| Does Lou Whitaker have any shot still at Hall of Fame? The Hall of Fame’s Contemporary Baseball Era (1980-forward) Committee meets this coming offseason. Presumably Whitaker will be under consideration again. It’s difficult to say he has a great chance given past results, but often the makeup of the committee (which Hall of Fame players and former officials are on it) has a big impact on players’ chances. When do we think No. 6 prospect Hao-Yu Lee gets called up? Probably not this season. The Tigers already have more right-handed hitters than they know what to do with (see Justyn-Henry Malloy back in Toledo). I would think Lee gets a chance to compete for a spot next spring, but again, that might depend on offseason dealings. What’s been one of your favorite moments of the season? Maybe it’s recency bias, but watching Tuesday night’s game and the way the Tigers celebrated it — not for themselves, but for Paddack’s save — was special. Paddack has gone through a lot recently, including the death of a family member last week, and the Tigers made a point to make him feel he’s a big part of this team. As I wrote, that says a lot about this team. Wenceel Pérez might be one of the most under-the-radar guys on our roster, always smiling, too. What do you think the future holds for him as a Tiger? And what do you think it will take for Tiger fans to truly fall in love with the kid? Wenceel’s always going to have a big role here under Hinch as long as he hits. He’s the only switch-hitter on the roster, which fits him into virtually any matchup A.J. encounters, and he can play center and right field. As for fan reception, postseason play has a habit of making unlikely heroes.Assuming Matt Vierling is healthy, is he making the postseason roster or are they rolling with who they have now? Same with JHM. Do they value his bat over Trey Sweeney’s defense? Vierling has a role on this team in October if he’s healthy. Malloy’s situation is tricky, in part because he has been fit into a role as more of a weapon against left-handed pitching, which Andy Ibáñez and Jahmai Jones already do. Can they carry three of them, two of whom overlap positionally? Maybe if they encounter an opponent with a lot of left-handed pitching, but I’m not sure any AL opponent fits that profile at this point. We know the big-name hitting prospects in the farm system, but who are some pitchers we should keep an eye on for the future? I’ve been an RJ Petit follower for a while. Part of that is because he’s a unique pitcher for his size (6-foot-8, 300 pounds), but he also quietly has posted good, solid numbers at every level he’s played at, including Triple-A Toledo this summer. For a team that values different looks in the bullpen, there should be a fit for Petit eventually. Andrew Sears also is unique as a lefty with a low arm angle, a mid-90s fastball and funky slider. I like when a team makes a playoff run and develops weird rituals and superstitions. Have you noticed anything like that in the clubhouse this season? This team plays a lot of yacht rock and ’80s music overall in the clubhouse. Not really a superstition, just something that stands out, particularly for a team with so many young players. Thanks for joining us for questions. What differences have you noticed for player development since Scott Harris has taken over the Tigers organization? The Tigers have done a ton to improve player development since Ryan Garko came on board in 2021 and Scott Harris a year later. The pitching department has become focused on individualized pitching plans and pitch designs to figure out what works for each pitcher. There has been a lot of work on getting hitters focused on plate discipline and damage in the strike zone. And the Draft philosophy has shifted toward talented high-school players at the top, finding value in signable high-school arms later in the Draft and identifying undervalued college hitters along the way. |
