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detroit_schlegs
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Apparently, according to DD, his GM duties at this point are to unload Cespedes and Price in order to salvage the predicament in which the Tigers now find themselves. Is this bailout a message on the marquee for all to see along the lines of "Our team is not very good anymore", so we must get rid of two of our best players - yep, he believes, we are now backed into a position to be sellers, not buyers. A knowledgeable non-partisan observer would say: "what about that bullpen that's been in disrepair for the several seasons now? What about some of those who have played almost daily for a few seasons now, who, when approaching the plate with a club in hand, would induce comments from several of the truest fans, under their breath, along the lines of "oh, boy this rally is soon to be over" because they remember, clearly, the batting history of each of them. Castellanos, Avila, and, in key situations, Rajai, are our biggest culprits of this deadbeat tag. The continued use of Avila, while his father sits above watching intently, has worn itself out. His consistency at the plate has been much more of a benefit for the opposition than for the Tigers for quite some time now. It seems that he can no longer throw out a single runner on the base paths. When was the last time that he got that recognition for throwing someone out? When watching him call a game it seems that he has issues knowing where the edge of the plate is, since, so often, his target with the glove is well outside of the strike zone. Watch out if a pitch happens to get into the dirt; his blocking skills have seemed to escape him because, so many times, the bounce off of his equipment lands well beyond his reach. So, what is it that he can do as an everyday catcher which makes him more deserved than McCann, who is a better hitter, is more athletic, and can actually throw runners out. But, as dad sits in his place above the action, the manager's job is much more secure by playing Alex two games for every one for the better catcher. How many times in the last 4 seasons, has there been Tigers runners in scoring position, then to see Alex strike out or make a different kind of exit for himself? Are there that many stars in the sky? Enough criticism for our #1 catcher, let's move the spotlight over to the "golfer", Castellanos. Is there a pitch at ankle level or in the dirt that he doesn't like to munch on? His lack of discipline at the dish is becoming a notorious league statistic. Is this guy a true major league player? No, not even close from his inability to hit a baseball on any kind of regular basis. Could he even hit a beach ball that is thrown with rotation on it? That's questionable, for sure. To repeat the same question, how many times has there been runners in scoring position when he came to the dish holding his untrustworthy club? Are there more cities in the good old USA than times he posted a K when in that situation? When at his usual position patrolling the hot corner, his reaction timing comes well after the pitch strikes the bat. So many times we'll see him react quite late to the ball when it appears in the vicinity of where he is standing. Recently, his inability to get his glove on the ball on many different occasions, can be directly related to his delayed reaction timing. Time spent in the minor league system for a few seasons may enhance his motor-memory system, but using him as a regular player in the lineup in a Tigers uniform has shown to be a mistake. As far as Rajai is concerned, his discipline at the plate in recent times has almost disappeared, especially when he is in the position to drive in runners. His speed on the base path is certainly an asset, provided that he can get on base first, where those have been few and far between, lately.
So, apparently the solution to this dilemma that the Tigers find themselves in, is to unload your ace, one of the best in all of the major leagues, and their most athletic outfielder, who has done nothing but to improve the team since he arrived. Maybe the correct solution would rather be to get rid of those who are non-productive members of the organization, like 99% of the other teams in every professional sport would do, instead. Who should be shipped out on the exit bus? Let's start with DD himself. He's the one that put some of these non-productive people and most of those in the bullpen on the Tigers roster in the first place. Shouldn't that reward of expulsion go to him first? If the Tigers are, in fact, that bad, he is at the head of the list for the reasons why they are such. Cuff him to his assistant, and have him drag his son along with him. Give the waggling first finger motion to Castellanos and Rajai to send a signal to them: "come on, you two are coming with us, too". Then, take your pick of which of those relievers felt to be 'a fixture for their opponents' must be headed out on the bus with the other castaways. Next, fill the spots vacated by the 'exiled' with players that are somewhat productive or a bit better than that, before the July 31st deadline. That seems to be the solution that every other team in MLB would do; but, of course, the Tigers management has done a lot of things quite differently than the others have. Just this year alone, Ausmus has kept one of the leading hitters in the American League batting in the #9 position in the lineup. How many times previously in the history of baseball itself has another manager ever made such an odd decision as that? Also, several times when a Tigers player has had a great day at the plate, he has rewarded that production with a day off the next game. "Wow, what a day at the plate you had today", the media comments; "what do you think you'll be able to do for this team tomorrow", they ask? "Well", the elated player responds, "I hope that I can do as well of a job tomorrow charting the pitching data as I did at the dish today"!
So, apparently the solution to this dilemma that the Tigers find themselves in, is to unload your ace, one of the best in all of the major leagues, and their most athletic outfielder, who has done nothing but to improve the team since he arrived. Maybe the correct solution would rather be to get rid of those who are non-productive members of the organization, like 99% of the other teams in every professional sport would do, instead. Who should be shipped out on the exit bus? Let's start with DD himself. He's the one that put some of these non-productive people and most of those in the bullpen on the Tigers roster in the first place. Shouldn't that reward of expulsion go to him first? If the Tigers are, in fact, that bad, he is at the head of the list for the reasons why they are such. Cuff him to his assistant, and have him drag his son along with him. Give the waggling first finger motion to Castellanos and Rajai to send a signal to them: "come on, you two are coming with us, too". Then, take your pick of which of those relievers felt to be 'a fixture for their opponents' must be headed out on the bus with the other castaways. Next, fill the spots vacated by the 'exiled' with players that are somewhat productive or a bit better than that, before the July 31st deadline. That seems to be the solution that every other team in MLB would do; but, of course, the Tigers management has done a lot of things quite differently than the others have. Just this year alone, Ausmus has kept one of the leading hitters in the American League batting in the #9 position in the lineup. How many times previously in the history of baseball itself has another manager ever made such an odd decision as that? Also, several times when a Tigers player has had a great day at the plate, he has rewarded that production with a day off the next game. "Wow, what a day at the plate you had today", the media comments; "what do you think you'll be able to do for this team tomorrow", they ask? "Well", the elated player responds, "I hope that I can do as well of a job tomorrow charting the pitching data as I did at the dish today"!
