Find someone who loves you...

[Art Deco]

...the way OOTP loves Spencer Torkelson. He seems to blow up in every save I play (and he may yet IRL) with my newest save seeing him hit 45 HR in 454 AB in his rookie season of 2022 and he's rated 70 for power both current and potential.

Anyone else seeing Torkmania in their saves?

[Pelican]

Nope. I brought him up “early” in 2021, and he has shown some power but hit for low average and OBP and not many RS or RBI for a bad Tiger team. Many strikeouts. My sim loves Dylan Carlson, for some reason. And J-Rod.

[md40022]

As someone who plays (manages) the actual games, I don't think I have EVER got Rowdy Tellez out. In any version of the game. Ever.

I didn't really complain about it though, because he's Rowdy Tellez and you're not supposed to get him out.

[shoes03]

Originally Posted by md40022

As someone who plays (manages) the actual games, I don't think I have EVER got Rowdy Tellez out. In any version of the game. Ever.

I didn't really complain about it though, because he's Rowdy Tellez and you're not supposed to get him out.

For me that guy is Tony Kemp for some reason.

I haven't seen Torkelson going crazy. Nor can I get Julio Rodriguez to hit right-handed pitching to save my life.

[ShawnSoup]

Tork is headed to the HoF in my save.

8x All Star
3x Silver Slugger
1 MVP
1 World Series title

[Pelican]

Ah, you’re fourteen years ahead of me. I may be paying the price for having him debut a year early. But the Motor City Kitties really had no one else. I play slowly; but now curious how he will develop (or not) over time.

[Dave Stieb II]

Just started to set up a Detroit save last night.
Looking over the roster (and the finances - wow those are tragic) I was wondering if I should send him to AAA to start the season just to manipulate his service time.
Guess not now. LOL

[Pelican]

I personally can’t stand service time manipulation, so I can’t do it even if it would be in my team’s financial interest. With Torkelson, I figured he had nothing more to learn in the minors. The problem is, he immediately becomes a focus in a mediocre Tigers’ lineup. It’s almost impossible not to bat him fourth or fifth, based on the guys they have. On a good team he would be hitting sixth or seventh, with talented guys around him, so he would see good pitches and hit with runners on base. Not so in Detroit.

[BirdWatcher]

Originally Posted by Pelican

I personally can’t stand service time manipulation, so I can’t do it even if it would be in my team’s financial interest. With Torkelson, I figured he had nothing more to learn in the minors. The problem is, he immediately becomes a focus in a mediocre Tigers’ lineup. It’s almost impossible not to bat him fourth or fifth, based on the guys they have. On a good team he would be hitting sixth or seventh, with talented guys around him, so he would see good pitches and hit with runners on base. Not so in Detroit.

I can see what you are saying here, but as a Tiger fan who has watched pretty much every game this season, for the record most of his plate appearances this season have been between the 6th and the 8th spot in the lineup. He hasn't hit 4th in the lineup even once this season and only in 10 games (37 PA's) has he hit 5th. So maybe almost impossible, but clearly not impossible.

[Dave Stieb II]

I've actually got him batting 7th in my main line up vs RH.

1. Baddoo cf
2. Grossman rf
3. Meadows dh
4. Candelaria 3b
5. Baez ss
6. Seth Brown rf (acq from Oak)
7. Torkelson 1b
8. Barnhardt c
9. 2B (the black hole since I traded Schoop for some financial relief)

Only 6 games in (3-3). Miggy is out 5 weeks with an injury.

[BirdWatcher]

Originally Posted by Dave Stieb II

I've actually got him batting 7th in my main line up vs RH.

1. Baddoo cf
2. Grossman rf
3. Meadows dh
4. Candelaria 3b
5. Baez ss
6. Seth Brown rf (acq from Oak)
7. Torkelson 1b
8. Barnhardt c
9. 2B (the black hole since I traded Schoop for some financial relief)

Only 6 games in (3-3). Miggy is out 5 weeks with an injury.

I think what probably wouldn't be generally replicated in OOTP is how disastrous this season would go for young Mr. Baddoo, that Robbie Grossman would have exactly zero home runs and an OBP under .300 on June 17th, that Austin Meadows would also be homer-less at this point, that the ever inconsistent but also often dangerous Javy Baez would be struggling to the degree he has this late into the season, that Schoop would also be mired in so sustained a slump, that the generally consistent if unspectacular Candelario would also be underperforming his career norms so spectacularly, etc.
Which is why I think in OOTP especially it makes perfect sense that one would hit the still developing and inexperienced Tork right about where you have him hitting.

[Dave Stieb II]

Originally Posted by BirdWatcher

I think what probably wouldn't be generally replicated in OOTP is how disastrous this season would go for young Mr. Baddoo, that Robbie Grossman would have exactly zero home runs and an OBP under .300 on June 17th, that Austin Meadows would also be homer-less at this point, that the ever inconsistent but also often dangerous Javy Baez would be struggling to the degree he has this late into the season, that Schoop would also be mired in so sustained a slump, that the generally consistent if unspectacular Candelario would also be underperforming his career norms so spectacularly, etc.
Which is why I think in OOTP especially it makes perfect sense that one would hit the still developing and inexperienced Tork right about where you have him hitting.

LOL. Well, TBH, that's why I started my Tigers save now. A patch or two down the road, if the devs had made adjustments, who knows how bad all those guys will be.
While I'm using the most recent patch, I don't think the devs would have made any adjustments yet.Too early.
In any case, I like to approach it with the mindset that existed in the off-season/spring training. So I like this order.
Ironically, Baddoo, Grossman and Meadows have been pretty sub-par. Tork is hitting about .230 with 1 HR in 7 games and Baez, Brown, Candelaria and some of the lesser lights are carrying the offence.
Just went to 4-3 on a Casey Mize 88 pitch CG 5-hit 7-0 shutout.
Nice.

[BirdWatcher]

Originally Posted by Dave Stieb II

Just went to 4-3 on a Casey Mize 88 pitch CG 5-hit 7-0 shutout.
Nice.

Well now you're just depressing me.
(Oh, for a healthy Casey Mize.)

[Dave Stieb II]

Originally Posted by BirdWatcher

Well now you're just depressing me.
(Oh, for a healthy Casey Mize.)

I feel badly for Tigers fans like yourself.
I really thought there was some solid logic behind their off-season moves and that they addressed the right positions.
Seems some teams are just snake bitten, though. All those injuries to the pitching staff and the pathetic offensive numbers of guys expected to perform much better are unbelievable.
Can't do much about the pitching injuries but I can't think of a reasonable explanation for such an anemic offense.

[NoOne]

this is normal for a top prospect...


look at how daz cameron went from the return of jesus christ to a very sub average prospect over the course of a few years.

they gotta leave some of them highly rated... even though most will fail to live up to expectations... cause we don't really assess prospects well as judged by how often we are wrong about them (well scouts, not "us").

so every draft class comes with some likely future HoF rated platers (potential ratings) ... the engine does what it does and causes variance, but if highly rated to start for any individual player, it obviously skews toward success.

[NoOne]

Originally Posted by Dave Stieb II

I feel badly for Tigers fans like yourself.
I really thought there was some solid logic behind their off-season moves and that they addressed the right positions.
Seems some teams are just snake bitten, though. All those injuries to the pitching staff and the pathetic offensive numbers of guys expected to perform much better are unbelievable.
Can't do much about the pitching injuries but I can't think of a reasonable explanation for such an anemic offense.

They are better than last year for sure. They have no offense... and expecting 2 rookies to provide it is just a pipedream of the tigers marketing dept in cahoots with sports writers that cater to plebs, lol. (catering to the lowest common denominator = greatest profit)

Their starting pitching is besieged by injuries, and until the the last couple series were a top-10 picthing club through 40-50 games or whatever.

casey mize is out
turnbull is out
manning is out

of those, 2 have shown some consistent success... i think manning is destined for bullpen unless he has a suitable 3rd pitch now. tigers like to try to ram that square peg through a round hole over and over again... not the sharpest tools in the shed, historically.

i think our relievers have over-delivered and there will be a regression to teh mean in that regard...

but the offense.. the offense sucks... sucks donkey balls... twice on sunday. Anyone that thought we'd have more than a bottom-10 offense was smoking crack.

i'd wager they fall no further below .500 the rest of the season.. maybe even claw their way back to .500, but that's all they were ever goingn to be this year... a nearly competent team on the rise.

a few offensive additions over next 2 offseasons coinciding with greene/torkleson panning out will determine if they become WS contenders or not... they have the foundation for the picthing... the offesne needs several parts 2 through 6, as there is no power anywhere to be found right now.. baez is good for a SS, but should be batting 2nd or 5+ in any strong lineup.... we've got a lot of singles-machines that swing at everything at moment... a couple players that would be okay as leadoff hitters and baez who is okay but nothing phenomenal offensively.. his last 2-3 years of contract are going to be a huge burden.

They are better this year, and their signings have been fine... Baez is a small sample and young enough that he's not decrapitating physically, the fromer boston SP will do fine once he's back, and RP Chafin has been great. They finally listend to the smart ppl in the room and didn't sign old has-beens and ppl that had 1 good year sorrounded by trash years.... finally using metrics that more strongly correlate to success this last offseason and they need to continue down that path.

they'll be fine.. they weren't making playoffs this year anyway. if they have another excellent offseason like this year, they'll be a playoff team next year barring catastrophic injury.

crossing my fingers they retain turnbull.. he's underrated. super glad they dumped boyd - he was way overrated and barely a 4th/5th starter on any playoff team.. SKubal will end up being the ace.

Skuball
Mize (2nd half of 2023 will be ~100% after tommy john)
Turnbull (end of 2022 will be 100% after tommy john)
Rodriguez is a good playoff rotation. pay turnbull you dummies!

5-7 years of robustness after TJ surgueries.... they'll be good to go for the timeframe of tigers being relevant again.

[brotherblues]

Torkelson has always flopped for me in every save of every ootp version he's been in, going back as far as when he was part of the amateur draft.

[HoustonGM]

Torkelson definitely blew up in my save...