“Panic in Detroit” turns to apathy over Tigers

There’s plenty of it to take

The fans are voting with their pocketbook with regard to flagging interest in the team.

Attendance through 44 home dates is at 838,181. That projects to 1,493,231 for the season and its doubtful they will reach that as the team is sinking like a stone at 29-62. That is down 20% from just last year (the second of bookend 98 loss seasons).

Recent attendance

Year Total attendance Rank Chg from Prev

2019 1,493,231 * 26 -20%

2018 1,856,970 22 -20%

2017 2,321,599 16 – 9%

2016 2,493,859 12 -9%

2015 2,726,648 9 -9%

2014 2,917,209 7 -9%

2013 3,083,397 6

*Projected attendance

Attendance is down for the sixth straight year since it peaked following the appearance in the World Series in 2012. Projected to be down over 50% this year from that peak. Note that the numbers were at least falling at a rate of 9% for four years, but now have over doubled in decline to 20% (or greater) annually.

What does this show? Well, it shows that unlike nearby Cleveland, the fans will come out in droves to see a contending team and will even stay rather loyal for a couple of bad seasons. It shows that most fans will not put up with a mess like the team is now and simply check out. But sadly it also shows that there are so many other revenue streams in today’s MLB that while embarrassing, it does not impact the bottom line the way it used to. So the management moves along, displaying apathy equal to that of many fans. They merely instruct FS Detroit to kindly not “pan” the view of all the empty seats at Comerica Park!

Are you still attending games in person? Watching on TV or listening on the radio? Continuing to follow online or in print?

Cespedes

I was very upset that the Tigers traded Cespedes.

I understand letting Price go (too expensive) and Soria (too unreliable).

But Yoenis wanted to be here and look what he’s done in NY.

They thought they would get him back in free agency. Don’t hold your breath…

Happy New Year

The arrival of the New Year is an encouraging milepost in the baseball off season. I consider it the midpoint. Just got to get through January and February now that November and December are in the rear view mirror. Then we have Grapefruit League. With or without Max Scherzer.

The Tigers are status quo at the start of the New Year 2015, since the Yoenis Cespedes and Alfredo Simon trades at the winter meetings.

They remain a difficult team to assess and will be until Scherzer either signs on or joins another ball club. Given the fact that Max is not signed and Scott Boras is his agent, don’t sit by the TV, radio, or your PC anticipating a speedy resolution.

One thing that I absolutely am distressed over is the inability or unwillingness that the team has shown in addressing what remains a woeful bullpen. Joe Nathan’s best days are gone and he had very few of them pitching for the Tigers.

Given that, the Tigers must hope (pray?) that Bruce Rondon rounds into a closer sometime this season. It will not occur immediately, with him coming off surgery but it needs to come. With Phil Coke
unsigned (and by-and large ineffective anyway…) the only real hope for left-handed help lies with Blaine Hardy. Blaine appeared in 38 games for Detroit last year. He pitched respectably, going 2-1 with an ERA of 2.54. His WHIP needs to improve from 1.385 and the culprit mainly was walks. 20 bases on balls in 39 innings will simply not work for a late-inning reliever. He’s 27 years old, so it is time for him to bloom if he is ever going to.

Al Alburquerque is the only other possible contributor. He needs to cut down on his penchant for gopher balls. 7HR allowed in 57 innings is high and in addition these HRs seem to always come with men on base. He throws hard enough and still strikes out over a batter per inning pitched on average. Other than Rondon, Hardy and Al, the pen is a toxic waste dump. That includes Joakim Soria. Dude’s got a lot to prove following last year’s meltdown.

Please Dave Dombrowski, please sign a reliever or two. The White Sox were the only team in the league with a worse pen than yours. They signed former Yankees’ closer David Robertson, and lefty specialist Zach Duke. Your move…