ESPN analyst's praise of Scott Harris shows how far Tigers have come from Al Avila

Two years into Scott Harris' tenure as president of baseball operations for the Detroit Tigers, several fans were unsure what to think of his plans for the team (or, frankly, what those plans were). Now, after a surprising, youth-infused playoff run in 2024, Harris' plan for the Tigers is becoming clearer.

"Generally speaking, they seem to have an idea of what they're doing," said Kiley McDaniel, ESPN's chief MLB prospect analyst (via Tony Paul of the Detroit News). "Not to say that other regimes didn't know what they were doing. But they have an idea and they're executing it and they have an edge and (are) putting resources toward it. And you see what the plan is and where things are going."

Even with McDaniel's clarification, it's hard to view his assessment of the Harris regime as anything other than an indictment of the Al Avila era. In seven years under Harris' predecessor, the Tigers finished in last place in the American League Central Division four times. He was fired in the middle of a 2022 season that saw the team guarantee nearly a quarter-billion dollars in free agency, only to end up in the basement of the division once again.

The purse strings have since tightened under the Harris regime. But while it may appear on the surface to be a frustrating refusal to spend in free agency, Harris' strategy does have some merit.

"To use economic terms, they are finding value in every little pocket around the league," McDaniel said. "They're not paying retail value for free agents the way maybe Javier Báez was."

Báez was signed to a six year, $140 million contract in 2021 by – you guessed it – Avila.

ESPN analyst's praise of Scott Harris shows how far the Tigers have come from Al Avila

Under Harris, the Tigers organization has experienced a paradigm shift away from spending in free agency and toward drafting and developing talent to improve from within. A couple of successful drafts and one playoff run later, the strategic shift appears to be paying off.

"Detroit, obviously, recently didn't really have a thing they were good at," McDaniel said. "They'd have some high picks, some good prospects, young players, some veterans, but not really a cohesive idea of, 'Oh, we're good at this thing, we're going to throw all the resources we have toward this thing.' I think they now are establishing an identity."

Of course, maintaining this identity is going to hinge on the ability of Detroit's young stars to continue to reach their ceilings. But as long as they keep building on their success from 2024, theTigers look primed to open up a lengthy competitive window.

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