What’s next for the Detroit Tigers?

What’s next for the Detroit Tigers?

>> I MEAN THAT GROUP IS THEY GAVE EVERYTHING THEY COULD. YOU HAD GUYS PITCHING ON SHORT REST. YOU HAD PLAYERS GIVING EVERYTHING THEY HAD BECAUSE THIS WAS GAME FIVE AND WE WANTED SO BADLY TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP. YOU KNOW, AS A TEAM. AND SO I WANTED TO THANK HIM. YOU KNOW WE HAVE NOTHING TO HANG OUR OUR HEAD DOWN ON. AND. THERE’S GOING TO BE PLENTY OF TIME TO, TO TO TO TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE SEASON THIS GAME THE THE THE PEAKS THE VALLEYS. BUT I’M I’M EXTREMELY PROUD OF THAT GROUP IN THERE FOR WHAT WE ACCOMPLISHED. >> IN THE COMMENTS OF TIGERS MANAGER A.J. HINCH AFTER THE TIGERS LOSE THREE 2 IN 15 INNINGS TO SEATTLE IN GAME FIVE OF THE AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES. ALL RIGHT, HE SAYS HE’S PROUD OF THE TEAM AND HAS NOTHING TO HANG HIS HEAD OVER. I THINK HE HAS SOME THINGS TO HANG HIS HEAD OVER, AND I DON’T KNOW IF I’M THAT PROUD OF THE TEAM, ESPECIALLY FROM THE WAY THAT I SAW THE FLAWS COME TO THE TOP OF OF THE OF THE COFFEE CUP HERE BECAUSE. TORRES ZERO FOR SIX. GREEN OVER SIX. TORKELSON OVER SIX KEITH OVER FIVE. MCKINSTRY ONE FOR SIX. DINGLER TWO FOR SIX. MEADOWS ZERO FOR FIVE. THAT IS NOT GOOD. >> WILL. NOT IDEAL. >> IDEAL. >> MUST WIN GAME FIVE IN THE PLAYOFFS. I THINK THE QUESTION WE’RE ALL KIND OF GRAPPLING WITH IS, DID THIS SEASON REPRESENT A STEP FORWARD? AND NO, LITERALLY IT DIDN’T BECAUSE THEY GOT TO THE EXACT SAME JUNCTURE THEY DID LAST YEAR. BUT I THINK THEY DID PUT A STAMP ON WHAT THEY ACHIEVED AT THE END OF LAST SEASON BY PLAYING PRETTY DARN GOOD BASEBALL FOR THREE AND A HALF MONTHS OF THIS SEASON. I DON’T THINK THE WAY THE SEASON ENDED SEPTEMBER INCLUDED SHOULD OBSCURE THAT. I ALSO DO THINK, THOUGH, THE TIGERS NEED TO BE HONEST WITH THEMSELVES THIS OFFSEASON, AND GAME FIVE REVEALED THEIR BIGGEST FLAWS. AND TO YOUR POINT, WOODY, WHEN THE TWO, THREE, FOUR FIVE HITTERS GO OVER 23 WITH TEN STRIKEOUTS, YOU CLEARLY HAVE A NEED FOR MORE PROVEN, ESTABLISHED BATS IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR LINEUP, AND THEY TALK SO MUCH ABOUT THEIR CONTROL. >> THE ZONE MANTRA. >> WELL, THIS TEAM THIS SEASON, NOT IN THE PLAYOFFS. THIS SEASON, OVER 162 GAMES HAD THE FOURTH HIGHEST STRIKEOUT RATE IN THE MAJORS. IF THEY ARE TRUE TO TO THEIR THEIR MANTRA, THEY HAVE TO ADJUST THE ROSTER, NOT JUST THEIR APPROACH THIS OFFSEASON. >> YEAH, BUT DOESN’T THE IDEA OKAY, I GET THE FACT THAT LAST YEAR THEY MAY HAVE MADE SOME KIND OF STATEMENT AS TO WHAT THEY WERE, BUT DOESN’T THE END OF THIS YEAR KIND OF LEAN THAT TOWARDS THE FLUKE IDEA, BECAUSE MAYBE IT WASN’T. >> SOMETHING I WOULD. >> THAT’S WHAT I’M SAYING. THEY PUT A STAMP ON IT. >> I THINK THEY PROVED THEY’RE A PLAYOFF TEAM. THREE MONTHS. YEAH. AND THE QUESTION IS HOW DO YOU TAKE THAT NEXT STEP, WHICH THEY COULDN’T I MEAN, THEY LASTED SIX INNINGS LONGER. >> I GUESS. I GUESS IT WAS A STEP FORWARD TECHNICALLY, JUST. >> TO BE CLEAR. BUT NO, IT’S VERY TRUE. HOW DO YOU TAKE THAT NEXT STEP. AND AND YOU KNOW, THERE’S GOING TO BE WE’RE GOING TO HEAR A LOT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE INTERNAL GROWTH, HOW YOUNG THIS ROSTER IS, WHICH IS ALL TRUE POSITION GROUP PLAYERS. ONE OF THE YOUNGEST IF NOT THE YOUNGEST TEAMS STILL IN THE LEAGUE, BUT TO YOUR POINT, THE MIDDLE OF THAT ORDER, HOW MUCH FAITH DO YOU HAVE THAT JUST A YEAR OLDER IS GOING TO SUDDENLY TURN THOSE OVER FIVES AND ALL THOSE STRIKEOUTS INTO I MEAN, RILEY GREEN HAS A LOT OF WORK TO DO IN THIS OFF SEASON. YES. HE DOES NOT STRIKE OUT 200 TIMES A SEASON AND BE A FRANCHISE PLAYER. YOU KNOW, A SUPERSTAR IN THIS LEAGUE, WHICH YOU’RE HOPING HE STILL IS. BUT YEAH, I THINK THEY HAVE TO GO FIND SOME PROVEN. I MEAN, AND GLEYBER TORRES IS A FREE AGENT. HE’S YOUR MOST HE WAS THE ONE GUY WHO DID COMMAND THE STRIKES. HE DID WIN IN THE STRIKE ZONE AT THE PLATE FOR THIS TEAM. AND IS HE COMING BACK? IS HE NOT COMING BACK? WELL, YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO FIND ANOTHER GLEYBER TORRES AND PROBABLY ANOTHER ON TOP OF THAT. >> LOOK, FANS FANS KNOW THIS AND THEY’LL POINT TO IT ALL THE TIME. WHO DO YOU BLAME FOR THIS? >> I THINK I KNOW WHO THEY’RE BLAMING. WHO DO YOU BLAME? >> GO AHEAD. >> I’LL START WITH YOU. I MEAN, YEAH, I MEAN, SCOTT HARRIS FAILED AT THE TRADE DEADLINE CLEARLY, AND ALSO FAILED LAST OFFSEASON BECAUSE THEY WENT AFTER ALEX BREGMAN. THEY DIDN’T GET HIM. YOU COULD HAVE USED ALEX BREGMAN. WE TALKED ABOUT IT. YOU KNOW ALL SPRING. YOU SAW IT AT THE END OF THE YEAR. YOU COULD HAVE USED ALEX BREGMAN. OBVIOUSLY THE PITCHING THAT HE DID ADD AMOUNTED TO NOTHING IN, YOU KNOW, ALEX COBB. WE NEVER SAW HIM WRITE A LOT OF $15 MILLION. EMPTY LEFT OVER FROM THE YEAR BEFORE. SO INJURIES ARE ONE THING. YOU EXPECT INJURIES IN THE ROTATION. BUT HE DIDN’T HAVE THE ANSWERS. AND THEN HE DIDN’T GO GET ENOUGH ANSWERS. RIGHT. >> BECAUSE I KEEP SCRATCHING MY HEAD. I LOOK AT SEATTLE, THEY WENT AND GOT JOSH NAYLOR, A EUGENIO SUAREZ, AT THE DEADLINE. THESE GUYS, THE TIGERS COULD HAVE GOTTEN. ALL THEY HAD TO DO WAS GO OUT THERE AND GET IT. YOU KNOW, I DON’T THINK THAT SCOTT HARRIS THOUGH IS COMPLETELY GETTING ALL THE BLAME HERE. I THINK AJ HAS TO GET A LITTLE BIT TOO, BECAUSE HONESTLY, I THINK THAT SOMETIMES HE’S TRAPPED BY THE STRUCTURE THAT HE LIKES. OKAY. HIS STARTER GOES SIX. I GOT A SEVENTH INNING GUY, I GOT AN EIGHTH INNING GUY, I GOT A NINTH INNING GUY. IF YOUR GUY IS THROWING A NO HITTER, ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT YOUR SEVENTH INNING GUY? NO, THAT’S WHY I SAID I. I SOMETIMES SCRATCH MY HEAD AT HOW HE DOESN’T TRY TO USE ALL THE TOOLS IN THE TOOLBOX TO GET WINS. >> I THINK IF THERE WAS EVER A TIME FOR A HARDER CONVERSATION WITH TARIK SKUBAL ABOUT MAYBE PUSHING THROUGH ONE MORE INNING, IT WAS ON FRIDAY NIGHT WHEN SKUBAL MADE IT CLEAR TO AJ THAT HE HAD ONE INNING LEFT IN THE TANK AFTER THE FIFTH. AND MAYBE THAT’S THE SITUATION WHERE AJ SAYS, CAN YOU GIVE US THREE MORE OUTS? CAN YOU GIVE US 15 MORE PITCHES? BECAUSE IF WE TAKE YOU OUT OF THIS GAME AFTER SIX, THAT LINEUP ON THE OTHER SIDE IS GOING TO BE SO RELIEVED. AND I FEEL LIKE TO ME, THAT’S WHEN YOU KNOW, IT’S THE WRONG DECISION TO REMOVE A PITCHER FROM THE GAME. IF THE OPPOSING OFFENSE TAKES IT AS A BLESSING, YOU PROBABLY SHOULD LEAVE HIM IN FOR AT LEAST THREE MORE OUTS. BUT LOOK, THE FACT THAT AJ GOT THIS COBBLED TOGETHER. >> ROSTER I WAS GOING TO SAY. >> 87 WINS DESERVES A TON OF A TON OF CREDIT AND A TON OF PRAISE. >> I THINK. >> HE OBVIOUSLY THE SPOTLIGHT. >> OPTIMIZED THE HECK OUT OF THIS LINEUP ALL YEAR IN ABOUT AND CERTAINLY THAT PITCHING STAFF AND THAT BULLPEN, ESPECIALLY WITH THE INJURIES THAT THAT KIND OF CREEPED UP ON HIM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEASON. I WILL SAY THIS TOO, THOUGH. IT’S A TWO WAY STREET WITH SKUBAL ON THAT TOO. I MEAN, WE TALKED TOO MUCH ABOUT JUSTIN VERLANDER STILL IN THIS TOWN, BUT JUSTIN VERLANDER. WAS JUST. >> A. >> DEATH GRIP ON THAT BALL MOUND. >> AND SO JACK MORRIS WOULD HAVE WOULD. >> HAVE BEEN. BUT IT IS IT’S A CONVERSATION THAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT IS LIKE ONE MORE INNING. SO HE GOES OUT AND HE EMPTIES THE HE DOES EMPTY THE TANK IN THAT LAST INNING. >> HE STILL WOULD HAVE HAD 99 IN. [LAUGHTER] >> THE TANK. >> LET’S BE HONEST. >> MAYBE HE WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN ONE ON. >> ONE IN THE. >> SEVENTH. >> JOSH LANDON IT’S THE END OF THE SEASON OR MOVING ON. YEAH, IT’S A DIFFERENT IT SHOULD BE A DIFFERENT CONVERSATION. >> ALL RIGHT, GUYS, I GOT A SIGNAL FOR A FAST TIME OU

The Sportsworks crew talks about the end of the Detroit Tigers season, and what’s next for the team.