The Athletic’s Max Bultman answered reader questions in a mailbag feature this morning. Among his answers is the following:
Why are Red Wing fans so skeptical and even despairing about an in-house rebuild from their own prospect base while the Tigers are the living embodiment of success using that same route (except for the Gleyber Torres acquisition)? — Dale R.
Well, Tigers fans were pretty skeptical and despairing until last August, too — that’s what happens when you’ve been out of the playoffs so long. It gets harder to believe the payoff is actually coming. And honestly, I am pretty skeptical that the Red Wings will deliver the same level of results this season that the Tigers have over the last 12 months. That’s a high bar.
But to Dale’s point, it is entirely possible Detroit can answer some questions and find internal sparks similar to the ones the Tigers have found time and again in that span. I’d argue Marco Kasper, Edvinsson and Albert Johansson already count as such from last season. Elmer Söderblom taking another step would count as the same. Perhaps Nate Danielson and Carter Mazur can provide a boost this year. Certainly, that’s what the front office will be hoping for.
And whether it’s this year or next, I do like what Detroit has on the way. There are a lot of good prospects coming. But they still would need a lot of things to go right to get to the level the Tigers are on right now, and I can’t fault anyone for getting tired of waiting.
Continued (paywall)
