Days of Roar: A Free Press Sports Detroit Tigers Podcast

The Detroit Tigers continue to play winning baseball coming out of the All-Star break, taking two of three games against the Blue Jays in Toronto. Mark and Evan discuss the Tarik Skubal and Riley Greene at the All-Star Game, the upcoming trade deadline headlined by Jack Flaherty and the lack of starting pitchers in the Tigers' rotation after more pitching injuries. Is top prospect Jackson Jobe — currently in Double-A Erie — the solution to the shortage? After that, Mark and Evan chat about manager Jim Leyland's induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, along with the promotions of prospects Max Clark and Kevin McGonigle to High-A West Michigan. To wrap up, the guys break down an important stretch of games against American League Central rivals. Follow Mark on X/Twitter here. Follow Evan on X/Twitter here.  Read Evan's most recent work here. 

The Detroit Tigers selected high school shortstop Bryce Rainer with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft, followed by high school pitchers Owen Hall and Ethan Schiefelbein at Nos. 49 and 72, respectively. Tyler Jennings, the director of draft content at Prospects Live, joins the podcast to share his evaluation of the three players. After that, Mark and Evan discuss the Tigers' red-hot offense entering the All-Star break and how president of baseball operations Scott Harris should approach the July 30 trade deadline. They also take a look at Jack Flaherty's return from his back injury and Kenta Maeda's transition to the bullpen. To wrap up, Mark and Evan share what stands out about the way the Tigers have approached the MLB draft with Harris, assistant general manager Rob Metzler and scouting director Mark Conner running the show in the last two drafts. Follow Mark on X/Twitter here. Follow Evan on X/Twitter here.  Read Evan's most recent work here. 

First-time All-Star selections Tarik Skubal and Riley Greene will represent the Detroit Tigers on July 16 at the 2024 MLB All-Star Game. Mark and Evan break down the All-Star picks coming off the Tigers' first series sweep since the season-opening series, along with discussing Jack Flaherty's trade value after another injection to treat his lower back injury. After that, Perfect Game's Vinnie Cervino joins the podcast to preview the 2024 MLB Draft, which begins July 14. The Tigers have the No. 11 overall pick in this year's draft. To wrap up, Mark and Evan discuss the injuries to Casey Mize and Parker Meadows and if the Tigers need to call on Andrew Chafin as their new closer. Follow Mark on X/Twitter here. Follow Evan on X/Twitter here.  Read Evan's most recent work here. 

Mark and Evan break down another week of losing from the Detroit Tigers, then examine the six players added by president of baseball operations Scott Harris in the offseason, including Jack Flaherty for $14 million and Mark Canha for $11.5 million. After that, Mike Ferrin, co-host of MLB Network Radio's "Power Alley," joins the podcast. He says the 2024 season "feels like a missed opportunity" by the Tigers because they didn't do enough to improve the offense in the offseason. To wrap up, Mark and Evan look ahead to some of the storylines in the second half of the season. Follow Mark on X/Twitter here. Follow Evan on X/Twitter here.  Read Evan's most recent work here. 

Mark and Evan recap another week of feast or famine type run production for the Detroit Tigers. In the shadow of an offense not built to withstand demotions, injuries and underperformance, the guys talk the upside of Colt Keith's mental tenacity. The guys discuss how the rookie has managed to consistently adjust his play at every level and the promise this shows for his future. Mark and Evan also talk Riley Greene. Has the outfielder swung his way into deserving more recognition and All-Star votes? Later in the pod, "Days of Roar" covers the upcoming trade deadline and what's at stake for the team, POBO Scott Harris and pitcher Tarik Skubal. Would waiting to trade the Cy Young contending starter after the season ends make more sense than at the deadline? What kind of haul should the team expect for pitcher Jack Flaherty? The guys dive into these questions plus they cover a player's season ending injury, the roster nuances of bringing Parker Meadows backup, and player health updates.  Follow Mark on X/Twitter here. Follow Evan on X/Twitter here.  Read Evan's most recent work here. 

Another week of fair to disappointing baseball has led Mark and Evan to seek outside expertise on the Tigers' woes. To help out, the guys welcome back Tigers radio analyst and former MLB player Bobby L. Scales II to the show. The trio try to make sense of the team's wildly inconsistent run production. After the break, the show focuses in on the expectations surrounding Riley Greene. What can we learn about Greene's potential from his walk rate? The trio also discuss Colt Keith's struggles and if the second baseman is finally starting adjust to the major leagues. Later in the pod, Mark and Evan cover health updates on Javier Báez, Kerry Carpenter, and Jackson Jobe's upcoming rehab start.  Follow Mark on X/Twitter here. Follow Evan on X/Twitter here.  Read Evan's most recent work here. 

Another 3-3 week for the Detroit Tigers has the "Days of Roar" crew contemplating some tough questions for the ball club. After discussing how the team looks without Kerry Carpenter, Mark and Evan focus in on comments made by president of baseball operations Scott Harris on the MLB Network. How far away are the Tigers from having an established core and what does that timeline even look like? After the break, the guys also examine Scott Harris' comments on Javier Báez. Although the conversation on Baez's diminished hitting seems all but exhausted, Evan has some potentially intriguing data on the struggling shortstop's swing. Later in the pod, the guys cover Kirk Gibson's recent call with 97.1 The Ticket. Are we all being a bit too negative on a team that's only a few games out of a wildcard spot?  Follow Mark on X/Twitter here. Follow Evan on X/Twitter here.  Read Evan's most recent work here. 

Mark and Evan discuss the fallout of Spencer Torkelson's demotion to Triple-A Toledo. As the ballclub hovers around the .500 mark, the guys have a tough conversation on the options available to the team and their future competitiveness. Later in the pod, the guys are thrilled to welcome on to the pod former Detroit Tigers pitcher and current Bally Sports Detroit studio analyst Dan Petry. The guys get Petry's perspective on pitching, Torkelson's move, Tarik Skubal's Cy Young campaign, the 1984 World Series Championship team, and the nickname "Peaches." Also in the pod, Mark and Evan talk Kerry Carpenter's injury and Justyn-Henry Malloy's call up.  Follow Mark on X/Twitter here. Follow Evan on X/Twitter here.  Read Evan's most recent work here. 

This week, Mark and Evan recap the Tigers' disastrous matchup against the Kansas City Royals and the unexpected series win against the Toronto Blue Jays. Later, the guys focus on Matt Vierling's hitting. Has Vierling turned things around offensively or should we remain skeptical? Then the guys try to make sense of the state of the bullpen. Is there any option to relieve the relief pitching? The guys also talk about Matt Manning being sent down to Toledo, Maeda's return, Colt Keith's hitting adjustments, a hat tip to Reese Olson's impressive pitching and more.  Follow Mark on X/Twitter here. Follow Evan on X/Twitter here.  Read Evan's most recent work here. 

After a disappointing series against the Marlins, the Detroit Tigers' offense snapped their 20 inning scoreless streak and exploded against the Diamondbacks. Mark and Evan preview the team's big upcoming series against the Royals and if the offense can continue to hold on the road. The guys also cover Jack Flaherty's recent resurgence in pitching excellence. Is this the best he's looked since 2019? Later in the show, Mark proposes a trade idea that flabbergasts Evan.  Follow Mark on X/Twitter here. Follow Evan on X/Twitter here.  Read Evan's most recent work here.