The news could be better for the Detroit Tigers Triple A affiliate. Of course the thing to remember about the Toledo Mudhens 2012 season is first two of the better players on the roster were traded away. Secondly, the Tigers had so many injuries I-75 was backed up almost every day with guys going back and forth to the big team. How bad it is may be hard to say, and while the top minor league teams didn’t do much we should take a little time and congratulate the Lakeland Flying Tigers (single A team) for winning the Florida State League championship.
In the end the Mudhens finished 2012 with a 60-84 record. They finished a full 29 games out of first place in their division, and depending on what one thinks the farm system is for, that record will determine if this a troubling sign or not. Dave Dombrowski likes to use his farm system to trade for proven major league talent. I have no problem with that philosophy, but is has not netted great results. Of course the Tigers have played meaningful games in September in each of the last few seasons so maybe I am being overly critical.
The team batting average was .249, and that was second worst in the International league. Given the struggles of the offense at the big league level that is very troubling. However, another one of Dombrowski’s philosophies may be at play here. The Tigers under Double D have not focused much attention on drafting position players of hitters. For the most part they go out and draft arms. While pitching is a great place to focus it alone (as proof of the 2012 Detroit Tigers) cannot win.
Mudhens hitters hit 115 home runs, drove in 563 runs, and belted 243 extra base hits. They drew 521 walks (third most in their league), but struck out 1,100 times. Their OBP was .330. Of the guys who played much of 2012 in Toledo OF Justin Henry led the way with a .300 average. Brad Eldred who played the first half of 2012 there hit 24 home runs, and drove in 64 runs. The good news here (for a team that needs some speed on teh big club roster) is eight Mudhens has double digit stolen bases.
The news for the pitching staff isn’t as good. The staff ERA was 4.23. However the Mudhens starters did throw seven complete games, third most in the International League. They were also last in saves. At 673 they gave up the fourth most runs, 107 home runs, and issued the second most walks at 577, while striking out 1067 opposing batters.
Again what any of this matters depends on what you think the Farm System is for. I am a competitive guy so I want not only the Tigers to win and make the playoffs but their minor league teams as well. I make the trip south to Toledo more than a few times a year and like it when they are competitive. Beyond that fact that a competitive Triple A team means they are plenty of guys who theoretically could be called into duty on the big team and make a impact.