Detroit Free Press

Evan Petzold | Detroit Free Press LAKELAND, Fla. — When Robbie Grossman watches 20-year-old outfielder Riley Greene, one of the prized prospects in the Detroit Tigers‘ rebuild, he thinks about the emotions of his first major league spring training with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2009. The nerves. The excitement. The joy of wearing the uniform. “They’re here

Evan Petzold | Detroit Free Press LAKELAND, Fla. — Franklin Perez looks healthy. That’s a good place to start. The Detroit Tigers received Perez, catcher Jake Rogers and outfielder Daz Cameron when they traded Justin Verlander to the Houston Astros in 2017. There are unanswered questions about all of them. So far, the deal has yielded little on the Tigers’

Jeff Seidel, Evan Petzold | Detroit Free Press LAKELAND, Fla. — It was enough to make you dream about the future. The Detroit Tigers unveiled an interesting group of prospects on one of the back fields at Tiger Town on Monday morning during the first full-squad practice. It included Daniel Pinero at first base, Kody Clemens at

Evan Petzold | Detroit Free Press LAKELAND, Fla. — Reliever Zack Hess doesn’t need to put pressure on himself this spring. The Detroit Tigers brought Hess, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the farm system’s No. 30 prospect, to major league spring training as a non-roster invitee. But the 23-year-old isn’t a candidate to break camp on the roster. And Hess

Jeff Seidel | Detroit Free Press LAKELAND, Fla. – It’s strange covering the Detroit Tigers right now. It’s like going to a stadium and looking into a crystal ball, trying to figure out the future, paying more attention to “what could be” for the next 10 years, instead of “what is” for this one. So

Evan Petzold | Detroit Free Press LAKELAND, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers are going to be without six position players for the early stages of spring training. Outfielder Nomar Mazara, outfielder Victor Reyes, second baseman Jonathan Schoop, third baseman Isaac Paredes, first baseman Renato Nunez and first baseman Aderlin Rodriguez will be late to spring training because of

Evan Petzold | Detroit Free Press LAKELAND, Fla. — Miguel Cabrera has arrived in Lakeland. Entering his 19th season in the majors, the Detroit Tigers‘ future Hall of Famer reported to spring training Saturday for voluntary workouts, two days before his official report date for full-squad sessions Monday. “He’s in good spirits,” manager AJ Hinch said Sunday. “He’s worked hard

Evan Petzold | Detroit Free Press LAKELAND, Fla. — Spring training is officially underway. Detroit Tigers manager AJ Hinch hasn’t given his best speech yet, one that brings together the team amid position battles and sets a new tone for the organization. “I tried to save some of my best material for the whole group,” Hinch said

Jeff Seidel | Detroit Free Press LAKELAND, Fla. — The ball came screaming into the Detroit Tigers dugout at Joker Marchant Stadium. Jacob Robson, a minor league outfielder, was wedged between a couple of players, sitting on the bench. It was Feb.22, 2020 — the Tigers’ Grapefruit League opener against the Philadelphia Phillies. Robson wasn’t scheduled

Jeff Seidel | Detroit Free Press LAKELAND, Fla. — Joey Wentz bounded off the mound on a back field behind Joker Marchant Stadium, fielded a ground ball and tossed it to first base. He was full of excitement and happiness. “I’ve never seen a pitcher happier to do (pitcher fielding practice) in the first couple

Tyler J. Davis | Detroit Free Press Don’t expect any current Detroit Tigers to start the All-Star game in the near future, at least if you believe one set of MLB rankings to be true. The Tigers were one of three teams that didn’t have any players ranked among the game’s top 100, regardless of position. Detroit,

Evan Petzold | Detroit Free Press LAKELAND, Fla. — Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler has a locker in the team’s spring training facility. He is isolated. That’s because of the COVID-19 protocols and — maybe the real reason — his spot on the depth chart. “I’m in a staff locker room,” Dingler, 22, said Friday. “But there’s about six players

Evan Petzold | Detroit Free Press LAKELAND, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers were one of nine teams with scouts watching right-hander Wily Peralta pitch in a showcase Thursday at Estadio Quisqueya in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The Tigers were already in conversation with Peralta’s agent, but the positive signs at the showcase convinced them to offer a

Evan Petzold | Detroit Free Press LAKELAND, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers have signed right-hander Julio Teheran to a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training, a source told the Free Press on Friday night. The source requested anonymity because the team has not yet announced the move. The 10-year MLB veteran is set to

Evan Petzold | Detroit Free Press LAKELAND, Fla. — When Casey Mize finished throwing his bullpen Thursday, Detroit Tigers manager AJ Hinch pulled him aside. The conversation wasn’t brief. “His pitches are elite across the board,” Hinch said Friday, the third day of pitcher-catcher workouts in spring training. “When he understands the impact of the elevated

Evan Petzold | Detroit Free Press LAKELAND, Fla. — Jack of all trades, master of none. In a nutshell, this figure of speech fits Detroit Tigers reliever Buck Farmer, the factotum of the bullpen. That bodes well for new manager AJ Hinch, who is going to push his relievers to pitch multiple innings this season. If Farmer has the hot hand, Hinch will let him

Jeff Seidel | Detroit Free Press LAKELAND, Fla. — He has been here before. This is where it happened. Right in Joker Marchant Stadium. AJ Hinch was a member of the Cleveland Indians in 2003, getting ready to play a spring training game against the Detroit Tigers in Lakeland, when he was walking from the bullpen

Evan Petzold | Detroit Free Press LAKELAND, Fla. — Joe Jimenez doesn’t fully understand. His struggles for the Detroit Tigers in 2020 were products of a dip in fastball velocity, getting hit hard when he lost control of his slider and rarely using his changeup. Then, suddenly, everything improved. “Something clicked,” said the 26-year-old Thursday, the second

Evan Petzold | Detroit Free Press LAKELAND, Fla — The Detroit Tigers have signed veteran right-hander Wily Peralta to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training, a source with knowledge of the agreement told the Free Press on Thursday night. The 31-year-old will compete for a job in the starting rotation but could shift to

Evan Petzold | Detroit Free Press LAKELAND, Fla. — Manager AJ Hinch hasn’t seen every member of the Detroit Tigers’ bullpen throw yet, considering Thursday’s pitcher-catcher workouts included the second of three groups of arms. But he was willing to talk about the construction of his staff on the second day of spring training. Plenty needs to