Detroit News

We’ll take a break from our regularly scheduled Miguel Cabrera home-run vigil to ponder some future realities that affect the Tigers, Cabrera, and baseball at-large in Detroit. Specifically, there is the issue of his contract, which until details were examined, was believed to extend for the remainder of our natural lives. In fact, as we

The Detroit Tigers are starting to see the fruits of a well-stocked farm system. Pitchers such as Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal, who made their major-league debuts last season but still retained prospect status, helped the Tigers open the season with Baseball America’s No. 4 farm system. And, though, Mize and Skubal have since graduated, the

Detroit — Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson, the Tigers top two position player prospects, have been abusing Double-A pitching over the last seven days — Greene is hitting .524 and slugging 1.24 with a 1.80 OPS with four homers and 12 RBIs. Torkelson is hitting .429 over the same stretch, slugging .905 with a 1.33 OPS,

Detroit — Manager AJ Hinch was asked the other day if he believed in the notion that one team can simply have another team’s number. “No,” was his answer. It may have been the first one-word answer he’s ever given, but the look on his face made it clear no further explanation was coming, or needed.

James Chipman, director of scouting for Prospects Live, based in Winter Garden, Florida, was asked for thoughts on Colt Keith, the Tigers’ fifth-round pick a year ago from Biloxi, Mississippi. Keith has been handling life niftily at Single-A Lakeland, which is a sturdy assignment for a left-handed hitter, a year out of high school, who

A pitcher from the Tigers past appeared this week, not in person, but in a memory vault where good and bad moments are stored. The pitcher was Kenny Baugh, who the Tigers snagged with their first-round pick, 11th overall, in the 2001 MLB Draft. Baugh was a right-handed ace from Rice University finishing a 2001

Detroit — What do you know, sometimes the passive play is the right play. Tigers manager AJ Hinch has preached aggression and pressure all season long, whether it’s with pitchers being the first to two strikes, hitters hunting fastballs early in counts, base runners taking extra bases or playing the infield defense in to cut down

Detroit — A smile creased Jeimer Candelario’s face. “That was special,” he said, after the Tigers broke a 4-4 tie in the bottom of the eighth to beat the Cleveland Indians 6-4. “I know that was special for me and I know it was special for my teammates. “We’re just soaking it in right now.”

Detroit — Matthew Boyd isn’t quite ready to focus on the finish line just yet. He’s been saintly patient to this point, no sense getting ahead of himself now. But the reality is, if things stay on track, he could be activated and back on the mound at Comerica Park against the Blue Jays either

Detroit — This idea was kicked around last season. Then-manager Ron Gardenhire, seeing an athletic player like Willi Castro struggling to master some of the subtleties of playing middle infield, wondered if the Tigers should move him to the outfield. Current manager AJ Hinch has taken it from idea to reality. Castro, for the first time in

Detroit — Tigers fans, and souvenir ball-hawkers, they don’t miss a trick. With Miguel Cabrera shooting for career home run No. 500 Friday night, the stands in left field and right field were jam-packed. The rest of Comerica Park, less than (announced crowd of 22,107). They didn’t get their golden-ticket souvenir on this night, but they

Detroit — Understand that manager AJ Hinch and pitching coach Chris Fetter are charting the first rough maps of a previously unexplored territory. There’s no real science here. There’s no tested formula. Nobody has had to figure out how to navigate a group of young pitchers through their first full season in the big leagues coming off

Fans were reminded that fireworks were planned Friday following the 7:05 p.m. game between the Erie SeaWolves and Altoona at UPMC Park in Erie, Pennsylvania. The show will follow an unscheduled fireworks burst that big-hitting Tigers prospects Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene crafted during Thursday’s doubleheader against Altoona at UPMC. Torkelson went 7-for-7 in the

Baltimore — A large contingent of fans seated behind the Tigers’ dugout waving Venezuelan flags Thursday afternoon were chanting, “We want Miggy, We want Miggy.” Miguel Cabrera, who they came to see whack home run No. 500, was not in the lineup, which was a bummer for them. But two of his Venezuelan countrymen were very much in the

Baltimore — A large contingent of fans seated behind the Tigers’ dugout waving Venezuelan flags Thursday afternoon were chanting, “We want Miggy, We want Miggy.” Miguel Cabrera, who they came to see whack home run No. 500, was not in the lineup, which was a bummer for them. But two of his Venezuelan countrymen were very much in the

Baltimore — Jacob Robson went to high school in Windsor, right across the Detroit border — a 15-minute drive give or take depending on traffic. He was a regular at Comerica Park growing up, even scored tickets to Game 2 of the 2006 World Series. But as much as he dreamed of donning the Old English D

They’ll go ahead and tempt fate, after all. And that’s not just good business sense prevailing. It’s also an important gesture of goodwill to the Tigers’ fans, increasing the odds they’ll get a chance to see — and celebrate — a milestone moment in person. Miguel Cabrera’s chase for his 500th career home run took

Baltimore — Tigers manager AJ Hinch is so meticulous and thorough in his preparation, he almost never wavers after he makes a decision. This one was different. It didn’t feel right. It kept eating at him. He slept on it. And on Thursday morning, he changed his mind. After announcing Wednesday night that Miguel Cabrera, one

Baltimore — In a tug of war between chasing a milestone and Miguel Cabrera’s health and wellness, health and wellness will win out every time. Thus, upon further review, Cabrera was not in the Tigers’ starting lineup Thursday. Manager AJ Hinch, after talking with Cabrera Wednesday night, announced Cabrera would be in the lineup, just one

Baltimore — One more. Miguel Cabrera took the penultimate step toward the hallowed 500 home run plateau Wednesday night and was a catalyst in the Tigers’ 5-2 win over the Orioles. In an eventful fifth inning at Orioles Park at Camden Yards, Cabrera broke a scoreless tie, turning on a 1-2 hanging curveball from Baltimore starter Matt