Detroit Tigers: The most important offseason move

Detroit Tigers Player Development Option 1: Kenny Graham

Littlefield’s reassignment meant the Detroit Tigers had to find a replacement to handle the day-to-day duties of the position for the rest of the season. They turned to Kenny Graham, who was originally hired in late 2019 to be the team’s Director of Player Development, with an emphasis on developing hitters. Graham has a solid resume, including stints as a college coach and as the minor-league hitting coordinator for both the Toronto Blue Jays and the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Detroit Tigers seem intent on going outside the organization for their new head of player development, but Al Avila said Graham is a candidate. With no minor-league action in 2020, Graham didn’t get much of a chance to prove his value last year, but one could argue 2021 has been one of the Detroit Tigers’ best development years in recent memory. It helps to have high draft picks in the system, but there have also been impressive signs from players like Beau Brieske, Dillon Dingler, Colt Keith, Ryan Kreidler, and Gage Workman.

Still, some of Detroit’s other priority prospects have stagnated, and this may simply be a case of too-little, too-late for Graham. So who might the Tigers target from outside the organization?

Detroit Tigers Player Development Option 2: Raid the Best Teams

Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but stealing is easier. There are a handful of teams out there with a demonstrated track record of success when it comes to player development — Houston, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Tampa, etc. — so the smartest bet is to just take from them. And no team has a better development track record than the Los Angeles Dodgers. L.A.’s current Director of Player Development is none other than former Detroit Tigers infielder Will Rhymes.

Would Rhymes want to leave Los Angeles for a similar position in Detroit? From the outside it doesn’t seem likely, but Tigers bench coach George Lombard made a similar move. And remember, Dave Littlefield was the Vice President of Player Development. Perhaps an upgrade in title, and the corresponding monetary gains it confers, would be enough to bring Rhymes back. If not, the Tigers could target his second-in-command, Matt McGrath.

The Dodgers don’t have a monopoly on player development, of course. Tampa’s Carlos Rodriguez and Kevin Ibach have stellar track records. Mike Groopman has done strong work with Kansas City and Milwaukee, and the Mariners have had a few strong development years in a row, so checking in with Andy McKay and Emanuel Sifuentes would make some sense.

Detroit Tigers Player Development Option 3: Raid College

There has always been an interesting dynamic in college baseball when it comes to player development. Obviously it behooves teams to help players maximize their ability, but the drive to win games often comes at the expense of pitch development, swing optimization, and, sadly, player health.

But the last decade has seen 2nd- and 3rd-tier programs embrace player development as a means to compete with more talented schools. Many college teams took to modern development methods quicker than their pro counterparts — Wake Forest’s pitching lab rivals anything at the MLB level. Big-league clubs took notice and began picking off college pitching coaches like Derek Johnson, Wes Johnson, and of course, Chris Fetter.

But why stop at pitching coaches? Why not target the people in charge of the whole program? After all, their entire job is taking a bunch of 17-23 year olds and teaching them how to play winning baseball. It’s probably impossible to lure away the elite coaches like Kevin O’Sullivan of Florida, or Vanderbilt’s Tim Corbin, but what if the Tigers turn to Ann Arbor again?

Michigan Head Coach Erik Bakich has an outstanding track record, from working as a volunteer assistant at Clemson, to running recruiting at Vanderbilt, to successful stints as the head coach at Maryland and Michigan. Eight Michigan players have been drafted in the top five rounds in the past three years. Only Louisville, Mississippi State, UCLA, and Vanderbilt have had more top-five picks, with nine apiece. That’s a remarkable achievement for a Big Ten school, and the Detroit Tigers would be wise to see if Bakich is interested in moving to pro ball.

Detroit Tigers Player Development Option 4: Raid the Private Sector

Over the last decade an increasingly large amount of player development has been taking place during the offseason, away from team facilities. And once again MLB teams have taken notice of the gains made by their players while working with private instructors. The Dodgers hired Robert Van Scoyoc as a hitting consultant in 2016, the Reds brought on Kyle Boddy as a pitching coordinator in 2019, and last year the Yankees brought in Eric Cressey to oversee their training staff.

Tigers fans may already be familiar with the name Doug Latta. He is credited with helping alter the swings of Marlon Byrd and Justin Turner, among others, and has worked with current Tigers players/prospects Derek Hill, Ryan Kreidler, and Jake Rogers. Maybe he isn’t interesting in joining an MLB team, but it couldn’t hurt to ask.

And that brings us back to Boddy. There’s not a bigger name in private baseball instruction than Driveline Baseball, which he founded in 2012. Scores of players and coaches have ventured to Washington to learn and improve, and teams like the Dodgers, Giants, and Phillies have hired Driveline trainers. That’s an impressive “coaching tree” for a baseball outsider who isn’t yet 40. Boddy was initially reluctant to join a pro team, but he took the plunge in 2019. Perhaps he’s ready for a bigger role?