Is the Future of the Detroit Tigers as Bright as Some Believe?
· Yahoo Sports
A team being eliminated from playoff contention can bring pain and torment to the fans watching the ship slowly sink beneath the water. But sometimes, that same disappointment can open a door for players who otherwise may not have gotten their opportunity.
That is exactly where the Detroit Tigers find themselves.
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Detroit has not been able to give its all this season in terms of results. That is not a callout of any individual player, because I have not seen a lack of effort from a single player on this team, whether at the plate or on the mound.
The problem has been the inability to consistently come through when it matters most.
The Tigers have lost numerous games this season because of a lack of clutch hitting or pitching, and that has been overwhelmingly frustrating to watch. But it has not been because this team was unwilling to compete. Baseball is a fickle sport, and even when a team is prepared and gives everything it has, the game can still deliver the utmost adversity.
Now, though, that adversity has created an opportunity.
Detroit Has Started Finding Its Future
When something happens that makes you realize the pieces you had in place may not be the pieces you want moving forward, it forces a team to do something outside of the norm.
For the Tigers, that has meant giving as many young players as possible an opportunity to show what they can do at the major-league level.
With that philosophy, Detroit suddenly had a plethora of players it could give opportunities to. And with each passing player, it seems as though the Tigers have continued to find another potential gem.
There were points earlier in the season when Detroit gave opportunities to players such as James Outman and Gage Workman. Whether those opportunities came because of injuries or because the Tigers were still unwilling to give up on the season, the results were, for the most part, limited.
But more recently, Detroit appears to have struck gold with some of the younger talent it has brought into the big leagues.
Hao-Yu Lee, Brett Callahan and Ben Malgeri have all provided reasons for excitement, while players who have grown within the Tigers organization have continued to get their chances.
Detroit has also already started seeing what some of its newest acquisitions can bring. River Ryan, acquired in the Tarik Skubal trade, has now made his way into the major leagues and is another piece the organization can evaluate as it looks toward the future.
That is perhaps the most encouraging part of all of this.
The Tigers are not simply hoping their prospects will eventually become major-league players.
They are starting to find out what they can do now.
McGonigle and Clark Could Be the Beginning
Detroit's future appears to be burning as bright as the sun, and two of the biggest reasons for that optimism are Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark.
The tandem represents so much of what could be right with the Tigers moving forward.
McGonigle has displayed phenomenal bat-to-ball skills and looks as locked in as any young player can be at the plate. Nearly every at-bat seems to bring another reminder of why Detroit has been so excited about his development.
He has consistently put the barrel on the ball, shown an ability to impact the game on the basepaths and, perhaps just as importantly, continued to show that he can contribute defensively.
Then there is Clark.
Clark has shown the ability to spray the ball all over the field, but his work to the opposite field has been particularly impressive. He has repeatedly found ways to place the ball into areas where defenders simply have trouble getting to it.
That combination of McGonigle and Clark gives Detroit something it desperately needs when looking toward the next several seasons: young players who can potentially become foundational pieces rather than simply temporary replacements.
And they are not alone.
Add in the power potential of Lee and Eduardo Valencia, along with the contact-oriented approaches of Malgeri and Callahan, and suddenly the Tigers have a collection of young hitters who could become a legitimate part of the next great Detroit team.
That does not guarantee success.
But it gives the organization something it did not have to the same degree earlier in the season: legitimate reasons to be excited about what is coming next.
The Bullpen Could Determine Everything
The pitching side of the equation is a little more complicated.
Detroit remains young throughout much of its pitching staff outside of Framber Valdez, with Troy Melton, Drew Anderson and Jackson Jobe among the young arms looking to help solidify the rotation.
That could leave a fifth spot open for someone such as Keider Montero, Drew Anderson or River Ryan to eventually claim.
In fact, there may be too many young arms competing for opportunities in Detroit's rotation, something that became an interesting problem as the season progressed.
For a team looking toward the future, that is not necessarily a bad problem to have.
Unfortunately, the same depth has not translated to the bullpen.
The Tigers' bullpen has often felt like the complete opposite of the rotation, and that could ultimately become the biggest obstacle standing between Detroit and a successful future.
Because no matter how exciting the youth movement becomes, no matter how good McGonigle and Clark can be, and no matter how many young arms emerge in the rotation, a team still needs a bullpen capable of protecting leads and finishing games.
That may be the biggest piece Detroit needs to address moving forward.
The Tigers have a bright future ready to burst through.
McGonigle and Clark could become two of the faces of that future. Lee, Valencia, Malgeri, Callahan and the young pitching staff could add even more depth to the picture.
But if Detroit wants that future to turn into something meaningful, the organization will need to find a bullpen worth a damn.
The pieces are starting to appear.
Now, the Tigers have to put them together.