Detroit Tigers

Tablesetter. Catalyst. Sparkplug. Guys at the top of the lineup have been saddled with many well-worn nicknames over the years, but it’s not always so easy to find true leadoff hitters these days. The role has changed over time, from when it used to only be a pure speed guy to kick things off, to

Let’s mix things up a bit, shall we? No, that doesn’t mean a new name in the top spot, but there are several changes in the top 10, most notably moving North Carolina prep shortstop Kahlil Watson up to reflect the buzz he’s been getting. Many in the industry aren’t 100 percent sure how all

Another piece of the Tigers’ puzzle locks into place. No. 18 overall prospect Matt Manning will make his Major League debut on the mound for Detroit against the Angels on Thursday. He will join Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal — fellow Top 100 prospects at the start of the year — in the Tigers’ rotation

KANSAS CITY — Before Matt Manning‘s last start at Triple-A Toledo, where he was trying to lower a 9.23 ERA and look more like the Tigers’ top pitching prospect, he looked to talk to a Major Leaguer. He looked to old friend Tarik Skubal. They had been teammates and good friends at Double-A Erie, Spring

Some stability in the ranks. For only the second time this season, we have a repeat selection at the top of the Rookie Power Rankings. Marlins left-hander Trevor Rogers continues to dominate on the bump as Major League Baseball heads toward the season’s midpoint, thus solidifying his place as the player most likely to claim

Shohei Ohtani has become baseball’s next big star. Matt Manning is starting on his path to becoming the Tigers’ next big young starter. On Thursday night at Angel Stadium, those paths will intersect. While Manning, ranked as the Tigers’ No. 3 prospect and No. 18 in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100, will make his anticipated Major

KANSAS CITY — The future is now for the Tigers, at least on the pitching side. Casey Mize, however, has been ahead of schedule for a while. With No. 3 prospect Matt Manning in line to make his Major League debut on Thursday, Detroit has its top three pitching prospects from the beginning of the

Here’s a look at Tuesday’s top Minor League performers from each team’s Top 30 Prospects list: Mets: JT Ginn, RHP (No. 6), Low-A St. LucieAfter starting his debut season on the injured list, Ginn is making up for lost time. The 22-year-old allowed one hit and struck out five in four scoreless innings to lower

KANSAS CITY — The opportunity finally knocked for Tigers top pitching prospect Matt Manning. He might not be at the top of his game as he prepares to make his Major League debut on Thursday against the Angels, but the Tigers need him. Detroit scratched Manning from his scheduled start for Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday

DETROIT — Eight and a half years ago, Roz Keith was approached by her child, who was in eighth grade at the time and just shy of their 14th birthday. “She told me that she was a he — that he identified as a boy and was transgender,” Keith said. “Then proceeded to tick off

KANSAS CITY — A few hours before the Tigers’ 10-3 win on Monday over the Royals, Detroit activated reliever Michael Fulmer from the injured list. By optioning infielder Isaac Paredes to Triple-A Toledo instead of another pitcher, manager A.J. Hinch ensured he had an 11-man bullpen. Little could Hinch have imagined when he made the

KANSAS CITY — The Tigers’ pitching injury woes worsened Monday, when Matthew Boyd left his start against the Royals in the third inning with what the team called left arm discomfort. Boyd spent Monday evening undergoing further evaluation. It’s the second early exit for Boyd this season, having left an April 29 start against the

KANSAS CITY — Two years have passed since Tigers general manager Al Avila talked about Kyle Funkhouser as an option for Detroit’s starting rotation. He was a ranked prospect at Triple-A Toledo with inconsistent results but a high strikeout rate, and the Tigers needed pitching help. Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal, Matt Manning and Alex Faedo

MLB Pipeline’s Prospect Team of the Week honors the best performances from the previous seven days. Any Minor Leaguer currently on an organization Top 30 Prospects list in our Prospect Rankings is eligible. Spencer Torkelson, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 Draft, was so good last week that he not only earned Prospect

The races to determine who will advance to Phase 2 of the fan voting for the 2021 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard are starting to take shape. On Monday, Major League Baseball provided the first standings update since Phase 1 of the voting launched on June 3, revealing the top 10 vote getters at

DETROIT — Tigers top prospect Spencer Torkelson slugged his way from High-A West Michigan to Double-A Erie, earning a promotion up the organizational ladder along with top catching prospect Dillon Dingler. The promotions put Detroit’s top three offensive prospects — and three of the Tigers’ top four prospects — in Erie, teaming Torkelson and Dingler

DETROIT — The last time the Tigers were no-hit in this city, first baseman Norm Cash brought a table leg from the home clubhouse at Tiger Stadium to the batter’s box in the ninth inning before being told he needed a bat. The way Nolan Ryan was pitching that day, he reportedly told plate umpire

DETROIT — Every compliment Tigers manager A.J. Hinch pays young catcher Jake Rogers has to come with a qualifier, for fear he’ll get a big head. “I don’t like giving Jake too much credit,” Hinch admitted Sunday. Still, Rogers has had quite a week. He homered in back-to-back games Wednesday and Thursday, and hit his

We will get our first update on All-Star voting on Monday, which means it’s time to start getting serious. Every team will end up having at least one All-Star selection. But the voting is the only thing you and I have any personal say in. It’s the one we have to get right. With that

Tigers general manager Al Avila was running down his list of long-term options at shortstop Friday afternoon when he got to just-promoted infielder Isaac Paredes. “I knew it was coming,” Avila said with a smile. “It’ll be interesting to see how that plays out.” Two games in, it doesn’t look entirely crazy, but it doesn’t