| The Detroit News
Lakeland, Fla. — Fans milled about the concession stands creating a familiar but near-forgotten buzz as Tigers chairman and CEO Christopher Ilitch gave his annual spring training media chat Tuesday, appropriately distanced on the concourse at Joker Marchant Stadium.
Ilitch couldn’t help but notice.
“We’re not just playing baseball here, which is good enough,” he said, before the Tigers’ 6-5 spring-training victory Tuesday over the Yankees. “But we have fans, which is outstanding. I think you guys have probably picked up on the fact that fans make a big difference in our game.
“And I know the players have already commented about the impact that the fans have had on them on the field. So it’s great to have fans.”
Which begged the question: Will the limitations and restrictions on fans entering Comerica Park this season be eased at all.
“Our team is working hard back in Detroit, with government officials and health experts to make sure that we’re able to welcome fans back to Comerica Park in a safe manner,” he said. “And as it relates to attendance capacity, that’s going to be guided by government officials, and by the health experts.
“But I’m very confident that our team is going to be able to execute the protocols and procedures to safely welcome fans back to Comerica park for opening day.”
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And maybe more to full capacity by the end of the season?
“I hope so,” he said, noting that the club has made clear their safety capability to all pertinent government agencies. “At the same time, we’ve heard from government officials, what their key interests are in terms of keeping people safe. Which is exactly where they should be focused and making sure that we’re developing protocols and processes and confidence so that they can hopefully allow more and more fans to attend games at Comerica Park as the season goes on.
“And I think if the trends continue along the positive lines that we’ve seen around COVID, not only in Michigan and Detroit but throughout the country, I’m hopeful that that will continue.”
In recent years, Ilitch talked a lot about patience and waiting for the club’s elite-level prospects to develop and arrive. His focus Tuesday was more directed to the here and now. He gave general manager Al Avila credit for bringing in solid veterans like Robbie Grossman, Nomar Mazara and Wilson Ramos, and called AJ Hinch and the new coaching staff, “Stellar.”
“When I look at what we’re doing, I think we’re on the right path,” Ilitch said. “Al has been clear from day one. He’s got a plan and as an organization, we’re executing that plan. It’s a plan that we know works. We’ve done it before.
“It’s homegrown talent that’s the foundation of championships. And so we continue down that path, and it’s exciting, because so many of our young prospects are now on the cusp.”
Ilitch knows, too, that as the likes of Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal, Matt Manning, Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson arrive, the onus will fall on ownership to provide some more expensive pieces to fill out a championship-caliber team.
“Absolutely,” he said. “Al and myself were very, very clear and upfront with AJ. We laid out the plan, which is essentially to build a young core of homegrown talent, and then we will fill in and supplement through free agency as we need to.
“AJ understands that and is completely on board with that. And we know this is the plan that can work. We’ve done it in the past in terms of rebuilding the Tigers and we’re going to do everything that’s required to do it again.”
So, can we stop calling this a rebuild now?
“Al’s talked a lot about it and AJ has talked a lot about the urgency to win and building a winning culture,” Ilitch said. “Oftentimes, people will think that only exists in the clubhouse or amongst the players. But really, that winning culture needs to permeate every person in every square inch of our organization. And only then will we be able to win on the field consistently.
“So our organization is moving forward with a win-now mentality.”
chris.mccosky@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @cmccosky