Detroit Tigers can't qualify for 2020 playoffs. Can they lose enough to get 2021 top pick?
Interim manager Lloyd McClendon knows the 2020 Detroit Tigers are much improved from last season's 114-loss squad.
The Tigers (22-32) flirted with the postseason in early September, which isn't much of a shock considering 16 of the league's 30 teams make the field following the a 60-game schedule.
But now that they're eliminated, McClendon made sure to recognize the positives, including offensive growth from shortstop Willi Castro (.339 batting average), first baseman Jeimer Candelario (.301) and center fielder Victor Reyes (.280).
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"There were times where it didn't look pretty," McClendon said Wednesday after a 7-6 loss to the Minnesota Twins. "Particularly that nine-game losing streak, but we bounced back with a six-game winning streak. All of those things you take into account. You understand that through the ups and downs, you will become better players."
He acknowledged closer Bryan Garcia's success, now fully recovered from Tommy John surgery in February 2018, and left-hander Gregory Soto's scorching fastball. At times, he was one of the most electrifying relievers in the majors.
More positives: how Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal made their anticipated arrivals, even if they fell on hard times; fellow rookie Isaac Paredes is riding a nine-game hitting streak and cranked a grand slam for his first home run; another first-timer, Daz Cameron, has finally made it out of his first big-league slump.
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The Tigers will soon shift focus toward offseason plans leading up to spring training in Lakeland, Florida.
The Tigers begin a four-game series Thursday with the Kansas City Royals to wrap up the campaign, but they could play an unscheduled doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday at Comerica Park. Even with the Tigers unable to reach the American League's eighth and final spot in the playoffs, McClendon won't change his daily strategy.
"I'll talk to Al (Avila, general manager) and see how we proceed from here," McClendon said. "Obviously, you know, we need to take a look at some guys, and this is an opportunity to do it. But, even with that in mind, our goal is to win every ballgame, so we'll construct lineups with that goal in mind."
Tank for Kumar Rocker? Not so fast
After a five-round 2020 MLB draft, the 2021 draft is expected to be at least 20 rounds, possibly as many as 30 rounds. Typically, it's a 40-round process.
That's only the beginning of the changes.
The 2021 draft will take place July 11-13 in Atlanta to contribute to All-Star Game events, according to ESPN, rather than in June. How the order will be decided is still unknown, but ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Tuesday it's "highly likely" this season's 60-game standings will determine where each team picks.
While MLB hasn't officially set a recipe for the draft order, this model puts the Tigers in the top 10, but securing the No. 1 pick is impossible. However, if the 2019 and 2020 records are combined, the Tigers (boasting 114 losses last year) would end up with the top selection.
"They're in the process of doing (figuring out the order)," Avila said Aug. 31. "But it has not been established yet what the formula is going to be. Since we only had five rounds, we probably should just go back to how it was this year, and we should be picking first again."
The 2021 draft is headlined by Vanderbilt right-handed pitcher Kumar Rocker, who registered a 1.80 ERA, 0.933 WHIP and 28 strikeouts to eight walks across 15 innings in the COVID-19 nixed college season. The 20-year-old had a 3.25 ERA, 114 strikeouts and 21 walks in 99⅔ innings in 2019.
The Tigers picked Arizona State first baseman Spencer Torkelson with the No. 1 pick in 2020.
If the season ended Thursday afternoon, these teams would pick in the top 10 based on the 2020 records:
1. Pittsburgh Pirates (18-39)
2. Texas Rangers (19-37)
3. Boston Red Sox (22-34)
4. Arizona Diamondbacks (22-34)
5. Detroit Tigers (22-32)
6. Baltimore Orioles (23-33)
7. Kansas City Royals (22-33)
8. Washington Nationals (22-33)
9. Colorado Rockies (24-31)
10. Seattle Mariners (25-31)
Goodrum's sense of urgency
Second baseman Niko Goodrum has struck out 65 times in 143 at-bats through 39 games this season. His strikeout rate is 40.1%, which is third-worst among players with at least 150 plate appearances this year.
With only four scheduled games remaining, there's nearly no time to turn his season around. A few hits down the stretch won't change the overall trend — hitting .175 with five homers and 19 RBIs. The small sample size for judgement in a 60-game schedule frustrates him.
"That sense of urgency starts kicking up," Goodrum said Thursday. "Like, let me get it, let me get it. Now, now, now. I think any guy going through a funk will say they can feel like (they) don't have much time left. It's not added pressure, but it is something that you think about. You want to get stuff going as soon as possible."
Since returning from the 10-day injured list and healing from a right oblique strain, Goodrum is 4-for-30 with 15 strikeouts. He is hitting .045 against breaking pitches, swinging and missing 55.4% of the time.
Trying to stay positive through the final four games, Goodrum knows he needs to adjust in the offseason.
"You go through this stuff and see what you got to improve on and what adjustments need to be made," Goodrum said. "That's what I have to do this year after what I've been going through. I may have needed to go through this to make a change that could help my career in the future."
Evan Petzold is a sports reporting intern at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tigers can't win enough to make playoffs. Can they lose enough for top pick?
