The smartest man in solitary

Tigers POBO Scott Harris doesn't elicit confidence or excitement among the fan base.

Does Scott Harris watch the Tigers?

I wish this was a facetious question. I wish that I was asking something absurd.

But does Harris, the Tigers’ President of Baseball Operations, ever lift his nose out of his tablet and take in a game? How come I never see a shot of him in the C-suite at Comerica Park on Bally Sports, like I used to with Dave Dombrowski and Al Avila?

OK, maybe I’m being a little facetious. But only a little.

The Tigers haven’t made the postseason in 10 years, haven’t contended for a playoff spot in eight years and let’s take a look at what they do well in 2024, based on their American League rankings.

Power? Um, no.

Defense? Definitely not.

Team speed? Hard no.

Good baserunning skills? Hardly.

Starting pitching? Sometimes.

Bullpen? See starting pitching.

Drawing walks? Getting on base? No and no.

Hence their current 34-37 record.

The Dallas Cowboys, before they started winning Super Bowls in the 1970s, were derisively known as “Next Year’s Champions.” That was because while they fielded good teams in the mid-to-late-1960s, they couldn’t seem to win “the big one.”

The Tigers, for the past 10 years, could be called the “Over the Rainbow Bunch.”

As in, somewhere, over the rainbow, lies success. An organization of prospects. Just wait three years! And then, wait three years after that.

Or maybe you could call them the Detroit Shampoos. Because every July, the team sells off the few assets they have in exchange for unproven kids. Then, rinse. Repeat.

It’s going to happen again this summer.

The Tigers will be probably 10-12 games under .500 come July 31, aka “sell” mode. Harris will jettison some big league talent for names of kids that we might see in the big leagues by 2027. And our eyes will glaze over as he talks about commanding the strike zone and walk percentage and other things that the fans in Detroit don’t give a sh*t about.

Over the Rainbow!

Harris recently squashed any talk about the Tigers spending money to improve the roster in the near future, in an interview on the MLB Network.

"From the moment I got here, (owner) Chris Ilitch said that we would have the resources we need to build a really competitive club and to build a club that can sustain winning over a long period of time. We're not quite there yet as far as spending at that level because we need to build the foundation of this team to put us in a position to supplement it with free agent signings in the upcoming winters.

“We just have to develop the core that we're going to spend around, and we also have to target the players in upcoming winters that can really help us."

Did you catch the money quote?

We just have to develop the core.

So about that…

Harris wants Tigers fans to remain patient while the team’s “core” is developed. Then, and ONLY then, will funds be released to complement the roster.

Great. Coming from an organization that couldn’t develop a Polaroid.

Who is the core, Scott? Are they in the room with us now?

I see something in Riley Greene. I’ll give you that one. Kerry Carpenter, I can certainly live with.

But I also see that the team’s Opening Day starter in CF and at 1B are now playing in Toledo. I see a 2B on whom was bestowed a fat contract, with a .590 OPS and whose defense is below average. I see a catcher that the Tigers got for Justin Verlander with a .268 OBP and .631 OPS.

I see a starting pitcher signed away from the probably laughing Minnesota Twins with a 6.02 ERA and 1.4 WHIP. Yet he’s still in the rotation.

I also see a starter, Jack Flaherty, who was indeed a nice off-season acquisition, but whose head is squarely on the trade deadline chopping block (he only has a 1-year contract and will likely be flipped for more Over the Rainbow players on July 31).

Meanwhile, Tarik Skubal, a genuine Cy Young candidate, is going to turn 28 in November. By the time this so-called “core” is “developed,” Skubal will be past 30 years old and in danger of being past his prime, which is—NOW.

That is, if the Tigers don’t trade HIM.

I have been reluctant to jump on Harris because he’s only been the Tigers POBO for about two years, and many of the transgressions occurred before he got to Detroit.

But two quotes of his stick in my craw, because they’re the words of a non-risk taker and don’t inspire whatsoever.

Prior to the 2023 season, Harris said (with gentle paraphrasing), “Our goal is to play competitive baseball for as long as we can this year.”

Oh boy.

Then, last March in Lakeland, Harris said (again with gentle paraphrasing), “We have a lot of young hitters. But we feel that with our pitching, which we consider a strength, that we can keep the games close.”

Great!

In 2023, the Tigers were hoping to stay competitive for as long as possible.

In 2024, they hope to keep the games close.

Are you inspired?

OK, let’s look at close games then.

The Tigers, in one-run ballgames, are 10-11. Hardly the stuff of playoff teams.

In games decided by 5+ runs, the Tigers are 13-11. These are the “blind squirrel” games where the meager offense explodes now and again.

This means that in games decided by 2-4 runs, the Tigers are 11-15, and that .423 winning percentage is more indicative of the kind of team they are.

Witness the weekend games in Houston.

On Friday, the Tigers lost 4-0 (2-4 runs). On Saturday, the Tigers won 13-5 (5+ runs). Then on Sunday, the Tigers followed their 13-run, 19-hit outburst with a 4-1 loss in which they were no-hit into the eighth inning (2-4 runs).

Typical.

Scott Harris is giving me the creeps.

I’ve been a soft defender of his, but now I’m feeling like the Peter Principle is playing out before our very eyes.

The Peter Principle theorizes that employees in most organizational hierarchies automatically rise through promotion to higher positions. However, competent employees will be promoted, but will ultimately assume positions for which they are incompetent.

“Incompetent” is a strong word that can be misconstrued. I’m not suggesting that Harris is an idiot. I’m sure he’s a smart guy, in his own way. But the PP says that some folks will be promoted to jobs for which they’re not capable.

I’ve said it before.

Harris talks a good game when it comes to describing his fantasy ballplayer. I’m just not sure that: 1) He knows how to acquire them. Or that: 2) Those types of players will help you win ballgames.

Which leads me back to my opening question.

I feel like Scott Harris is running the Tigers as if he was building a roster using a mobile app. Fantasy baseball.

OK, you might ask. Anyone can complain; what is it that you want to see, Eno?

Fair question.

I want a POBO who will take risks. I want boldness. I want someone who knows how to talk to the media without sounding tone deaf. I want someone who is visibly and viscerally unhappy with the status quo. I want someone who understands that the Tigers brand is now one of shame and who won’t put up with that any longer.

Look at the Royals.

I want someone who I feel like actually watches ballgames.

I want the Tigers to be run like the Lions are being run.

I didn’t think those words were even possible to be typed without breaking into laughter.

Get your nose out of the tablet, Scott, and look around you.

This is unacceptable.