AL Central Discussion

[Stakesarehigh]

Baseball America had him rated as the #26 prospect in the Tigers' system. He seems to have gotten some really good coaching this year and improved quite a bit. He's a big lefty that is now ranked as the #12 prospect by MLB.com.
Jung is a top 5 prospect in any system.
Can they wait for Kevin McGonigle (ranked #5 by MLB.com) to come up in a few years?

the leaps being made by a few guys in Detroits system is really encouraging.

Madden, Mattison, Hurter and Gipson all came through Erie this year and made big strides

Flores kinda stagnated but he was injured.

I know nothing on Eries pitching coach but he's quite young and gotta be on some radars

 

[catman]

Juan Pimentel looks like he knows how to pitch. He never played professionally, but has coached since 2017 in college and professional baseball and, yes, he is likely on some MLB radars.

 

[Stakesarehigh]

Juan Pimentel looks like he knows how to pitch. He never played professionally, but has coached since 2017 in college and professional baseball and, yes, he is likely on some MLB radars.

thanks for indulging me lol. it's all I got baseball wise. I'd have preferred detroit go with the older prospect (Langford) this year but with the strides the big league club made in the 2nd half (top 5 FIP in the second half) this long ass rebuild may finally be going somewhere.

good luck to the Twins in the playoffs.

ugh Langford fucking smashed minor league pitching lol. oh well.

 

[catman]

If the Tigers can stay healthy, they should be pretty good in a couple of years. I like their pitching and they have an "aircraft carrier" (Spencer Torkelson) to build around.

 

[WiggyRuss]

the leaps being made by a few guys in Detroits system is really encouraging.

Madden, Mattison, Hurter and Gipson all came through Erie this year and made big strides

Flores kinda stagnated but he was injured.

I know nothing on Eries pitching coach but he's quite young and gotta be on some radars

damn though the Royals STOLE Ragans from the Rangers.

I wish the Guards got that guy. He is NASTY.

 

[WiggyRuss]

thanks for indulging me lol. it's all I got baseball wise. I'd have preferred detroit go with the older prospect (Langford) this year but with the strides the big league club made in the 2nd half (top 5 FIP in the second half) this long ass rebuild may finally be going somewhere.

good luck to the Twins in the playoffs.

ugh Langford fucking smashed minor league pitching lol. oh well.

I am def. rooting for the Twins in the playoffs too- it would be good for the Central for them to win a series or two (or more) if they could.

 

[WiggyRuss]

the leaps being made by a few guys in Detroits system is really encouraging.

Madden, Mattison, Hurter and Gipson all came through Erie this year and made big strides

Flores kinda stagnated but he was injured.

I know nothing on Eries pitching coach but he's quite young and gotta be on some radars

its really the key thing about pitching is just to have tons of guys--- injuries are so common. Tigers have some depth now with Gipson and Olson added to the other guys.

Guards of course got Bieber (if hes not dealt), McKenzie, Bibee, Quintrell---- but also Allen, Espino, Cantillo --- maybe some lower level guys too.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Bo Naylor is raking to end the season. Theres not a catcher in MLB that has hit better this month.

 

[WiggyRuss]

some really cool Miggy moments in the game tonight. Another legend and top tier first ballot hall of famer leaving the game. When the Tigers were good for that 4 season run- he mightve been the best hitter in all of baseball- probably was.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Bo Naylor has only played 65 games this year. He started off hitting terribly.

Now he has an OPS of .830.....11 homers, 5 steals in 193 at bats. if he can hit even close to that kind of pace next year it will be a huuuuuge win for the Guardians--- to add a catcher that will be one of the better hitting catchers, and easily the fastest catcher in the league to that lineup would plug a major major hole.

Zunino was SOOOO bad for the first 2 months and Naylor took some time to adjust to the majors and to handle the responsibilities of handling a major league pitching staff. For at least the first 3 months- prob. a bit more- the Guardians catcher position was a black hole.

Obviously Adley Rutschman is easily the best catcher in the American League. Jonathan Heim deserved to be an All-Star and has raked this year.Cal Raleigh has been very good for the Mariners - hitting a lot of homers in a pitchers park. Diaz for the Astros and Garver for the Rangers are more DH's than catchers. Sal Perez is still productive but he is getting old- doesnt really catch nearly as much as he used to- and had an OBP under .300 for the second straight year. Ryan Jeffers has come out of nowhere - right when the Twins spend money on a catcher- to really hit the shit outta the ball.

If Naylor can take the catcher position and change it from being a huge minus at the plate, which it has been for a while now, to a fairly substantial net plus, that really really helps a Guardians lineup that is in desperate need to plug some holes.

It sucks seeing Francona go- so bad- but I have to say- this Guardians team is again the youngest in all of baseball this year, and has so many pieces on it. They still have a ton of help in the minors coming up even though they have graduated so many good young talents- the next couple years are going to be a lot of fun.

 

[mr.hockey4242]

Bo Naylor is raking to end the season. Theres not a catcher in MLB that has hit better this month.

Naylor has been great this month.

Jeffers is slightly behind in OPS this month and has done it all year though..

 

[mr.hockey4242]

Ive been on record here saying I think the Tigers will become a legit threat as soon as next year. And thats without considering any potential offseason moves. They could absolutely threaten/win division next year

Having said that. The delusion I see from their fans online is fucking hilarious. Most are declaring they will without a doubt win the division next year

Mostly because they have a really good september record in garbage time.

Completely ignoring the Twins have like the exact same september record. The Twins have the 2nd best win% in AL post all star break and have a whopping 200 run edge in run differential.

Sweeping KC in late September doesnt all of a sudden make you a lock to win a division the next year.

 

[mr.hockey4242]

Not good opponents for the most part but Bailey Ober has looked really good since he came back from his brief shut down.

He was clearly a little fatigued and looked it. Laboring to put guys away. Not having that issue now.

Only Jones got to him today. That dude is a good hitter. Cleveland probably could use him in their OF

 

[WiggyRuss]

Not good opponents for the most part but Bailey Ober has looked really good since he came back from his brief shut down.

He was clearly a little fatigued and looked it. Laboring to put guys away. Not having that issue now.

Only Jones got to him today. That dude is a good hitter. Cleveland probably could use him in their OF

Cleveland screwed up in letting there become a huge 40 man roster crunch. They should have made a big deal and put together a few prospects- instead of giving them half-ass development attempts and then abandoning them early. Benson and Jones would be great. They had no room on the 40 though- and instead of trading a few prospects for a stud- they squandered some guys. I am sure they are kicking themselves.

Only silver lining is they dealt Jones for a pretty good prospect that had more control that Baseball America called their prospect of the year.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Ive been on record here saying I think the Tigers will become a legit threat as soon as next year. And thats without considering any potential offseason moves. They could absolutely threaten/win division next year

Having said that. The delusion I see from their fans online is fucking hilarious. Most are declaring they will without a doubt win the division next year

Mostly because they have a really good september record in garbage time.

Completely ignoring the Twins have like the exact same september record. The Twins have the 2nd best win% in AL post all star break and have a whopping 200 run edge in run differential.

Sweeping KC in late September doesnt all of a sudden make you a lock to win a division the next year.

It is delusional to a certain extent-

Twins do have young guys coming up- but are going to lose production. I know you dont think it matters losing certain guys like Taylor and Gallo and maybe Kapler (if they prefer to save the 10M and go with a young guy)- but you have to replace that production which isnt always a sure thing.

That- and potentially losing Gray is the big part. Twins are going to have some pitching questions to answer.

 

[mr.hockey4242]

It is delusional to a certain extent-

Twins do have young guys coming up- but are going to lose production. I know you dont think it matters losing certain guys like Taylor and Gallo and maybe Kapler (if they prefer to save the 10M and go with a young guy)- but you have to replace that production which isnt always a sure thing.

That- and potentially losing Gray is the big part. Twins are going to have some pitching questions to answer.

Kepler will be back. Thats a certainty. The only thing that is uncertain is if he lasts the whole season or ends up trade bait. Way too much value.

Gallo is 100% not a loss in any way. And I am one of the Twins fans that has defended him most since he did help in April. Hes been awul and/or hasnt played the entire second half when we were elite.

Taylor is a depth piece. And will be back unless some other team overpays for him and gives him multi years. In that case its a win because we save money. In steps Austin Martin. And maybe the get someone like Kiermeir or something instead.

Gray is the one they have to legit replace. That is it. But so many options with trade pieces it can be done. Just dont know who yet.

But like I said, its more so that so many are saying its a certainty Detroit wins it next year cause they won a bunch in garbage time. The Twins were best team in AL not named the Orioles since ASB.

 

[WiggyRuss]

The golden glove​

After he made a diving snag one night in late September, his second jaw-dropping play in as many innings, Giménez couldn’t hold back a smile. His defense this season was breathtaking, and it explains why, even with a pedestrian year at the plate (and that’s thanks to a strong finish), he still registered 3.7 fWAR.

His 22 Defensive Runs Saved rank second in the majors for any player at any position, behind only Fernando Tatis Jr., a shortstop masquerading as a right fielder. Per Statcast, Giménez ranks in the 100th percentile in range and Outs Above Average and the 99th percentile in fielding run value, which should aid his bid for a second consecutive Gold Glove Award.


From TheAthletic

 

[WiggyRuss]

The Guardian traded Nolan Jones because they were in a 40 man roster crunch, and he did not perform while he was with them.

He performed great in Colorado (although his BABIP is 100 points over average I read today). They wish they had him back obviously. He would be a solid RF- a position they need.

However, they got a really good prospect when they dealt for him. Juan Brito just turned 22 in September. He started in A ball and ended the season in AAA. Baseball America named him the Guardians prospect of the year. He will be on Top 100 prospect lists soon.

Obviously I think its one they would like to have back- and they might have been able to get Brito for someone else (Oscar maybe?) but Jones had a really really high BABIP this year- and Brito could be a player. They could salvage something out of this deal. It will be interesting to see.

 

[WiggyRuss]

The Guardians should improve just by getting rid of some huge holes.

1. Catcher was a black hole most of the year- Zunino was trash. Their backup was insanely bad (Gallagher). To quote TheAthletic "Gallagher, by the way, is the only major-league position player in the last 114 years with at least 140 plate appearances and an OPS below .325". Next year Bo Naylor should have the job out the gate, and be ready to go after getting comfortable this year. Hopefully they get a better backup as well.

2. Shaw was a joke in centerfield. While his defense is still arguably the best in baseball at center- from TheAthletic "Myles Straw posted a sub-.600 OPS, yet racked up 518 plate appearances". That is not bad. That is horrendous and really inexcusable. I am so bummed Francona was gone- his loyalty to his players was legendary but sometimes it went too far. Just getting a CF that is decent would be a huge improvement.

3. Starting Rotation- Bibee, Williams and Allen all have experience and will be ready to go from Day 1. McKenzie and Bieber came back and showed they were healthy. Quintrell looked pretty good down the stretch. Maybe Espino can get back healthy and show why he was one of the best Guardians prospects of the last 20 years. The Guardians had a top 10 pitching staff in 2023- and it should be markedly better next year.

4. SS- Rosario was a joke before he got dealt and then they played games with Freeman, Arias and for a little bit Rocchio. No matter who the SS is- even if its one of those 3 guys- they should get much more out of the position then last year.

5. Gimenez and Kwan both regressed to a certain extent. Both are still great defensive players- but both started playing better down the stretch and seemed to make adjustments. I think both will be better next year than this year. While this is not a sure thing as the other 3- I think its fair to think.

6. RF was a joke. OBviously they need to get someone. If they spend money in the offseason- which I think they will since they have a bunch of money cleared off the payroll with Bell, Zunino, Civale, Rosario (like 35 million just with those 4 guys)- I think the priority becomes adding a guy who can play RF/1B/DH. Naylor will get run at 1B and DH. Manzardo should get at bats at 1B/DH- maybe start the season their- but they need a RF. They arent going to spend any money in the pitching staff- they dont have to- in fact they may deal Bieber and even save some more $.

The following positions are set:
C: Naylor
1B/DH: Naylor
2B: Gimenez
3B: Ramirez
LF: Kwan

Thez following positions are will probably be young guys:
SS: Rocchio/Arias or Freeman
1B/DH: Manzardo

The following positions are totally up for grabs:
CF- hopefully not Straw
RF- probably someone they bring in- or wait to try Valera or give Gonzalez another chance. Extremely likely its someone outside the organization if you ask me.

Rotation:
1. Bieber (if he is not dealt)
2. McKenzie
3. Bibee
4. Williams
5. Quintrell
6. Allen
7. Espino/Cantillo/Gaddis/Beytonfield/Hankins

 

[mr.hockey4242]

The Guardian traded Nolan Jones because they were in a 40 man roster crunch, and he did not perform while he was with them.

He performed great in Colorado (although his BABIP is 100 points over average I read today). They wish they had him back obviously. He would be a solid RF- a position they need.

However, they got a really good prospect when they dealt for him. Juan Brito just turned 22 in September. He started in A ball and ended the season in AAA. Baseball America named him the Guardians prospect of the year. He will be on Top 100 prospect lists soon.

Obviously I think its one they would like to have back- and they might have been able to get Brito for someone else (Oscar maybe?) but Jones had a really really high BABIP this year- and Brito could be a player. They could salvage something out of this deal. It will be interesting to see.

Key for Jones is he does not have Coors inflated splits.

He was just as good(slightly better slug/OPS wise) on the road.