When Scott Harris sits back and watches the Tigers, he's beginning to like what he sees. Not that they're anywhere near where he wants them to be, but "the most energizing part of our team," Harris said Monday on 97.1 The Ticket, "is you can see players all over the field getting better." And you can see bats coming to life in the heart of the lineup.
"We have an emerging middle of the order that is young and exciting every night," Harris said. "When as a pitcher you have to go through Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson and Kerry Carpenter, you are expecting some damage. And that is a huge step forward as an organization."
It sure is. The Tigers' haven't had a feared lineup since Miguel Cabrera, the All-Star version, was surrounded by the likes of J.D. Martinez, Victor Martinez, Ian Kinsler and Nick Castellanos. (Remember the days?) They haven't even had a competent offense since the start of this rebuilt rebuild, last in the majors in runs scored and OPS over the last seven years. They're still second to last in both categories this season, but they've been much more productive in the second half with Greene, Torkelson and Carpenter thriving at once.
These are the winds of change. The whales overlooking Comerica Park from one of Detroit's oldest buildings are back, saved by a storm that blew through the city last week. And the three heaviest hitters in the Tigers' lineup have combined for 28 homers and an .871 OPS since the All-Star break. Carpenter has made the biggest waves, tied for third in the American League over this stretch -- with Shohei Ohtani and Corey Seager -- with 12 home runs.
Harris likes to talk about players "accessing their power." In each of Greene, Torkelson and Carpenter, he said he's always seen "at least plus power, if not double-plus power" in batting practice. Now it's showing up in games.
"Those three guys are becoming more self-aware at the plate," he said. "They are going up to the plate with a better plan, they are identifying the pitches that they can drive early and they're getting their A swings off and not missing them. That's a huge step forward for us.
"All of our fans want to see more power out of this group. Sometimes it takes time with young players, but that has been the most notable step forward for me with those three guys: they are threats at the plate every time they're up there."
The Tigers just added another threat in Parker Meadows, who announced himself to the majors last week with a walk-off homer against the defending World Champs. And they appear to have a couple more on the doorstep of Detroit in Colt Keith and Justyn-Henry Malloy, whose "bats are pretty close," Harris said. (It's their gloves that need polishing.) If either one of them can fill the Tigers' void at third base, where Matt Vierling has also entered the chat, Detroit could make a legitimate charge in a wide-open division next season.
"I think you're going to look up at some point in the near future, most likely into 2024, and see a really young, really talented team," Harris said. "We have an emerging nucleus on both sides of the ball. If I were just a fan, that's what I would want the organization to do. I'd want them to have a steady stream of young, high-upside players who are filtering into the big leagues who can fill out an entire lineup or fill out an entire rotation."
In the latter department, the Tigers will enter 2024 with Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize at full health. Both should boost a rotation that's carrying a 4.69 ERA. Asked whether he believes the club's future includes Eduardo Rodriguez, who's having a career year at age 30 and can opt out of his contract this winter, Harris said, "It's not for me to say. He has a decision to make." Harris added that while Tigers "had a lot of conversations leading up to the trade deadline" with Rodriguez regarding his contract, "we haven't talked about it since."
On the whole, Harris believes the Tigers are following through on their mantra of "controlling the strike zone." He noted that their "pitchers are throwing a lot more strikes than they did in the past" and their hitters are "doing damage in the strike zone," having already surpassed last season's home run total.
"I want us to continue to emphasize that we are going to win games in the strike zone, we are going to get in better counts on both sides of the ball, and that is going to carry us to the team that can be a perennial contender," Harris said.
"And for the fans who are paying attention to the minors, there are players up and down our system who are getting a lot better," said Harris. "So when I sit back as president of baseball operations and look at this organization, that gives me confidence. If we are making players better, good things are going to come."
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