Post by Commissioner Erick on Aug 9, 2022 6:47:03 GMT -5
Detroit Tigers (63-92) @ Kansas City Royals (96-59)
DET: Chase Hancock (1-4, 5.65)
KC: T.J. Zeuch (12-5, 3.16)
Tigers 5 Key Stats:
126: Roderick Dalton’s RBIs: It’s been a disappointing year for Detroit, but not when it comes to Dalton. The slugger has had another huge year. The triple-slash numbers are down from last season’s ridiculous .365/.464/.672 marks to a still tremendous .333/.410/.610 line. Dalton is fourth in average, third in OBP and third in SLG, but the combination leaves him second in OPS. This may just be the low-water mark for the young Australian superstar.
.183: Points of OPS higher in 2028 than 2026 for Amari Maggette: Maggette had a .704 OPS two seasons ago, with just 14 home runs and a .387 Slugging Percentage. It left some to imagine his career as an impactful starting player was over. Instead, he’s rebounded the past two years. His 40 Doubles last year were a career high, his 10 Triples this year are a career best, and his 26 Home Runs are the most since 2024. Maggette may no longer be an All-Star like he was in his prime, but he’s still a very effective corner outfielder.
889: Detroit’s Runs Allowed: Detroit has allowed the most runs in the AL, which is nothing short of a disaster. Injuries have touched some of the team’s better arms, but some veterans have also mightily underperformed. The bullpen has been a huge disappointment, with a number of strong arms from seasons past having terrible years. The injuries have resulted in more bullpen innings than expected, which has compounded things. The Tigers are hoping to start afresh next year, but such a poor season seems to portend a budget cut, which would leave an expensive team in a tough place.
0.4: Tomoya Mori’s WAR: Mori was a nice signing relatively late in Free Agency. The former MVP was no longer a superstar, but would stick crack doubles and play good defense. The hope was that last year in Philadelphia was a tough situation and a worst-case scenario. Instead, the former MVP of two different leagues has hit .226 with a .279 OBP. He’s struck out 90 times in 340 Plate Appearances and has just eight home runs. The defense is very strong, but he’s venturing quickly into being a backup Catcher at this point in his career.
.291: Raj Anu’s Slugging Percentage: Anu was a good prospect for the Tigers in the middle of the decade, but a fractured wrist ended it all. He had 31 Home Runs in 2025, but a bone bruise and setback in early 2026 through off his timing and ruined his season, and a late fractured wrist appears to have ended his days of being a plus player. He had a .605 OPS that year in a lost campaign. He rebounded slightly in 2027 with 16 home runs, but while Anu could put a jolt into mistakes, the wrist strength hasn’t been there to consistently attack pitchers. He’s batting just .184 with 74 strikeouts in 201 Plate Appearances this year. His defense is good enough to warrant a backup role, but he may just be a career backup at this stage of the game.
Royals 5 Key Stats
9: Wins in Kansas City’s last 10 Games against Detroit: The Royals actually started off very slowly against Detroit this year, dropping their first five. As the team has played better, they’ve taken it to Detroit, edging out a Friday, May 9, 2-1 win and not looking back. The offense has been the big story as the club has scored fewer than six runs just twice in the last 10. If they can keep up the strong hitting, they’ll be AL Champions.
2.17: Mark Harris’ ERA: The rookie was having a stellar season before tearing his UCL last week. He’ll miss the rest of the year—a shame as he was a weapon in an elite unit. Kansas City had the second best bullpen ERA in the AL, and Harris’ ability to keep the ball in the yard was a big part of that. Justin Dunn—rebounding from s disastrous August—is likely the man to go to for more responsibility.
12: September Triples: The Royals easily have the most Triples in the AL in September, and easily have the most three-baggers in the league this season. KC’s corner-men are most responsible as Jonathan Bakos and Jim Sattler are tied for the AL lead with 12 apiece. KC also has Harland Guenette leading the league in Doubles. The Royals are fully leaned in to extra base hits that aren’t home runs, something Detroit will need to watch out for.
3.16: T.J. Zeuch’s ERAs: One of the league’s most unheralded arms, Toronto’s recent struggles before this season, Philadelphia’s disappointing 2027, and Zeuch’s torn rotator cuff and declining strikeout rates have left him a mostly anonymous pitcher the last couple of seasons. However, that undersells just how good Zeuch has been. The righty has allowed just nine homers this year and walked just 24 hitters, continuing his extraordinary control he cemented in his Toronto days. The strikeout rate has plummeted, but who needs strikeouts when you have Kansas City’s park and defense behind you? A fly ball pitcher for most of his career, Zeuch has gone back to generating the ground balls of his youth in Kansas City, playing to his defense’s strengths. The change in profile highlight’s Zeuch’s ability to remaster the tricks of his early seasons.
8.8: Jahmai Jones’ Center Field Zone Rating: Jones hasn’t been very good offensively for Kansas City since coming over from Toronto, but his defense remains stellar. Jones would have a shot at a Gold Glove with more playing time, and has 10 Outfield Assists in only half a season’s worth of games, roughly. Jones will start today against the lefty Chase Hancock, and should be an asset in the field. If his bat comes around to career norms, or how he played for Toronto early in the season, he’ll be an outstanding weapon for the Royals.
Questions for the GMs:
For Steve Cox 2, after such high hopes heading into the year, what went wrong? Where did things fall apart?
Are there any particular players you want to keep a close eye on today as you prepare for next season?
What are your thoughts on tonight’s starter, Chase Hancock?
For Daniel Kent, who takes Mark Harris’ spot on the roster and as a setup man?
A lot of your hitters have actually had disappointing seasons relative to last year. How has your offense performed so well in still being fifth in runs?
Danny Weatherwax strained his oblique. How will you handle his injury today and into the final week of the year?
TRIVIA: Who has the best single-season ERA in PBA history?
DET: Chase Hancock (1-4, 5.65)
KC: T.J. Zeuch (12-5, 3.16)
Tigers 5 Key Stats:
126: Roderick Dalton’s RBIs: It’s been a disappointing year for Detroit, but not when it comes to Dalton. The slugger has had another huge year. The triple-slash numbers are down from last season’s ridiculous .365/.464/.672 marks to a still tremendous .333/.410/.610 line. Dalton is fourth in average, third in OBP and third in SLG, but the combination leaves him second in OPS. This may just be the low-water mark for the young Australian superstar.
.183: Points of OPS higher in 2028 than 2026 for Amari Maggette: Maggette had a .704 OPS two seasons ago, with just 14 home runs and a .387 Slugging Percentage. It left some to imagine his career as an impactful starting player was over. Instead, he’s rebounded the past two years. His 40 Doubles last year were a career high, his 10 Triples this year are a career best, and his 26 Home Runs are the most since 2024. Maggette may no longer be an All-Star like he was in his prime, but he’s still a very effective corner outfielder.
889: Detroit’s Runs Allowed: Detroit has allowed the most runs in the AL, which is nothing short of a disaster. Injuries have touched some of the team’s better arms, but some veterans have also mightily underperformed. The bullpen has been a huge disappointment, with a number of strong arms from seasons past having terrible years. The injuries have resulted in more bullpen innings than expected, which has compounded things. The Tigers are hoping to start afresh next year, but such a poor season seems to portend a budget cut, which would leave an expensive team in a tough place.
0.4: Tomoya Mori’s WAR: Mori was a nice signing relatively late in Free Agency. The former MVP was no longer a superstar, but would stick crack doubles and play good defense. The hope was that last year in Philadelphia was a tough situation and a worst-case scenario. Instead, the former MVP of two different leagues has hit .226 with a .279 OBP. He’s struck out 90 times in 340 Plate Appearances and has just eight home runs. The defense is very strong, but he’s venturing quickly into being a backup Catcher at this point in his career.
.291: Raj Anu’s Slugging Percentage: Anu was a good prospect for the Tigers in the middle of the decade, but a fractured wrist ended it all. He had 31 Home Runs in 2025, but a bone bruise and setback in early 2026 through off his timing and ruined his season, and a late fractured wrist appears to have ended his days of being a plus player. He had a .605 OPS that year in a lost campaign. He rebounded slightly in 2027 with 16 home runs, but while Anu could put a jolt into mistakes, the wrist strength hasn’t been there to consistently attack pitchers. He’s batting just .184 with 74 strikeouts in 201 Plate Appearances this year. His defense is good enough to warrant a backup role, but he may just be a career backup at this stage of the game.
Royals 5 Key Stats
9: Wins in Kansas City’s last 10 Games against Detroit: The Royals actually started off very slowly against Detroit this year, dropping their first five. As the team has played better, they’ve taken it to Detroit, edging out a Friday, May 9, 2-1 win and not looking back. The offense has been the big story as the club has scored fewer than six runs just twice in the last 10. If they can keep up the strong hitting, they’ll be AL Champions.
2.17: Mark Harris’ ERA: The rookie was having a stellar season before tearing his UCL last week. He’ll miss the rest of the year—a shame as he was a weapon in an elite unit. Kansas City had the second best bullpen ERA in the AL, and Harris’ ability to keep the ball in the yard was a big part of that. Justin Dunn—rebounding from s disastrous August—is likely the man to go to for more responsibility.
12: September Triples: The Royals easily have the most Triples in the AL in September, and easily have the most three-baggers in the league this season. KC’s corner-men are most responsible as Jonathan Bakos and Jim Sattler are tied for the AL lead with 12 apiece. KC also has Harland Guenette leading the league in Doubles. The Royals are fully leaned in to extra base hits that aren’t home runs, something Detroit will need to watch out for.
3.16: T.J. Zeuch’s ERAs: One of the league’s most unheralded arms, Toronto’s recent struggles before this season, Philadelphia’s disappointing 2027, and Zeuch’s torn rotator cuff and declining strikeout rates have left him a mostly anonymous pitcher the last couple of seasons. However, that undersells just how good Zeuch has been. The righty has allowed just nine homers this year and walked just 24 hitters, continuing his extraordinary control he cemented in his Toronto days. The strikeout rate has plummeted, but who needs strikeouts when you have Kansas City’s park and defense behind you? A fly ball pitcher for most of his career, Zeuch has gone back to generating the ground balls of his youth in Kansas City, playing to his defense’s strengths. The change in profile highlight’s Zeuch’s ability to remaster the tricks of his early seasons.
8.8: Jahmai Jones’ Center Field Zone Rating: Jones hasn’t been very good offensively for Kansas City since coming over from Toronto, but his defense remains stellar. Jones would have a shot at a Gold Glove with more playing time, and has 10 Outfield Assists in only half a season’s worth of games, roughly. Jones will start today against the lefty Chase Hancock, and should be an asset in the field. If his bat comes around to career norms, or how he played for Toronto early in the season, he’ll be an outstanding weapon for the Royals.
Questions for the GMs:
For Steve Cox 2, after such high hopes heading into the year, what went wrong? Where did things fall apart?
Are there any particular players you want to keep a close eye on today as you prepare for next season?
What are your thoughts on tonight’s starter, Chase Hancock?
For Daniel Kent, who takes Mark Harris’ spot on the roster and as a setup man?
A lot of your hitters have actually had disappointing seasons relative to last year. How has your offense performed so well in still being fifth in runs?
Danny Weatherwax strained his oblique. How will you handle his injury today and into the final week of the year?
TRIVIA: Who has the best single-season ERA in PBA history?