Scott Harris explains ‘signs of progress’ with Detroit Tigers

During the Detroit Economic Club luncheon held at MotorCity Casino, Detroit Tigers president Scott Harris emphasized that the team's progress should not be overlooked, despite a recent nine-game losing streak and a current record of 27-37. Drawing from his experience with the Chicago Cubs and the San Francisco Giants, Harris expressed confidence in the direction the Tigers are heading. He cited signs of progress, which he believes contributed to the Cubs' World Series win, and highlighted the team's strong performance in May, going 16-11.

Key Points

• Tigers president Scott Harris acknowledges the progress made by the team despite recent struggles.
• Harris draws on his experience with the Cubs and Giants to highlight the significance of signs of progress.
• The Tigers had a successful month in May, going 16-11.
• Improvements in controlling the strike zone have been evident, with significant advancements in pitcher and batter walks.
• The team's defense ranks highly, tying for second in outs above average.
• Harris emphasizes the team's ethos of “controlling the strike zone” and the focus on process-driven improvement.

Scott Harris explains ‘signs of progress' with Detroit Tigers

Harris noted the improvement in controlling the strike zone, ranking fourth in pitcher walks (compared to 20th last year) and eighth in batter walks (compared to 29th last year). The Tigers' team defense has also been commendable, tying for second in outs above average. Harris reiterated the team's focus on “controlling the strike zone” and emphasized the importance of process-driven improvement.

“Those two organizations were in different spots than this organization is, but the mentality is the exact same,” Harris said Tuesday at the Detroit Economic Club luncheon at Detroit’s MotorCity Casino. “We are focused on what is right in front of us and we are going to try to make incremental progress wherever we can.”

“It’s already happening under the hood. When you look at this team, I know we’re in a rough patch right now, but let’s not forget the progress that we’ve already seen in a couple months here. … We had an excellent May. We went 16-11 in May. That’s progress.

“We started to take control of the strike zone in this organization. We went from 20th in pitcher walks last year to fourth right now. We went from 29th in batter walks to eighth right now. That’s progress. We can’t ignore that. What counts is winning games, of course, but those are the seeds of progress that lead to winning games.”

Harris says the defense has also improved

Harris also noted that despite plenty of criticism early on, the Tigers' defense has also shown improvement throughout the season.

“On the defensive side of the ball, there was some criticism about our defense early in the season. I think what you’re seeing every night is we have some pretty dynamic defenders on the dirt and on the grass,” Harris said.