A Quick Tiger Related Update

 Is there any chance that the Detroit Tigers run of trouble is nearing an end? 

Since the arrival of Brad Ausmus prior to the 2014 season, the Tigers have been struggling. Of course, you know that's not entirely true because the 2014 Tigers made the playoffs. Yeah, they did — but it was an embarrassing series for the Detroiters! Believe it or not but the bullpen totally failed the team. And the season of misery ended. And 2015 saw us "reboot," prior to the full–on "rebuild" that began sometime during the 2016 season. 

The day of the trade deadline in 2014 was such a special one for the Tigers because when the Oakland Athletics, one of the main competitors for the American League title against the Tigers, acquired a top–flight starter, the Tigers outdid them by trading for David Price. David Price hated pitching in Detroit and it wasn't long before he was re–traded at the deadline for a couple of prospects … You know the story. In the summer of '14, things were looking up; by the summer of '15, things were being rebooted like a Windows PC. Only it took a long time for the process to cycle through. Long enough that we watched several of the players from the 2014 team go on to win World Series titles with their new teams.

A.J. Hinch seems like the right person for the job. He is leading the Tigers down the right patch, and it appears that there is more talent on the way. To say that Hinch is doing great work with the talent at his disposal is an understatement. The Tigers are not the greatest team on earth by any means, but Hinch has them playing competitive baseball. Besides an abysmal April, this team has been fun to watch.  The young prospects in the minor leagues appear like they won't be far from joining the major league team next season; the influx of talent could lead to a major resurgence. Moreover, the Tigers may also sign a premier free agent or two this winter. 

I do believe that former Tigers ace right handed pitcher, Justin Verlander, is likely to sign with the Tigers. He could play the same role that Kenny Rogers played for him 15 years ago — mentor, teacher, coach. I once ran into Verlander and Rogers at a Lakeland, Florida, restaurant. Long after Rogers retired, the two were still close. I could see that relationship between Verlander and the young staff that includes Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal, Matt Manning, et. al. Verlander would give credibility to the team, as well as establish a wining attitude for the pitchers. In addition, Hinch managed Verlander when both were with Houston. 

It's likely that the Tigers could spend some money on a short stop as well. We will see how that plays out, but it sure makes sense to me. Short stop has been a revolving door of people trying to figure out how to play the position as well as hit. 

Having said all that, I believe that — YES INDEED — the Tigers rebuild is entering the final stage: return to respectability. It's been a long, long, six years since the reboot became a rebuild. Truthfully, it's probably longer than it should have been, but at least we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

Go get 'em, Tigers!