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The 2022 Detroit Tigers are on a historic pace—and not the good kind

By Matthew Scheidel

ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - MAY 17: Jeimer Candelario #46 of the Detroit Tigers reacts during the ninth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on May 17, 2022 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - MAY 17: Jeimer Candelario #46 of the Detroit Tigers reacts during the ninth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on May 17, 2022 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images) /
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2019 Detroit Tigers: 47-114

Former Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Matthew Boyd, #48
CHICAGO – SEPTEMBER 28: Matthew Boyd #48 of the Detroit Tigers pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the first game of a double header on September 28, 2019 at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Ron Vesely/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

Wait, this was only three years ago? Wow, this team hasn’t made as much progress as we thought, have they?

This was a tank job, plain and simple. When your best hitter is Brandon Dixon, you know there was no effort in trying to field a competitive team. Dawel Lugo, Jordy Mercer, Ryan Carpenter, Reed Garret, Daniel Stumpf…okay, maybe they have made some progress.

This season was where the animosity toward Chris Ilitch really started to kick in. The team’s biggest signing was Mercer, and he missed significant time with injury. Then halfway through this dumpster fire of a season, he signed Al Avila to an extension. Not a great look when the team still hasn’t had a winning season since 2016.

The team’s best player this season by WAR was Matthew Boyd (3.8), who was a hot commodity at the 2019 trade deadline, but was never dealt. Boyd had career high in strikeout rate that season,

Then-manager Ron Gardenhire was ejected a whopping nine times in 2019, which is actually pretty hilarious. But when you know you have so little talent on your roster, you’re going to fight for every break you can get.

Still can’t believe how recent this was. It feels like an eternity ago. Let’s move on because thinking about this season makes me sad.

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