The TV voice for the Detroit Tigers, Matt Shepard, wants what all fans want from the Tigers in 2023. To aim for more.

It has been a long season for Detroit Tigers fans and anyone covering the team. Whenever the Tigers are brought up on any Woodward Sports shows, it is met with a long groan. Losing takes its toll on everyone. For Bally Sports Detroit play-by-play announcer Matt Shepard, he did not hold back on what Detroit should do in 2023.

Studio host Mickey York asked the trio of Shepard, Petry and Morris on how the Tigers will play going forward in 2023. (credit to @amort9924 on Twitter for posting the video)

For those who may have had some issues with the audio, I have transcribed the audio.

Dan Petry:

Well, I know AJ talks about a little bit about, well, you know, just try to try to be patient if you can, but I still don’t think that they’re gonna just want to just tear this thing completely apart and just start over again. I don’t think they want to come out either and just say, Hey, we’re gonna make the playoffs.

But I would think that somebody is just gonna say, Look, there’s gonna be an improvement over this year, but let’s just see what moves are. And, and who we see come in the whole way too. You’re gonna need offense. You’re gonna need starting pitching, as Jack said. What’s gonna happen with the bullpen? So once you have a pretty good indication of who’s leaving, who’s coming in, then you can better write things.

Say, okay, what are the chances of the team being a 500 team or be an over 500 team? It’s just a matter of who who and how this thing is reconstructed.

Matt Shepard:

Look, I love my, my friend Dan Petry, I’m gonna totally disagree. I think you gotta expect to make the playoffs. Okay. This is a franchise. It’s a proud franchise. It’s an original, American League franchise that has won four World Series, not since these guys suited up in 1984.

That’s unacceptable St. Louis has 11 (World Series)the Dodgers have won 10 straight division titles for crying out loud. The Braves have won six in a row. It’s ridiculous. The bar has to be set higher for the Tigers, and AJ Hinch admits it. You don’t want to cover losing teams any longer. He wants to play meaningful games.

We’ve taken good players and thinking that they’re great, great players, that they were making them almost iconic when really that bar is set on a too low of a basis. Detroit has got to get back to expecting bigger things from this baseball team, and I think Scott Harris will bring that and I think AJ Hinch will relay that for certain from.

As a broadcaster or as anyone covering the team, you have that level of professionalism that goes with the job title. Your job is to cover and report the facts. However, what Shep said, you can’t blame him. Detroit is now tied with the Angels for the longest post-season drought. The amount of injuries to the starting rotation, the lack of offense and players who were expected to produce that did not, the list goes on and on.

His intentions were good

Matt Shepard may have let his “fan voice” slip out, but it was good to see the passion come out and possible say what most Tigers fans are thinking. He trusts the process Detroit will have, going forward, with Scott Harris at the helm.

Rogelio Castillo-Detroit Tigers beat reporter

Follow me on Twitter @rogcastbaseball