Detroit Tigers: 3 things Scott Harris has actually done right so far

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Here at Motor City Bengals, we've been pretty critical of Scott Harris through the first year of his tenure (well, mostly me, Matthew. Hi guys.) We (me, hi again) recently gave him a barely passing grade on his first year in office.

While we (I, again, mostly me) haven't been very impressed with Harris so far, there are still some things he's done well. While there are still some questions about his ability to identify talent and the way he handles minor league promotions, some of the big picture stuff he's done is pretty encouraging.

Some people really don't like his draft, mostly because he chose Max Clark over Wyatt Langford at No. 3 overall. But the rest of the draft was interesting and different than how the Tigers had ran their drafts in the past. They chose nine high school players, which is the most they've taken in years. It shows they actually had a plan when it came to the draft, and we're here for it.

But there are other things Harris has done that we've liked. He's not a complete buffoon like his predecessor. We believe there is a plan here.

Despite my criticisms, there are some things to like with Harris. So, without further ado...

Here are 3 things that Scott Harris has actually done right so far

1. He's hiring the right people around him

Harris' cabinet is filled with a bunch of smart, well-respected people in the baseball industry. Mark Conner is his amateur scouting director, and he drafted very, very well when he held the same position with the Padres.

Rob Metzler is the assistant GM, and he came from the Rays. Heis also highly thought of. He has a scouting background as well.

And then last week, Harris hired Jeff Greenberg, someone he worked with when they were both with the Cubs, to be his general manager. He's also highly regarded in the industry. Some people may think he just hired one of his buddies to be a yes man, but the reality is Greenberg is a much smarter individual than someone like David Chadd or Dave Littlefield.

The people in the Tigers front office are a much more intelligent bunch than in previous years. It's filled with bunch of fresh blood. This leads us to the next thing he's done well.

2. He's further modernized the organization

All these guys have huge analytical backgrounds. Al Avila started this, but Harris — and to a lesser extent, A.J. Hinch — have finished the job.

The Tigers were stuck in the dinosaur ages for years. Dombrowski ignored analytics for years and just threw money at stars. He still does this with the Phillies, and they made the World Series last year.

Anyway, Harris and his crew have really modernized the Tigers. Like it or not, this is the direction baseball has been going. The Tigers may be late to the party on this, but better late than never.

The Dodgers, Rays, Orioles, Astros, Braves, you name it — any team that is successful is using analytics. I have seen some somewhat valid concerns that the organization is leaning too heavily into analytics, but I don't think we're there yet. Let's see what the front office does this offseason.

3. He's trimmed most of the fat off the roster

This is probably the most impactful thing he's done when it comes to the big league roster. Most of the guys on the roster last year were fringe big leaguers, or even guys that should be in the minors. Think of someone like Victor Reyes or Harold Castro.

Harris got rid of a lot of those guys last year. The bottom of the roster, while still not great, looks a lot better than it did this time last year.

Guys like Zack Short, Zach McKinstry, Andy Ibanez, Nick Maton, Tyler Nevin, etc. — they're not good, but most of these guys probably won't be back in 2024. Most of the reason why the Tigers are better than last season is because the bottom of the roster is better that last year.

There aren't as many replacement level players. There's a lot of 1-2 WAR guys, but not as many 0-1 WAR guys. That's progress.

There's still more progress to make. We need to start seeing more players that are capable of 2-WAR, 3-WAR, or even 4-WAR seasons, but we're getting there.

The big league roster is better than it was a year ago, but there's still a ways to go. This is a huge offseason for Scott Harris. The Tigers have an opportunity to make some noise in the AL Central next year. They need to add some pieces this winter.

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Here are 3 things that Scott Harris has actually done right so far

1. He's hiring the right people around him

2. He's further modernized the organization

3. He's trimmed most of the fat off the roster

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