Avila Safe Until the All-Star Break

There’s Still Time for the Tigers to Get it Together

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Tigers Still Have Time

Matt Bassin: I’m wondering how the batter’s not being able to see, let alone hit the baseball is Avila’s fault.

A.J. Reilly: Yeah, I know. It’s 27 games out of 162. You’re not winning the world series in April. So just slow down and don’t forget. I’m not saying that this team is that team, but don’t forget about that nationals team that won the world series a few years ago.

Who were very much on the struggle bus for April and May then turned it around post All-Star break. I’m not saying the Detroit Tigers are going to make that run, so don’t clip this and tell people that I’m predicting a world series, but 27 games is way, way too early to be calling for jobs.

Now, listen, I’m not, and have not been a huge Alex Avila fan. But we have a team in place that he has constructed for better or worse, who are underperforming at this point. You cannot blame that on the general manager that these guys are striking out as much as they’re striking out, unless he needs to be signing people that are better contact hitters.

Sure. Maybe, but Candelario notoriously always gets off to a slow start. He’s starting to turn it. Javier Baez, we know what we have Javier Baez. We know what we have with Austin Meadows. These guys are going to produce, the person that I would be a little concerned about as Akil Baddoo. He probably needs to spend some time down in Toledo.

Derek Hill has come in and has been hitting the ball and doing great and can play a great center field. Don’t forget Riley Greene’s waiting in the wing when he comes back from injury. Although I don’t think that he’ll come up too early this season. So, let’s tap the brakes for a minute on the Avila talk.

I’m not saying that he needs to be the guy forever. I’m just saying, this is the first time that he’s actually had a roster that he constructed that could be good. So let’s see how they turn it around. Put your trust in A.J. Hinch, he’s the best manager that we’ve had since Jim Leyland, he’s going to be fine.

And he’s only coached this team for a season in 27 games. So, it’s just April and the calendar just flipped to May. So, let’s just breathe for a moment, woo-sah or whatever you gotta do, to just chill. 

Let me say one thing. If they’re still this bad after the all-star break and after the trade deadline. Talk to me all you want about Al Avila. Talk to me all you want about Avila, but not about A.J. Hinch.

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