Yearly Review: Detroit Tigers
It's time to look back at every team from around the MLB and what they showed us during the 60 game sprint! We are going to explore a few things for each team: Review in-season transactions, what we learned, what we loved, what we didn't love, the most significant need(s), and lastly, the biggest takeaways.
Let's jump over the AL with the Detroit Tigers today. We talked about the Padres, A's, Marlins, Yankee's, Cardinals, Whitesox, Cubs, Twins, Reds, BlueJays, Brewers, Illllndians, Giants, Phillies, Mariners, Rockies, Nationals, Mets, Royals, Angels, D-Backs, and RedSox thus far; you can find all posts on the homepage https://www.theballboyblog.com/.
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What moves did the 2020 Tigers make?
Detroit Tigers traded LF Cameron Maybin to Chicago Cubs for SS Zack Short. Short did not play for the Tigers in 2020 and will need to change regular playing time positions.
What did we love about the 2020 Tigers?
Well, it's hard to find things to love about the Tigers. Jeimer Candelario slashed .297/.369/.503 and looked to be an answer at 3B for the Tigers. Willi Castro was another bright spot for the Tigers, slashing .349/.381/.550 on the season. We have a long term answer at SS as Castro is going to be 24 in 2021. The OF duo of Victor Reyes(.277/.315/.391) and Jacoby Jones(.268/.333/.515) shows there is a lot of potential on this team. There are a few things to love if you are a Tigers fan.
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What did we not love about the 2020 Tigers?
There also are a lot of things, not love. The 23-35 record is one and them falling short of the 28-32 projection I had for them I don't love. I think it is fair to say we didn't love the season from Miggy. The future Hall of Famer slashed a .250/.329/.417 with 10HR, 35RBI but posted a -0.2WAR. This means they could have taken Spencer Torkelson, put him into Miggy's spot, and got better production. It's fair to say Miggy is past his prime. With the offense as a whole slashing .245/.303/.397 and a .700OPS, this team is barely serviceable. Pitching wise, there wasn't anything to love either as the staff had a 5.63ERA, 1.43WHIP, 444K-192BB, and opponents hitting .265OBA. The pitching and the offense could not get it done in 2020 and how they still won 23 games is beyond me.
What was the biggest takeaway from the 2020 Tigers?
How they won 23 games is the biggest takeaway for me, with below-average offense and pitching. With each match carrying 2.7x the weight, the Tigers would have only won 62 games and lost 100. Outside of this aspect, the next biggest takeaway for me is to stay the course of the rebuild.
What is next for the 2020 Tigers in 2021?
With the 6th ranked farm system in the MLB. Outside of SS Willi Castro, the talent hasn't arrived yet. With a high upside in the rotation in Mize, Manning, Skubal all seeing action in 2020. With possibly the arrival of Spencer Torkelson in 2021, add some pop into the middle of the lineup. The question will be, can this team not be the worst in the MLB for a 5th straight year. I don't see the Tigers doing much of anything this winter. The task to lead this team somewhere over the next few years now belongs to AJ Hinch, and we will see what happens now.
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