Detroit, MI
No Detroit Tigers position players in first wave of All-Star voting, not even Riley Greene
Detroit Tigers have scary reality: When do they actually plan to be good?
“Days of Roar” podcast on June 9, 2024 talks through comments from Tigers president Scott Harris. How far away are they from having an established core and what does the timeline look like? Subscribe to listen to new episodes weekly.
ATLANTA — The Detroit Tigers don’t have any position players in the running for the 2024 All-Star Game in the first update of balloting, which lists the top 10 players at the five infield positions, 10 players at designated hitter and 20 players in the outfield.
MLB released its first update of fan voting Monday afternoon, but there isn’t a single Tigers player listed among the 80 position players from the American League, not even outfielder Riley Greene.
Twenty position players from each league make the All-Star team, with at least six outfielders. Fans can vote on MLB.com, but Phase 1 of the voting concludes June 27 at noon ET. (Fans cannot vote for pitchers.)
WATCHING HIM GROW UP: After taking the next step, Tigers’ Riley Greene is thinking ‘pure’ at the plate
Greene is by far the Tigers’ best position player, especially with fellow outfielder Kerry Carpenter on the injured list.
“He’s a hell of a player,” said Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal, seemingly on track to be the AL’s starter in the All-Star Game. “I don’t think that embodies him as a player. I’m about as big of a 31 fan as there is. I love the way he does everything. Watch the series he just had, too. That kind of speaks to who he is as a player.”
Other teams in the AL Central have multiple players on the leaderboard, including nine players from the Cleveland Guardians and six players from the Kansas City Royals, though the Minnesota Twins have just one player — shortstop Carlos Correa — on the 80-player leaderboard.
Among AL outfielders, Greene ranks 10th in fWAR (1.9), fifth in wRC+ (133), fifth in OPS (.824), 11th in batting average (.252) and tied for fifth in home runs (14). The 23-year-old, who plays all three outfield positions, also ranks sixth in plate appearances (301) and tied for 10th in games played (70).
“The fans obviously have the power in this to do what they see fit,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “I think Tarik is well-positioned, one way or the other, Jack (Flaherty) has had a really good year, Riley, I would love to see him get some love. It’s not something I pay huge attention to, but it’s fun for the guys and fun for the fans.”
HIM: How Tigers’ Tarik Skubal matured into an Opening Day ace with Cy Young potential
In fWAR, which is the number of wins a player adds to his team compared to a replacement-level player, Greene’s 1.9 trails only Aaron Judge (5.0), Juan Soto (4.5), Kyle Tucker (3.2), Jarren Duran (2.9), Daulton Varsho (2.2), Colton Cowser (2.1), Willi Castro (2.1), Yordan Alvarez (1.9) and JJ Bleday (1.9) on the list of 25 qualified AL outfielders.
Castro played for the Tigers from 2019-22, but he was cut loose alongside third baseman Jeimer Candelario and utility player Harold Castro in November 2022 — exactly two months after Scott Harris took over as the president of baseball operations — because the Tigers didn’t think he was worth paying a projected $1.7 million in his first year as an arbitration-eligible player.
Castro, a 27-year-old switch-hitter who plays infield and outfield, has turned into an above-average player for the Minnesota Twins over the past two seasons, making $3.3 million in 2024.
REMEMBER WILLI? Ex-Tiger Willi Castro: ‘I really appreciate A.J. Hinch’ for instilling versatility
Meanwhile, Greene is hitting .310 with five home runs across his last 18 games, dating to May 29. He set career highs in Saturday’s 13-5 win over the Houston Astros with four hits and six RBIs, delivering his second multi-homer game of the season.
The Tigers selected Greene with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2019 draft. He has never made the All-Star team in his three MLB seasons, hitting a combined .266 with 30 home runs and a .761 OPS in 262 games.
Tarik Skubal, a win-first player
Skubal is the frontrunner to win the AL Cy Young Award. He’s also shaping up to be the AL’s starting pitcher for the 2024 All-Star Game, which is scheduled for July 16 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
But Skubal isn’t focused on the All-Star Game (or the Cy Young Award).
“I’d much rather win a lot of games than be in the All-Star Game,” Skubal said. “That’s kind of how I’ve always felt. I think winning cures everything. Think about every team that wins a World Series. What happens with their guys after that?”
Skubal, 27, has a 2.20 ERA with 16 walks and 98 strikeouts across 86 innings in 14 starts this season. His 2.7 fWAR ranks second among AL pitchers, trailing only Tanner Houck (3.2).
The Tigers have 10 wins in Skubal’s 14 starts.
There hasn’t been an All-Star starting pitcher from the Tigers since Max Scherzer in 2013.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
Listen to our weekly Tigers show “Days of Roar” every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.
Detroit, MI
How to watch the Detroit Lions vs. Indianapolis Colts – NFL: Week 12 | Channel, stream, preview
INDIANAPOLIS — The Detroit Lions will look to keep up their winning ways on Sunday as they face a hungry Indianapolis Colts team looking to keep their playoff hopes alive.
- Watch the NFL on FuboTV (7-day free trial)
Detroit Lions (9-1) vs. Indianapolis Colts (5-6)
- When: Sunday, November 24
- Time: 1 p.m. ET
- Where: Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis. Ind.)
- Channel: FOX
- Stream: FuboTV (Free Trial), DirecTV Stream, Sling
The Lions put together a historic effort last Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. In a 52-6 drubbing, Detroit recorded a franchise-record 645 yards of total offense and 38 first downs. Jared Goff had a much-needed bounce-back game, throwing four touchdowns, while David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs had standout performances on the ground. It marked the second time this year the team has hit the half-century mark in points, as they scored 52 against the Tennessee Titans last month.
The Lions continue to roll through the regular season, coming close to already securing a spot in the playoffs. They are currently first in the NFC North, one game up on the Minnesota Vikings.
While things have not been perfect in America’s Heartland, the Colts still have a shot at sneaking into a Wild Card spot. After a series of lackluster efforts during the team’s three-game losing streak, Indianapolis and quarterback Anthony Richardson stepped up last Sunday against the New York Jets. Timely stops on defense and a solid outing by their sophomore QB helped them outlast Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets.
The Colts still have some work to do. Despite being second in the AFC South, Indy is two games back of the first-place Houston Texans and one back of the last Wild Card spot in the AFC.
The Colts are 22-20-2 against the Lions, winning four of the last five meetings.
- Watch the NFL on FuboTV (7-day free trial)
Check out the NFL schedule
Detroit, MI
Lions News: How Detroit became contenders in just 3 years
It hasn’t been an easy road for the Detroit Lions. At this point, everyone knows the history. For decades, the franchise felt as though they couldn’t get things right. Even when there were glimmers of hope from Hall of Famers like Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson, they couldn’t get enough together to make things click.
Then, after an especially embarrassing performance on Thanksgiving back in 2020, Lions principal owner Sheila Hamp said enough was enough. She cleaned house before the end of that season and immediately began laying the groundwork of her plan to make this team a consistent winner—something the city and its fans can be proud of.
That plan led them to hire both coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes in 2021, and the two got to work. Cameron Wolfe of the NFL Network joined “The Insiders” to discuss how the Lions have built a Super Bowl contender in Detroit, and how it wasn’t an immediate success by any means.
Wolfe dove into how Campbell leads the team, including some specific examples from left tackle Taylor Decker that really highlights just how good of a communicator Campbell is as a coach. You can listen to the full segment from Wolfe below.
Lions have NFC’s best record and NFL’s best point differential.
Joined @nflnetwork The Insiders to highlight some of “how” behind their 3-year journey from same ‘ol Lions to elite Super Bowl contenders: pic.twitter.com/KulnlVDWW6
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) November 23, 2024
And now, onto the rest of today’s notes:
- Lions defensive tackle DJ Reader handed out 250 Thanksgiving meals at Detroit Edison Public School Academy this Friday and ESPN’s Eric Woodyard was there to speak with Reader during the event.
#Lions’ DJ Reader handed out 250 Thanksgiving meals at Detroit Edison Public School Academy today. Detroit will face the Colts on Sunday ahead of their annual Thanksgiving showdown vs. Chicago. @Djread98 is trying to help the Lions get their 1st holiday win since 2016. pic.twitter.com/4zgSR4avxN
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) November 22, 2024
- Greg Cosell of “NFL Matchup” on ESPN breaks down the dagger concept and how Detroit’s offense executes it so well.
How dominant have the @Lions been this season? They’ve won 8 straight..going for 9 against the @Colts on Sunday…haven’t won 9 in a row since 1934. Also..Detroit has 2 50+ point games this season. All 31 other teams have combined for….1 pic.twitter.com/Czm9q3nQ48
— trey wingo (@wingoz) November 23, 2024
- Best safety duo in the league and it’s really not much of a debate.
- I hope Indianapolis is ready for a different shade of blue to take over their town for the weekend.
Detroit, MI
Romulus residents welcome opening of Sheetz convenience store
(CBS DETROIT) — Neighbors near the only Michigan Sheetz store welcome the addition to their community and believe expansion is good for state.
“It makes my life a whole lot easier and I love it,” said Wendy Drew, who lives half a mile from the first Michigan Sheetz store. “I use a lot of gas and it’s always cheaper there than the two other gas stations we have.”
However, every community isn’t keen on the proposed expansion of up to 80 new locations of the Pennsylvania-based chain of convenience stores.
Earlier this week, the Middle East and Northern African Chamber of Commerce (MENA) held a panel for independent gas station owners who are concerned about the large chains ability to undercut their prices.
“Sometimes you need competition like that,” said Robert White, who lives near the Romulus location. “You have to play the game.”
“The other two gas stations near me are ridiculous,” said Drew. “And my truck takes a lot of gas. I like Sheetz.”
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