Bless You Boys: All Posts by Ashley MacLennanA detailed list of nope about the Detroit Tigershttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47585/default.png2024-03-27T10:30:00-04:00https://www.blessyouboys.com/authors/ashley-maclennan/rss2024-03-27T10:30:00-04:002024-03-27T10:30:00-04:00Introduce yourself to the Bless You Boys community!
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<figcaption>Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>An annual tradition returns! </p> <p id="dcmkdw">Hello Bless You Boys community! Here we are, once again, on the cusp of a brand new baseball season, and it seems like the ideal time to re-introduce ourselves to each other. </p>
<p id="4vesL5">Many of us have been coming to BYB to share our love of the Detroit Tigers (or our frustrations with the team) for years, and while we don’t always comment, it’s nice to sometimes take an opportunity to let people know who we are and why we love this team.</p>
<p id="yk3HHj">So let’s all take a moment and come together in the comments, let others know who we are, where we’re watching games from (the BYB community is quite an impressively global group), how long we’ve been on the site, and something a little fun about ourselves as well.</p>
<p id="BQ0viZ">The BYB staff (past and present) will also pop into the comments to say hello, and I can speak for all of us when I say we’re so excited to spend the 2024 season creating content for you, and we know how lucky we are to have such a committed readership who comes back year after year to support us. Thank you, BYBers, for being here with us for another season. We couldn’t do this without you. </p>
https://www.blessyouboys.com/2024/3/27/24045300/introduce-yourself-to-the-bless-you-boys-community-hello-beautiful-peopleAshley MacLennan2024-03-27T09:00:00-04:002024-03-27T09:00:00-04:00Wednesday Open Thread: Make your bold predictions for 2024
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<figcaption>Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Can’t wait to revisit these at the end of the year...</p> <p id="2aE1zl">One of my favorite pre-season rituals is the opportunity to make some genuinely wild predictions for the upcoming year. Sometimes the crazier they are, the more often they seem to become reality.</p>
<p id="aIHRlY">We love to do this as a group for our annual roundtable discussion, but I figured it would also be fun to turn the crystal ball over to all of you and see what kind of predictions you have for the upcoming year. </p>
<p id="8uaxyM">Will the Tigers have a breakout start to the season and be buyers at the trade deadline? Will one of the players who struggled last year have a breakout year in 2024? Will all my hopes and dreams for Riley Greene finally come true, or will I accidentally curse him again like I did last year? Who knows, but it’s fun to make wild guesses.</p>
<p id="LjCD8V">Your predictions can be anything from the Tigers' end-of-season standings, to milestone events, to things that will be accomplished by certain players. The sky is the limit when it comes to predictions, so go to town. Of course, the fun is trying to think up the wildest or most surprising scenarios that are actually still within the limits of possibility.</p>
<p id="hd5rGZ">And if you feel like you want to go long-form and plot out the entire season, then <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/fanposts">head over to our FanPost section</a> and share a longer post! </p>
https://www.blessyouboys.com/2024/3/27/24045312/wednesday-open-thread-detroit-tigers-bold-predictions-for-2024Ashley MacLennan2024-03-15T10:30:00-04:002024-03-15T10:30:00-04:00Friday Open Thread: Which prospect would you steal?
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<figcaption>Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>There are some stellar options out there.</p> <p id="DVsXsQ">It’s hard to believe it, but we’re already almost finished with spring training. </p>
<p id="0vehjq">And while this leads to more excitement: the regular season is just around the corner, it also means that we’ve been lucky to spend quite a lot of time watching prospects and rookies on other teams make a big splash in the pre-season.</p>
<p id="XOrlrh">With that in mind, our open thread for the day revolves around which young player we would love to snag to add to the Tigers 40-man ahead of the new season beginning, and why.</p>
<p id="0zjVn6">Do you think Pirates’ pitching prospect Paul Skenes would slot nicely into the rotation? Or perhaps grabbing Jackson Holliday from the Orioles would be more your speed. Who would you grab, and in return, who would you oust to make room for them on the roster? </p>
<p id="WqXYlE">Let’s do a little roster shuffling, and see who (and why) you think these hot prospects would make sense in a Tigers’ uniform. </p>
<p id="oyCnpc">As always, if you are inclined to write a longer post, you can <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/fanposts">head over to the FanPosts section</a> and let your opinion go wild. </p>
https://www.blessyouboys.com/2024/3/15/24100818/friday-open-thread-which-prospect-would-you-steal-spring-training-prospectsAshley MacLennan2024-03-01T10:30:00-05:002024-03-01T10:30:00-05:00Friday Open Thread: Pick your favorite player of the season
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<figcaption>Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Yes, it’s too soon, but this will be fun later.</p> <p id="DgazMe">Before we start the season, we’ll have another open thread where you can make your bold predictions for how the Tigers will play in 2024, but for today, with spring training games underway and the roster pretty much set, we thought we’d try a different kind of prediction.</p>
<p id="X92pG7">Considering we’ve barely seen (or even heard) much of the Tigers’ pre-season so far, it <em>should</em> be impossible to pick a stand-out player as our favorite of the coming season. But that’s precisely what we want you to do in today’s open thread.</p>
<p id="kqWNcl">Given the very limited information currently available (and whatever we already know about how these guys play) let’s pick our personal choices for favorite player of 2024. Will it be one of the new guys? A prospect? Someone who had a splashy season last year, or perhaps a player poised for a comeback.</p>
<p id="6MU5Na">Let us know whose jersey you’re thinking of picking up, and who you’re most excited to see perform in the upcoming season and why. </p>
https://www.blessyouboys.com/2024/3/1/24087110/friday-open-thread-pick-your-favorite-player-of-the-seasonAshley MacLennan2024-02-23T10:30:00-05:002024-02-23T10:30:00-05:00Friday Open Thread: If you could add one new baseball rule...
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<img alt="Detroit Tigers v Tampa Bay Rays" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VDSLxbEFexVLoXuDIF0qxOCVFAM=/47x0:2770x1815/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73159319/1478194920.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Playing commissioner is always fun.</p> <p id="4V4XZ8">Baseball is a funny game, because people love to talk about it as if it’s being played the same way today as it was 100 years ago, but in actuality if you were to drop Ty Cobb into the fray at Comerica Park today there are plenty of things that would baffle him about the modern game. Everything from pace of play, to rules of sportsmanship, to the equipment being used has evolved over time to create the distinct game we know and love.</p>
<p id="Fvb9yk">Sometimes, new rule changes feel befuddling (we’re really going to just signal for an intentional walk?) and other times they actually turn out to be good, despite our concerns (call me a pitch clock convert). So in our open thread this week, you get to play commissioner and make one rule change to improve MLB.</p>
<p id="pipOPm">The rule can be whatever you want, but you have to have a valid reason for it and how you believe it would improve baseball. So let your imaginations run wild. </p>
<p id="kvCezp">If you want to propose something very involved, why not <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/fanposts">head over to the FanPost section</a> and go long form? </p>
https://www.blessyouboys.com/2024/2/23/24045288/friday-open-thread-if-you-could-add-one-new-baseball-ruleAshley MacLennan2024-02-16T10:30:00-05:002024-02-16T10:30:00-05:00Friday Open Thread: Which celebrity would you like to see throw a first pitch?
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<figcaption>Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>It’s a goofy tradition but a fun one.</p> <p id="Csr6qi">The tradition of throwing out a first pitch at an MLB game is an interesting one. It can spotlight not just celebrities, but deserving local figures, military vets, cancer survivors, philanthropists and more.</p>
<p id="MeFdy3">The idea of a “first” pitch is also a misnomer, since often more than two or three people at a time will throw out the game’s ceremonial first pitch. With 81 home games played a year, it provides plenty of opportunity to spotlight some cool deserving figures and also celebrities.</p>
<p id="7JbnSE">This week in our open thread the sky is the limit in picking who you would love to see come throw out a first pitch at a game. It’s also a great chance to draw attention to anyone doing great local work who would be deserving of the honor (since the Tigers front office has been known to peek in on our posts periodically, it could get some eyes on a deserving person).</p>
<p id="8Azb1q">For me, I’d love to see if actor Jacob Elordi’s height translated into a sneaky side hustle as a pitcher. </p>
https://www.blessyouboys.com/2024/2/16/24045278/friday-open-thread-which-celebrity-would-you-like-to-see-throw-a-first-pitchAshley MacLennan2024-02-09T10:30:00-05:002024-02-09T10:30:00-05:00Friday Open Thread: What do you love about spring training?
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<img alt="MLB: MAR 19 Spring Training - Tigers at Nationals" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7uwWlyaoyzqKhzk8HDO0t-oRdC8=/6x0:5045x3359/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73125656/1248821468.0.jpg" />
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<p>Baseball is back!!!</p> <p id="yR74eF">The sweetest four words of the early months of the year are: “pitchers and catcher report.”</p>
<p id="3Q3bmf">This coming week we’ll start seeing just that, as the first photos of teams gearing up for the season begin to appear, and shortly after we see the first full-squad workouts begin. There’s just something wonderful about spring training. It’s the first sign of a new baseball season, and we get fun things like our usual “best shape of his life” reports on players who discovered personal trainers over the winter, or seeing new guys don their Tigers jerseys for the first time.</p>
<p id="MS514C">Plus—and maybe most importantly—it’s the first time we get to see baseball since the end of the previous World Series. Everything feels fresh and alive with possibility, and perhaps that is romantic of me, but as the great quote asks: How can you not be romantic about baseball?</p>
<p id="CHoX9U">So, this week, I put the question to you: what is your favorite part about spring training? Is it the games that don’t matter? The lineup where you have two starts for one inning and then nobody you’ve ever heard of for the next eight? Man, spring training is great.</p>
<p id="wkpJZQ">Maybe you live in Florida or Arizona you love how accessible the inexpensive games are! Lucky.</p>
<p id="TjutOC">If you want to wax poetic about spring training in a longer form, you can <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/fanposts">head over to our FanPost section, and write a longer piece</a>. </p>
https://www.blessyouboys.com/2024/2/9/24045272/friday-open-thread-what-do-you-love-about-spring-trainingAshley MacLennan2024-02-02T10:30:00-05:002024-02-02T10:30:00-05:00Friday Open Thread: Are there any remaining free agents to take a shot on?
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<img alt="Cincinnati Reds v Cleveland Guardians" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BfxLHsOwLWw6K5ca61F83UoZNWk=/0x0:4031x2687/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73106635/1730501424.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Spring training is coming, who deserves an invite?</p> <p id="ZdjTWn">With spring training just around the corner (at last!) the Tigers lineup seems mostly established. But the final version heading into March may still have some question marks. It seems like it could be an ideal opportunity to issue some minor league contracts with an invitation to spring training for some of the market’s remaining free agents. </p>
<p id="7et8j7">While most of the big-name options (and let’s be honest, the options the Tigers were never going to go for anyway) gone, it could be a good opportunity to take a risk on an aging star or someone who might be poised for a comeback year after injury. There are always some surprising names still remaining this time of year, many who might be willing to take a one-year deal or even a minor league deal if it means one more shot to play a season in the majors.</p>
<p id="vxisKT">So, who do you think might be a good candidate for the Tigers to take a shot on before spring training games start up? </p>
<p id="thOZQQ">If there’s a player you feel particularly strongly about, why not <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/fanposts">head over to the FanPosts section</a> and woo us with an in-depth look at their stats, or how good they’ve been against AL Central rivals? </p>
https://www.blessyouboys.com/2024/2/2/24045266/friday-open-thread-are-there-any-remaining-free-agents-to-take-a-shot-onAshley MacLennan2024-01-26T10:30:00-05:002024-01-26T10:30:00-05:00Friday Open Thread: Which prospect was ‘The One that Got Away’?
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<img alt="Toronto Blue Jays v Detroit Tigers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XLZIZy-F_grCjYre8OhXUrZ11Ow=/83x0:5327x3496/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73087027/1533473309.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Do you have any prospect-sized regrets?</p> <p id="kcjxSk">The Detroit Tigers certainly have a “type” when it comes to prospects, and that type is typified by a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher with high velocity and a good pitch mix. There’s nothing wrong with that, either, as it exemplifies a high-use/high-value player that can either be developed within the system or traded as needed.</p>
<p id="o3K0wH">The Tigers tend to think of prospects in that term of dual-value player, and it makes sense, but unfortunately, it also means they periodically miss out on drafting high-value position players that garner much excitement in the system.</p>
<p id="dcbDJA">With that in mind, let’s look backward and ask “Which prospect was one the Tigers should have picked instead?”</p>
<p id="wL8oHC">To make it easier, here’s a good database of the draft picks by year, so you can see who was selected around the same time the Tigers made their first picks, to get an idea of who they might have taken instead: <a href="https://www.baseball-almanac.com/draft/baseball_draft.shtml">Baseball Almanac Draft by Year</a></p>
<p id="oLpwAV">If this is a topic you are particularly passionate about, feel free to head over to the <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/fanposts">FanPost section and share your opinion at length</a>! </p>
https://www.blessyouboys.com/2024/1/26/24045257/friday-open-thread-which-prospect-was-the-one-that-got-awayAshley MacLennan2024-01-19T10:30:00-05:002024-01-19T10:30:00-05:00Friday Open Thread: Who is the best Tigers’ player of all-time?
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<figcaption>Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>This will get divisive...</p> <p id="pGGwwC">This one may get divisive, so I will say right up front: there is no way to have one right or wrong answer for this question, only because of how baseball changes over the decades, how records are kept, and what value we use to measure a player’s worth or greatness. All of those things are so open to interpretation, there’s just no way to pick a “best.” (I mean we could get into a debate about WAR or wRC+ and their comparative merits, but I’ll leave that up to you guys.)</p>
<p id="N5CuIp">So in this week’s open thread, let’s talk about who we think the <em>best</em> Tigers player of all time could be. Bring your evidence (your evidence can be as simple as “he won a lot of MVP awards” or “he hit a lot of home runs” we’re not picky). </p>
<p id="xYiWcR">Do you love the old greats like Al Kaline, Ty Cobb, Hank Greenberg? Maybe you think it’s someone more modern like Alan Trammell or Miguel Cabrera. There are so many options to choose from, so let’s get into it below.</p>
<p id="KMWtFB">And if you feel like writing a grand opus on why one player is (as Tina Turner would say) simply the best, then you can head over and <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/fanposts">write a FanPost about them</a>.</p>
https://www.blessyouboys.com/2024/1/19/24043751/friday-open-thread-who-is-the-best-tigers-player-of-all-timeAshley MacLennan