@codystavenhagen.bsky.social
Detroit Tigers and more MLB for The Athletic. Cohost of the Tiger Territory podcast. Fan of good people, good stories and good storytelling
Ethan Holliday will be one of the top players selected in the MLB Draft.
His family’s baseball dynasty is rooted in Stillwater.
But how, exactly, did all this come to be?
That's a deeper story that traces back to the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/648...
In his Pittsburgh twilight, Andrew McCutchen is still here and still hitting
www.nytimes.com/athletic/644...
There have been only 15 knuckleballs thrown in the major leagues this year. Does the pitch's best hope rest off the shores of Lake Erie, where a Tigers prospect is throwing 88 mph knucklers?
On the death and potential rebirth of the knuckleball:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/643...
Jahmai Jones was 13 when his father, former Detroit Lion Andre Jones, died from a brain aneurysm.
Friday night, Jahmai homered on his first pitch as a Detroit Tiger.
On a father's memory and a Detroit legacy that lives on:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/641...
Merging old school grind with new ways of thinking, the Detroit Tigers are here to stay.
A 30,000-foot look at how the Tigers have combined scrappy baserunning, roster roulette, pitching prowess and daily focus to emerge as the winningest team in MLB:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/639...
No longer novelties, the Detroit Tigers have the best record in baseball.
Their style is different. Their player buy-in is impressive. Their record speaks for itself.
“Does it work everywhere? I have no idea. All I’m focused on is it works for us.”
www.nytimes.com/athletic/635...
A Gold Glove infielder is playing CF. A player left by the wayside is hitting .319 with an .870 OPS.
In a game filled with numbers and projections, sometimes the unthinkable, the unfathomable, still happens.
On Javy Báez and the first-place Tigers:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/635...
Bret Boone is a talker, verbose and gregarious.
In an unexpected mission with the Texas Rangers, his first task is perhaps the most difficult. He is sitting back, listening and learning.
On Boone and the Rangers' quest to restore their prowess:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/635...
Great views and bad baseball: After a brutal start, the Colorado Rockies finally face a reckoning
www.nytimes.com/athletic/634...
For Kenta Maeda, an unfortunate resolution to a Tigers tenure that finally reached an impasse.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/632...
Before Zach McKinstry’s on-field surge, there was off-field perspective
On a house fire, the power of faith and why the Players Trust named McKinstry its first Most Valuable Philanthropist of 2025.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/632...
Gleyber Torres' subtle leadership is a secret behind the Tigers' hot start.
The team's culture is rubbing off on Torres, too.
"I was in the dugout and I saw everybody running first to third. I didn’t do that before. It’s a brand new game for me.”
www.nytimes.com/athletic/631...
Loaded crossover pod here with @chandlerrome.bsky.social looking at Tigers-Astros and all their parallels
Plus bonus time from Austin Jackson talking Skubal, Baez & more.
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...
Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/0ulA...
YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=47Ck...
Pitching, baserunning, threats off the bench — the Tigers vanquish the Padres and again prove they aren’t to be taken lightly
www.nytimes.com/athletic/630...
The Tigers have called up RHP Chase Lee in place of Keider Montero .
Lee has taken an incredible path to this day. A failed walk on. A member of Alabama’s club baseball team. An aerospace engineering major. And now a big leaguer.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/615...
Casey Mize and Spencer Torkelson are finally fulfilling their draft prophecies
"It hasn’t been an easy road for either one of them. To see them both now carry us is a great testament to what they’ve had to endure.”
www.nytimes.com/athletic/629...
Javier Baez is no longer functioning as the Tigers' everyday shortstop. He is no longer the star he was paid to be.
But playing 3B and OF, chasing slightly less and seemingly bought in completely, is he finding a roadmap to viability?
www.nytimes.com/athletic/627...
Last summer, as roster moves were flying, A.J. Hinch called Zach McKinstry into his office. He told the utility man not to worry. His spot was secure.
Since then? McKinstry has a 131 wRC+, playing all over and personifying why the Tigers keep winning
www.nytimes.com/athletic/627...
From 2012-2021, an average of 2.6 Baseball America Top 100 prospects made Opening Day rosters despite no previous MLB experience.
Under the current CBA, that number has increased to 5.8.
On the Prospect Promotion Incentive and why it's largely working
www.nytimes.com/athletic/627...
News: Tigers AGM Sam Menzin resigned in the wake of an HR investigation related to his conduct with women in the org. The Athletic spoke with multiple women who alleged they received unsolicited, explicit photos from Menzin.
Story w/ @brittghiroli.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/athletic/626...
News: Tigers assistant general manager Sam Menzin has resigned from his position with the team, according to multiple sources
04.04.2025 00:28 — 👍 12 🔁 2 💬 2 📌 0
In 2020, Jackson Jobe was trying to throw 90 mph, and Alex Marney was coaching in a barn.
Now Jobe is preparing for this first MLB start. And Marney's @PitchingWRX is a high-tech facility on the rise.
"It’s like we kind of built the facility together.”
www.nytimes.com/athletic/624...
How Spencer Torkelson got his groove back:
“I’m resilient. It doesn’t matter what situation. By any means necessary, I’m gonna find a way and come through on top. I’ve proved a lot to myself in that regard. I’ve got a lot of fight in me.”
www.nytimes.com/athletic/624...
So ... who is going to play center field? Who should play center field?
We talked about about that for a long time on the latest Tiger Territory
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/30IF...
YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0N7...
Tarik Skubal’s life has changed. His pursuit of excellence is just beginning.
On the mindset of an ace:
“I just think there’s a slight difference in the mentality of being an underdog versus just being a dog.”
www.nytimes.com/athletic/622...
Twice in his career, A.J. Hinch was the last cut of spring. Rob Refsnyder once got cut before his own birthday dinner. He later took a job from one of his groomsmen.
On the oddities and anxieties of “trying to keep the reaper away.”
www.nytimes.com/athletic/622...
Manuel Margot will bring the Tigers outfield help while Parker Meadows is on the shelf. He has experience in CF and a career .753 OPS vs. LHP
www.nytimes.com/athletic/622...
The redemption of Casey Mize. The excitement of Jackson Jobe.
With the rotation set, the Tigers enter 2025 with what could be a formidable pitching staff:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/622...
New Tiger Territory
- What to make of Alex Bregman's '98 percent' comments
- Austin Jackson on Spencer Torkelson playing OF
- What's up with Jackson Jobe?
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/5cJP...
YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoKI...
Before he went on camera, Alex Bregman stood in the Red Sox clubhouse and talked about the Tigers. “Honestly, I thought I was going there for 98 percent of the offseason.”
As Detroit confronts third-base woes, the ghosts of the Bregman pursuit linger
www.nytimes.com/athletic/621...
