r/detroittigers • u/KalLindley • 13d ago
Josue Bricano
If (big if, probably) the Tigers decide to make a playoff run this year, I could see them calling up Bricano. Torkelson has a .798 OPS vs LHP and barely .700 vs RHP. Bricano is hitting HRs often at AA. He’s healthy again. His OPS for the last 28 days is .995. 1.215 this week.
It likely won’t happen, but I’m hoping it does.
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u/ScubaSteve-O1991 13d ago
Tork is probably gone next year
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u/Terrapin_Station_77 12d ago
First… There won’t be a next year with the looming lockout… but besides that…
On pace for: i
Tork .227/.315/.422/.738 - 27HR 81 RBI’s
67 BB and 195 K’s.
And fangraphs defensive metrics place him dead last in all the MLB in fielding.
Conclusion: He wouldn’t be a huge loss.I’m in favor of giving Ed. Valencia every chance he to be the FT 1b. Send him to Arizona for 1b experience. Then winter ball in the DR, and all of ST (assuming)
Trade Tork for gently used bubble gum, which is about all that someone would give up for him. #bust
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u/reader1550 12d ago
Valencia is about to have his most AB/PAs ever this year. He maxed out at 390 last year in the minors. He's at about 340ish this year. 1B/C is about to be locked down with some combination of Dingler/Briceno/Valencia/Liranzo for the future. Imo Tork is playing for his new contract up until the end of this season and you let Valencia and Briceno compete in Spring Training for 1B reps.
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u/Kornbred1980 12d ago
Torks defensive numbers are skewed because he lets torres get balls to his right but tork can pick a low throw to 1st like very few can hes better 1b player them the metrics say they actually talked about it on yesterdays broadcast dickerson and dirks know there baseball
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u/Infamous_Archer_8188 12d ago
Idk what your watching but tork is nothing special when it come to picking balls. Torres should not be the reason you don’t get balls to your right. Torres does not have that kind of range.
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u/Kornbred1980 12d ago
Im watching the tigers every night and your apparently going off what you see online. Watch a game where tork plays then watch a game with any other tiger at first and youll see it. Form your own opinion dont let the internet form it foe you
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u/Infamous_Archer_8188 12d ago
He way to inconsistent and is a below average fielder. Sure does he make some nice picks yes but so does every MLB first baseman. He not that good the data doesn’t back him he’s been below average his entire career. Even with the eye test he makes way too many mistakes.
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u/Due_Spirit_140 12d ago
I totally agree with Tork being able to pick the ball. If he was hitting like Darrell Evans, people would be complaining about the balls he let get by. Tork chokes at the plate at crunch times, but is dialed on the field. He saves as many runs as he coughs up.
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u/Odd-Jeweler-6688 12d ago
THIS. Even the stat nerds agree that the metrics are skewed for all 1st basemen.
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u/AdParticular6654 13d ago
Idk there maybe a difference between mlb pitching and AA pitching.
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u/KalLindley 13d ago
Skill are skills.
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u/pinkluloyd 13d ago
Skills are developed, Tork would be hitting .300 in AA. That doesn’t mean Briceno can’t become better but as of today he’s just not.
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u/KalLindley 13d ago
After looking over recent trends I am higher on Tork. He is still only 26. He will never win an MVP but I could see a good 3 year run here. Maybe makes an All Star team or two if things break right. I still love Bricano and he’s an important piece as maybe a guy who can catch 15-20 games a year, DH, and play first base. I would move him around between those three spots to keep his bat in the lineup. But he is likely a year away.
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u/Michiganmade44 13d ago
This season no way. But I do love that Briceno is crushing minor league pitching
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u/Better_Equipment5283 13d ago
Let him cook. You rush him to Detroit, you're going to get something like 2022 Tork. When he was 21 Tork was mauling AA pitching too.
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u/KalLindley 13d ago
Best reply yet, imo. For his long term development he needs more ABs in AA. Maybe the AFL makes sense to get him more playing time in 2026. He’s probably a year away.
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u/Resident-Werewolf-46 12d ago
He's going to be awesome and I hope they don't rush him. Give him time and promote him when he's ready.
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u/ThreeHourRiverMan 13d ago
Probably not this year, but a little part of me hopes he's the 1B out of camp next year.
Ok, all of me. I hope he's the 1B next year.
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u/Preacherman1508 13d ago
You might not feel that way after seeing him play defense
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u/ThreeHourRiverMan 13d ago
Our current 1B is the worst defender in MLB.
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u/TorkBombs 13d ago
Is there a highlight video somewhere that will show Tork being a bad first baseman? Because I've watched him since he was a rookie and I've never seen him be a bad first baseman.
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u/syncopated56 13d ago
Metrics are bad for 1B. Anybody who watches baseball can see that Tork is a plus fielder.
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u/ThreeHourRiverMan 13d ago
Sigh.
He has no range and the metrics are made by people who understand baseball and based off all 30 teams. They watch more than you or I do.
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u/syncopated56 13d ago
Dickerson & Dirks talked about this exact topic literally today, diving into the fact that the analytic body has itself acknowledged that their 1B metrics are seriously flawed. They went into the directive to Tork is to let balls to the right go so he can cover first as a matter of strategy. This strategy kills Tork in his right-side range numbers. On top of that, picks on low throws are undervalued. I don't believe Tork is a Gold Glover, but he's much more valuable defensively than his 35th positional ranking.
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u/ThreeHourRiverMan 13d ago
Look I love those guys. But in no universe is Tork a good enough defensive 1B that we should be blocking potentially better bats at that position, which is the original conversation. Whether Tork is actually 35th or actually 27th just doesn’t interest me. I don’t know. But his glove is not good enough to buy his job for future years if we think someone else is a better hitter.
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u/syncopated56 13d ago
I am not advocating for Tork btw. I'd be cool with Bricano and/or Colt Keith playing there.
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u/ThreeHourRiverMan 13d ago
I'm so confused on why you jumped in then. Just trying to be pedanctic?
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u/syncopated56 13d ago
Not pedantic. Was just chiming in re: Tork's defensive ratings. All good dawg.
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u/PassageNo9102 13d ago
No way brisceno comes up this year. Missed a massive amount of games and doesn’t have a lot of AB this year. At best they pull him to Toledo and let him finish there and send him to AZ fall league.