2021 Detroit Tigers after 60 games…where do we go from here?

The Detroit Tigers Bullpen after 60 games:

The bullpen is currently comprised of Jose Cisnero, Jason Foley, Kyle Funkhouser, Bryan Garcia, Rony Garcia, Derek Holland, Joe Jimenez, Daniel Norris, Tyler Alexander, and Gregory Soto, along with Michael Fulmer on the IL for an unknown amount of time, but not thought to be serious. Fatigue always worries me, especially June with an injury-filled history for the player. The unit had a rough start to the season along with the rest of the team but it has settled down.

Kyle Funkhouser has been a pleasant surprise in his 15.2 innings across 12 appearances, featuring a 2.87 ERA and 13K’s to go along with a 1.02 WHIP. Jose Cisnero seems to be settling into the closer’s role, with Gregory Soto also playing a part in the back end of the bullpen. Jason Foley is the newcomer and he features 98+ with the fastball but it still looks too straight to me for him to find major league success. I need to see more of Foley and am withholding final judgment but I’m watching him through squinted eyes.

Joe Jimenez, Bryan Garcia, and Derek Holland can not be trusted, though Holland was better in his few appearances in May and first showing in June before a rough outing on June 5th in Chicago. He will need to be watched closely but these are 3 spots that the Tigers can churn as they see fit and continue to try out other arms in the organization.

Relievers on the 40 man in Toledo that could see some time include Beau Burrows, who is struggling and appears to behave pitched himself out of future plans, Alex Lange who started out strong in Detroit before hitting the skids and has not been any better in Toledo, and Erasmo Ramirez who was called up and placed on the 10 day IL before making an appearance. It is easy to see why Al Avila opted to place Jason Foley on the 40 man roster for his latest bullpen move, the roster is barren.

Some other possible additions going forward from Toledo that would cause 40 man roster casualties are Ian Krol, Locke St. John, Drew Carlton, or maybe even the return of Buck Farmer should he right the ship. The bullpen’s best days may have been the month of May and it’s easy to see it sliding down as the season takes its toll on the existing arms and the depth is challenged.

Detroit Tigers outfield after 60 games

We are starting to see some churn through the position players, as we wave goodbye to Jacoby Jones. Victor Reyes has been demoted and brought back and he serves no real purpose. Nomar Mazara and his .183/.248/.288 performance with an ISO of .106 has to be skating on thin ice. When power and Home Runs are your only calling card and you have 2 in 113 PA’s it seems it is time to cut bait and move on.

Expect Daz Cameron to join his pal Derek Hill here in Detroit soon which would give us fans an outfield of Grossman/Hill/Daz with local sensation Eric Haase seeing some time, along with continued judicious use of Akil Baddoo, to watch and enjoy. Reyes or Mazara can stay or go as far as I am concerned because the playing time for the slot should be minimal. I would keep Reyes over Mazara just for the pinch-running aspect.

Behind the plate is dicey as we have seen both the good and the bad of Jake Rogers, gunning down all 4 would-be base stealers, but his bat is still a huge question mark. He is fine for now in the backup spot but he is far away from being an everyday player. Jake Rogers makes the Dillon Dingler watch in West Michigan that much more exciting.

Eric Haase has taken over the main duties with Wilson Ramos on the IL, who was struggling mightily at the plate after a fast start to the season to go with the defense that will certainly not have you mistake him for Pudge Rodriguez. A decision will have to be made at some point when Ramos and Greyson Greiner are ready to return.

It is not a position of strength, but Haase has handled the duties admirably so far as he injects the power at the plate that the team was dire to add. It is certainly in better shape than it was just a month ago.

The infield is just a mess. Miguel Cabrera continues to be more down than up as he tries to dig his way out of a disastrous start to the season. I am as big of a Miggy fan as there is but let’s face facts he is -.8 bWAR at this point in the season and while he flashes some of the old magic, the likelihood of the flickering light staying on decreases as the season progresses. The 2B/SS defense is a disaster with little hope at improvement.

Willi Castro is heating up with the bat as is Jonathon Schoop who is playing some first base, and utility man masquerading as a starting SS Niko Goodrum continues to not really hit nor field the position. Jeimer Candelario is slumping, just when I am about ready to think he is at least an average major league ballplayer.

The OPS is down to .717 in 241 PA’s this season for The Candy Man after flashing an excellent .872 in 206 PA’s this season. American League average OPS is down to .714 so far in 2021 from .733 in 2020 and .762 in 2019 I have seen some calls from fans to try and reach an extension with him, but I think that is premature.

Let’s see how he finishes out this season. So far he is about average, can he flourish, maintain, or sink? All 3 possibilities are reasonable. There is no reason to be in a hurry to lock up league-average players that can be replaced. If he shows more and finishes strong we can revisit that issue. I think the last 4 months of the season are of gigantic importance to his future and how the Tigers shape the 2022 roster and beyond. I love rooting for him and am in his corner.

I don’t really see a lot of changes here moving forward, especially before August 1st, other than Daz coming with Mazara departing and then Reyes hitting the road when Wilson Ramos returns.

Detroit Tigers The Verdict after 60 games:

May was a nice surprise after a horrendous month of April and June has started out just fine with a 3-3 mark. The bats putting up 28 runs despite a shutout by Dylan Cease and a 1 run performance against Lance Lynn, along with Mize and Skubal having strong first starts is very encouraging. I think the Tigers can hold their own and play in the .470-.500 vicinity for the next month or two if injuries can stay out of their way and Spencer Turnbull is not out for too long.

Once the innings limits hit and possibly a subtraction or two at the trade deadline, I think things will turn much bleaker for a final couple of months.

I am sticking at 65-97 for the season, but plenty to focus on and enjoy. Watch the youngsters on the mound while they are out there before their early tee times are upon us.  As far as the position players, the development and results of Jeimer Candelario, Eric Haase, Derek Hill, Daz Cameron when he arrives, Akil Baddoo, and Willi Castro are worthwhile following as we sort out who is in and who is out for 2022 and beyond.

We can at least be thankful there really are many important developments to watch at the major league level now, unlike the past few seasons. The overall picture is still very cloudy, but at least there are some breaks in the clouds and joy to be had this glorious summer.