Bless You Boys: All Posts by Brandon DayA detailed list of nope about the Detroit Tigershttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47585/default.png2024-03-27T14:32:23-04:00https://www.blessyouboys.com/authors/brandon-day/rss2024-03-27T14:32:23-04:002024-03-27T14:32:23-04:00Jace Jung promoted to Triple-A as Mud Hens announce 2024 starting roster
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<p>Ty Madden looks to be staying at Erie a while longer, while Wilmer Flores and Brant Hurter are the top two pitching prospects promoted. </p> <p id="CXTZvQ">When I previewed the 2024 Toledo Mud Hens roster the other day, we still had a couple of key roster questions. Those have mostly been answered as the Mud Hens unveiled their Opening Day roster for the season on Wednesday. They’ll start the 2024 season at home against the Nashville Sounds starting on Friday.</p>
<p id="3ORksQ">The most notable name added to the roster is infielder Jace Jung, one of the Tigers collection of top 100 prospects. The 23-year-old should slot in at the third base position most days for the Mud Hens and hit in the heart of the order. The left-handed hitter’s uppercut swing and solid plate discipline produced 28 home runs across High-A and Double-A in his first full season of pro ball, but with only 47 games played for the Erie SeaWolves, it was uncertain whether he’d move up this quickly. A really impressive camp that had AJ Hinch singing the praises of Jung’s intensity, effort, and preparation presumably tipped the scales. </p>
<p id="1QWvxo">Jung will join a likely infield of Ryan Kreidler at shortstop, Eddys Leonard at second base, and Keston Hiura playing first base. He and Leonard may trade off second and third base here and there. </p>
<p id="3htIri">The real intrigue involved the Mud Hens starting rotation. Sawyer Gipson-Long is still working his way back from injury, but with Matt Manning optioned to Toledo to lead their starters, there were still plenty of other possibilities. Alex Faedo getting one of the final spots in the Tigers’ bullpen resolved one question, and the Hens now have lefty Brant Hurter and right-hander Wilmer Flores to go with Keider Montero as their top Triple-A pitching prospects. Fellow prospect Ty Madden will head back to Erie yet again, for the time being. Madden isn’t yet on the 40-man roster, although neither is Hurter, which explains part of why he’s staying put to start the year. The other part of it may be the Tigers wanting to see him resolve some of his wide platoon splits and handle left-handed hitters more effectively as well. </p>
<p id="kBEiTH">So until Gipson-Long is ready to go, presumably in a few weeks at most, the Hens do have an available rotation spot. They also have Freddy Pacheco on the injured list until later in the summer, and Garrett Hill on the IL as well. The rotation spot could go to Bryan Sammons for a while, or lefty Lael Lockhart Jr. could come up from Erie. Mason Englert might be a possibility as well. Either way, they’ll have little trouble piecing something together until Gipson-Long returns, or they’re ready to promote Madden. </p>
<p id="NiiRQk">The outfield will have Justyn-Henry Malloy and Justice Bigbie in the corners and likely anchoring the lineup around power hitters Jung and Hiura. Akil Baddoo and Wenceel Perez should handle center field, with Perez also getting some looks in the infield. Buddy Kennedy and Ryan Vilade will play a bit of infield and outfield as well. </p>
<p id="Ay05nZ">With Donny Sands DFA’d, the catchers will be Dillon Dingler and left-handed hitting MLB veteran Anthony Bemboom. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">We've announced our 2024 Opening Day roster.</p>— Toledo Mud Hens (@MudHens) <a href="https://twitter.com/MudHens/status/1773017134815170885?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2024</a>
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https://www.blessyouboys.com/2024/3/27/24113643/detroit-tigers-prospects-mud-hens-roster-jace-jung-keider-montero-dillon-dingler-wilmer-floresBrandon Day2024-03-26T11:39:04-04:002024-03-26T11:39:04-04:00Joey Wentz and Alex Faedo make the Opening Day bullpen
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<p>The Opening Day roster is now set as Beau Brieske is optioned to Triple-A, while RHP Miguel Diaz’s fate remains uncertain.</p> <p id="TuW2VN">The Tigers have announced their final roster moves prior to Opening Day. Right-hander Alex Faedo and lefty Joey Wentz will be the final two members of their eight-man bullpen, joining Alex Lange, Jason Foley, Shelby Miller, Andrew Chafin, Tyler Holton, and Will Vest. Right-hander Beau Brieske, despite a fantastic camp, has been optioned to Triple-A Toledo. Right-hander Miguel Diaz, also in the running down the stretch, is without options and set to be designated for assignment after Tuesday’s game with the <a href="https://www.draysbay.com/">Tampa Bay Rays</a>. We’ll see if he ends up back in the fold or if he gets picked up by another team.</p>
<p id="wdiAG1">The 28-year-old Faedo won his spot with an outstanding spring camp. Like many, his velocity and movement were improved this spring, letting his plus slider play up in relief. He allowed just one earned run in 13 1/3 innings of work, striking out 17 hitters to just two walks allowed. Because Faedo had an option year added back onto his status for 2024, it seemed likely that he might go to Toledo to keep working as a starter, but the Tigers decided against that. </p>
<p id="7JsD9A">It was a tricky decision, as Brieske posted nothing but zeroes over his 13 <sup>2</sup>⁄<sub>3</sub> innings this spring. He allowed no runs, and threw strikes aggressively, allowing just two walks, but the improved depth on his slider didn’t really translate to more whiffs and strikeouts. He’ll return to Triple-A Toledo to help lead their bullpen and try to keep ingraining the re-shaped slider.</p>
<p id="0gZiTW">Of course, Brieske has options remaining. Joey Wentz does not, and that explains the final decision here. Wentz is a big, hard-throwing lefty, and while he’s been bad in his first looks at the major leagues due to poor command, the Tigers don’t want to give up on him, knowing he’ll be claimed. </p>
<p id="h8y7BY">Wentz allowed four home runs in 15 <sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>3</sub> innings of work, and probably that’s going to be his downfall as a reliever, but he still held opponents to a 2.93 ERA this spring and racked up 19 strikeouts to just five walks. Expect the occasional blow-up, but when he’s on Wentz is tough to deal with. He also won’t be tasked with much high leverage work as the third left-hander in the pecking order. Hopefully he thrives in the role and gets comfortable, and the Tigers have a high-90’s lefty to deploy in more important game situations. </p>
<p id="Z9aBIg">Another advantage of Faedo and Wentz, is that either can handle a spot start, and because they’ve struggled to establish themselves, the Tigers aren’t going to be real precious with their role. Manager AJ Hinch can use them to fill gaps and help keep his late innings relievers sharp and rested. </p>
<p id="ENQrM7">Brieske did look good, and he and Drew Anderson will be a nice 1-2 punch in the Mud Hens bullpen as they look to build on their spring gains. Probably both will get a look in Detroit at some point as attrition takes its toll. As we saw with Matt Manning getting optioned after three years of major league work, getting sent down now is partly about the Tigers pitching depth rather than their actual performances. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Joey Wentz and Alex Faedo made the Opening Day roster, joining six other relievers in the bullpen. Beau Brieske has been optioned to Triple-A Toledo; Miguel Díaz isn't making the roster. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tigers?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tigers</a></p>— Evan Petzold (@EvanPetzold) <a href="https://twitter.com/EvanPetzold/status/1772639966046134466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2024</a>
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<h2 id="ehZeIO">Donny Sands released</h2>
<p id="1yMTe0">In other news on Tuesday morning, veteran minor league catcher was released. Sands was the third piece acquired in the Gregory Soto trade with the <a href="https://www.thegoodphight.com/">Philadelphia Phillies</a> last offseason. He handled a lot of the catching duties early on last year before giving way to Dillon Dingler when the Tigers top catching prospect was promoted to Toledo. It looks like the Mud Hens will have Dingler starting, and left-handed hitting veteran Anthony Bemboom catching for Toledo at least to start with. </p>
https://www.blessyouboys.com/2024/3/26/24112503/detroit-tigers-roster-alex-faedo-joey-wentz-opening-day-bullpen-beau-brieskeBrandon Day2024-03-26T08:30:00-04:002024-03-26T08:30:00-04:00The Toledo Mud Hens should be a force in the International League this season
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<p>More importantly, the Tigers have better prospect depth at the Triple-A level to draw on this season than all but a few teams. </p> <p id="VyMRiz">While this is a Toledo Mud Hens preview, it’s of course just a part of the Tigers story this season. We’ve written quite a bit about the prospect depth the Detroit Tigers have at their disposal throughout the offseason. The Tigers should have the pitching to compete, but entering the new season the offense still projects to be underwhelming. On the plus side, most of the club’s best hitters are young, so there’s reason for optimism. </p>
<p id="b6PyY2">If there’s a place to draw real hope of the Tigers overachieving and winning the AL Central this year, the real x-factor they having going for them is the strength in the upper levels of the farm system. There aren’t many teams as stacked with legitimate prospects and starting pitching depth at the Triple-A level, and that’s going to be good for the Toledo Mud Hens as well as the Detroit Tigers. </p>
<p id="jrCLx7">To my mind, the Tigers are still one or two really good players away from being a division winner. It’s the high end talent where they’re lacking. The supporting cast is pretty good. However, their ability to plug holes without losing a step could propel them further than most expect, and they may find more of that high end major league talent along the way as top prospects like Jace Jung and Jackson Jobe start to make their final approach this year.</p>
<p id="pMR4o8">The 2023 season of course featured a really good Erie SeaWolves club winning the Eastern League title. Most of those same faces will now attempt to win an International League title with the Toledo Mud Hens, and they’ll have some helped added with which to do it. That isn’t the Detroit Tigers organizational goal, of course, but it may prove a corollary of the Tigers pitching depth and a good supply of quality positional prospects.</p>
<h2 id="AkT4uZ">Triple-A Opening Day</h2>
<p id="BdDqNI">The Hens will start their 2024 schedule the day after the Tigers. They’ll open a three-game weekend set on Friday, March 29th, at home against the Nashville Sounds, the Milwaukee Brewers Triple-A affiliate. The other affiliates will have an extra week of camp with their new teams and then begin action on Friday, April 5. </p>
<p id="YzwAau">As they have the past few seasons, teams at all levels will generally have Monday off as a travel day between six-game Tuesday-Sunday series, alternating between road and home. This schedule has really helped by limiting the travel time and providing consistency to minor league players learning to live on the road under far more austere conditions than in the show.</p>
<h2 id="ddsEph">Under new management</h2>
<p id="7X4XQ2">The roster won’t be the only new element for the Mud Hens. Returning players will have a new manager, as Anthony Iapoce has moved up to Detroit to join AJ Hinch’s staff as the new first base coach. </p>
<p id="K0SWaJ">Tim Federowicz will take over as the Mud Hens new manager after serving as the Detroit Tigers’ catching coach in 2023. Federowicz played parts of eight seasons in the major leagues as a backup catcher before retiring in 2021 to manager the Seattle Mariners Triple-A affiliate, the Tacoma Rainiers. Ryan Sienko, for the past two seasons the Tigers minor league director of coaching, takes over as the major league catching coach.</p>
<p id="HOs5IE">Doug Bochtler and Mike Hessman return as pitching and hitting coach, respectively. Tim Garland is the new bench coach after a few years working in Lakeland with the Complex League level players, while Ollie Kadey remains as the team’s pitching strategist. As minor league staffs continue to develop into simplified versions of the now expansive coaching staffs around the game at the major league level, there may be new positions added any time. </p>
<h2 id="EN3SRt">Mud Hens roster</h2>
<p id="Nfb9Fj">The 2023 Mud Hens were powered by having Colt Keith, Justyn-Henry Malloy, and Parker Meadows on the roster. Malloy led the club with 23 home runs, while Meadows was second with 19 long balls. In the second half of the season, the addition of Keith and the cash trade for infielder Eddys Leonard gave the club an infusion of offense along with a surge from Tyler Nevin. However, most of the club’s best pitching prospects were located east on the I-90 in Erie, Pennsylvania. </p>
<p id="olwfav">Zach Logue, Jack O’Loughlin, Ashton Goudeau, Brenan Hanifee, and Bryan Sammons are the first five names on the list of most starts made in 2023. They got some contributions from all the Tigers’ pitchers rehabbing but had 26 different pitchers start a game for them in total. Such is the plight of an affiliate at the whims of its parent club’s needs.</p>
<p id="qCILmD">This year, the rotation looks to be a real strength, and the addition of prospects like Jace Jung, along with full years from Justice Bigbie and Dillon Dingler, should give the Hens a pretty good offensive group even with the loss of Keith and Meadows. While only Jung projects as a future starting player, the group of Jung, Malloy, Bigbie, Dingler, Leonard is a pretty good Triple-A core and should also give the Tigers some help this season. We can even hope that Jung is their starting third baseman some time this summer. </p>
<p id="mFUvyx">All in all, there’s a lot to watch in Toledo this year. The Mud Hens and the downtown district around it are a fun time, and this is going to be a pretty important season for the Tigers farm system playing out at Fifth Third Field. There are a lot of good reasons to go see them this year. </p>
<h2 id="P7F6YK">Pitching staff</h2>
<p id="r0Bkhu">We’re still waiting to see how things play out with the Tigers’ Opening Day bullpen. If Alex Faedo doesn’t make the final cut, it seems likely that he’ll still work as a starting pitcher for the Hens in his final option year. However, that complicates things a bit as well. With Matt Manning already optioned to Toledo, and Sawyer Gipson-Long working his way back, there are also a lot of quality pitching prospects who are on track to join the Triple-A rotation.</p>
<p id="WBBvqm">Top prospect Jackson Jobe is ready for Triple-A, but at this point Jobe’s only real foe is himself. He just needs to stay healthy, work a little more on his command, and get more experience pitching in traffic. For that reason, it would be nice to see him at Triple-A where more hitters can potentially handle him at little more, but it probably doesn’t matter too much. The Tigers know that Jobe is only slight improvements from being almost impossible to keep down in the minors. There’s no need to encourage calls for an early debut by putting him on the doorstep, so we’ll assume he’s going to be in Double-A along with another high end pitching prospect in Troy Melton. The SeaWolves are going to have some pitching to start with as well.</p>
<p id="Y71LfU">Leaving Jobe and Melton aside for now, the Tigers have Keider Montero, who is on the 40-man, reached Triple-A last season, and showed some gains this spring, slated for the Hen rotation. Then you have Ty Madden, Wilmer Flores, and Brant Hurter, all fairly well regarded pitching prospects, who all have more than a full season at the Double-A level in the books. Flores is also on the 40-man roster, and all three of them were impressive this spring. Someone may have to stay behind in Erie to start, but that’s going to be tough medicine. </p>
<p id="kqbQGD">Of that group, only Montero pitched for the Hens in 2023 and is already listed on the roster. Wilmer Flores’ resurgent velocity this spring has led to some calls for conversion to relief, and that might ultimately be the play, but for now the Tigers should see how the improved mechanics and stuff play as a starting pitcher again. Maybe that’s worth trying at Erie despite his 40-man status, as it’s hard to see a case at all for sending Hurter or Madden back to Double-A again. </p>
<p id="xgMRux">We’ll see what the Tigers do here. They’ve also got a few minor league project starters to mix in with Toledo’s rotation. Lael Lockhart is an interesting lefty who had a good run at Erie after being picked up from the Dodgers. He’ll probably work some longer relief and get some starts as well. And eventually, inevitably, pitcher injuries are going to start to sort more of this out as the season gets into full swing. </p>
<p id="GYhjyh">Still, for now they have a potential Triple-A rotation of a combination of Matt Manning, Alex Faedo, Sawyer Gipson-Long, Ty Madden, Keider Montero, Brant Hurter, and Wilmer Flores brewing. That’s with their two best pitching prospects in Erie and probably moving fast again this season. That’s a pretty nasty set of starting pitchers to deal with at that level, and obviously Manning has already had a decent amount of big league success. Madden and Montero have their flaws but can run good fastball in the upper 90’s and both have really good breaking balls. Flores is overpowering when he’s right and has control of his fastball and wipeout curveball, but is coming off a down year. However, he too has looked really good this spring. Hurter has just been a ground ball machine as the only lefty in the group and posted excellent strikeout to walk numbers for Erie last year. He was a big part in driving them to the Eastern League championship.</p>
<p id="s4qtdc">My guess is that Flores works at Erie to start the year to try and ingrain some of the delivery changes he’s made this spring. Hurter just dominated Double-A as the 2023 season progressed, and he may be moving toward more of a flex role as a spot starter and multi-inning reliever, so one would guess he’s got to be at Triple-A now even if he’s bumped from some starts when Gipson-Long is ready. Let’s just say there are some conversations to be had in sorting out these assignments. These are good “problems” to have. </p>
<p id="hSDsvc">In terms of the bullpen, spring standout Drew Anderson will start the year in the Hens bullpen and will presumably get his share of chances to close games. Some other possible bullpen members are harder to peg because they may be released or opt-out at some point. If he doesn’t make the Tigers’ bullpen for Opening Day, 2023 Mud Hens closer Miguel Diaz could return to the Hens or perhaps catch on elsewhere as he’s out of options. They have additions like Devin Sweet to pair with returning pitchers like Trey Wingenter and Andrew Vasquez. </p>
<p id="IiBU6I">Brendan White is working his way back from a spring elbow injury. He may yet be the best of the bunch, so hopefully he can get beyond it without any complications. He too could be closing games for the Hens. We’ll see if lefty Andrew Magno gets moved up from Erie. With Tyler Mattison out for UCL reconstruction they don’t really have a good relief prospect until Freddy Pacheco hopefully returns from his own UCL surgery late this season. Either way, there are plenty of other project arms the Tigers have around, from Garrett Hill to Brenan Hanifee, and no doubt Harris and Greenberg will continue to churn the waiver wire and hunt for pitchers they can develop all season.</p>
<h2 id="Kqzc5e">Outfield</h2>
<p id="ForZm1">The Mud Hens should have a pretty good group in the outfield this season, at least from an offensive standpoint. Justice Bigbie and Justyn-Henry Malloy are anchors for that offense out of the corner outfield spots. Along with Jace Jung and contributions from guys like Eddys Leonard and Keston Hiura, Akil Baddoo, Ryan Kreidler and Wenceel Perez, they should have a pretty strong lineup Triple-A lineup most nights.</p>
<p id="gBIjIm">Akil Baddoo and Wenceel Perez seem likely to get plenty of reps in center field, while they’ve claimed TJ Hopkins and Ryan Vilade, who play mainly corner outfield. Bligh Madris might stick as outfield depth, as the Tigers have acquired, dealt and then reacquired him in under a year’s time. Ryan Kreidler should probably get plenty of shortstop reps this season, but he’s played a solid center field when asked and may still get a little time all over the outfield. </p>
<h2 id="J8Hh7I">Infield</h2>
<p id="9zG1DW">The cream of the crop here should be Jace Jung playing third base on a full-time basis. The fifth ranked prospect in the Tigers’ system <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/2024/1/27/23905903/detroit-tigers-prospect-scouting-reports-jackson-jobe-colt-keith-max-clark-jace-jung">in our preseason farm system reports</a>, the former Texas Tech standout had an excellent full season debut in 2023. Jung cracked 14 home runs in 81 games for the High-A West Michigan Whitecaps and then really hit the gas with the Erie SeaWolves, launching 14 more jacks in just 47 games. For good measure he switched to third base from second base in the Arizona Fall League and made a pretty good show of it. </p>
<p id="txQPep">Jung didn’t play that much in Erie, but between his outstanding results there, his work in the Fall League, and hitting .318 in 27 Grapefruit League at-bats, the 23-year-old brother of the Texas Rangers’ Josh Jung looks plenty ready to tackle Triple-A. He just may need more time that fans hope to ready himself for the big jump to the major leagues. The Tigers could disagree and send him back to Erie for a little more seasoning, but one way or another it shouldn’t be too long before he joins the Mud Hens.</p>
<p id="Cax2bO">The next two infielders each had really strong camps with the Tigers this spring. Ryan Kreidler is probably Javier Báez’s equal at the shortstop position and really the only player on the roster capable of playing there everyday without issue beyond the struggling veteran. We would guess that after playing more outfield last season, Kreidler will be playing more shortstop again this year. That leaves Eddys Leonard playing second base and moving around the diamond. He and Jung may swap out at times to keep Jung somewhat fresh at second base as well. Buddy Kennedy was recently claimed from the Cardinals, and mainly plays second base and a bit of third as well. </p>
<p id="wt2EbX">At first base, the Tigers have Brewers former top prospect Keston Hiura, who should at least give them plenty of power, along with Jake Holton who is more of a well rounded upper org hitter who plays a solid first base but doesn’t have the power to reach the big leagues at that position. Chris Meyers had a pretty good half season with Erie in 2023 and could contribute along the way, as could someone like Danny Serretti later on in the year. </p>
<h2 id="m2mVjF">Catchers</h2>
<p id="lknUZo">If there’s one player we’d love to see break out in a big way at the plate, it would be catcher Dillon Dingler. The 2020 second round pick has come along very well as a defensive catcher, and the Tigers will have no qualms about calling him up if Jake Rogers or Carson Kelly goes down with injury. That’s the most important part of the job, and Dingler has really turned himself into a well regarded defensive catcher who should have a fairly long major league career as a backup type. </p>
<p id="TJex1T">He just hasn’t been able to take a the kind of convincing step with the bat he needs to look like a number one catcher for a good team in the major leagues. College catchers, especially those recently converted to the dark arts, often take time to develop at the plate. There’s so much more to learn and the physical demands are greater than any other position. For Dingler though, he’s now on the 40-man roster as well, and after three full season in the minor leagues is running out of time to change perceptions of his bat.</p>
<p id="bepzLO">This season Dingler is going to be expected to carry the load for the Mud Hens. He’s very familiar with the pitchers he’ll be working with, and he’s not a small part in that group’s ongoing development over the past two seasons. Madden, Flores, Montero, Hurter, and Gipson-Long have all worked with Dingler a lot and by all reports have benefited from his work behind the plate. </p>
<p id="fnCloZ">At the plate, Dingler has some power. He’s a decent enough fastball hitter and will do damage on mistakes. If he can just lay off a little more breaking stuff this year, there’s still a chance for a low average hitter with average power. With Dingler’s defense that would be good enough to be an average player overall. He never quite made the big leap forward in two years at the Double-A level, but drew a good amount of walks and hit for some power. That would be enough if he can translate it to major league pitching, but he’s still got a good ways to go. </p>
<p id="XoWTA2">Veteran catchers Anthony Bemboom and Donny Sands are currently the backup options on the Mud Hens roster. Bemboom has had plenty of cups of coffee in the major leagues for his defense but is now 34. His experience and defensive abilities should be good for the pitching staff and perhaps help in Dingler’s finishing school. Sands is just a little short of a solid catching prospect is most respects and is moving into org catcher territory as he turns 28 in May and hasn’t been able to crack a major league roster other than a four-game stint with the Phillies back in 2022. Eliezer Alfonzo or Julio E. Rodriguez could come up from Erie to pitch in as the year progresses.</p>
<h2 id="u6WoFe">Help from Erie</h2>
<p id="deBUN0">Trei Cruz is a good bet to move up at some point this season, and while he still plays shortstop, he seems to have found his true defensive home in center field. The batspeed still isn’t quite there, and his major league projections remain pretty meager, but the 25-year-old continues to walk and put up really good on-base numbers while performing as a valuable defender. Now 25, it’s go time for him if there’s another level to unlock offensively. </p>
<p id="S9tUbI">Beyond him there isn’t a lot of help coming in terms of position players. Most of the Tigers good positional prospects who aren’t already beyond Erie are still down in A-ball. An advanced college hitter like Tigers 2023 second rounder Max Anderson might alter the equation somewhat, or outfielder Roberto Campos learning to pull more fly balls, but overall this isn’t doesn’t look like a season where the Tigers have a bunch of young position players tearing up Double-A to reach the next level. Infielders like Gage Workman and Izaac Pacheco have stalled out, and Peyton Graham spun his wheels with injuries in 2023 and hasn’t advanced beyond Low-A yet. Most of what they’ve got handy should already be on the Mud Hens roster to open the season. Then again, the Tigers have started a recent of surprising us with players like Kerry Carpenter and Justice Bigbie coming out of relative obscurity in the draft. </p>
<p id="Hk96uS">The big guns at Erie are right-handers Jackson Jobe and Troy Melton. The former’s trajectory is probably going to be too fast when the Tigers do decide it’s time to move him up from Erie. He may not spend much time with the Mud Hens, but later in the season, Melton should be ready move up too. He’s not Jackson Jobe, but Melton’s advancing control of a high-90’s fourseamer and solid breaking ball and changeup were pretty impressive in 2023. He’s still pretty raw and could get a lot better in a hurry this season.</p>
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https://www.blessyouboys.com/2024/3/26/24111070/detroit-tigers-toledo-mud-hens-preview-jace-jung-matt-manning-justyn-henry-malloy-keider-monteroBrandon Day2024-03-25T08:30:00-04:002024-03-25T08:30:00-04:002024 Tigers season preview: Jack Flaherty looks primed after work in the Tigers pitching lab
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<p>Flaherty has always had an outstanding slider. The Tigers have helped him clean up his mechanics and improve his fastball, setting the stage for a good year.</p> <p id="OkbqM7">We’ve learned a few things about new Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty this spring. The past 4-5 years he’s been a depth starter looking to recapture his earlier success, but until the Tigers signed him out of the blue, we hadn’t really looked that deeply into his peak years with the Cardinals. We also didn’t know that he was a well respected voice for players within the players’ union.</p>
<p id="J75dSk">The recent wrangling over the MLBPA’s leadership and the realization that Flaherty is one of four association reps, along with Francisco Lindor, Marcus Semien, and Lance McCullers Jr., on the<a href="https://www.mlbplayers.com/player-leadership"> MLBPA’s eight player executive subcommittee</a> led to a deeper dive into the pitcher’s background. He’s clearly someone who has the respect of other players around the league and has always taken an interest both in the union, but also in the state of and future of, the game itself.</p>
<p id="aoF0ES">That’s a fair bit of a trust for a pitcher who is still just 28 years old and has only one really good season in his six full seasons as a major leaguer. It’s not like he’s a superstar with a huge free agent deal and ton of cache as a player. Winning an arbitration case against the Cardinals prior to the 2021 season no doubt immersed him in the type of debates about player value and player pay that the MLBPA subcommittee is regularly involved in when trying to improve player pay and working conditions for both minor and major league players. That led him to his work on behalf of the players with the union. And as Casey Mize is the Tigers actual player representative, the club now has two players deeply involved in union matters. </p>
<p id="XyJWHc">Of course, that’s all well and good for the players’ union, but fans want to know if Flaherty can finally recapture some of the success he had early in his career, or whether he’s just depth, a placeholder until the next Tigers pitching prospect breaks through. So far this spring, signs are pretty positive. </p>
<p id="nOLd6y">Flaherty was drafted as a projectible power right-hander by the St. Louis Cardinals out of high school with the 34th overall pick in 2014. He debuted in 2017, and In his prime years of 2018-2019, Flaherty’s strong fastball-slider combination made him a force for the Cardinals, particularly in 2019 when Flaherty spun 196 <sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>3</sub> innings of work with 2.75 ERA/3.46 FIP marks that made him a 4.7 fWAR player and earned him fourth place in NL Cy Young award voting. </p>
<p id="XUb3N0">At that point, he was averaging about 94 mph with his fastball, racking up tons of whiffs and weak contact on both the fourseamer and a wicked slider. He struck out 29.9 percent of hitters in 2019 with basically average walk and home run marks against him. Basically a pretty prototypical power pitcher who collected a lot of strikeouts and weak contact in the air, but with a fly ball profile that occasionally led to some mild home run trouble. </p>
<p id="Vviiq1">Flaherty wasn’t as sharp in the short season in 2020, and then in 2021-2022 he suffered repeated shoulder issues that eventually required surgery. When he was on the mound, his velocity was down, and he lost significant vertical movement from his fourseamer that combined to tank that pitch’s value. That factor has never recovered, until this spring. </p>
<p id="9q3QJr">2023 started off better for him as his stuff ticked up somewhat, but he still was unable to recapture the good command and high end fastball/slider combination that had made him one of the better young pitchers in the game. His strikeouts ticked up when the Cardinals traded him to the Baltimore Orioles in July, but that deal coincided with a gnarly bout of homer-itis that didn’t abate until the Orioles moved him to the bullpen for his final few outings and brief postseason run. </p>
<p id="Em0MEH">Overall, home runs were well in check for Flaherty on the year, but the move to the AL East didn’t agree with him in that regard, bringing his numbers on the year to about average levels after a very solid first half with the Cardinals where his K-BB numbers were down but the home runs were well under wraps. </p>
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<h2 id="d2cJg5">A season to build on</h2>
<p id="TU7PK4">While his 2023 campaign wasn’t all he’d hoped, the most important point coming into the offseason was the fact that Flaherty had thrown 146 <sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>3</sub> innings on the year, without any significant injuries for the first time since 2019. His stuff wasn’t all the way back to peak levels, but the downward trend finally reversed and Flaherty could work on building himself up all offseason rather than trying to rehab his shoulder again. </p>
<p id="dEACSq">As he is, Jack Flaherty makes for a solid pickup as a backend starter. Compared to a Michael Lorenzen or Matt Boyd last year, Flaherty is a little pricey at $14M for one year with $1M in possible incentives, with no team control in terms of additional years or options, but that likely speaks to the amount of interest he received as a good rebound possibility. The Tigers clearly think there’s more to unlock and early returns this spring agree with that assessment. </p>
<p id="82LEu9">On Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays featuring most of their regular lineup, Flaherty again showed why the Tigers are excited about this potential this spring. He threw 87 pitches and racked up 13 whiffs and 17 called strikes, with only 10 balls put in play. </p>
<p id="8zqVyc">His fastball hit 96 mph, and we’ve seen some 97 mph fastballs from him this spring. His fourseamer averaged 93.8 mph in this, his longest outing of the spring, up from his 93.1 mph average fastball in 2023. Likewise, the movement on his slider and knuckle curve remain good, and he’s also throwing those two breaking balls over 2 mph harder than he did last season. </p>
<p id="Jorq3N">Earlier in camp Flaherty was showing even better IVB numbers and velocity as the Tigers streamlined his mechanics. We’ll just have to see if the more modest improvement on display on Sunday is more the norm for him as he stretches out to 90 pitches per outing and beyond. That may be the case with the velocity, but the improved induced vertical break should be pretty sticky as he gets more comfortable with the mechanical adjustments under the tutelage of Chris Fetter and Robin Lund. Getting back to just average vertical movement with the velocity gains and improved attack angle producing better induced vertical break should spark a really good season.</p>
<p id="lCKBPY">So far those numbers have been up and down a bit this spring, but Flaherty has has added over three inches of induced vertical break and averaged 95+ in a few outings too, and they’ll be working to make that more consistent all year.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jack Flaherty tjStuff+ from today<br><br>Flaherty ramped up his velocity, and had a more optimal shape on his 4-Seam today<br><br>2023 vs Today<br>4-Seam<br>93.1 ➡️ 95.2 mph <br>13.4" ➡️ 16.7" iVB<br>95 ➡️103 tjStuff+ <br><br>Slider<br>84.2 ➡️ 87.2 mph<br>103 ➡️111 tjStuff+ <a href="https://t.co/SotbpaVHUg">pic.twitter.com/SotbpaVHUg</a></p>— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) <a href="https://twitter.com/TJStats/status/1764000101222044053?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2024</a>
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<p id="7MGmmU">Adding an extra tick of velo to his fastball isn’t a radical improvement, but Flaherty also brings above average extension to the table. That’s a trait exemplified by Matt Manning and Casey Mize this spring, with the currently injured Sawyer Gipson-Long leading the way with some of the best extension in the game, let alone on the team. That’s clearly a factor the Tigers key in on in assessing who they want to work with, and Flaherty has plenty, averaging 6.8 feet of extension on his fastball last year. We’d guess based on his form this spring and the Tigers working with him and most of their starters on improving their deliveries and building better extension, that he’s probably up a bit in that regard as well.</p>
<p id="LFFkDk">So, all the vital signs in terms of velocity, movement, delivery, and command are in a very good place as his spring camp ends. </p>
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<h2 id="SqTUly">Outlook</h2>
<p id="eAGu0H">Obviously as a rental Flaherty’s time with the Tigers may not last too long. Considering the price they were willing to pay on a one-year deal, it’s too bad they weren’t able to get a team option for a similar price for 2025 included. As it stands, with plenty of young starting pitchers looking to force their way into the Tigers’ rotation this summer, Flaherty may end up as trade bait in July even if the Tigers are well in the hunt for the AL Central. Perhaps the lack of team control was the price to keep Flaherty from having the kind of extensive no-trade clauses that helped tank the proposed Eduardo Rodriguez deal last summer.</p>
<p id="D6y9pS">Of course, the Tigers don’t have to trade him. It may be worth more to them to simply play out the year and let Flaherty walk or sign him to a longer term deal next offseason. It all depends on how healthy the staff is, and how well their collection of top pitching prospects develops this season. </p>
<p id="f28msY">We’re not going lament a good season from Flaherty just because there’s no long-term value involved. The Tigers have been almost freakishly healthy in the pitching department this spring, but we can’t be fooled by that either. The depth Flaherty provides to the rotation is going to prove pretty valuable at some point. If he eventually ends up blocking Jackson Jobe, Keider Montero, Ty Madden, or a resurgent Matt Manning or Gipson-Long by June or July, they can deal with that then and thank their lucky stars for such a run of good pitcher health. </p>
<p id="e38Y41">If Flaherty can sustain the stuff he had on Sunday, he’s going to have a better season than his 2023 campaign, and the Tigers are going to be pretty happy with the deal. We just may be a little sorry to see him go at that point. </p>
<p id="VcgByG">The x-factor here, as with all pitchers, is Flaherty’s health. 2023 was his first relatively healthy campaign in a few years, so this is a good time to buy in and see if he can build on that. If he’s really put the shoulder issues behind him, and the Tigers biomechanics group’s campaign to help their starters’ efficiency of movement works out, there’s still a chance that the right-hander finally puts years of doubt behind him and recaptures the prime stuff and command that had him looking like a potential future ace five years ago. For now, he’s tracking better than last year and fully capable of being a quality mid-rotation starter for the Tigers in 2024. That will do just fine even as we hope for a little more. </p>
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https://www.blessyouboys.com/2024/3/25/24110887/2024-tigers-season-preview-jack-flaherty-chris-fetter-pitching-rotation-casey-mize-kenta-maedaBrandon Day2024-03-24T18:15:00-04:002024-03-24T18:15:00-04:002024 Player preview: Kerry Carpenter looks to build on a strong debut
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<p>The outfielder’s first full season in the bigs was a success. Now he looks to refine his game to take the next step.</p> <p id="opzprB">With the 2024 season now blessedly just days away, it’s time to look at a player who is perhaps being taken for granted this spring. Kerry Carpenter followed Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene to the major leagues late in 2022, and so far has surpassed them both with a very nice full season debut in 2023. Carpenter’s dangerous bat remains his calling card, but it’s the secondary parts of his game that offer room for improvement this season.</p>
<p id="Uu1uI2">By now, Carpenter’s story is well known. A 19th rounder back in 2019, the corner outfielder came out of nowhere with a monstrous 2022 campaign in the upper minors after re-making his swing with Aaron Judge’s swing coach, Richard Schenck. He debuted with six home runs in a 31 game look at major league pitching that summer and then hit 20 in 2023 despite missing a quarter of the season with a shoulder injury suffered at the end of April. </p>
<p id="8nz4R3">The Tigers hung in there for a few weeks without him, but as Riley Greene and Eduardo Rodriguez joined him on the injured list in late May, the club went into a tailspin, losing nine straight to open the month of June and putting themselves out of the running for the division early. Perhaps some solace and hope for 2024 can be found in the fact that the Tigers were five games over .500 from that point on. Hence the urgency to get out to a better start this year and give their young talent time to settle in and hopefully propel them to a playoff berth. The Tigers need their best hitters to carry them early on for that to become a reality, but this is still a relatively unproven heart of the order.</p>
<p id="qFP7Sn">Carpenter is two years older than Spencer Torkelson, and three older than Riley Greene. So far he’s been the most consistent offensive performer of the trio, and while they’re still expected to get better, Carpenter is into his prime years. Yet his aggressive approach at the plate and platoon tendencies have him valued the least of the three. His game probably isn’t going to change radically at this point. With Mark Canha in the mix, Carpenter will sit some against left-handed pitching but should again be an above average hitter this season.</p>
<p id="6uP3JR">Opponents didn’t really change their approach against Carpenter much over the course of the 2023 season as he continued to do damage. He returned to action from the shoulder injury in June and raked until the All-Star break. He cooled down in July but was again red hot in August, hitting .347 with nine home runs on the month. Finally in September, pitchers started mixing in a few more sliders, particularly first pitch, but while he struggled over the final few weeks of the season the overall ratio of pitch types he saw didn’t change that much. Maybe he just ran out of gas a little bit. </p>
<p id="KfahUt">Pitchers may adjust more this season, but fortunately for Carpenter, his strength matches up very well with what most major league pitchers are basing their approach on these days. When he’s on, Carpenter is a bit of an antidote to the riding fourseamers and flat attack angles approach. He does plenty of damage on fastballs overall, but he’s particularly adept at hammering fourseamers and can handle them up in the zone. He also hits cutters and changeups really well, while splitters and sliders are more his weakness. Still, Carpenter hit 10 home runs against fastballs last year, and five apiece against breaking balls and offspeed pitches. You can attack him down and in with sliders if you can get ahead in the count, but he’ll put a hurting on a poorly located breaking ball too. </p>
<p id="S87VZf">The big flaw with Carpenter as a hitter is that he will chase out of the zone quite a bit. His 37.5 percent O-swing rate last year is almost 10 percent worse than league average. As a result his strikeout rate remains above average. His affinity for the letter high fastball makes him a little vulnerable to chasing fastballs up and away. He has some power the opposite way, staying on his back side well and driving fastballs and changeups away to left field, so he’s not afraid to try and drive those pitches, but that can be exploited by pitchers with good fastballs who can expand the zone to get chases. The other good attack point for right-handed pitchers is under his hands. Like many left-handed power hitters, he has a hard time laying off anything that starts in his sweet spot and gets under his bat path. </p>
<p id="1yP934">So, it’s a bit of a streaky profile. Carpenter puts a lot of balls in the air with authority, and when he’s driving them into the gaps and the seats it’s great. When he’s off balance, striking out more and lifting a lot of routine fly balls, he can go pretty cold. He’s not going to work a bunch of walks and he isn’t going to turn into a contact hitter to balance out his production. </p>
<p id="pr0a0L">Carpenter hit for zero power against left-handers in 2023, though that wasn’t the case for him in the minor leagues, and so he’ll give way to Canha sometimes. However, while he may be unlikely to hit .278 again without a real change in his profile, we’re not too concerned about his ability to handle his part of the offense. It’s just not easy to forecast him getting much better as a hitter either. His .338 BABIP last year says he’s more likely to regress a little offensively than improve. But he should hit for a similar amount of power either way.</p>
<p id="O62SSW">What would really help Carpenter turn into a complete player who is hard to take out of a game is to improve his defense and baserunning. </p>
<p id="fhIWZH">Despite the fact that he’s 26 years old now, it still feels like Carpenter’s athleticism hasn’t been unlocked throughout the rest of the game beyond the batter’s box. He doesn’t have Matt Vierling’s sprint speed or throwing arm, to mention another Tiger that seems to get less out of his physical tools that he could, but Carpenter is well above average in both respects. Yet he graded out at -1 Outs Above Average (OAA) and -2 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) last season. Likewise, his baserunning was just average per Statcast’s metrics. That’s certainly not bad, it’s just that for a player with good foot speed and a strong throwing arm, he’s not providing any added value in those parts of the game. </p>
<p id="8ntfmV">Kerry Carpenter is fine as he is, of course. Something roughly like his 2023 campaign would be plenty. It’s just a plus that he still seems like a player that could sand a few rough edges from his game. Either way, he’s going to start either in right field or as the designated hitter in most games. And when he sits against a lefty starter, AJ Hinch has a good weapon to insert for a high leverage at-bat late in the game. </p>
<p id="Z9inf0">His breakout over the past two years has made Kerry Carpenter a crucial piece of the puzzle for the Tigers. The core group wouldn’t be nearly as far along otherwise. As he winds down a nice spring camp, Carpenter looks like a piece they can depend on and hopefully build upon in 2024. And maybe he’s still got another level yet to unlock in his game. </p>
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https://www.blessyouboys.com/2024/3/24/24110066/2024-detroit-tigers-player-preview-kerry-carpenter-mark-canha-riley-greene-spencer-torkelsonBrandon Day2024-03-22T12:30:23-04:002024-03-22T12:30:23-04:00Tigers option Matt Manning to Triple-A Toledo
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<p>RHP Drew Anderson was also reassigned to Triple-A. </p> <p id="cCgJhv">Well this is a slightly surprising turn of events. On Friday at noon, the <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Detroit Tigers</a> announced that they’d optioned right-handed starter Matt Manning to Triple-A Toledo. The result is that both Casey Mize and Reese Olson will start the year in the rotation. Veteran reliever Drew Anderson, who has had a pretty impressive camp, was also reassigned to Toledo. The competition for the final bullpen spots is almost complete.</p>
<p id="25Dp8R">All spring, things seemed to be pointing toward Olson being the odd man out. However, Manning’s work to adjust his mechanics and his pitches hit a few bumps along the way, despite the improved velocity and movement on his stuff. Manning allowed two home runs in his outing against the <a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">Mets</a> on Thursday, the fifth and sixth home runs he allowed this spring, and that may have proved the difference for him.</p>
<p id="FrFky1">There are plenty of encouraging signs for Manning, however. His strikeout and pure whiff rates have been far beyond his career marks this spring. There has just been a tradeoff in command as Manning re-shapes his delivery and his pitches, and he hasn’t had his typically excellent control. If he can get things dialed in a little more he may still be in line for a real breakout even if this feels like a major setback. The Tigers simply have that rarest of things; a true surplus of good starting pitching options. </p>
<p id="h6oBbT">Casey Mize always seemed like a lock to start on Opening Day, and he’s looked very good this spring. Meanwhile, Olson has limited the home runs this spring, always an issue for him, and otherwise looked as good as he did in his rookie year. He was always projected to have the best season of the three before spring camp began, but with both Manning and Mize pitching pretty well there was a sense that the Tigers might slow play Olson this year to try and keep him from Super Two status. Frankly, that should never be an issue for a pitcher who isn’t either very young, or a borderline Cy Young contender. So, instead Olson will get first crack at the rotation over Manning.</p>
<p id="u3uLg0">You really couldn’t go wrong with any two of the three, and there is a lot to like in Manning’s work this spring. He’ll be back. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Tigers have announced the following roster moves:<br>*Optioned RHP Matt Manning to Triple A Toledo.<br>*Reassigned RHP Drew Anderson to Minor League camp.<br>*The Tigers have 29 players remaining in Major League camp.</p>— Tigers PR (@DetroitTigersPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/DetroitTigersPR/status/1771205418137587758?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2024</a>
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<p id="0g3spO">As for Anderson, he’s impressed with velocity up to 98 mph after never being known for even mid-90’s heat prior to his work with Chris Fetter and Robin Lund to improve his mechanics. With good riding action on the fastball and a solid slider to back it up, Anderson was the most impressive of the offseason waiver claims and minor league signings. He may have an opt-out in May, but considering how much the Tigers have improved him in his return to the States after two seasons pitching in Japan, one would think Anderson wants to stick in Detroit as long as he gets a major league opportunity at some point.</p>
<p id="SUPnq1">Like Manning, a bad outing on Thursday didn’t help Anderson’s case, while Beau Brieske, Alex Faedo, Miguel Diaz, and Joey Wentz will be fighting it out for the seventh and eighth spots in the pen over the final few games of Grapefruit League play.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Probable pitchers for the opening series in Chicago, per A.J. Hinch<br><br>Game 1: Tarik Skubal<br>Game 2: Kenta Maeda<br>Game 3: Jack Flaherty <a href="https://t.co/gyRhMb8ivF">https://t.co/gyRhMb8ivF</a></p>— Cody Stavenhagen (@CodyStavenhagen) <a href="https://twitter.com/CodyStavenhagen/status/1771211012970041590?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2024</a>
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https://www.blessyouboys.com/2024/3/22/24108818/detroit-tigers-matt-manning-reese-olson-drew-anderson-beau-brieske-casey-mizeBrandon Day2024-03-21T22:10:00-04:002024-03-21T22:10:00-04:00Tigers set their Opening Day position player group
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<p>Ryan Kreidler, Akil Baddoo, and Justyn-Henry Malloy were all reassigned to minor league camp on Thursday. Decisions with the pitching staff remain.</p> <p id="uuIKxs">While we wait for the <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Detroit Tigers</a> to make their final roster decisions for the starting rotation and the bullpen, the active roster is now set for Opening Day in terms of position players. For most, the results won’t come as a surprise. The club more or less set the positional roster from the moment they signed Gio Urshela in late February to shore up the infield group.</p>
<p id="aaJL2r">However, both Justyn-Henry Malloy and Ryan Kreidler had really good camps, making the final decisions at least a little interesting. Akil Baddoo, on the other hand, struggled in camp and really didn’t show anything new to change perceptions. On Thursday, Baddoo and Kreidler were optioned to minor league camp, and Malloy reassigned to minor league camp, not requiring an option. That sets the Tigers final 13 position players on the active roster for Opening Day.</p>
<p id="nXt84i">Baddoo’s speed, raw power, and ability to handle center field make him a strong stash at Toledo, but he’s also going to be an attractive low cost player with big tools for other teams in need of outfield help. We’ll see if he lasts another year in the Tigers’ organization or whether a team with playing time comes calling for a trade along the way. For now, keeping him as depth makes sense, but his 40-man roster spot could eventually be better used another way, as both Greene and Vierling can back up center field, and Malloy and Justice Bigbie are the corner outfield bats of the future looking to break through in 2024. </p>
<p id="i3UYDK">Kreidler and Malloy are both important players in their own right. Malloy showed why the Tigers love his bat this spring, and also played a pretty solid corner outfield in his opportunities. He’s not on the 40-man roster yet, so his potential inclusion on Opening Day never seemed likely, but he’s going to get his shot this season if any of the corner outfielders go down with injury. It’s also possible the Tigers could simply add him for an offensive boost off the bench if there is an injury in the infield somewhere other than shortstop. </p>
<p id="Ld7jx9">With Javy Báez’s bat still looking like a problem, Kreidler’s role is also pretty crucial. He’s worked more in a utility role over the past two years, showing the ability to play well just about anywhere on the field. He’s also clearly the Tigers best defensive shortstop after Báez, and arguably Kreidler is the better defender. As a result, he is crucial insurance for the shortstop position in case of a Báez injury, and if things really fall apart for the veteran, Kreidler is really the only answer the Tigers’ have to try and salvage something at the position.</p>
<h2 id="9sV8Py">The lucky 13</h2>
<p id="ejbAlp">In the outfield, Parker Meadows is the starting centerfielder after a fantastic spring camp. Meadows probably didn’t need to do anything but remain sentient to get that job, but instead he slashed .368/.415/.658 with an excellent strikeout to walk ratio and a pair of home runs in 41 plate appearances. He added a bit of emphasis against the <a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">New York Mets</a> on Thursday.</p>
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<p id="KL7NSg">Greene, Canha, and Carpenter were all locks to an even greater degree than Meadows, so there was zero drama in the outfield over the last five weeks. Not to be out done, Carpenter and Greene also pumped home runs on Thursday.</p>
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<p id="jgtyW0">The infield also got a representative to Thursday’s dinger party, as Colt Keith launched his first home run of the spring against the Mets’ starter, Dominic Hamel. This one was built a little different from the rest, leaving the bat at 110.1 mph and drilling the light tower in right field in a real hurry. Only Greene and Spencer Torkelson possess that kind of power on the starting roster. Keith has been really strong in camp though the results haven’t shown up in the stats columns. He walked 8.9 percent of the time and struck out just 15.6 percent of the time, while hitting the ball hard with regularity.</p>
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<p id="hGooSO">Torkelson, Báez, and Urshela were all locks for the Opening Day roster. We did wonder if Matt Vierling, Zach McKinstry, and Andy Ibáñez would all make the cut, as they’re a bit redundant as a group. Kreidler or Malloy seem like interesting alternatives with bigger tools than what they’re taking north. However, all three had a strong camp, and Vierling brings a lot of athleticism and the ability to move between the infield and the outfield, while McKinstry is the sole left-handed hitter on the bench, and Ibáñez a lefty masher who has really been on a tear offensively since last summer. It’s perhaps not an ideal bench group, but the Tigers have done a lot worse than that for years. And of course, it will be subject to change throughout the season.</p>
<p id="pjmohL">Jake Rogers and Carson Kelly will handle the catching duties, with AJ Hinch making clear that Kelly would get plenty of playing time rather than just being Rogers occasional backup. Expect Rogers to still get the majority of the starts, but Kelly looks reinvigorated to have found a new home in Detroit, and Hinch and his coaches appear to value the veteran’s contributions quite a bit. There’s also the fact that having two experienced veteran catchers who are strong behind the dish makes it easy to pinch-hit for either as circumstances arise, and Hinch loves to have that option in late game high leverage situations. </p>
<h2 id="6spLZm">Pitching decisions</h2>
<p id="zBYOqA">The final decisions remaining over the next few days are setting the starting rotation and the Opening Day bullpen. There are some tough decisions here, but Thursday’s game with the Mets may have sorted out the bullpen a bit. </p>
<p id="1hc8Pf">As we recently wrote, Jason Foley, Alex Lange, Shelby Miller, Tyler Holton, Andrew Chafin, and Will Vest all looked like locks entering camp. Vest has had a few rough outings, and he’s a bit of a notorious slow starter, but at this point I still think all six go north, leaving two spots.</p>
<p id="F4XL9B">Joey Wentz, as the lone lefty beyond Holton and Chafin on the 40-man roster, seems likely to go north because otherwise the Tigers have to put him through waivers, and there’s just no way a big lefty who can scrap 98 mph is getting through waivers. Wentz has shown a pop in his stuff metrics this spring, but continues to make too many big mistakes over the middle of the plate. We’ll see how long he lasts, but the Tigers don’t want to make that decision right now.</p>
<p id="UzrnhQ">As for the final spot, it looks like Alex Faedo is going to remain in a starting role at the Triple-A level for a while longer, trying to finally take the next step. That leaves it between Beau Brieske and Drew Anderson, and that’s been a tight competition. Thursday’s game with the Mets may have been decisive though. Brieske still hasn’t allowed a run and looks really strong right now. Anderson has been a revelation compared to the pitcher he was earlier in his spotty major league career, but continues to have stretches where his rebuilt mechanics get out of sync. Thursday was one of those games, and so at this point, we’re betting on Wentz and Brieske going north. </p>
<p id="5SzvS7">Perhaps, if Vest’s poor control this spring doesn’t turn around in his final outing or two, Anderson can take his spot. </p>
<p id="ufbEkf">That leaves us with the rotation, where it looks like Matt Manning and Casey Mize will take the final two starting spots, leaving Reese Olson and his excellent work over the past year on the shelf. Sending Olson down now will probably be used to ensure he doesn’t get Super Two status as well, but it’s also true that an injury could force the Tigers hand there at any point. We’ll see if the pitching group has any surprises left over the final few days of camp. </p>
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https://www.blessyouboys.com/2024/3/21/24108276/detroit-tigers-opening-day-roster-moves-akil-baddoo-ryan-kreidler-justyn-henry-malloy-reese-olsonBrandon Day2024-03-20T10:30:00-04:002024-03-20T10:30:00-04:00Jack Flaherty looks dialed in and other news from the Tigersphere
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<img alt="MLB: Spring Training-Philadelphia Phillies at Detroit Tigers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YM8rLx6RoLyODKHoT6TBxGDEmo0=/0x0:4170x2780/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73220378/usa_today_22813181.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Flaherty carved up the Phillies on Tuesday, pumping 94-97 mph and forcing Cardinals and Orioles fans to wonder what the Tigers are feeding him.</p> <p id="mqprQ4">No major news is good news at this time of year. The Tigers are in really good shape heading into the final games of the Grapefruit League calendar. Knock on all the wood, throw all the salt, do whatever your belief system permits to help the club stay healthy. Instead of injuries or roster moves, the talk on Tuesday night revolved around the ongoing velocity and stuff boosts for so many of the Tigers pitchers this spring.</p>
<p id="YBaaqe">Jack Flaherty, sitting 94-95 mph and topping 97 mph occasionally, has been a prime example in camp. The former Cardinals and Orioles starter had those fanbases wondering what is going on in Detroit to have his velocity up over a mile per hour up over his last few seasons. That velo has sustained as the veteran right-hander has stretched out into longer outings as well. What’s going on in Detroit, of course, is a process now known as Fetterization. </p>
<p id="OfOhxW">Either way, Flaherty’s seven strikeouts over five innings against a fairly major leaguer heavy <a href="https://www.thegoodphight.com/">Phillies</a> lineup, along with a little help from the Pitching Ninja, had people taking notice due to his familiarity to several other fanbases.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jack Flaherty was impressive tonight. Generated 12 whiffs. Threw his last fastball at 97.2 mph. Five scoreless innings, seven strikeouts.</p>— Cody Stavenhagen (@CodyStavenhagen) <a href="https://twitter.com/CodyStavenhagen/status/1770226844060561788?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2024</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Since when is Jack Flaherty throwing 96-97 MPH!? <a href="https://t.co/W8LA8hWzmF">pic.twitter.com/W8LA8hWzmF</a></p>— Josh Nelson - Sox Machine (@soxmachine_josh) <a href="https://twitter.com/soxmachine_josh/status/1770244754187415701?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2024</a>
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<h2 id="2YY2Kf">Chris Fetter pitching laboratories</h2>
<p id="6DKciK">In fairness, the velocity and extension gains this spring might have extra to do with assistant pitching coach and former biomechanics professor, Robin Lund, specifically. With a full year under his belt as a major league assistant, the impact of his background is only now being fully felt in the Tigers’ system and the way they are conditioning and training their pitchers and refining their throwing mechanics.</p>
<p id="RyIRrp">I wanted to single out Lund for a moment, but no doubt huge credit is due to pitching coach Chris Fetter, who has revolutionized pitching development in the Tigers’ organization over the past few seasons. This all flows from him. Assistant Juan Nieves and director of pitching development, Gabe Ribas, are doubtless playing a big role in all this as well, and the group seems to really collaborate well together, working with both the major league pitchers and the prospects as well in camp. </p>
<p id="WLxAgF">The sudden rash of cutters and splitters being developed by Tigers’ pitchers smacks of Ribas. There are now plenty of notable examples of new split changeups coming from prospects like Jackson Jobe and Keider Montero, while both Troy Melton and Sawyer Gipson-Long developed new cutters last season, among others. Now Matt Manning is working on a split grip, and the Tigers already have Kenta Maeda, Shelby Miller, and Casey Mize featuring the pitch prominently. It’s going to be a pretty different looking staff than Tigers fans are used to, although the power fourseamer continues to be the focal point for most.</p>
<p id="1AgCNW">As widely discussed, we’ve seen velocity and stuff metrics up significantly this spring. From Tarik Skubal, Jason Foley, and prospect Wilmer Flores scraping 100 mph, to Jackson Jobe blowing everyone’s mind by topping out at 101.8 mph in his last spring outing, to veterans like Flaherty and most of the bullpen showing an extra tick or two over their 2023 marks, velocity is up. Induced vertical break on fourseamers is also up for most of the likely active roster and several prospects. Extension is improved, and from Casey Mize and Matt Manning down to Jobe and the other top pitching prospects, much is going very right with the Tigers at the moment. </p>
<p id="Hedij3">There’s no telling how much of this will carry over into the season, and the Tigers will no doubt have their pitching problems, but you couldn’t ask for much more in spring camp. Hopefully the offense is worthy. </p>
<p id="OiQZQE">Of course, it goes beyond the coaches as well. The strength and conditioning coaches, trainers, nutritionists, Dr. Georgia Ghiblin’s sports science department, now actually filled out with a full staff, and a broad range of analysts and support staff are all playing a role. This has all been coming together for a few years, but at this point it feels like the Tigers are doing a really good job integrating all those perspectives to improve conditioning, mechanics, sequencing, and pitch design, all in one. </p>
<h2 id="PH5apY">Wilmer Flores gets a tune-up</h2>
<p id="s2TsLl">From a mechanics perspective, pitching prospect Wilmer Flores makes for an interesting case study to follow this season. After bursting on the scene with tons of high 90’s heat in 2021-2022, Flores had some forearm issues and fatigue last season, and sat 93 mph most of the season, rarely topping 95 mph. He’s emerged this spring leaner and stronger, and with his mechanics looking much cleaner. Suddenly he’s got his extension back, his balance is improved, and he isn’t pulling off to the first base side. He’s driving right at hitters while pumping 95-96 mph again with consistency, and he’s topped out at 99.9 mph.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Wilmer Flores, 99 mph fastball for swinging strikeout against Rob Refsnyder. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tigers?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tigers</a> <a href="https://t.co/B7NT40MTTp">https://t.co/B7NT40MTTp</a> <a href="https://t.co/zvzCHVI9v9">pic.twitter.com/zvzCHVI9v9</a></p>— Evan Petzold (@EvanPetzold) <a href="https://twitter.com/EvanPetzold/status/1763286542083063882?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 29, 2024</a>
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<p id="A44j2Y">A few changes to his delivery are obvious. Flores used to come set facing home plate. The Tigers now have him facing third base. As a result there’s less rotation in his lower half as he loads into his right side. All that hip rotation uncoiling into foot strike used to send him flying open to the first base side, producing poor command and erratic shape on both his fastball and power curve. </p>
<p id="eN4mwx">In its place is a much cleaner motion. Flores just lifts his front leg, gathers himself into his plant leg, and drives down the mound stretching out for all the length he can get with his left leg and stepping just slightly closed to his target line. That lead foot blocking with the slight crossfire and more straight line delivery have him stabilized and able to direct all his force to the plate rather than over-rotating out of his posture as he throws. </p>
<p id="xP8sp5">Here’s a few clips from 2022 and 2023 where you can see the over-rotation with his left shoulder opening a little early and a less balanced position out on his lead leg. The 2024 clips show a much simpler, balanced motion, and yet he is absolutely throwing gas in short bullpen outings. Whether that’s his future role remains to be seen, but at least this year it has to look like an attractive possibility if he can keep it going.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The breakout star among Tigers prospect arms in 2022 was RHP Wilmer Flores. Is it real? Yes, absolutely it is. incoming! <a href="https://t.co/DKn2IC2ILf">pic.twitter.com/DKn2IC2ILf</a></p>— Trevor Hooth (@HoothTrevor) <a href="https://twitter.com/HoothTrevor/status/1594849398030323712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2022</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Giants No. 2 prospect (MLB No. 18) Marco Luciano in the lineup.<br><br>Tigers No. 3 (MLB No. 83) Wilmer Flores on the bump.<br><br>Watch <a href="https://twitter.com/GoSquirrels?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GoSquirrels</a>-<a href="https://twitter.com/erie_seawolves?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@erie_seawolves</a> LIVE here: <a href="https://t.co/6or1LHB03G">https://t.co/6or1LHB03G</a> <a href="https://t.co/hhQFpN1dfP">pic.twitter.com/hhQFpN1dfP</a></p>— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBPipeline/status/1657144768546107392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2023</a>
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<p id="pmjEFm">Here are a few samples from this spring.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tigers pitching prospect Wilmer Flores in slo-mo: <a href="https://t.co/KyuqmPpZLD">pic.twitter.com/KyuqmPpZLD</a></p>— Jason Beck (@beckjason) <a href="https://twitter.com/beckjason/status/1757812325640278431?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2024</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">No. 10 <a href="https://twitter.com/tigers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Tigers</a> prospect Wilmer Flores picked up two strikeouts to wrap up <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpringBreakout?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SpringBreakout</a> for Detroit <a href="https://t.co/MDnfmzSFrt">pic.twitter.com/MDnfmzSFrt</a></p>— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBPipeline/status/1769092669618131142?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2024</a>
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<p id="SD6Ov7">Part of the velo is no doubt coming from getting healthy and making some adjustments in his strength and conditioning program, but the mechanical changes are really working for him so far as well. He’s just much more straight back and straight on line to the target, getting really good extension again, and staying balanced and on target through his release with the ability to really resist and almost hyper-extend his lead leg to leverage his full power behind the pitch.</p>
<p id="rZgHBy">Right now, the Tigers are littered with examples of pitchers showing more velocity and better overall stuff than they’ve ever had. Improving extension and getting pitchers to stay behind the ball as they release their fourseam fastballs has been a key in improving spin efficiency. Getting further down the mound also has them throwing from a lower point, almost uphill to the top of the strike zone, improving their IVB marks and getting more “riding action” on those heaters. Matt Manning, Jackson Jobe, and Casey Mize, among others, fall in that category. As a result, the fourseam whiffs in particular have been piling up in bunches for all of them, Flaherty included.</p>
<p id="sLE98D">After so many years waiting for the Tigers to figure it out in terms of player development, it’s good to see things clearly trending in good directions. Hopefully they can keep the pitching coaching group intact as long as possible. </p>
<p id="eFmP60">Now if they can just find some hitting geniuses.</p>
<p id="m3KMxr">Interestingly, on that note Richard Schenck, aka Teacherman, Aaron Judge’s swing coach, was in Lakeland on Tuesday evening taking in the game. As a key part of both Kerry Carpenter and now Justice Bigbie’s remarkable breakout stories, it’s good to see him in town to work with his guys. Schenck teaches some really specific moves, so it’s hard to know how well he’d do with a wide variety of major league hitters, but for the guys it works for, it’s really been working. </p>
<p id="hPiO3I">Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press is seen talking to Schenck in this photo below, so perhaps we’ll get an article on the man and his impact shortly. Early in the offseason, he was rumored to be working with Javier Báez as well this winter, but Schenck put that to rest as just a rumor and said they’d never been in touch. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Hitting coach Richard Schenck is at the Tigers game in Lakeland tonight. He worked with Kerry Carpenter and Aaron Judge <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tigers?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#tigers</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/springtraining?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#springtraining</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/teacherman?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#teacherman</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/freep?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#freep</a> <a href="https://t.co/FNXygU0L55">pic.twitter.com/FNXygU0L55</a></p>— CindyB (@syrnative) <a href="https://twitter.com/syrnative/status/1770208996772725098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2024</a>
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<h2 id="QySXeG">White Sox name Garrett Crochet as Opening Day starter</h2>
<p id="StiIld">As the Chicago White Sox traded right-hander Dylan Cease to the San Diego Padres last week, there was a bit of curiosity as to whom the south siders would send to the bump on Opening Day. Turns out it will still be a somewhat familiar face in left-hander Garrett Crochet. </p>
<p id="kY2jrS">The hard-throwing southpaw makes a pretty good foil for Tigers’ Opening Day starter, Tarik Skubal. Both can reach triple digits, though Crochet’s best secondary is his nasty slider, while Skubal has his fourseam and changeup absolutely dialed in terms of tunneling action and feel these days. Of course, Crochet struggled to hit the broad side of a barn even as a reliever, and he hasn’t started a game since college. He pitched 12 innings late last summer in his return from Tommy John, and physically looks ready to go, but it’s a tall order moving back into a starting job. I don’t expect he’ll be allowed to go too deep into the game unless his command is way better than we’ve ever seen it. </p>
<h2 id="fPUipz">Minnesota Twins take some early hits</h2>
<p id="dEEzkY">In a reminder of how quick pitching injuries can pile up, we have our friendly neighborhood divisional rivals, the Minnesota Twins. Despite losing Sonny Gray to free agency, the Twins still have a quality rotation and one heck of a bullpen. However, the bullpen isn’t going to be anywhere near full power for a bit. </p>
<p id="xDjK1y">Ace closer Jhoan Duran went down with an oblique strain over the weekend, and he won’t be ready for Opening Day. Presumably he won’t miss more than half of April, but he’s such a key piece of their pitching staff that it has to hurt. Lefty Caleb Thielbar has a hamstring injury, so that’s another blow to their bullpen. </p>
<p id="4DdTZB">On the starting rotation side of things, Anthony DeSclafani has a forearm strain and early indications are not good at all. The Twins traded infielder Jorge Polanco to land DeSclafani and a prospect from the Seattle Mariners at the end of January. Now it looks like the right-hander will miss the whole season for UCL reconstruction, although that isn’t confirmed yet. Right-hander Louis Varland is slated to take his place in the rotation for now.</p>
<p id="ww1Shi">So, it would be a good idea to get off to a strong start and hopefully take advantage of the Twins woes...at least until our own woes begin.</p>
<p id="taQspV">The Tigers can also look to the Arizona Diamondbacks and feel pretty good at the moment as well. Eduardo Rodriguez, the DBacks’ big pitching acquisition of the offseason, left his start Tuesday night with left lat tightness. We saw quite a few minor injuries from E-Rod during his two years with the Tigers as well. Good luck with that, Arizona. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Eduardo Rodríguez was removed from tonight's game with left lat tightness.</p>— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dbacks/status/1770269867327021480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2024</a>
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<h2 id="35iYpR">Sheriff Jake Rogers</h2>
<p id="ATk3ss">Despite his good pop times and arm strength, starting catcher Jake Rogers didn’t have such a good year throwing out runners in 2023, whether trying to steal or on do-or-die plays on bunts or soft tappers in front of the plate and down the lines. He’s been working on his footwork and mechanics with veteran backup Carson Kelly, trying to get himself in better positions to throw while on the move and to be more accurate from different angles. We saw a few examples of his work in Tuesday’s night’s first inning against the Phillies.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Rog flexin' in the first <a href="https://t.co/ZouKEM0ZxJ">pic.twitter.com/ZouKEM0ZxJ</a></p>— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) <a href="https://twitter.com/tigers/status/1770218214716219460?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2024</a>
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<h2 id="56i38m">Trouble in MLBPA paradise involves two key Tigers</h2>
<p id="U6o1cl">Currently, Casey Mize is the Tigers player representative to the MLB players association, while Jack Flaherty is a member of the union’s executive subcommittee. So both are involved in the ongoing story of attempts to oust MLBPA deputy director and Tony Clark ally, Bruce Meyer over concerns that Clark and Meyer are far too close to super agent Scott Boras. </p>
<p id="FU4khG">A conference call between some of the 72 player representatives across the major and minor leagues, and Clark and Meyer, turned heated on Monday night. The players, including both Flaherty and Mize on the call, reportedly urged Clark to replace Meyer with former MLBPA lawyer, Harry Marino. Meyer specifically accused Marino of trying to take his job and rejected the idea that Boras had undue influence on the MLBPA leadership, <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheathletic.com%2F5352704%2F2024%2F03%2F18%2Fmlbpa-unrest-players-bruce-meyer%2F&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blessyouboys.com%2F2024%2F3%2F20%2F24106402%2Fdetroit-tigers-pitching-development-chris-fetter-jack-flaherty-robin-lund-wilmer-flores-jake-rogers" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">according to reporting by Evan Drellich</a> of the Athletic. </p>
<p id="pFbQy8">Marino left the union last year after assisting with the first minor league collective bargaining agreement. He formerly headed the nonprofit, Advocates for Minor Leaguers, and has spent years pushing for better pay and working conditions for minor league players and their families. Their work was influential in getting 34 of the 72 player rep spots assigned to minor leaguers to increase their say in union decision-making.</p>
<p id="QyKFx9">Scott Boras described the whole thing as a coup against Meyer. Marino shot back with strong words of his own. Who knows where it will lead, but it’s fair to say there isn’t too much satisfaction with Clark or Meyer’s leadership of the union right now. </p>
<p id="bVmvdh">To some extent this feels like Boras desire for his high-end clients to make the most money possible and have the most influence over the union, versus Marino and mainly player reps desire to give younger players more say in the direction the union takes moving forward. Tony Clark doesn’t seem to be in a particularly stable position right now either, as if he’s forced to replace Meyer, that’s a pretty direct shot at his own leadership. </p>
<p id="UDNVjy">It isn’t helping that free agent spending was way down this offseason, hurting Boras’ argument that his way is the right way, as several of his clients haven’t received anything close to the type of offers they expected. Blake Snell signing a two-year deal for $66M with the Giants was just another example.</p>
<p id="891ONO">As Cody Stavenhagen of the Athletic Detroit <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheathletic.com%2F5355225%2F2024%2F03%2F19%2Ftigers-jack-flaherty-mlbpa-drama%2F&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blessyouboys.com%2F2024%2F3%2F20%2F24106402%2Fdetroit-tigers-pitching-development-chris-fetter-jack-flaherty-robin-lund-wilmer-flores-jake-rogers" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">noted in his piece</a> on Flaherty and Mize’s involvement in the clash, spending is down to $2.8B from $3.9B last offseason, despite the huge deal given out to Shohei Ohtani by the Los Angeles Dodgers. However as you’d expect, both Flaherty and Mize downplayed any antagonism and described it all as constructive attempts to discuss improvement to the players union. Still, there’s a sense that if the players oust Meyer, Clark is likely right in the firing line, and that such a move might cool Boras’ influence within the union. We’ll see if things go that far. </p>
<p id="037Mwx">Flaherty did offer some thoughts on why the players were interested in having Marino involved.</p>
<p id="v7Xr3B">“The minor leaguers really appreciated the way he handled <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheathletic.com%2F4377736%2F2023%2F04%2F03%2Fminor-league-baseball-cba-union%2F&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blessyouboys.com%2F2024%2F3%2F20%2F24106402%2Fdetroit-tigers-pitching-development-chris-fetter-jack-flaherty-robin-lund-wilmer-flores-jake-rogers" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">their unionization</a>,” Flaherty said of Marino. “And so guys have listened and paid attention. As leaders and player reps, your job is to listen to the entire league, and now being all under one union, listen to the guys who are coming next. So that’s our job, and that’s kind of how we’ve come to the point where we did yesterday. ”</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Casey Mize: “I don’t want to get into details of what frustrates me or what I heard last night, but in general, we’re just looking for ways to get better. Those are discussions we have all the time, and yeah, we had one last night.” <a href="https://t.co/quHGuYDM4S">https://t.co/quHGuYDM4S</a></p>— Cody Stavenhagen (@CodyStavenhagen) <a href="https://twitter.com/CodyStavenhagen/status/1770177615032123477?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2024</a>
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<h2 id="eNFJAY">Presented without comment </h2>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">I really thought when I clicked on the .pdf that the Tigers might be sending out a blank piece of paper for today's installment of the medical report. <br><br>So close...but SGL is on the mend. <a href="https://t.co/nVnvIATGr8">pic.twitter.com/nVnvIATGr8</a></p>— Evan Woodbery (@evanwoodbery) <a href="https://twitter.com/evanwoodbery/status/1770156394949300226?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2024</a>
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<h2 id="K3WK6a">Presented with comment </h2>
<p id="Lx6iMC">On the minor league side, the big news of the week was top pure relief prospect Tyler Mattison undergoing UCL reconstruction. We wish him a fully recovery. Kevin McGonigle missed the Spring Breakout game with a minor left hamstring strain, with right-handed prep pick in the 2023 draft, Jatnk Diaz, one of our favorite sleeper picks ever, has a right triceps strain and is still working through his throwing program to get back. Shortstop prospect Abel Bastidas is the other notable with an injury, dealing with a shoulder strain. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here’s a Tigers minor-league medical update<br><br>Tyler Mattison underwent UCL reconstruction yesterday <a href="https://t.co/mkSHsEucCQ">pic.twitter.com/mkSHsEucCQ</a></p>— Cody Stavenhagen (@CodyStavenhagen) <a href="https://twitter.com/CodyStavenhagen/status/1769017489810129184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2024</a>
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<h2 id="kY6Kor">Minor League spring training begins</h2>
<p id="8liKde">While the minor leaguers are practicing and playing scrimmage games all spring, Tuesday marked the beginning of their actual countdown to their respective Opening Days. The Double-A Erie SeaWolves began their spring training schedule against the Reading Fightin Phils as their parent clubs did battle. The SeaWolves begin their regular season on April 5 on the road against the Harrisburg Senators, the <a href="https://www.federalbaseball.com/">Washington Nationals</a> Double-A affiliate. None of the minor league spring training contests will have reported scores or broadcasts, but it’s good to know their countdown has begun as well.</p>
<p id="xQu2x3">The West Michigan Whitecaps also open on the road against the Lake County Captains in a three-game set from April 5-8. Their home opener is April 9 as they welcome in Quad Cities. </p>
<p id="nOZVui">The Low-A Lakeland Flying Tigers open on the road against the Dunedin Blue Jays on April 5, and they’ll also have their home opener on the 9th as they welcome in the Bradenton Marauders. </p>
<p id="OSpfco">The Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens will lead the way, opening on March 29th at home in a three-game set against the Nashville Sounds, the <a href="https://www.brewcrewball.com/">Milwaukee Brewers</a> affiliate. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The SeaWolves will play nine Spring Training games before heading to Erie.<br><br>Details: <a href="https://t.co/Q4Y3PNw5Il">https://t.co/Q4Y3PNw5Il</a> <a href="https://t.co/A9QVcBeXxH">pic.twitter.com/A9QVcBeXxH</a></p>— Erie SeaWolves (@erie_seawolves) <a href="https://twitter.com/erie_seawolves/status/1769783083727822904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2024</a>
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https://www.blessyouboys.com/2024/3/20/24106402/detroit-tigers-pitching-development-chris-fetter-jack-flaherty-robin-lund-wilmer-flores-jake-rogersBrandon Day2024-03-19T11:15:00-04:002024-03-19T11:15:00-04:00Ryan Kreidler and the push for the Tigers’ final roster spots
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<p>The situation is complicated by various players’ options status and a lot of solid spring performances.</p> <p id="VQuQ8i">When the <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Detroit Tigers</a> signed veteran infielder Gio Urshela to a one-year deal during the second week of spring training, it looked like the Opening Day position player group was set. With Colt Keith signed to a long-term contract, third base was really the only position in open competition. The addition of Urshela made the group of Matt Vierling, Andy Ibáñez, and Zach McKinstry a bit redundant defensively, but there wasn’t much obvious competition brewing for the Tigers’ bench either. </p>
<p id="1IBmrp">As we come to the final week of Spring Training, the situation looks a little different. Other than Urshela, who got a late start, the rest of those players are all having good spring camps. Meanwhile, upstarts Ryan Kreidler and Eddys Leonard have raked as well, pushing them into the conversation. </p>
<p id="Kmu5M1">None of these players is so distinguished from the others. They don’t profile as everyday regulars, but they all have their uses. So without one of them really having a huge breakout season, the Tigers are likely to deploy them based as much on their team control as for any other reason. </p>
<p id="eT97hX">Urshela’s $1.5M deal is small enough that the Tigers could cut him, but that wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense right now. So we’ll consider him basically a lock to go north to Detroit since he can’t be sent down. Leonard has already been optioned to minor league camp, so I wouldn’t expect to see him up for a while. He’s been on fire going back to August of last year, but he’s still 23, only has 40 games at the Triple-A level, and has an option remaining.</p>
<p id="eQb6Rj">That last feature is crucial. </p>
<p id="9Bqr4u">Per FanGraphs, Matt Vierling has one option left, as does Andy Ibáñez and Ryan Kreidler. Zach McKinstry is out of options, and as the only left-handed hitter in the group, he seems highly likely to be on the Opening Day roster. McKinstry currently has 10 walks to five strikeouts this spring with a .167 isolated power mark. It’s spring training, so this doesn’t mean he’s on the verge of a huge season, but without an option and as the only left-handed hitter of this group, all he needed to do was have a solid camp and so far he’s done so. </p>
<p id="mvNc5q">So that brings us to Vierling, Ibáñez, and Kreidler for the final two spots on the roster. </p>
<p id="aR6KWh">The Tigers have a nice young outfield group with the potential to be very good. The starting rotation looks to have both quality and unusual depth, potentially with Reese Olson or one of Manning or Mize stashed at Toledo. The bullpen lacks a stud closer type but is pretty well set with good relievers, <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/2024/3/16/24099293/detroit-tigers-spring-training-roster-alex-faedo-joey-wentz-beau-brieske-drew-anderson">as we discussed the other day</a>. </p>
<p id="ENWfyk">Jake Rogers and Carson Kelly, with Dillon Dingler on call in Toledo, is a solid catching group. The right side of the Tigers infield isn’t proven, but you’ve got young top prospect sluggers in Spencer Torkelson and Colt Keith to play basically everyday. Shortstop and third base are the real question marks. </p>
<p id="7DSxBN">Prospect Jace Jung may be able to weigh in at third base before too much longer, and Leonard may be helpful if one of the part-time players struggles, but the Tigers only have one of these bench options who is a bona fide shortstop. Ibáñez is a solid defender at second and third base, and the same true of McKinstry. Vierling is a decent third baseman and can play acceptably well anywhere in the outfield, including center field on a short term basis. Vierling and Ibáñez have also swung a hot bat this spring, but only Ryan Kreidler grades out as a plus shortstop. That makes his hot start with the bat this spring a lot more interesting. </p>
<h2 id="BuPfps">Kreidler is the only backup plan at SS</h2>
<p id="2dQSkQ">The Tigers are going to play Javier Báez everyday for at least a few months. so it’s not like Kreidler is going to be taking over the job right away if the veteran struggles. His place as the only other true shortstop on the 40-man roster gives him a lot of added value, but that value can always be stashed in Toledo in case of injury or a breaking point with Báez. Of course, Kreidler is also plenty capable of playing good defense just about anywhere on the field other than center field or catcher, so as bench player he provides more defensively than any of the others we’re discussing. </p>
<p id="RYqQpj">The problem is that after his breakout season in 2021 as a prospect at Double-A, Kreidler hasn’t been able to take the next step with the bat. It’s been an encouraging start this spring, but he still strikes out quite a bit without getting to his power potential. If things have really changed, it’s not clear yet. </p>
<p id="htvmDQ">Even so, ZiPS projections say Kreidler’s defense could make him a 1.0-1.5 fWAR player per 100 games. His Statcast numbers are really small samples, but they suggest that ZiPS may even be underselling his defense a little bit. </p>
<p id="2iXsCE">Jerry Mackinem of Tigers Minor League Report summed it up succinctly in a recent post. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">For all to see. This is Ryan Kreidler’s OAA by position and attempts. Assuming this is really where he would be, he would have been a +39 OAA last year in the same number of attempts as Báez which is 3.9 fWAR.<br><br>If you didn’t already know, he is a wizard with the glove! <a href="https://t.co/rSAXhyTARx">https://t.co/rSAXhyTARx</a></p>— JerryMackinem (@OPSenheimer) <a href="https://twitter.com/OPSenheimer/status/1769194806343798886?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2024</a>
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<p id="XekR9U">Those Outs Above Average (OAA) marks would make Kreidler the best defensive shortstop in baseball. I’m fairly confident that’s not actually the case. The point is just that’s he’s objectively a plus defender. </p>
<p id="MpWTDo">Whatever you want to take away from spring training offensive performances, where Kreidler isn’t starting much against major league starting pitchers, the ZiPS projection system also forecasts that Kreidler will even outhit Javy Báez, if only by a hair. The difference in projections is 81 wRC+ for Kreidler, 78 wRC+ for Báez, so there’s nothing to write home about either way, but if the latter can’t find some modicum of his old power production, there’s really nothing to distinguish them other than that Kreidler doesn’t have Báez’s track record and can be optioned. </p>
<p id="02eqMN">So, the Báez issues make Kreidler a very necessary player on the 40-man roster. If the veteran can’t get it going, the Tigers are going to have to pinch-hit for him more when he plays, and try something else at least on a part-time basis. The only something else they have at shortstop is Ryan Kreidler. </p>
<p id="xAnywW">Now, does that mean Kreidler will beat out one of Vierling or Ibáñez to Triple-A Toledo to start the year? Hard to say. </p>
<h2 id="ptLi6B">Can Kreidler bump Vierling or Ibáñez?</h2>
<p id="6ZMGp9">Arguably, Kreidler needs to hit everyday after two injury plagued seasons. He hasn’t topped 351 plate appearances in either 2022 or 2023. Playing him in Toledo to start the year and getting him everyday plate appearances might be more useful to the Tigers early in the season than starting him at third base once or twice a week in place of Vierling, or Ibáñez. </p>
<p id="7NFYkF">There are some good points on the side of taking Kreidler north as well. The Tigers need to get out to a good start, and riding the hot hands early on might prove crucial. With Vierling and Ibáñez both off to a good start, Kreidler really could use some big games over the final week of Grapefruit League play to finish making his case offensively, but his defense might be valuable enough on its own. </p>
<p id="Vu1oyN">The Tigers’ starting infield projects to be pretty underwhelming defensively. Kreidler is probably the only one who could be expected to play above average third base and help counter a sub-par pair of infielders in Torkelson and Keith on the other side of the infield. That may well be more valuable than anything the other potential Tigers’ depth infielders do with the bat. For that reason alone it might be worth having him available if only as a late game defensive substitution.</p>
<p id="QHiKGI">The Tigers don’t have to make any final decisions on this group of players right now. The roster is going to evolve over the course of the season. Factors from Báez’s issues to the rise of prospects Jace Jung and Eddys Leonard could all come to bear on the left side of the infield as the season progresses. So whoever goes north on Opening Day, it’s all very subject to change until the club develops an everyday option at third base. </p>
<p id="kJKCkQ">We can bet that Urshela and McKinstry will be on the Opening Day roster. Vierling and Ibáñez might get the early nod for offensive reasons. But Ryan Kreidler has a crucial skill that puts him above the rest in importance as the 2024 season gets underway. If he’s not up to start the year, expect him to get his chances along the way.</p>
<p id="ytGu3x"></p>
https://www.blessyouboys.com/2024/3/19/24104601/detroit-tigers-spring-training-ryan-kreidler-gio-urshela-zach-mckinstry-matt-vierling-andy-ibanezBrandon Day2024-03-16T08:00:00-04:002024-03-16T08:00:00-04:00Breaking down the battle for the Tigers final bullpen spots
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<figcaption>Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption>
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<p>With only a few outings left with which to impress, the competition for the bullpen is coming down to the wire.</p> <p id="RsaviQ">The <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Detroit Tigers</a> didn’t make much noise this offseason, but one area that they did fortify pretty aggressively was the bullpen. With a solid core consisting of Jason Foley, Alex Lange, Tyler Holton, and Will Vest already in place, Scott Harris inked right-hander Shelby Miller and lefty Andrew Chafin to free agent deals. That whole group still tracks as the core of the Opening Day bullpen despite a few hiccups this spring. So there aren’t many open spots remaining. </p>
<p id="fjHANx">Of course, it’s still possible that one of those six relievers starts the year in Toledo. It’s not set in stone, but for now let’s assume there are only two spots available. By this point, usually there are some injuries that start making decisions simpler, but—knocks on wood—so far the Tigers are in fantastic shape. So they may have a difficult decision ahead as they decide who lands those final spots in the bullpen.</p>
<p id="y3P3ey">The Tigers seem set on starting with a five-man rotation. That appears to leave one of Matt Manning, Casey Mize, or Reese Olson out of the mix on Opening Day. But it’s also still possible that they’ll take all three to limit innings in April. They aren’t going to go to a true six man rotation, but they could piggyback two of them, likely Mize and Manning, early on considering Mize is returning from Tommy John and Manning was limited to 86 2/3 innings last year. Teams made due with seven-man bullpens for a long time, and there would be one game per turn through the rotation where the bullpen got a break. It’s doable, but for now we’ll assume the following players are competing for two spots. </p>
<h2 id="RxDtlH">Joey Wentz</h2>
<p id="ldeuVi">A key factor that boosts Joey Wentz’s case for a bullpen job is the fact that he’s out of options. Despite his struggles trying to establish himself as a major league starter the past two seasons, Wentz is a lefty who throws 94-97 mph in short bursts. He isn’t going to get through waivers. So, the Tigers either take him north in the bullpen or let him go for good. The latter option is fine at this point, as the Tigers have a ton of pitching talent in the upper minors looking to reach the show this year. You can’t wait on a guy forever and Wentz is now 26 years old. </p>
<p id="IV1ZCy">However, the big left-hander is having a decent camp so far, and the Tigers presumably don’t want to give up on him without giving a relief role a serious try. His fastball has been improved in velo and riding action since Wentz started working back into more of an over-the-top arm slot like he had as a minor league prospect. The command still hasn’t really improved though. It’s spring training, but four walks in nine innings feels like the same old Wentz despite an uptick in whiffs and strikeouts so far in camp. For years Wentz has flashed good potential for a few innings before getting out of sync and falling apart, at least at the major league level. Perhaps that’s an indicator that in short bursts of relief he could keep it together, but he’s running out of chances with the Tigers.</p>
<p id="xbJS27">Working against Wentz is also the fact that the Tigers have Tyler Holton and Andrew Chafin locked into the bullpen, so they don’t really need a lefty that badly. Prospect Brant Hurter’s work last year and in camp has been superb, so they do have another option at the Triple-A level, though they’d like to keep Hurter starting for now, presumably. In Wentz’s favor is the fact that he can give them multiple innings at a time and has a good enough changeup to handle right-handed hitters. </p>
<p id="LFiLIo">My guess, is that Wentz will go north barring a disastrous finish to spring camp. He may not last long if he doesn’t prove that he really is a new man, able to course correct much more rapidly when his rhythm or mechanics get out of whack. But the Tigers aren’t so flush with left-handed talent in the upper minors, and that combined with the do-or-die nature of Wentz’s option situation, probably gets him a crack at the bullpen when the season begins. </p>
<h2 id="CiETRb">Beau Brieske</h2>
<p id="0ZdW6V">The Tigers converted this hard-throwing right-hander to relief in 2023, and he had a pretty good run in that role, putting up a 3.60 ERA with a 4.00 FIP. Brieske has a solid riding fourseamer that sits 96-97 mph, though with mediocre extension, and a solid changeup. He’s also mixing in his sinker quite a bit against right-handers to try and jam them. His issues have been command based and the lack of a good breaking ball. </p>
<p id="vTQKUf">So far, Brieske is having a solid camp. He’s tossed 9 <sup>2</sup>⁄<sub>3</sub> innings of work with only one hit and two walks allowed against five strikeouts. It’s good to see the walks under control, but the 25-year-old, another late round Tigers success story taken in 2019 in the 27th round, still isn’t punching out many hitters.</p>
<p id="x2RGeT">The remedy here is a revamped slider that is showing more velocity and a lot more depth this spring. After averaging 33 inches of vertical break in 2023 with the slider, he’s been up above 40 inches regularly. That could be the answer, but while he’s limited the walks, the command of both fastball and slider still need work. </p>
<p id="RMUxSz">A strong finish to spring camp could get Brieske the nod, but he still has all his options remaining. Expect him to work out of the Mud Hens bullpen trying to refine the new slider to start the season. He’ll get his shot this season at some point. </p>
<h2 id="yFoQ5u">Alex Faedo</h2>
<p id="escb6l">One right-hander who is legitimately having a great camp is the Tigers 2017 first round pick. Alex Faedo has made 24 major league starts across 2022-2023, but has produced fifth starter results. The problem remains his fastball, while his slider has remained a good weapon for him all through his pro career to date. </p>
<p id="5GZ902">Faedo has a starter’s fastball command, so while it’s a truly a mediocre fourseamer that typically averages a bit under 93 mph with poor extension, he’s been able to avoid getting blown up too much in the majors even in a starting role. However, it’s still a very crushable heater when he makes mistakes with it, and he doesn’t get many whiffs. His changeup is similarly mediocre, forcing him to rely heavily on his slider. It’s really hard to be a high leverage reliever with a fastball you don’t really want to throw in the zone. </p>
<p id="7Unhav">Even starting in 12 of 15 appearances in 2023, Faedo threw 38 percent sliders. In relief he could probably up that to 50 percent. It’s a legitimately excellent high-spin slider, racking up a 41 percent whiff rate last season despite the fact that he doesn’t have another average or better weapon to work with. That one pitch still forms the whole basis of his approach, and so his utility as a reliever is pretty questionable, but it’s at least an option. As a starter he really hasn’t looked like a legitimate prospect in a long, long time. </p>
<p id="t443Ab">This spring, we’ve seen Faedo average almost 95 mph, two ticks faster than we’ve seen from him as a starter, and he’s topped out at 97 mph. He’s also shown just an inch or two more ride than last year in the process, and has tried to build more strength and flexibility in his lower half to help him get a little more extension. Signs have been positive, but we’re still talking about a very average fastball at best.</p>
<p id="wCDM47">Faedo has an option remaining, and probably fits best on the 40-man roster as a swingman type who is mainly there to eat a few innings or take a spot start when needed. He can do that while being stationed in Toledo. Despite the good camp so far, not enough has improved to imagine him holding leads in the late innings. I would be surprised if the Tigers took him north to start the season, but he probably has one more year of modest usefulness to the organization before the wave of pitching prospects coming force his release next year. </p>
<h2 id="PHjtXG">Drew Anderson</h2>
<p id="ZpCBoi">The biggest eye-opener in camp, this 29-year-old right-hander has some major league experience with the <a href="https://www.thegoodphight.com/">Phillies</a> and Rangers, but spent the past two seasons pitching in NPB for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. Always a low powered right-hander with good riding action, he looks like a whole new man after a few months in assistant pitching coach Robin Lund’s body shop.</p>
<p id="YKbNSq">The Tigers inked Anderson to a minor league deal with an invite back in January, and he spent a lot of time working with Chris Fetter, Lund, Juan Nieves, and director of pitching development Gabe Rivas prior to the official opening of camp. They revamped his mechanics, trying to get him to block better with his lead leg so that he drives straight to the plate and doesn’t pull off to the first base side, which cost him velocity and riding action. </p>
<p id="Xt64oE">After averaging 92-93 mph his whole career, Anderson is now pumping 96-99 mph with excellent riding action and has been an absolute force in spring camp. One outing where he issued two of the three walks he’s allowed in 7 <sup>2</sup>⁄<sub>3</sub> innings cost him a run, but otherwise he’s kept the walks in check while racking up 13 strikeouts.</p>
<p id="9Js7iZ">It’s a little hard to evaluate him in comparison to his old stuff, because he’s just a very different pitcher now. On Friday against the Blue Jays, he averaged 96.8 mph with outstanding riding action and topped out at 97.7 mph over two innings of work. Meanwhile, his old solid low-80’s slider is now coming in a few mph harder and still getting the same vertical break he had at lower speeds. He also has a quality 79-80 mph curveball that, like the slider, checks in close to 2700 rpms on average and occasionally tops 2900. His changeup is a little blunt, but it’s usable as a change of pace. </p>
<p id="YgKr5M">Anderson really cleaned up some of his walk issues the past couple of years, but they’ve returned a bit this spring. However, he’s working with a lot higher octane now, and it might require a little adjustment period. He’s been really impressive anyway, and I’m tending to think he’s a favorite now to make the team. </p>
<p id="fDf1no">We don’t know the terms of his minor league deal, and he may have an opt-out if not called up at some point this spring, but he’s pretty close to making it a moot point. He does the things Brieske can do better than Brieske, and he now has the power stuff as well as the experience to handle high leverage situations. If the Tigers do take eight relievers on Opening Day, bet on Anderson being one of them. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Drew Anderson finishes his two innings striking out five of the six hitters he faced with some gas and picks up the save. <a href="https://t.co/aNMSOLfbt2">pic.twitter.com/aNMSOLfbt2</a></p>— Rogelio Castillo (@rogcastbaseball) <a href="https://twitter.com/rogcastbaseball/status/1768727781150458264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2024</a>
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<h2 id="s8cc7T">Prospects</h2>
<p id="eBWzQ3">As veteran minor leaguers like Miguel Diaz, Devin Sweet, and Brenan Hanifee haven’t really impressed this spring, the Tigers other option for relief help is to dip into their deep bag of talented pitching prospects. I’d be pretty surprised if they converted any of Keider Montero, Brant Hurter, Ty Madden, or Wilmer Flores to relief at this point, but they are quite stacked having all four slated to start for the Toledo Mud Hens, with Jackson Jobe and Troy Melton likely starting the season in Erie right behind them. </p>
<p id="L7gUIB">Of that group, Hurter is the only lefty. We ranked him 16th on our preseason prospect list, but like so many pitchers this spring, he looks to be even better than his dominant run in Double-A Erie last season. He made a nice developmental leap last year, and just keeps making subtle improvements. </p>
<p id="NL47ol">Standing 6’6” and 250 pounds, he throws from a similar slot as Chris Sale, sweeping a really nasty slider across the plate to backfoot right-handers and get lefties reaching in abject futility. He has a solid changeup that is still improving in consistency, and while he’s always been a great strike thrower, the Tigers seventh round pick in 2021 has really taken his command to a new level over the past year. </p>
<p id="sl65sS">His weakness has always been a low powered sinker that is well commanded but may get hit hard in the major leagues. Hurter has improved the velocity a little this spring, which is a common theme for just about every Tigers’ pitcher in camp. However, it’s still a little underpowered. </p>
<p id="zuz6hi">As the only left-handed starting pitching prospect anywhere near the major leagues, I would guess the Tigers will be in no rush to convert Hurter to relief. He is 25 years old though he won’t have to be added to the 40-man roster until December. However, if Chafin or Holton go down with injury and Joey Wentz struggles and gets cut, it’s a pretty good option. He’s not likely to ever be a full-time major league starter, but he could be a really good multi-inning lefty reliever who gets a lot of ground balls off the sinker and keeps the ball in the park, while collecting plenty of whiffs off the slider in particular.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Brant Hurter’s first inning of work <a href="https://t.co/SYRNpQkxp2">pic.twitter.com/SYRNpQkxp2</a></p>— Chris Brown (@ChrisBrown0914) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBrown0914/status/1766878699201130816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 10, 2024</a>
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<p id="FdHjg1">The Tigers also have three hard-throwing right-handers with good power stuff in Montero, Madden, and Flores. Of that trio, Montero probably has the best and deepest pitch mix, as his changeup is significantly better than Madden’s change or Flores’ developing split. He is on the 40-man and so we’re going to see him in Detroit this season. But, he’s also just 23 years old and is still working to develop his command. The set of pitches is too good to rush him into a relief role permanently, and right now he’s still got to learn to make in-game adjustments more quickly to avoid the blow-up inning that plagued him when he got to Triple-A last summer.</p>
<p id="TERPh0">Madden, our 7th ranked Tigers prospect, has a good fastball and slider, and can pump it in there up to 99 mph, but still lacks the good changeup. He does have a solid cutter and curveball as well, so it is a deep set of pitches. The changeup is coming along, but his feel for it just hasn’t been very consistent.</p>
<p id="76iBJw"> His command of the fastball and slider are both good, and superior to either Montero or Flores at this point, but he continues to hunt for an answer to his home run troubles with left-handed hitters. The Tigers will give him more time to work on that, and as he doesn’t have to be added to the 40-man this year, the leash as a starter in Toledo will be long. Still, if things don’t develop much further he could make a really good late innings reliever with the gas and breaking ball to dominate. His weakness against lefties would also be somewhat alleviated by the fact that they wouldn’t get multiple chances against him in a game. </p>
<p id="5bWvbN">Montero, our 9th ranked prospect currently in the system, has a pair of 3000 rpm breaking balls and a good riding fastball that touches 98 mph. His big development in 2023 was in developing a pretty good changeup that is now an above average weapon for him. The issue with him is similar to Wentz, in that Montero will lose the plot for a few hitters at a time, waste a lot of pitches, and sometimes give up a big inning in the midst of an otherwise dominant performance.</p>
<p id="xh2ID6"> He is on the 40-man roster now and was the first to reach Triple-A of this group of pitching prospects, so while he’s still 23 years old, the clock will start ticking this season. He’ll see the major leagues this year if he can make some strides with his command, but the potential of his repertoire is so high that the Tigers shouldn’t push him to relief except in an emergency. </p>
<p id="u2gUMa">Finally we have Wilmer Flores, currently ranked 11th, who has had a very up and down couple of years since the Tigers picked up for next-to-nothing as an undrafted free agent in 2020. Flores really impressed in 2021-2022 with an explosive high 90’s fastball and a wipeout breaking ball. By the end of 2022 he was regarded as one of the Tigers top prospects. However last season he had some arm fatigue and was sitting 92-93 mph all year, with no sign of velocity above 95 mph. His offseason work appears to have resolved the issue as he’s back to sitting 97 mph and hitting 99 mph in short outings. </p>
<p id="RKVZHt">Flores is also on the 40-man now, and because he too has struggled to find a changeup, a future in relief seems more likely if he can’t develop consistency with his breaking balls this year. He does have a power cutter that helps him against left-handed hitters, and he’s working on a split change now that shows potential. That pitch could be huge for him if he can master it this year.</p>
<p id="qtMrZE">Like the others, I don’t think the Tigers will be in a rush to convert Flores to relief, but in a pinch calling him up to air it out in the bullpen isn’t a bad idea with the fastball looking outstanding again this spring and his command of it developing nicely. He’s still too erratic with his secondary pitches, but if he can put it together a little more he could make a heck of a closer in time. </p>
<p id="Fo8VSY">For more on these four pitchers, check out our <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/2024/1/27/23905903/detroit-tigers-prospect-scouting-reports-jackson-jobe-colt-keith-max-clark-jace-jung">preseason BYB top 30 prospect reports. </a>There we go into much more depth about each player’s development history and their present strengths and weaknesses. </p>
<h2 id="uoZT2A">Who do you want to take north?</h2>
<p id="8mvBWo">Right now I’m leaning toward Joey Wentz and Drew Anderson as the final two members of the Opening Day bullpen. Things will no doubt evolve over the course of the season as always, but I think those two give you another power lefty and righty who both can handle throwing two innings at a time, and both have looked pretty good this spring. Particularly Anderson. </p>
<p id="0AEq5R">Who would you take north out of this group of options? Let us know in the comments, and thanks as always for reading and supporting Bless You Boys. </p>
https://www.blessyouboys.com/2024/3/16/24099293/detroit-tigers-spring-training-roster-alex-faedo-joey-wentz-beau-brieske-drew-andersonBrandon Day