Happy Friday, everyone! We’ve made it through the week, thank goodness, and our reward is the official return of baseball games! Sure, you can say Spring Training doesn’t matter, but tell that to a fan who has been starved for live games since October. The Tigers won’t have their first game until tomorrow, but hey, something to look forward to! In the meantime, the Tigers have unveiled their new home and road alternate jerseys and they’re pretty darned slick!
The other biggest news of the week is
that MLBPA executive director Tony Clark, who has led the Players’ union since 2013, stepped down amid a sea of scandal (personal, not baseball-related) and his interim replacement Bruce Meyer has been announced. This is a terrible time for the players to be shifting leadership as debate over salary caps and the CBA is running rampant. We’ll have a bit more on that below.
So let’s get into the news bites for the day and prepare ourselves for baseball tomorrow!
Detroit Tigers News
- Jim Bowden looks at rookies to watch in Spring Training. Here’s what he had to say about the Tigers. Of Kevin McGonigle, he said:
Last season, McGonigle, 21, dominated the Arizona Fall League, slashing .362/.500/.710 with six homers and 19 RBIs, winning the league’s MVP award. That performance came after he hit .305/.408/.583 with 19 homers and 80 RBIs in 88 games split between Low A, High A and Double A during the regular season. He projects as a future batting title winner with 20-25 home run power. He’s selectively aggressive at the plate, is very quick on inside pitches and goes the other way extremely well on tough pitches down and away. He’s also solid defensively and is a good base-runner. If the Tigers give him a legitimate shot to make the roster this spring, he should, given his polish and talent.
Of Max Clark, he said:
Clark, 21, leads all potential rookies in swag and speed. He profiles as an elite leadoff hitter who will reach base consistently and steal bases at will. He has solid bat speed and above-average plate discipline and he makes good swing decisions. Clark is a tremendous defensive center fielder with solid first-step quickness and well above-average range in all directions. He also has the arm to stop base-runners from taking the next base. He’ll be a fan favorite quickly in the Motor City and, along with McGonigle, should give the Tigers an extremely fun and bright future. He’d be higher on my list but he’s likely to start the season in the minor leagues as he has just 43 games of Double-A experience.
- A piece breaking down the new Tigers’ alternate home and road jerseys (and yes, the City Connects will be sticking around, just very scaled back)
- In case you missed our story on the new jerseys, here’s a look at the new duds. Which do you prefer?
- Love to see this.
- Get yourself ready for the first games of the season.
AL Central News
MLB News
- Michael Baumann looks at the scandal that rocked former MLBPA head Tony Clark, and why this is the worst time for the players to lose a leader they can rely on.
- A look at the MLBPA’s interim executive director Bruce Meyer.
- Meyer claims to be “passionate” about protecting players’ rights.
- The scandal that led to Tony Clark’s exit.
- Apparently, nothing says “official soft drink of MLB” like Mountain Dew Baja Blast.
- A vital question during the Olympics: which MLB players would make the best ice dancers?
- Fun with meaningless splits!
- Jazz Chisholm Jr. is gunning to join the 50/50 club.
- Are we selling Paul Skenes short with the “ace” label?
- Is the AL East the most stacked division in baseball?
- Freddie Freeman would like to play until he’s 40 and retire with the Dodgers.
- ESPN will replace Sunday Night Baseball with a full slate of women’s sports coverage.
- These are the best first basemen in baseball at the moment, according to Buster Olney.
- How Team USA finally managed to convince the best players in baseball to participate in the WBC.
- The Brewers and manager Pat Murphy are in agreement on a new 3-year contract.
- We’re big fans of these odds.
- Love a good hype video.
- Puppy BFFs!!!
