t want to see the best players play? However, most fans (& teams) would rather see the best players as long as possible, before they have the opportunity to leave via free agency.
Daniella
No one with that name is making the majors
GareBear
I see, you have set yourself up for disappointment
mrnotsoniceguy
“Daniella” lol
dugdog83
Swing and a miss.
to4
MLB and MLBPA !
Let’s see what Rutschman, Witt Jr., Abrams, Torkleson, Greene and others can bring to the table in 2022 and beyond!
tstats
Good ou forgot super prospect Jo Adell
ayrbhoy
Let’s not forget the consensus #2 MLB prospect (#1 Seattle) OF Julio Rodriguez who also raced through the M’s farm system as a 20 year old. Just turned 21 roughly 2 weeks ago, he has a ceiling to be the games next big superstar.
He’s Listed at 205lbs and 6’3” a man-child who worked so hard to add speed and agility to that body frame last year. In 2021 he stole 21 bags in only 74 games. He would’ve probably finished with 25-30 SB’s in 90-100 games had he not ‘carried’ the DR to a medal in the Tokyo Olympics.
He has now changed his scouting profile from a ‘power-first’ bat into a dynamic power-speed combo. He’s bigger than Mike Trout but this new found speed has given Julio a chance to have a ceiling as a player who has power to all fields from the middle of the lineup AND steal 30 SB’s like Mike Trout from his early years. It’s now up to him to see how far he can go in the show. I’m not saying Julio is going to be the next Mike Trout rather he has been described as a once in a generation talent who now has the potential to be a 5 tool player.
Hopefully he doesn’t heap massive amounts of pressure on himself once he gets the call-up like fellow Top Prospect Jarred Kelenic did this past year with Seattle.
Michael Tarzan O'Neill
Great article: Tiger fans have a lot to look forward to! With Torkelson; Greene; Dingler; as well as their young arms in manning; Mize; Skubal and soon Jackson Jobe and Ty Madden !
SportsFan0000
LHSP Joey Wentz traded from the Braves will help also.
xXTheFETTXx
Dillion was having a great start to the season till he got hurt. He’s being overlooked a bit because of that, I think Dingler should end up being a good defensive catch with a plus bat at the position. Just curious how his power is going to translate in the majors.
Braves Butt-Head
Hes been written off before and came back and had a good season with the Braves and then won a wotld series with the Nats. At the very least ge could provide minor league depth and help prospects out.
BSHH
This is not the article your looking for. But you are right about Anibal Sanchez!
Gruß,
BSHH
tigersfan1320
I think tigers should start the season off having Schoop at first, and W. Castro and Paredes splitting time at 2nd, see who plays best and then keep them up once Tork is ready to be called up, probably by June. Don’t really want to have to push out young guys who still have some potential if we don’t have to
dsett75
Harold’s better than Willie, imho
Patrick OKennedy
Hackin Harold will never be more than a fringy, slap hitting utility guy who plays sub par defense at many positions. If you’re in a situation where you need a single, Harold can be fun, but Willi showed that he can really hit in the majors when he’s on his game. He is just so brutal in the infield and it doesn’t look like any amount of time will cure that. Willi needs time in AAA to find a position- probably in the outfield where his bat will have to be even better to return as a starter.
xXTheFETTXx
I think the Tigers should try and find an actual 2nd…Castro isn’t consistent enough at the plate and has plenty of time to try fix it.
OneLoneGone
Schoop signed a 2 year extension. He’s your 2B until he isn’t
tigerdoc616
Short answer, no one! Tigers will bring him up when they feel he is ready for the big leagues and everyone else will stand aside and accommodate him.
Patrick OKennedy
The ONLY reason to keep Tork in the minors to start the season is to manipulate his service time. Any other reason given would be a lie. Nothing offered by the owners, nor even the players so far would prevent the manipulation, so it might be even expected.
Schoop is way, way better at second base, and there is no one else on the roster qualified to start there. Yes, he played first base last season, and that let the team give tryouts to all the AAAA players, and each of them proved that they should not be starting. It’s not crowded in the middle at all.
The one exception might be Isaac Paredes, who was injured and didn’t get a full tryout. But enough of the tryouts. He can be the utility guy while Willi Castro figures out a position that he can play defensively in the minors..
Tork will be 29-1/2 in February, 2029
The Saber-toothed Superfife
Service time should have nothing to do with it.
Any GM, with a brain, would be reserving spots on the 26 man roster to hire mlb players to trade for more prospects.
I am angrier than the Dickens stupid fans are clamoring for Al to put the pedal to the metal, being prodded by idiot writers trying to push an angle. I don’t buy your false sales pitch.
DO YOU GUYS REALIZE, if Al pulls out of the rebuild too quickly, we are going to end up with a mediocre team for the NEXT TEN YEARS?
Chris Illich has lost my confidence.
SportsFan0000
I have been wondering the same thing(Did the Tigers pull out of the rebuild too soon?!). The Tigers could have used a few more years of “top 5” Draft picks for position player depth. Otherwise, they will have to fill in the gaps with trades and free agency.
The Saber-toothed Superfife
I am angry because there are other strategies to gain top prospects other than tanking for draft picks.
Anyone with an eye can see there is something wrong with Tiger management, probably a social issue.
Look, they just signed an international kid, 5’9″, 154lbs…..17 y.o. for $1.2 Mil.
Now I ASK YOU, does that describe a body of a professional athlete?
Doubtful. Something is very wrong in Detroit. Someone is taking advantage of the situation. Chris Illich is the responsible party.
Chris Illich has lost my confidence.
The Saber-toothed Superfife
I hope the development team proves me wrong.
But going through processes, developed by other people, by rote because that’s ‘what we do” is an exercise in futility.
hitztheball
I guess you should ask Baseball America who had him rated as the #21 international prospect. He is 17, he will put weight on. Pedroia is 5’ 9” 170 good thing you were not in charge of drafting him
The Saber-toothed Superfife
Pedroia was a college player with a track record. .5M signing.
Airo13
They always planned to fill in gaps with trades and free agency. Tigers arent a small market team.
Domingo111
Is that a serious article? Detroit was one of the worst teams with bad hitters at almost every position, of course nobody is blocking torkelson.
He will stay down just for service time reasons.
The question is how long he stays down, just the 2 weeks to get the extra year or until super 2 (late may or so). Depends of course also on whether there will be changes in the new cba.
The Saber-toothed Superfife
The article argues Cabrera is.
ftasports
My dude, there’s not much to write about for MLB so that’s why there is an article. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.
SportsFan0000
Your mind is back on the 114 loss year. The Tigers were very competitive last year and won many series against playoff bound teams in both leagues. The Tigers, with improvements from their young players, signings and trades and more promotions of their best prospects should be in the Wild Card and Division races this years.
Freddie Morales
He will be brought up when he’s ready to stick in the big leagues. He can gain a little more experience and work on things easier at minor league level. He’s going to be a really good hitter when it’s his time
Bruin1012
If they alleviate the service time manipulation incentive then Tork is the starting first baseman on opening day. If not he will be up the first day he has garnered the extra control. All that is being said here can be said about Greene too.
There is no one on the Tigers right now that are blocking either Tork or Greene and both should be on the opening day roster. I hope the new agreement puts an end to service time manipulation.
brucenewton
He’s played one pro season. More seasoning might be prudent.
dynamite drop in monty
I know I am. Guy wouldn’t stop texting me pics of lasagna.
Highest IQ
I am. The Tigers gonna sign me to a massive deal after the CBA is agreed upon which is never.
Dtownwarrior78
I am a Tigers fan through and through, but Tork still needs to prove his worth in ST before he is handed an Opening Day gig. Least we not forget, last Spring Training he started 1-15 at the plate and had a rotten Spring. I don’t see that happening again, but if it does there is no way you start him in the bigs with only 1 full season of pro ball under his belt. Regardless of how great he is going to be (and I truly think he is going to be amazing) you don’t thrash his confidence right from the jump if he is truly struggling at the dish. Let’s all us Detroit fans just pray that doesn’t happen! Here’s to Tork and Greene tearing it up from the word go in 2022!
Manfred’s playing with the balls
This is the way it should be. If he’s hot in ST, let him start the season in the bigs. If he struggles send him down.
rememberthecoop
The Sox will own that division for several years to come. Only hope for Cleveland or Detroit is the wild card. And good luck with that – given the strength of the other divisions I doubt the WC comes from the Central.
stymeedone
There’s a reason they play the games. White Sox are already at max payroll and will probably have to trade a contract to add any significant player. They already traded a cheap young player, Madrigal, for an expensive 16MM Kimbral and then made the mistake of picking up the option. I always have confidence in the CWS doing the wrong thing.
sTpGoTexans
who cares?
rememberthecoop
Then why are you here?
Patrick OKennedy
The service time manipulation problem is not an easy one to solve. Any system that is based on service time can easily be manipulated. It only takes a couple of weeks in the minors to keep a player like Torkelson or Riley Greene on your team for an extra season, and that will far outweigh the potential of a draft pick or the financial cost of an extra season of arbitration.
The parties CAN agree to insert a clause that prohibits service time manipulation, which would have helped Kris Bryant to win his grievance, and that would at least add a deterrent, but it would ultimately take a grievance where the burden is on the player to prove the foul motive.
Maybe the best they can do is to tinker with the arbitration eligibility for players who make the all star team or win an MVP, gold glove, silver slugger, or other accomplishments and give them the extra year of arb at 2.0 years of service time.
The players’ proposal of 5 years service for free agency at age 29-1/2 is entirely reasonable.
Owners want to keep manipulation in the system and delay free agency as much as possible. They may give a little on arbitration in the final hour of talks.
For Love of the Game
Five years is too short. It will doom mid-market teams who can’t afford multiple free agents and are too large to receive bonus draft picks (“Competitive Balance”).
Instead, set the threshold for free agency at 5-1/2 years or so. If you don’t call up a player until July, you get that sixth year. If you want his services for June or earlier, he gets to be a free agent before six full years. It prevents owners from having their cake and eating it too while preserving current free agency to prevent small- and mid-market teams from becoming mere farm teams for the largest clubs.
Manfred’s playing with the balls
Reasonable comprise. I like the 5.5 service time rule
stymeedone
If you change to 5 yrs, expect players to stay in the minors longer. Teams know the best seasons are usually age 26-28. If it were my team there is no way my top prospects play those years for the competition. Expect those prospects to stay in the minors longer, for more seasoning.
Edp007
Baseball is better when the Tigers are relevant again.
SportsFan0000
The question will in future years will be: Did the Tigers come out of their rebuild too soon and forfeit and few more years of top 5 draft picks to finish stocking their team with building block pieces for long term contention?!
OR, can the Tigers make this rebuild work with the top prospects they have, some free agent signings and some judicious trades?!
The Tigers still do not have the position player depth that I would prefer in their minor league system.
Only time will tell…Every team hits on some draft picks and misses on others.
It looks like the Phillies came out of their rebuild a year or two too soon and now must rely on a lot of free agent signings and a 210M+ payroll to compete in the very competitive NL East. The Phillies missed on some of their top draft picks in their rebuild and as a result have some glaring holes in their team that they must spend to fix.
For Love of the Game
Only time will tell. Phils had too many top draft picks go bust (Randolph, Moniak, maybe Haseley). For the Tigers? Chistin Stewart, maybe Faedo (who I believe could be a high leverage reliever)?
TroyVan
I agree that the Tigers may have come out of their rebuild a little early (maybe one year). But, as long as they aren’t selling the farm to get into the playoffs every year, they’ll be fine.
Also, the Tigers are trying to get much better at player development. Hopefully, they’ll be able to squeeze out a few more true MLB players from their farm system.
The Saber-toothed Superfife
Tanking is the stupidest way to try to gain top prospects. There are many other ways.
Al stinks. Chris stinks.
SportsFan0000
No one is blocking Tork. He has only had 1 year minor league experience and has been promoted at least 3 levels in one year. Tork is still mastering AAA pitching as far as average goes, not power. Tork will be in the majors sometime in 2022,
Ham Fighter
I’m blocking him he’s in the trunk of my car and I won’t let him out.
notagain27
Greene might have a higher ceiling than Tork. Kid hits at EVERY level.
For Love of the Game
And turned 21 this past September after having played a full season in Toledo!
Old York
I’m blocking him with my 1.000/1.000/1.000 hitting line. I’m just too good in my beer league.
tstats
Only singles? You’re gonna need some ISO
HalosHeavenJJ
Regarding the parallels to Pujols, there are some major differences between Miggy and Pujols:
1. Miggy is a Detroit legend. He had all his best years there and led them to two WS. Pujols was a hired gun here who never led us to anything.
2. Albert was offered the same bench role here that he later took in LA. One can say in hindsight that he just wanted to win, but “play me or release me” is what he told us at the time.
Adding those two up, I think Miggy is easier to slide into a bench role. There’s a love affair between him and the fans and once he crosses 3000 hits he can enhance his legacy as the leader of the next wave.
And how cool will the big ovations be next year when he does get into a game? When a father can tell his young son “there’s one of the best to ever do it” and share that moment.
Just my take.
TroyVan
It was the late owner’s wish that Cabrera retire as a Tiger. That’s why he got that big contract that would certainly last the entire rest of his career. He knew it wouldn’t look good at the end and admitted as much. It was a gift to Tiger fans and the City of Detroit.
They’ll treat him respectfully until he retires, just like they did Victor Martinez.
duffys cliff
On paper, Candelario, Baez, Schoop, and Torkelson across the infield is a very solid group. It’ll be interesting to see if Candelario peaked last year, or if he will continue to put up those types of numbers.
Overall, I’m super excited to see what the Tigers do this year. They could be an exciting team to watch.
gotigers68
Bring on the youth !
Dorothy_Mantooth
Tork has only had one season in the minors in which he played at 3 different levels. With each promotion, his performance, as expected, dipped a little bit. While college players make it to the majors much faster than high school players, it feels like Tork needs a few more months at AAA to be ready for big league pitching. Losing 2020 to the pandemic really hurt him. While Detroit could open the season with Tork on the major league roster, I feel that both the Tigers and Tork will be better served to get him more experience against advanced AAA pitching before throwing him to the wolves. If they hold him down, it won’t be for service time manipulation; it will be for much needed extra development time to ensure he’s ready for the big leagues.
The Saber-toothed Superfife
Stinks you guys are putting all the weight of the Tigers’success on the shoulders of two prospects.
dkhits20
No one. If Tork has a good spring, he’ll be our 1B in 2022 right out of camp. If not, we’ll play Schoop at 1B and have Harold Castro and Paredes platoon at 2B until Tork’s ready.
OneLoneGone
I suspect Tork will spend the first month of the season at Toledo tuning up for his eventual call up once he gets hot while Miggy plays everyday in search of 3,000 hits. Once that’s out of the way (no disrespect intended) Tork gets called up to man 1B and Schoop goes back to 2B regularly with the occasional start at 1B. AJ will then cut back on Miggy’s playing time to rotate guys thru the DH spot relegating him to a part time DH role hitting off lefties and soft-throwing righties. If he struggles in that role I wouldn’t be surprised if he were to announce his plans to retire after the season……hopefully around September 1st so Tiger fans get the chance to say thank you for all the great memories you made possible by wearing the old English D on your baseball journey to Cooperstown and the Hall of Fame
Tdat1979
It’s kind of sad as a fan watching great players at the end of their careers. You keep hoping for the results of their earlier career but get frustrated when they consistently put up 0 for 4 batting lines, especially if he is blocking a top prospect who might help the team.
Patrick OKennedy
Miggy slashed 256/ .316/ .386 for the full season, with a wOBA of .305 or 92 wRC+
But from May 8 on, he slashed .276/ .330/ .408 with a wOBA of .319 and wRC+ of 102.
Not great- a shadow of the great hitter that he once was, but respectable as a league average hitter. He’s not embarrassing himself.
The Tigers knew that they were signing a contract that would turn sour by the end of the deal. He’s still a tremendous mentor in the clubhouse. He’s not retiring and he will go into the HOF as a Tiger on the first ballot.