As BBWAA writers in Detroit prepare to vote on the “Tiger Of The Year” award, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reveals that his vote will go to a player who didn’t suit up for the Tigers after the trade deadline — Nicholas Castellanos. A case could certainly be made that Castellanos was still the best performer on the woeful Tigers, though Fenech took something of a more symbolic stance, arguing that Castellanos “provided a fitting look at the front office’s failure to gain serious ground in their rebuilding process.” After several months of fruitless attempts to move Castellanos, Detroit finally unloaded the slugger to the Cubs for two decent but unspectacular pitching prospects, only to see Castellanos start tearing the cover off the ball after arriving in Chicago.
“How did the Tigers not know this hitter was in there? And why does every player that leave Detroit improve?” Fenech asks, also wondering why the club didn’t make more of an effort to extend a player who openly desired to be a long-term piece for the Tigers. Instead, the lack of progress on either a trade or an extension seemed to wear on Castellanos in the first half of the year, which didn’t help his trade value.
More from around the AL Central…
- The Indians announced that catcher Roberto Perez underwent arthroscopic surgery in order to remove bone spurs from his right ankle. The procedure isn’t considered serious, and Perez is expected to be fully ready for the start of Spring Training. Moving into a starting role for the first time, Perez responded with a career year in 2019, hitting .239/.321/.452 with 24 home runs over 449 PA. He was also arguably the game’s best defensive catcher, throwing out 20 of 49 would-be base-stealers and ranking at or near the top of the league in blocking and framing metrics.
- Royals left-hander Richard Lovelady also went under the knife, as the team announced that the rookie will be sidelined for six-to-eight weeks after right knee surgery. A tenth-round pick in the 2016 draft, Lovelady made his MLB debut last season, posting a 7.65 ERA over 20 innings (25 games) out of Kansas City’s bullpen. A .412 BABIP contributed to Lovelady’s inflated ERA, as his 4.16 FIP/4.75 xFIP/4.58 SIERA presented a much more respectable picture of his first season. The 24-year-old is expected to compete for a job in the Royals’ pen during Spring Training.
Fenech is hypercritical of the bad Tigers so he should know Castellanos was on merit a non-tender candidate when he left Detroit. He wasn’t justifying his one year arbitration wage of $10M, let alone a candidate for an extension. He’s a DH with warning track power.
Fenech is just being provocative as usual. The Tiger of the Year is obviously Boyd, but he wouldn’t give Fenech inflammatory quotes.
Castellanos had a higher WAR with the Cubs in half as many games as he had with the Tigers. He hit 11 homers with Detroit and 16 with the Cubs, hardly “warning track power.”
“Warning Track Power” in Copa translates to “Long Gone” in most stadiums.
I thought Fenech’s piece was clever and very compelling. Your points about the deadline market value of Castellanos are valid, if not spot on, but I think you may have missed the point a bit. He points to evidence of a team mired in contradiction, specifically calling out their inability to recognize a value proposition right in their hands. Sure, he was underperforming, but who would, or probably should, know better a player’s capability than the team that raised him up to the highest level. .
I think a less obvious point of the article is that Fenech doesn’t care who The Tiger of the Year is, at least until the Tigers find a cohesive rebuild strategy and learn how to compete for talent on the open market.
You’re overstating your case by saying Castellinos was a non-tender candidate. Before this year he was consistantly a very good bat with OPS’s 800, sometimes well over 800 four years in a row before this years 790 which there is no telling if he would have improved to more normal production. Also, his glove improved to something around tolerable this year.
Wonder where Castellanos will go.
Let’s ask Verlander’s thoughts
As a reference, Justin Upton won Tiger of the year in 2017 even though he was traded away. That year, Castellanos had a very good year. If they didn’t give it to NC when he was on the team, they definitely won’t when he’s not on the team.
I wonder if Fenech will get any heat for articles like this. Regardless, I appreciate him calling attention to the mismanagement of this ballclub.
What Fenech needs to get his head around, is that Detroit saw over 3,000 ABs of Castellanos, whereas the Chicago version saw just over 200. One sample size is significantly more reliable than the other, and arguing any different is simply riding the lazy narrative. He’s a slightly above average bat, and a below average glove at a non-premium position. That is not a player worth building around.
EVERYONE was questioning Castellanos’ trade value. The Tigers were trying to trade him for more than a year. If his value was so obvious, why didn’t ANY team jump at the chance?
If you look at team win/loss percentage, it could be argued that NC brought the same value to the Cubs—in just a few months—that he brought to Detroit the past few years.
You don’t need to be boy wonder to figure out why Castellanos improved after leaving Detroit. Every year it happens. A player on a bad team gets traded to a good team with much better players and is reinvigorated by a playoff race.
That Miggy contract is just as horrifying as Pujols and Votto.
Al Avila is a HORRIBLE general manager and failure trickles down hill. Until he goes, many of Detroits players will under preform.
Avila is one of the best talent scouts in the league. Give him two more years to bring in young guys and then turn the reigns over to someone who knows how to win.
Ask Verlander what he thinks of Fenech. The guy loves to drum up drama.
As far as castellanos, he was always known as a good hitter. Look at his previous years as a Tiger, he was a solid hitter. Very similar to this year. But he was never a candidate for a QO. And no one expected much in return for him.
Fenech is a fiction writer.
Why, at this point, after a 114 loss season, does anyone think the Tigers care at all about winning anything? The Tigers have already come out and send they’re not spending any money on free agents, They tank – which is stupid because they don’t draft worth a crap – and gripe about Zimmermann’s contract (yeah, great job there, Al). The Tigers are stuck in a loop right now:
1. Lose
2. Draft terribly
3. Promote guys who aren’t ready
4. Trade guys who are ready for additional “prospects” that are terrible and/or not ML ready
5. Go To 1.
No. This Tigers organization reeks of an owner who just wants to slash payroll so he can sell the team when his mother passes on.
Here’s hoping a guy like Mark Cuban — someone who wants to win — buys the team. Otherwise, the Tigers can look forward to another decade or more of futility.
The Tigers draft GREAT. Dombrowski always traded them away. Farm system is loaded with quality arms. Chris could sell now without anybody’s permission, so go back to awaiting another bandwagon.
The Tigers hoped Zimmerman was going to be what Corbin has been to the Nats this year. Great for the number three slot but not a front liner.
Matt Boyd is Tiger of the Year. I’m rooting for Boyd and Daniel Norris next year too.
Hitters always have better numbers when surrounded by quality hitters. Nicholas Castellanos was the only good hitter in the Tiger lineup yet he had 300 plus TB 2017, 2018 and even more 2019.
There wasn’t much interest in Castellanos by other teams. I’m not sure that was Al Avila’s doing. I read that Avila’s asking price was too high (quoted from those with an agenda). However, from what DET got in return on all his other trades, it doesn’t match the M.O. I’m sure the lack of interest had more to do with Castellanos and circumstances: Refusal to play other positions, lack of effort on defense, short timer and Boros as an agent, etc…
Avila asked the Rays for Jesus Sanchez for NC…they hung up and then got Jesus Aguilar
Avila asked the Dodgers for Verdugo or Ruiz (#1 )…they hung up and then got Pollock
Avila asked the Yankees for Gleybar for Boyd…they hung up
There was definitely more interest in Boyd than NC, but interest in NC nonetheless., The asking prices ended those conversations very fast. I think Al just stays strong on his high asking price until he has zero leverage and then gets nothing in return like the JDM & NC trades.
“How did the Tigers not know this hitter was in there?”
Anyone want to translate that for me? I’m guessing everyone knew he was a decent player. having a bad season.
“And why does every player that leave Detroit improve?” Fenech asks”
Is this true? I just checked quickly, but Greene, Martin, and Fiers didn’t improve. And it is not like a lot of quality players have left.
“….also wondering why the club didn’t make more of an effort to extend a player who openly desired to be a long-term piece for the Tigers. ”
Signing Castellanos is exactly the opposite of what the Tigers should be doing. Castellanos has a career WAR/650 of 1.3, the definition of mediocrity. The entire Tiger focus should be trading away anyone with a pulse, and building their farm. This is not like the WS or Padres who might be a player or two away.
I’m not a Tigers’ fan, and don’t know anything about Fenech, but this is an awful, awful article.
Castellanos’ season as a whole was still slightly worse than what he did last season. Everyone on Earth knew he could hit. He went to a much more hitter friendly ballpark with a significantly better lineup to hit in.
He was a defensively limited slugger who also happened to be a rental. They just don’t bring back much in trades. JDM brought very little back as well. There were a slew of other deals this year and the recent past that showed you that very clearly. It should’ve been expected. If they were going to deal Castellanos the return was never going to be huge. That’s the market for rental bats At non premium positions. Especially those with D issues.
The idea that ever player gets better after they leave Detroit is nonsense. Shane Greene’s luck certainly (as expected) ran out once he hit ATL. So yeah, I agree with you joe. This looks like a misguided slam piece on the Tigers. There’s certainly plenty of reasons for a writer to go criticize Detroit’s FO but this really wasn’t the one.
Miguel Cabrera eluded to one of the issues Castellanos was facing last year. When there is no threat around you in the lineup, pitchers can pitch around hitters. That issue is real. Castellanos benefited somewhat from a much more dangerous lineup around him in Chicago.
SSS, plus being more aggressive at the plate or seeing better pitches to hit.
Alluded means to refer to something. Eluded means to avoid.
Thanks!
Nick is a thumb sucker who never rose to the occasion as a leader in Detroit. His time in Chicago showed that he needs to shut up and play ball instead of griping about field dimensions or pitch sequences. The fact that Fenech doesn’t mention this shows what hack he is as a reporter.