sure, just not that veteran…guy doesn’t fit what Hinch wants with his lineups and Tigers pitching was a bigger issue than the bats last year.
Yea- fair enough- Hinch wants versatility in his guys.
Why does Sweeney always get dragged into everything? Who gives F about Sweeney accept being @Bols favorite player.
THink it was equal comps to Nick C or maybe better…
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Because there’s no point in spending money on a player who is comparable not just to the worst player on our team already, but one of the worst players in the entire MLB.
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Literally in MLB money cost you nothing.
I’m pretty sure it costs you money.
Also believe it or not we’re pretty close to having to pay the luxury tax, so I don’t imagine we’ll be doing much more spending.
League min. like 700,000$ - pocket change - the guy hit .250 17HR 72 rbi 72 runs - I know that’s not your hi- tech analytics, but hardly the worst player in MLB. GEEZ–
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Its right in his name, mang…
CastellaNOs
Also his Canadian language anagram is
Scat! No Sell, a
Verify @stephenboyd57
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By the way we need at least one more to join the fantasy league.
I don’t think @Martymcfly2017 has joined. Would you want to?
What is it
Fantasy baseball league we’re doing this season for fun. Pretty much all of us are in it.
No money, and not a keeper league so you don’t have to do it next year if you don’t end up liking it. We’re going to have a ton of fun.
Baseball season is upon us! Join my league The Den FBL. Click Here: Join League | Fantasy Baseball | Yahoo! Sports
Here’s the link.
Also if @KarlKaliente is not signed up, I think he should sign up.
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Im in, but im not very active because im really busy in the summer time, and ok at fantasy baseball
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He better be in. @KarlKaliente this aint a real league without pickled possum possibility tits.
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I’ll sign up this weekend
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Freep: Kevin McGonigle, Max Clark will get their chances to shine this spring
Full article at link.
When the Tigers officially open camp on Sunday, Feb. 15, Clark and McGonigle will be an interesting storyline but not the biggest one. Not even the most important one for a team that has aspirations of making the World Series.
Which tells you how much this organization has changed.
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“One of the things that we try to be intentional about is bring them when they’re ready,” Hinch said. “That means emotionally, physically, where they’re at developmentally. So I think every team is unique when you come into the clubhouse for the first time in your first big league camp. This one is coming off the playoffs, adding the big-name guys.”
Guys with long résumés.
Or as Clark put it so eloquently: “I mean, this clubhouse got really good, really fast. It was already really good last year, and there’s just so much talent, so much knowledge around it, so just trying to take a piece from it each and every day, go from there and continue to grow.”
The odd couple
The other day, McGonigle and Clark went golfing together.
“I beat him,” McGonigle said, with a laugh. “I’m more consistent off the tee box, but when he gets into one, he can hit a far, far away.”
Their golf games are just as different as their personalities.
Clark, a center fielder, is all flash and jewelry, McGonigle, an infielder, doesn’t wear any of it. That’s not his style.
“He’s trying to get me in the jewelry,” McGonigle said. “I’m like, ‘Yo, dude, no, I can’t be spending my money on that.’”
The banter and shared experience are important. They are climbing together. Just as Greene and Torkelson climbed together – that part is clearly the same.
“I think it helps, definitely having a guy with you that you keep moving up with,” McGonigle said. “We both go through struggles. We both get to talk to each other and help each other get through them, and we also like to push each other. So I think it just keeps us from getting better and better.”
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So when will they arrive?
Hinch’s biggest impression to date?
“There’s no area of the game where they can’t have an impact,” Hinch said. “And that is unique at this stage of their careers. But we need to spend time with them to get a real feel for them.
Clark can run and throw and play defense and hit.
McGonigle can play short, third and second and hit at an elite level.
Make no mistake, that’s a heck of a place to start any discussion.
“The biggest thing for me this offseason was defense, shortstop, third base, a little bit of second base," McGonigle said. “Just being prepared at any position for whenever A.J. wants to throw me somewhere.”
So, could they make the Tigers at some point in 2026?
“I’m gonna wait until the last possible second to make decisions,” Harris said.
The first question is: Will they make this team better?
“We want this team to be good,” Harris said. “It’s all about winning.”
There are some players in the minors who make this team better defensively.
And some who have elite bat-to-ball skills and could help offensively.
But the trick is, they don’t want to stunt their growth.
“We got to make sure that the young players are ready to help on both sides of the ball,” Harris said.
McGonigle and Clark are not playing in the World Baseball Classic. But they will benefit from it.
“They’re going to get a ton of time to play,” Hinch said. “We’re losing a number of players to the WBC. It opens up opportunity. We’re going to push them to see how they fit in at this present moment. I want them to soak it up and enjoy it. I don’t want them to look back at the end of this camp and wish they would have exhaled.”
The same should be said to the fans.
Let them take a few baby steps. Let them breathe a little.
Then, see where it takes them.
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DetNews chimes in on the kids.
DetNews: Wojo: Prime Tigers prospects McGonigle and Clark soaking it all in, waiting their turn
Full article at link.
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Hinch ‘intrigued’
It’s no secret the Tigers could use more offensive pop. Their late-season hitting swoon was hard to watch, and hard to understand. They went from near the top of every offensive category to near the bottom after the All-Star break, and finished in the middle.
When will Hinch and president of baseball operations Scott Harris tap their precocious prospects? As soon as they’re confident the youngsters can handle it. Both have speed and quick bats, the type of homegrown athleticism the Tigers crave.
“I’m intrigued by what they bring overall, there’s no area of the game where they can’t have an impact,” Hinch said. “But this spring, I’d like them to settle in and just play. The easy trap to fall into as a young player is to come in and try to be a caricature of yourself, because you’re trying to fit in, trying to look like a big leaguer. When in reality that can be a big distraction if you’re not authentic. Just getting them to learn and be a sponge is the No. 1 goal.”
Proper sponging can prevent quick expunging, as the theory goes. Clark and McGonigle get it, which doesn’t mean they’re not trying to push it. After all, they’ve spent much of their young careers pushing each other.
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They sit side by side in the Tigers clubhouse, best friends and best prospects, waiting their turn, biding their time. Eventually, Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark hope to move from the middle row of lockers to the ones against the wall where the stars reside. But for now, their roles are simple.
They’re sponges, soaking it all in. Talented sponges and wide-eyed sponges, absorbing everything they can in their first big-league camp.
“It’s cliche but it’s absolutely true,” said outfielder Max Clark, a consensus top-10 prospect. “Obviously it’s tough, everybody wants to be in the big leagues, that’s everybody’s childhood dream. You just have to continue to push that envelope until it’s time. Just being in this room is exciting. There’s so much talent, so much knowledge here, it’s crazy.”
Crazy days indeed as the star power files into Tigertown for the first full-squad workout Sunday, with expectations ramped higher than ever. Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander have gone from introductory press conferences to their locker stools. Two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal threw live batting practice Friday and fired 20 effortless pitches, his first action since Game 5 of the ALDS in Seattle.
Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson got here early, preparing for their fifth seasons, no longer wide-eyed after slugging a combined 67 home runs last season. A few years ago, they sat where McGonigle and Clark sit, a great place to be, for now.
McGonigle is the No. 2 prospect in all of baseball, an infielder who can play second or third, but yearns to play shortstop like his idol, Alan Trammell. He’s among the most-discussed players across spring training, with many in baseball expecting him to join the Tigers by midseason.
AJ Hinch is putting no such expectations on McGonigle or Clark. Neither has even played at Triple A yet. The Tigers are returning all 13 positional players from last season’s second consecutive playoff team, so there’s no rush.
“For every minor league player, the goal is to get up there quick,” McGonigle said. “I know the Tigers have a plan with all the guys. I’m gonna do whatever I can to maybe force their hand and put me up there. If that’s not the case this year, I’ll be playing where my feet are and it won’t affect me at all.”
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