Detroit Free Press 7 hours ago
Derek Jeter heads 2020 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot; ex-Tigers, local products make cut
Derek Jeter, the New York Yankees icon, headlines a list of 32 players on the 2020 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot released Monday by the BWAA.
Bless You Boys 12 hours ago
Links: Minor league restructuring and all that fun stuff
Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via As we approach the deadline to add players to the 40-man roster, we look at some minor league standouts and potential draft targets for 202. The MLB General Manager Meetings have come and gone. We have seen a free agent signing or two, and other developments continue. This week, we will hit the deadline for teams to set their 40-man rosters to protect players from December’s Rule 5 draft. We have some speculation about how the Detroit Tigers might handle that responsibility, as well as a look at the minor leagues, and potential amateur draft...
Rob Rogacki / Bless You Boys Nov 17, 2019 
Erie SeaWolves, Connecticut Tigers on proposed minor league team cut list
Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports MLB’s new minor league proposal could cut as many as 42 teams from affiliated ball. Of the many wonderful storylines that have unfolded around baseball this offseason, one of the most important won’t even be seen at the major league level — in 2020, at least. A proposal to cut ties with 42 minor league teams across the country in favor of “making the minor leagues more efficient” and “cutting down on travel” has two Detroit Tigers affiliates in its crosshairs: the Double-A Erie SeaWolves and short-season Connecticut Tigers. First, some...
Bless You Boys Nov 15, 2019
Links: 2020 will be another ‘challenging’ year
Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Tigers GM Al Avila hopes for improvements but keeps expectations low. Another week is almost in the books, and with it came a flurry of Tigers news that was a bit more than one would expect for this time of year. From general manager Al Avila’s remarks about next season to Anthony Fenech’s response, from Lou Whitaker to Justin Verlander, the stories are included in this Friday edition of Detroit Tigers News. So let’s just jump right in. Avila expects ‘another challenging year’ Al Avila spoke to the press during the annual general...
Detroit Free Press Nov 15, 2019
Detroit Tigers should cut the B.S., let their smart new hires speak for themselves
Just let the new hires do all the talking. The Detroit Tigers don't need to oversell people on them.
Bless You Boys Nov 14, 2019
Free agent target: OF Hunter Pence
Photo by Ron Vesely/MLB Photos via The aging outfielder had a resurgent 2019 cut short by injuries, but if he can stay healthy, he may be worth a look. The free agent season is upon us, and it is no secret that, despite the seeming lack of willingness to do so, the Detroit Tigers have money to spend. It’s no small amount either. I’m talking sick money, frosted glass limo money. Will they spend that money? Probably not in droves, but the last two seasons have shown us that the team is willing to dish out smaller contracts to guys who may prove to be valuable enough to deal at the...
Bless You Boys Nov 14, 2019
2019 Player Review: RHP Spencer Turnbull
Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports Spencer Turnbull was worth the wait in 2019. Spencer Turnbull was an obvious choice for the Detroit Tigers Rookie of the Year in 2019. The process took nearly five years, but the Detroit Tigers’ second round pick in the 2014 finally put things together to produce one of the better rookie seasons in the American League. It’s a good thing for the Tigers that he did. There were some modest expectations for Turnbull heading in 2019. Entering his age 26 season, it was clearly time for Turnbull to sink or swim at the game’s highest level. On the other...
Rob Rogacki / Bless You Boys Nov 13, 2019 
Justin Verlander wins 2nd career Cy Young Award
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports Finally. After finishing in second place on three separate occasions, Justin Verlander is a Cy Young winner again. The former Detroit Tigers ace took home his second AL Cy Young Award on Wednesday, edging out Houston Astros teammate Gerrit Cole with 171 voting points to Cole’s 159. Verlander earned 17 of 30 first place votes to Cole’s 13, and was second on all other ballots. Verlander had one of the best seasons of his carer in 2019, posting a 21-6 record and 2.58 ERA in a league-leading 223 innings. He struck out 300 batters for the first time in his...
Detroit Free Press Nov 13, 2019
Ex-Detroit Tigers star Justin Verlander wins 2nd AL Cy Young Award, but this one's sweeter
Justin Verlander, 36, became the oldest pitcher to win the Cy Young Award since 42-year-old Roger Clemens in 2004.
Detroit Free Press Nov 13, 2019
Infielder Harold Castro named Detroit Tigers' rookie of the year by local media
The Detroit Sports Media group named 25-year-old infielder Harold Castro the Detroit Tigers' rookie of the year.
Bless You Boys Nov 13, 2019
Links: Tigers make big organizational moves
Brayan Pena receives his Florida Gulf Coast League Championship ring. March 25, 2019, Lakeland, FL. | Adam Dubbin / Bless You Boys The front office has announced a series of hires and shuffling of their staff in an effort to bolster the rebuild. As the offseason heads towards the MLB Winter Meetings, teams are beginning to make some moves to ready themselves for the December swap meet as well as the Rule 5 draft. Coming off a season that, hopefully, was the nadir of the rebuilding process, the Detroit Tigers have made some personnel changes in an effort to move the team forward towards...
Bless You Boys Nov 12, 2019
Offseason target: Ryosuke Kikuchi
Photo by Masterpress/ The Japanese defensive star could find a home on the Tigers’ infield dirt. While we’re unlikely to see the Detroit Tigers go on a big spending spree this offseason, especially with big-name free agents like Anthony Rendon, there are ways the team can lean into making improvements in 2020. One option is to make a run at MLB-ready players from foreign markets. For example, it was announced on Friday morning that another major player from the Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball Organization with designs on an MLB career would be posted this offseason —...
Detroit Free Press Nov 12, 2019
Detroit Tigers make a slew of new hires, promotions: Here's what you need to know
The Detroit Tigers reshuffled their front-office lineup on Tuesday in a news release. Here's what stands out.
Bless You Boys Nov 12, 2019
Tigers’ Travis Demeritte was overmatched in his debut season
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports He showed flashes of power but was too strikeout-prone in his first stint in the majors After six-and-a-half seasons in the minor leagues, Travis Demeritte finally reached the majors after being traded to the Tigers in a deadline deal that brought him over from the Atlanta Braves. On July 31st, the Tigers sent their closer in Shane Greene to the Braves in exchange for two prospects: right-handed pitcher Joey Wentz and outfielder Demeritte. While Wentz was considered the headliner of the deal, Demeritte’s big power made him an intriguing secondary piece....
Rob Rogacki / Bless You Boys Nov 12, 2019 
Fanpulse: 0% of Tigers fans think they will contend for the 2020 World Series
I mean... yeah. Hey, at least we’re honest with ourselves. In the most recent FanPulse poll — you have still been filling those out, right? — our readers and Detroit Tigers fans at large were asked if they thought the team would be able to contend for the World Series in 2020. Literally every single person said no. Tigers fans were one of two fanbases to unanimously believe their team has zero shot at winning it all in 2020 (the Seattle Mariners were the other), and, well, I can’t blame them. The Tigers lost 114 games in 2019, the second-highest total in franchise history, and...
