Detroit Tigers lack leadership, says Jack Morris

Hall of Fame pitcher Jack Morris, a main cog in the Detroit Tigers’ 1984 World Series championship run, took it upon himself to help “police” the team’s clubhouse back then.

But it wasn’t just Morris’ voice that was loud, with teammates Alan Trammell (also now a Hall of Famer), Lance Parrish, Lou Whitaker and many others also willing to speak up.

“We had accountability in our clubhouse,” Morris, now an analyst for Fox Sports Detroit, said before Friday’s loss to the Washington Nationals at Comerica Park. “Nobody ever got too far out of line without somebody taking charge and getting it back in line.”

Morris, who took part in Saturday’s celebration of the 1984 team — held prior to the Tigers' game — hasn’t noticed those same traits inside their current clubhouse, though. 

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As the organization moves forward with its rebuild, Morris said it’s tough for guys to establish themselves as “voices” when players are splitting time between the minors and big leagues. 

“What makes a rebuild hard is you don’t have kids that believe they’re going to win a world championship,” Morris said. “It’s a whole different mindset. 

“There’s a lot of guys that have leadership qualities in that clubhouse, there’s no doubt in my mind. The problem is, you need to have wins. Wins say more than anything else. You can talk all you want (but) you got to show it.”

With the Tigers lacking the veterans of years past, there was a hope slugger Miguel Cabrera would be a mentor for the younger players — both the current ones and future prospects down the road. But that hasn’t always appeared to be the case.

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“You can’t ask a guy to be anything he’s not,” Morris said. “Miggy has always loved the game. He has fun playing the game. That’s who he is.”

Back in May, after noticing a few things he didn’t agree with, Morris had a conversation with Cabrera before batting practice. On Friday, he declined to reveal what he said to Cabrera.

“He understands where I’m from, and I understand where he’s from,” Morris said. “I asked him to tell me his thoughts and he did. I accepted it and have no problem with it.”

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One player to stand out inside the Tigers’ clubhouse has been ace Matthew Boyd, who is reportedly on the trade block. 

“Matthew is a great kid,” Morris said. “A lot of the pitching staff migrate to him and watch him. He’s a hard worker and knows what he’s doing.”

As the Tigers continue to struggle — they entered Saturday with a 26-51 record after losing eighth straight games — veteran manager Ron Gardenhire has tried to keep the clubhouse loose among the turmoil.

“I know Gardy very well,” Morris said. “He understands his role and where he’s at right now. He’s doing the best he can. Things are different now. Managers don’t have the say they once had, and Gardy understands that.”

Gardenhire said before Friday’s game he was excited to see the Tigers’ '84 team honored on Saturday.

“This is one of the best histories of baseball teams in the league — and it’s never going away, even if you have a couple bad years or whatever it might be,” he said. 

Source: Freep.com

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