Detroit Tigers

LAKELAND, Fla. — Last spring’s Tigers prospect contingent had an obvious focus with Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene both closing in on their Major League debuts. Both former Top 5 overall prospects have graduated since with varying levels of success in the Majors, and now, the top of the Detroit Top 30 is tilted closer

FORT MYERS, Fla. — One saying goes that the right shoes can make everything different; another asks you to walk a mile in someone else’s. If the shoe fits? Two left feet? Best foot forward? Regardless of which cliché you choose to run with here, there’s a symbolic way to apply it to Matt Manning kicking

Every spring, there are prospects who shine so brightly that they either force their way onto their organization’s Major League roster or at least accelerate their progress toward reaching the big leagues. Think back to a year ago, when Julio Rodríguez dazzled his way onto the Mariners’ Opening Day roster en route to winning the

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Jake Rogers had barely completed his trot around the bases and was in the Tigers dugout after his latest home run, a 415-foot drive off the batter’s eye in center field at Hammond Stadium in Sunday’s 6-2 loss to the Twins. He quickly grabbed his catching gear and began suiting up

This story was excerpted from Jason Beck’s Tigers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox. The sight of Eduardo Rodriguez reaching to his left hip to press buttons was a new one as the Tigers left-hander worked through his Spring Training start Friday against the Phillies

LAKELAND, Fla. — Spencer Turnbull was walking off the mound at the end of his second and final inning on Saturday, grumbling about the run he allowed, when pitching coach Chris Fetter intercepted him in the dugout. “If you have anything other than the best feelings about today, I’m going to be really mad at

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Eduardo Rodriguez looked for a second like he might be having issues with his belt as the Tigers left-hander felt around his left hip before his first pitch against the Phillies Friday afternoon. Once it became clear he was the latest Tigers pitcher to experiment with the new PitchCom system that lets

LAKELAND, Fla. — Tigers manager A.J. Hinch is looking at multi-inning relievers who can bridge the gap between Detroit’s projected starters — none of whom pitched a full season last year — and a rebuilt back end of the bullpen filled with high-strikeout young arms. So when Brendan White came in from the bullpen to

Last week, we covered the best pure-hitting prospect in each system, noting that it’s almost impossible to be a Major League regular if you can’t hit. Do you know what’s another way to put yourself over the top? Hit the ball hard. Power can make a .250 hitter into a star or, in some cases,

The Tigers have enjoyed the buzz of several top prospects climbing national lists in recent years. Detroit had two of MLB Pipeline’s top five prospects in baseball in last year’s preseason rankings in Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson, and Greene was briefly No. 1 before he made his Major League debut last June. Torkelson was

DUNEDIN, Fla. — No Major League center fielder made more diving catches last season than Riley Greene. As George Springer’s fly ball floated into shallow left field Tuesday, Greene — who started in left during the Tigers’ 6-4 loss to the Blue Jays — thought he had a chance at his first of 2023. His

TAMPA, Fla. — A series of career-altering injuries have limited Trey Wingenter to fewer than 10 innings over the past three seasons — and none above Rookie level. But when asked what the Tigers hope to see from the right-hander this spring, the first word from manager A.J. Hinch had nothing to do with Wingenter’s

Andre Lipcius, a third-round pick by the Tigers in the 2019 MLB Draft, is currently knocking on Detroit’s door after ending last season playing third base for Triple-A Toledo as the club’s No. 23 prospect, per MLB Pipeline. He’s also the example of the kind of hitter the Tigers are looking to develop. One of

One of the most intriguing aspects of Spring Training is the position and roster battles each team observes as it determines who will head north to begin the regular season. With these competitions come several dark horse candidates who could crack the Opening Day roster with a strong spring showing. Here’s a look at one

LAKELAND, Fla. — Jake Rogers was passing around cowboy hats to teammates as he walked around the Tigers’ clubhouse Sunday morning. The team apparently had some lying around for a promotional video and gave some to him. As Rogers chatted up Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson, it was impossible to tell he was about to

This story was excerpted from Jason Beck’s Tigers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox. No one will replace the late Al Kaline as Mr. Tiger, but fellow Hall of Famer Alan Trammell has forged his own place as a franchise icon on and off

Baseball’s new era arrived as many new eras do. With a lot of intrigue and a little awkwardness. With the excited embrace of some, the miffed objections of others and the ultimate conclusion that the game — and the world — will, indeed, go on. It’s Spring Training, so — as in that show “Whose

LAKELAND, Fla. — As children, Jace Jung and his brother Josh — two future Texas Tech infielders, first-round picks and Top 100 prospects — used to play a version of Guess Who. No mustaches. No eye color. No facial features of any kind. This was a little different than the typical kid’s board game. “We

LAKELAND, Fla. — Kenny and Staci Meadows had just returned home to Georgia from a trip to Florida, where they had helped their sons Austin and Parker get ready for their first Spring Training together with the Tigers while seeing their granddaughter Adelynne. Kenny was still sore from shagging fly balls for his kids as

LAKELAND, Fla. — Colt Keith waited all week for a chance at live batting practice against a Tigers pitcher in Spring Training. His present was a matchup against Matt Manning on Friday morning. By session’s end, he was wearing Manning out. As Keith went pitch-to-pitch against the third-year starter, he was determined not to chase. Not