Joel Zumaya trashes Tigers front office for horrible start to season

Former Detroit Tigers reliever Joel Zumaya put the front office on blast for their historically-bad offensive pace so far this season.

Zumaya reemerged from the depths of our imaginations — and by our, I mean mid-2000’s Detroit Tigers fans — to put the front office on full blast for their inability to field a competitive roster this season.

Detroit last made the official postseason in 2014, and haven’t really been competitive since 2017, when they traded away Justin Verlander to the Houston Astros. A rebuild was in order, but fans expected to see some progress this season. Instead, they’ve taken a rather large step in the wrong direction, and everyday supporters of the team aren’t the only ones to take note.

Zumaya called for the end of the Al Avila era and more, including firing much of the baseball analytics staff. That being said, Zumaya’s opinion should be taken with a grain of salt — this isn’t a man prone to good decision-making. He once injured himself playing guitar hero.

Tigers: Is Joel Zumaya right about Detroit baseball?

Unfortunately for Detroit, it’s not as simple as #FireAvila.

Much of the Tigers roster, including its entire starting rotation to start the year, is on the injured list. Riley Greene, the No. 2 prospect in all of baseball and expected starting centerfielder to begin the season, has a broken foot. The list goes on.

Injuries aren’t a great excuse, but when you’ve been hit with as many tough blows as the Tigers have, I think A.J. Hinch has a real gripe.

Avila, meanwhile, is another story. While he made the right move in hiring Hinch and brought a big bat to Motown in Javier Baez, his future hangs in the balance depending on how these prospects perform at the big-league level.

Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal look good so far, when healthy. Greene and Spencer Torkelson are the next wave.

It’s possible that Detroit was a little ahead of schedule last season, and is simply regressing to the norm in 2022 given the hand they’ve been dealt injury-wise. I understand the frustration, but perhaps patience is the best approach for now.

If they still look this bad come September, that may change.