Detroit Tigers Front Office Makes Changes in Two Directions

It hasn’t taken long for the Detroit Tigers front office to make changes. Now that the off-season has officially begun in the MLB, the Tigers are clearly moving in a direction – but not necessarily the same direction.

The Detroit Tigers appear embracing analytics. And the latest hiring proves it. But, they also appear to be going old-school. Another hiring proves that.

Formerly the senior analyst with the New York Yankees, Jim Logue is now a part of the Tigers newest department, the analytics department. While this signing looks hopeful, another one seems to negate it.

Building an Analytics Department

Logie, the analytics expert, will join Jay Sartori and Sam Menzin, who are both working on getting numbers more involved in the decisions that the Tigers make about their players, their lineups, and their future. To improve the analytics inside of the Tigers organization, the front office will be using a new software system with a somewhat ironic name: Caesar.

Hopefully, this “Caesar” will be nothing like that Roman guy who brought about the fall of the Roman Empire.

Bringing in Another Dombrowski Relic

Avila made another big move in the front office on Friday. Mike Russell, a Hall of Fame scout, will now be Avila’s special assistant. Russell worked with the Tigers for 12 years between 2002 and 2014. Russell was involved in bringing Miguel Cabrera to the Marlins and we all know what has happened since. Adding Russell to the Tigers brings another Dave Dombrowski relic to the team’s front office.

As the front office goes, so goes the baseball team. It is a positive sign that the Tigers hired Logue with his degree in economics from Amherst College to work in the analytics department. But, the hiring of an older baseball scout seems to negate the hiring of a young math guy. As the Chicago Cubs proved, the young math guys can make a big difference.

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Trying Not to Suck

Sorry to steal the Cubs line, but it’s not a bad thing to consider. Analytics might not be the sexy side of baseball, but it works. If the Tigers can get the right guys in the office, then they can hopefully get the right guys on the field. There could be a few lean years for fans to struggle through, especially if the Cameron Maybin for Victor Alcantara is a sign of things to come. At least the Tigers got something for Maybin, right? Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like they got much for him.

Being cheap and making good decisions are two different things. Reducing payroll can be done well, especially if the right people are making the right decisions. Hopefully, Logue will be able to assist the rest of the analytics team in choosing players who have the numbers that will make the Tigers better. Hopefully, a long-time baseball guy like Russell embraces the idea of numbers rather than just the eyeball test.

Next: Learn about Sabermetrics in Ahead of the Curve

The changes are here my fellow Tigers fans. Are you ready for the ride?