Detroit Tigers' broadcasters critical over 2022 season, share expectations for beyond
(CBS DETROIT) - At the culmination of a season that's starting to feel more and more like Groundhog Day, the 2022 Detroit Tigers flatlined on any expectation that it would be better. On Wednesday, the Bally Sports Detroit crew shed light on the harsh reality that Tigers fans have endured for years.
"I just think that A.J. is really hurt by what happened this season and he's going to be angry going into the offseason and he's going to get together with Scott Harris to make sure that this kind of season does not happen again where you have high expectations and you just don't achieve those expectations and they just want to make sure that it does not happen next year," former Tigers pitcher Dan Petry said.
The fact of the matter is while the team didn't come close to meeting expectations, it was plagued all season long by misfortune.
While injuries are inevitable, you can't predict losing nearly your entire starting rotation to injuries, a rookie first baseman who doesn't live up to the hype, numerous trades and signings that looked good in the offseason but offered lackluster production, and unfortunately, much more.
Former Tigers outfielder Craig Monroe offered his take, suggesting the lack of power and offense is the biggest issue the front office needs to address this offseason.
"We've got to get guys in here that can command the strike zone from an offensive standpoint...I think it's important for us to continue to move in that direction where we get away from the swing and miss and we start making more contact and that allows us to put more pressure on the opposing team," Monroe said.
According to BaseballSavant.com, the Tigers had the highest chase percentage at 33.5%. They struck out 1,413 times this season, along with an average exit velocity of 87.6%. That's good for the bottom 10% in the league.
What sparked a lot of attention online is what play-by-play announcer Matt Shepard had to say.
"It's ridiculous, the bar has to be set higher for the Tigers and A.J. Hinch admits it," Shepard said. "You don't want to cover losing teams any longer, he wants to play meaningful games...Detroit has got to get back to expecting bigger things from this baseball team and I think Scott Harris will bring that and I think A.J. Hinch will relay that for certain."
It's safe to say Shepard didn't hold back when giving his final thoughts. The Tigers have come nowhere close to a winning season since Shepard landed the play-by-play gig back in 2019. Obviously there's no correlation between Shepard and multiple losing seasons, however, fans have the luxury of tuning out, whereas Shepard does not.
It feels just like yesterday when the Tigers were one of the first teams to make a splash in the offseason by signing starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez. The signing was a push in the right direction, suggesting former General Manager Al Avila's message of "we're not rebuilding anymore" was no laughing matter.
The new additions didn't end there, as the Tigers brought onboard shortstop Javier Baez, reliver Andrew Chafin, and pitcher Michael Pineda. They also traded for catcher Tucker Barnhart and in a surprise move, acquired outfielder Austin Meadows from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for infielder Isaac Paredes.
Without question, it was clear before this season started that the front office was looking to turn this team around, however, things don't always go as planned. Even with the promotion of Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene, the Tigers were worse than they were in 2021, finishing 30 games under .500.
Let this season be an example that signing a handful of free agents just doesn't cut it. Granted you can only control what you can control, and truth be told, absolutely nothing went the Tigers' way.
While Tigers fans will spend yet another offseason rooting for other teams in the playoffs, a season capped off by a fiery rant from those who cover the team day in, day out is a telltale sign that something needs to change.
