Detroit Free Press

Felecia Evans-Smith wanted her son’s “first day of school” picture — for the last time. “Have somebody take your picture,” she told her son, Dylan Smith, who was also the Detroit Tigers‘ third-round selection in the 2021 MLB draft. So this professional baseball player — who had already signed a $1.1 million contract with the

LAKELAND, Fla. — Notre Dame pitching coach Chuck Ristano thought back to the first time he played catch with Tanner Kohlhepp. Well, it wasn’t really a game of catch. Because Ristano couldn’t keep track of the baseball. “It was the first time I ever played catch with one of our pitchers and whiffed,” said Ristano, in his 12th

LAKELAND, Fla. — Spencer Torkelson has a fancy set of wheels. The 22-year-old reported to the Detroit Tigers’ spring training facility Sunday morning, cruising into the players’ parking lot at Joker Marchant Stadium in a matte-gray 2020 Mercedes-Benz AMG G63. The security guard waved him through the gate. Helluva ride. “Thank you,” Torkelson said, laughing. TRENDING: Potential for

LAKELAND, Fla. — Detroit Tigers right-hander Jackson Jobe is the organization’s next big thing. Three former top prospects — pitchers Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal and Matt Manning — have already made their MLB debuts. Two current top prospects — first baseman Spencer Torkelson and outfielder Riley Greene — will reach the highest level in 2022. Jobe, the No. 3 overall pick

LAKELAND, Fla. – Jon Rosoff got the call to Detroit. Just not that call. Rosoff, an catcher for Double-A Erie in the Detroit Tigers‘ organization, was asked if he wanted to join the big-league club. At this point, most prospects would be jumping up and down, screaming: “I’m going to Detroit! I’m going to Detroit!” But this opportunity

LAKELAND, Fla. — Jeimer Candelario is on the phone. He is sitting inside his car in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic. The Detroit Tigers‘ third baseman just wrapped up his 7 a.m. run on the beach, followed by a trip to the weight room, and is about to drive to batting practice. Candelario wants to know about spring training. “Are the coaches

LAKELAND, Fla. — The practice was done and Josh Crouch was walking toward the Detroit Tigers facility. “I saw you hit today,” I said. “You showed some pop.” Crouch, a catcher, broke into a smile. “Thank you,” he said politely. “I feel blessed to be here.” Crouch was the Tigers’ 11th-round pick in 2021. The

LAKELAND, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers announced Friday night fans can attend minor-league minicamp beginning Monday. There’s no cost to attend. The Tigers began minicamp Tuesday, when pitchers and catchers reported, and start full-squad workouts Monday. DAY 3 OBSERVATIONS:Franklin Perez throws a baseball; what’s a core velocity belt? WHO’S THAT?:Why Tigers are paying close attention to

LAKELAND, Fla. — Franklin Perez is trying to mount another comeback. The 24-year-old right-hander isn’t part of minor-league minicamp, but he makes daily trips to the Detroit Tigers‘ spring training facility for his rehabilitation. He underwent right shoulder surgery on May 12, performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles. A key step in his return to

LAKELAND, Fla. — Eliezer Vicente Alfonzo wants to be his own man. The 22-year-old Venezuelan grew up in the shadow of his father, Eliezer Jesus Alfonzo, an MLB catcher who played 193 games over six seasons for the San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners and Colorado Rockies from 2006-2010. “He tried to make me a leader,”

LAKELAND, Fla. — They stood side by side. The Future, Part 1. And, right next to him, The Future, Part 2. Ty Madden — the Detroit Tigers‘ second pick in the 2021 draft — was throwing a bullpen on Thursday, right alongside Jackson Jobe – the Tigers’ first-round pick. It doesn’t take much imagination to picture

LAKELAND, Fla. — Detroit Tigers manager AJ Hinch and pitching coach Chris Fetter stood behind a fence near the bullpens. General manager Al Avila and top assistants Sam Menzin, Jay Sartori and David Chadd settled in the same area, along with vice president of player development Ryan Garko. Baseball Hall of Famer Alan Trammell stopped his activities

LAKELAND, Fla. — A big blue concrete wall has appeared on the backfields at TigerTown. It looks so strange and out of place. It doesn’t go around anything. Doesn’t hold up anything. It’s just, well, right there beyond the right-field fence of one of the fields. And it made you wonder: What the heck is that

LAKELAND, Fla. – Birds were chirping, the grass was green, the sun was out and the sky was the most wonderful blue I have ever seen — that part felt like a normal spring training. And so did this. Here came a familiar face, the guy who makes you feel all warm inside on a winter

LAKELAND, Fla. — Detroit Tigers reliever Drew Carlton will never forget what happened in 2021. That goes for everything, from his MLB debut in September to his removal from the organization’s 40-man roster in November. He reported to minor league minicamp Tuesday morning for his physical exam, describing the atmosphere as “a little weird” without MLB players

While we still don’t know exactly when the 2022 Detroit Tigers‘ season will start — the planned March 31 opener in Seattle seems unlikely with no CBA in place between the MLB owners and the players association — we do know what the Tigers will offer fans once the season does begin. The team announced

LAKELAND, Fla — Jackson Jobe, the Detroit Tigers‘ top pitching prospect, crouched behind home plate and flashed a sign, looking like a catcher. Tyler Madden, the Tigers’ second pick in the 2021 MLB draft, was on the mound on Wednesday morning on the back fields at Tiger Town, the first day of the Tigers minicamp. Jobe wanted

The MLB owners’ lockout of the players continued into its 71st day Friday with few major changes in the two sides’ proposals. The MLB Players Association, led by ex-Detroit Tiger Tony Clark, is in search of, among other things, higher pay for young players, a higher minimum salary, an end to service time manipulation and

LAKELAND, Fla. — Pitchers and catchers from the Detroit Tigers flooded into the team’s spring training facility Tuesday to complete their physicals ahead of Wednesday’s first workout. All major league players were absent. Spring training is officially delayed for players on the 40-man roster because of MLB’s lockout, which began Dec. 2 after the expiration of the

LAKELAND, Fla. — Detroit Tigers prospect Cristian Santana spent his offseason in the Dominican Republic working out with Juan Soto. Yes, that Juan Soto, the 2021 National League runner-up for MVP. “I want to be like him someday,” Santana said Friday in his first interview with an American reporter. “He is the best hitter in Major League