Detroit Tigers Links: Farm system worst, Moya tough decision, COPA revamp

The Detroit Tigers are “the worst.” So says ESPN’s Keith Law.

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The ranking of the team’s farm system at dead last should come as a surprise to no one–though it should also come as no surprise after the Tigers traded away all but three of their top 10 prospects from a year ago.

Grading prospects is like assessing who has the best recruiting class in college football before those players arrive as freshmen. It certainly didn’t help Michigan, who often had a top five class under Brady Hoke and has meant nothing to Michigan State who has been a pillar of the Big Ten this decade based on middle of the road recruiting classes. So take things like this with a grain of salt.

One hot prospect who Law is cool on is Steven Moya, saying he has flaws in his swing. Those alleged flaws will likely spend the season in Toledo this year, although Moya wants to make the decision tough on Detroit.

To add some revenue, the Tigers are re-configuring a section at Comerica Park and lastly we look at how the Tigers were shockingly the second to last team to integrate their team. It was 57 years ago yesterday that the team finally broke the color barrier.

Tigers have worst farm system in MLB, ESPN’s Law says – Chris McCosky, Detroit News

Eugenio Suarez and Jonathan Crawford brought starting pitcher Alfredo Simon; Domingo Leyba was part of the deal that brought starting pitcher Shane Greene; Devon Travis brought centerfielder Anthony Gose; Willy Adames was in the deal to bring starting pitcher David Price; and Corey Knebel and Jake Thompson brought reliever Joakim Soria.Dombrowski could also point to the infusion of home-grown talent expected to contribute at the Major League level this season – Castellanos, James McCann, Bruce Rondon, Tyler Collins and Hernan Perez, with Buck Farmer, Kevin Ziomek, Drew VerHagen, Kyle Ryan, Kyle Lobstein, Chad Smith and Steven Moya knocking at the door.

Moya slated for Triple-A, hopes to make Tigers’ decision tough – Dana Wakiji, Fox Sports Detroit

“Moya is one of those guys we love,” Dombrowski said. “We don’t have to rush him. But when he’s ready, he’s going to play because this guy has a chance to be a superstar. He really can hit, hit with power, left-handed power.”So with that kind of success, one might think Moya would be in the mix for an outfield spot with the Tigers this spring.But the Tigers currently have different plans for Moya.“I think our outfield right now is pretty well set,” Tigers assistant general manager Al Avila said.

Tigers rebrand lower-deck seats with ‘Lower Infield Box – Anthony Fenech, Detroit Free Press

But ten rows of lower-deck seating from first base to third base have, and the team has rebranded those seats as the new ‘Lower Infield Box’ section.The new section is made up of 2,700 seats in total.It is sandwiched between the ‘On-Deck Circle’ section, which are the closest seats to the infield, and the ‘Infield Box’ section, which has been reduced in size because of the rebranding.“We studied industry pricing with regards to similar locations, not only in Major League Baseball, but also in other professional sports, and there is tremendous value of this particular location at Comerica Park that certainly adds to the fans overall gameday experience,” Tigers executive vice president of business operations Duane McLean said in a statement.

The day the Detroit Tigers gave up their color barrier – Dan Austin, Freep

On Jan. 28, 1958, the Tigers shipped Jim Finigan and $25,000 to the San Francisco Giants for Gail Harris and Ozzie Virgil. Virgil was called the Tigers’ first black player, though, in actuality, he was their first Latino: He was Dominican.Virgil played his first game at Tiger Stadium on June 17, 1958, going 5-for-5 against the Washington Senators before a crowd of 30,000.“The fans gave me a standing ovation,” he recalled to the Free Press’ John Lowe in 2008. He said that first game in Detroit – in which he batted second and played third base – is one of his favorite baseball memories.

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