Injuries and underperformance have sent the Tigers into desperation mode the week before Opening Day: Spencer Torkelson is being tested in right field, Javy Baez is getting reps at third base, Riley Greene is playing in center and the starting shortstop remains a question mark.
When Torkelson misplayed a ball in the outfield in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates followed by Colt Keith, a natural second baseman, committing an error at first, "here’s my view of that," said Mike Valenti, "Little League. That’s Little League."
While Valenti gives Scott Harris full marks for "burning the minor-league system to the ground, making smart hires, drafting, developing and now the Tigers have a real farm product ... what I don’t understand with Scott Harris is how we’re here."
"You made the playoffs last year, and now I got Walter Matthau managing a team. This is Bad News Bears. I’m teaching Javy to play third, I’m teaching Keith to play first, 'Hey Tork, it’s like 10 minutes before the season, wanna play right?'"
And Valenti says the Tigers' issues, which were compounded Monday when third baseman Jace Jung was sent down to Triple-A Toledo, can be traced back to one offseason decision: "You did not sign a single high-level right-handed bat."
"And the one you did sign refuses to play third base. Remember, Gleyber Torres would still be a Yankee if he had moved to third. He refused, the Yankees told him to GTFO. Then the Nationals offered him more money than you. He said no. Why? They wanted him at third. ... My issue is, what the F did we even do this offseason if this is where we are?"
Even though the Tigers spent a good chunk of money this winter, Valenti says they failed at their main objectives: "Didn’t get Tarik Skubal extended, and by all accounts it was an offensive offer. That’s a fail. Did we add a right-handed bat at third, at short or in the outfield? No, no, no. Did we sign a right-handed bat? Yes. One problem: he’s land-locked at second for a team that wants flexibility.
"Now it’s, who’s on first, who’s playing third, who’s our shortstop? Trey Sweeney? Maybe? Javy? Maybe? Parker Meadows can’t feel his arm. My point is, while Tigers fans were busy touching their jollies making fun of deals to players like Anthony Santander, he can play first and the outfield. We didn’t do anything!
And for a team coming off its first playoff berth in 10 years with a "win total in line with the entire division, that's unacceptable, says Valenti: "Why are we teaching people to do new things on the fly? It suggests that if you had a plan, it went bleeps-up. And if you don’t have a plan, we arrive back at, unacceptable."