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

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.