LAKELAND, Fla. — Robbie Grossman has been where some of the Tigers prospects are now, going through their first big league camp and walking on eggshells. He has never been where he is now. Grossman got his first Spring Training at-bats as a teenager in 2009, a Pirates Draft pick out of high school brought
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Lynn Henning | The Detroit News Al Avila was asked during a media session Wednesday if he wouldn’t mind listing the Tigers’ top three or so draft choices heading into the beginning of the 2021 college baseball season, which got going Friday. This was, of course, asked jocularly, even if no one but the Tigers general
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
I am a sucker for bobbleheads. I have a whole wall of them, and this wall is ever-growing. Every baseball season adds to my collection. Which is why 2020 was a problem. (Well, it was not the only reason 2020 was a problem.) As the terrific ESPN writer Joon Lee has noted, many bobbleheads were
Miguel Cabrera (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) Tom Brady fires off funny tweet, and it’s peak offseason by Mark Powell Tigers manager A.J. Hinch seems convinced he should play Miguel Cabrera at first base.
Chris McCosky | The Detroit News Lakeland, Fla. — It’s probably incorrect to call it the first “full-squad” workout. For sure, manager AJ Hinch will gather pitchers, catchers and position players together Monday for the official start of spring training. But he will be several players, key players, short of a full squad, thanks to the inevitable complications
Chris McCosky | The Detroit News Lakeland, Fla. — Tigers manager AJ Hinch said it best about reliever Bryan Garcia. “There’s a lot to like,” he said Sunday. “The statistics on the back of his baseball card look pretty good. There’s a lot of momentum for him moving forward.” The statistics on the back of the baseball
Excuse Tigers relief prospect Zack Hess if he finds himself looking over his shoulder at the radar-gun readings in Spring Training and into the season, wherever he ends up in the farm system. While relievers are known for checking their velocity for ego, Hess has a wager riding on it. The idea came from his agent,
Chris McCosky | The Detroit News Lakeland, Fla. — The thing about using Miguel Cabrera at first base occasionally this season is, it’s not just about appeasing the desires of the franchise player — though there is certainly an element of that involved. It goes deeper. “My plan is to provide an opportunity for him to be
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
The sight of Miguel Cabrera on the backfields at Tigertown was a little bit of a surprise Saturday. Position players aren’t required to show up at Tigers camp until Monday’s first full-squad workout, and with COVID-19 protocols, there’s less for the early arrivals to do than in past Spring Trainings. A good look at a photo
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
Chris McCosky | The Detroit News Lakeland, Fla. — People who are blessed with uncommon athletic skill can sometimes take that skill for granted. It’s almost like they get bored with it. It’s human nature. You don’t always have to try as hard as others to win. You can sluff off and cut corners and still
With the necessary caveat that the numbers mean absolutely nothing, Spring Training is nevertheless a fascinating time for player evaluation. My friend Will Leitch recently wrote about one guy from every team who brings excitement to camp. But here we’re going to look at 30 guys who are flat-out interesting, be it because they’re vying
Joey Wentz is a 6-foot-5 left-hander with a quiet demeanor and an even-keeled temperament. He will not be mistaken for a professional infielder anytime soon. And yet, when the Tigers took the field for the normally mundane drill of pitchers fielding practice one morning a few days ago, his enthusiasm caught the attention of new
Chris McCosky | The Detroit News Lakeland, Fla. — He earned his second All-Star berth at age 30, just three years ago. As recently as 2010, he was plus-10 defender behind the plate. As recently as 2015, he threw out base-stealers at a 44 percent clip. His pop time to second base, last year, at age
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