OT : Tigers To Exercise Option On Ausmus
October 5th, 2016 at 2:39 AM ^
October 5th, 2016 at 2:58 AM ^
You always serpentine. What a plebeian.
October 5th, 2016 at 9:12 AM ^
Forget zg zagging. Just backpedal so you can see the arrows coming.
October 5th, 2016 at 3:00 AM ^
I've got to add G.M. Avila in that mix more than Ausmus. (and I didn't like a lot Ausmus did). His refusal to add Hill at the trade deadline, when divisional leaders were adding or some other pitcher, was idiotic. My wife and I gave his Standing Pat, a fictional name of a pitcher when we would give up 5,6, or more runs by a starter. And I could have told them don't waste your money on Pelfrey. Yes we kept the children but if you want the title Boyd or Norris had to go.
October 5th, 2016 at 3:12 AM ^
October 5th, 2016 at 9:49 AM ^
While they didn't "close the deal," Dombo and Leyland were two of the best in the game. They have "spoiled" us and raised our expectations beyond what reltive newcomers are capable of providing.
October 5th, 2016 at 10:12 AM ^
is one of the worst signings I think the Tigers have made in years. Completely idiotic. The guy is, has, and always will be, hot garbage. Can't imagine WTF Avila was thinking.
October 5th, 2016 at 10:50 AM ^
Well, take a look at Pelfrey's 2015 stats, for one. I'm sure he was looking for a servicable 5th rotation guy that could eat innings. Pelfrey was that in 2015.
Why he got two year? Well, baseball markets be cray.
October 5th, 2016 at 10:45 AM ^
I guess the asking price at the deadline was just too high for Avila. Dombrowski made some great trades before he left to help restock the farm and starting rotation. Trading away those peices would set them back again. They almost made it with what they had and they should be in a better position to make a run at it next year. I'm glad they stayed pat and I hope Avila uses this offseason to turn our bullpen into a strength for once. Salty, Maybin, and Upton turned out to be pretty good signings. Zimmerman was good before the injuries. The Pelfrey signing was fricken brutal, but that didn't mean that Ausmas had to continue to use him. I think Avila gets a pas in his first year. We'll see what he does next year.
October 5th, 2016 at 11:57 AM ^
You would only consider that if this was a team contending for a title. We were contending for a 1-game playoff spot. The bullpen was not good enough to win a playoff series and the offense was too inconsistent to expect them to get hot in October (look at their final weekend series).
I liked the idea of trading Boyd or Norris for Andrew Miller because we needed bullpen help. Plus, his contract expires after 2018 (Hill will be a FA this offseason) and a $9mil/yr contract isn't the hardest contract to eat.
October 5th, 2016 at 3:05 AM ^
October 5th, 2016 at 10:49 AM ^
That gif really sums up 4 years of Hoke.
October 5th, 2016 at 3:05 AM ^
October 5th, 2016 at 3:07 AM ^
October 5th, 2016 at 3:24 AM ^
October 5th, 2016 at 3:56 AM ^
October 5th, 2016 at 3:23 AM ^
October 5th, 2016 at 5:10 AM ^
Make Detroit great again
October 5th, 2016 at 5:21 AM ^
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October 5th, 2016 at 5:39 AM ^
to the tigers. could you go and talk to him and get him to change his mind?
October 5th, 2016 at 5:33 AM ^
If you let him go now, who is available to take his place? This may have been a big part of the decision.
They missed out of the playoffs by a couple games with several young pitchers that had to step up for the injured. That young staff did a pretty nice job this year and I think it's fair that Ausmus gets some credit for that.
October 5th, 2016 at 6:16 AM ^
October 5th, 2016 at 6:40 AM ^
I submit that the number one job of an ML manager is to spot talent and develop it to its full potential. He should already know the the book and the odds on any baseball strategy, and how to spot when his pitchers are losing it along with his pitching coach. The ability to see talent and develop it and nurture it is the one key element all great managers have.
October 5th, 2016 at 9:08 AM ^
October 5th, 2016 at 11:28 AM ^
I know that Buck Showalter is a great manager, but everyone in baseball knew that he should've pulled Jimenez last night after those two hard hit singles. Even the great ones make bad judgement calls on pitchers. So yes I agree completely on your number one job. Now what's everyones opinion on how Ausmus does in this department? Maybin had one of his best years, Castellanos as well, JD Martinez has taken off under him. The young pitchers had great years. I don't know I guess that's a hard thing to judge.
October 5th, 2016 at 1:52 PM ^
The best managers in baseball are the ones that manage between the 9th inning and the 1st inning. It is not putting together a lineup and making pitching changes that set great managers apart. It is how they handle the players and their mental state during the long season. Joe Maddon is the best example I can think of because he was the Rays manager (where I live) for many years.
October 5th, 2016 at 7:12 AM ^
October 5th, 2016 at 8:05 AM ^
October 5th, 2016 at 8:34 AM ^
October 5th, 2016 at 8:24 AM ^
October 5th, 2016 at 9:45 AM ^
October 5th, 2016 at 10:52 AM ^
I think that was Blusqo's sarcastic point.
October 5th, 2016 at 2:44 PM ^
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October 5th, 2016 at 6:32 AM ^
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October 5th, 2016 at 10:09 AM ^
What time?
October 5th, 2016 at 7:04 AM ^
This is the right decision. Ausmus is turning into a decent manager. Yes he has made some quesationable decisons, but so did Leyland.
It wasn't his fault that the Tigs had so many injuries this year.
October 5th, 2016 at 8:18 AM ^
The Tigers could have easily folded down the stretch, and he kept the team fighting, using the assets he had at hand. And as you point out, the Tigers got bit hard by the injury bug.
Now if Joe Maddon, Terry Francona, etc. were available, that's a move you've got to make. As it stands, Ausmus is growing into the job, and has the support of his players. Better to stand pat.
/ducks/
October 5th, 2016 at 10:21 AM ^
And I've been a big Ausmus hater. I've seen managers lose teams who were in the spot he was in. His handling of a young starting staff was very good and 2017 is the make/break for him and this roster.
Yes, Maddon/Francona types available and interested push him out, like the Cubs did with Renteria. I think Renteria may be a good or even great manager, but when you have the Maddon option, you take it.
Without a clear direction, Ausmus is better than most/any available retreads or "hot new thing" guys. JV and Cabrera need/want consistency that can help lead. This team was close but not quite there this year. They overachieved this year with the injuries. In fact, most predictions had the Tigers at .500 when healthy. 2016 sucks because they missed the playoffs but the experience & development of the youngsters on this team may make 2017 a great year.
October 5th, 2016 at 8:47 AM ^
guru so maybe this is accurate or maybe not. I saw on the news this morning when this was reported that only 9 times out of 161 games did the Tigers have all their starters in a game.
October 5th, 2016 at 9:53 AM ^
I thought Rod Allen said it was 17 games over the course of the season on the last weekend of the season. Either way they dealt with a ton of injuries.
They played exciting baseball all the way until the last game of the year. Sure they didn't make the playoffs but I don't think most people expected them to make the playoffs.
I don't know, I'm no expert on anything, but I think the Tigs are in good shape for the next few seasons.
October 5th, 2016 at 7:04 AM ^
Are we sure this isn't an Onion article?
October 5th, 2016 at 7:05 AM ^
This was the second story that I saw when I turned on Channel 7 news as I first got up this morning, and it wasn't exactly the news I was hoping to hear, like many other Tigers fans. I could be wrong, but the longer the Ausmus era drags out, the more it seems like the only thing that you can't eliminate is that he is liked well enough by the right people. Even with the injuries and depth issues in the rotation and in the bullpen and so forth, inexplicable decisions by Ausmus - in my view - have still cost this team too many games.
October 5th, 2016 at 7:16 AM ^
October 5th, 2016 at 7:25 AM ^
I dont like Ausmus because I am a big time Leyland fan, but what is with sports fans and wanting changes at the top every year or two?
We've all worked at companies I assume. Did they fire all the managers every two or three years because the company didn't have a record year? If they did, do you think that would help the situation?
This teams window essentially closed when the KC Royals beat our heads in and won the World Series. Now the Indians are right there...
What we really need to do is sell high (while we still can) on JV and maybe even Miggy. Those two guys have a ton of trade value and we could get young and talented real quick.
I don't think management is the problem with this team. I think it might be the guys who actually play the game.
October 5th, 2016 at 10:58 AM ^
Upvoted for reasonable Ausmus take.
However, selling high on either JV or Miguel is crazy. You don't sell two top 5 players (pitcher and hitter, respectively).
Both were healthy this year and, surprise, reverted to their old selves. They are elite players and you gotta assume elite players will age better than average players.
Everyone complains about salaries being too high, but that's just the way it works. There's been crazy inflation in MLB for the past 5-10 years and there's no sign it'll slow. Verlander cost us $4M less than Kershaw cost the Dodgers this year. I'm OK with keeping Verlander. Same argument can be made with Cabrera.
Staying healthy and finding those fluky RP is key. There's not an easy, obvious solution.
October 5th, 2016 at 5:15 PM ^
I just think Miggy and JV aren't getting any better. the last thing you want is high salary players who you are counting on, who start to decline.
I love JV and Miggy. I am a huge Tigers fan. At some point though you have to look in the mirror and ask if these are the guys who are going to be the horses that will bring you a title.
Baseball does have a lot of lightening in a bottle situations and I agree that a known quantity is better than an unknown almost always. I would trade JV and Miggy for young prospects at this point though. It's basically the same gamble to keep them and see if they don't breakdown or trade them for grade-A prospects. The prospects just give the aura of positivity rather than the negativity that comes with declining stars IMO.
October 5th, 2016 at 7:38 AM ^
this season? I don't recall any predictions for as many as they had.
October 5th, 2016 at 7:45 AM ^
the Tigers will have a shot
Miggy will go to DH when V-Mart's deal is up - he will hit til he's 40 like Ortiz
Beyond those 3 this is a younger team for the most part
Our projected rotaqtion is JV, Zim, Fulmer, Norris and Boyd - Zim is 30 and the rest very young - getting those last 3 innings this year sets them up for more next season and fewer Pelfrey/Sanchez starts which is probably what really cost them this season
October 5th, 2016 at 8:52 AM ^
They can win with that formula. Verlander was incredible. If he can somehow match that and Sanchez gets less starts. We could make the playoffs next year. It wasn't like we were 10 games back this year.