In celebration of Black History Month throughout February, teams across Minor League Baseball are taking a look back at five of the best Black players to suit up for their club. While some of these standout performers went on to long and illustrious Major League careers, others simply had great In celebration of Black History
The second round of the MLB amateur draft had been a bit of a black hole for the Detroit Tigers until they selected Dillon Dingler with the first pick of the second round in 2020. Looking to go back-to-back, the club selected prep shortstop Izaac Pacheco with the third pick of the second round in
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
Many of the Royals’ best pitching prospects are returning from injury-shortened seasons, yet as MLB.com’s Anne Rogers writes, most of these young arms are back at the club’s minor league camp in good health. The most prominent of these names is Asa Lacy, the fourth overall pick of the 2020 draft and a consensus top-40
When the MLB lockout started back in December, we pumped the brakes on individual free agent pieces for the Detroit Tigers to consider. However, with the negotiations starting up again on Monday, we looked at a few arms that could help either the starting rotation or the bullpen.
Lakeland, Fla. — Drew Carlton isn’t about to let himself be defined by 19 batters. That just won’t do. “You just have to push through and keep working,” said the Lakeland-born, 26-year-old reliever who made an inauspicious, 19-batter, major-league debut with the Tigers last September and was lopped off the 40-man roster two months later.
As the Detroit Tigers mini-camp resumes tomorrow, as far as arms that are in camp that might shape the 2022 Erie SeaWolves rotation, we have to look back at their 2021 season for a moment. The SeaWolves finished 64-55 under manager Arnie Beyeler as their offense was one of the more potent ones in the…
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. — Go back and read some of the early scouting reports on Tigers’ No. 11-ranked prospect Reese Olson, the right-handed starting pitcher they acquired from Milwaukee for Daniel Norris. For all the algorithms and technological measuring devices out there these days, talent evaluation remains an inexact science. You still can’t fully measure what’s in
In 2019, right-hander Joel Kuhnel threw 53 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A with an ERA of 2.18, strikeout rate of 23.3% and walk rate of 7.4%. Just 24 years old at the time, he also made his MLB debut that year, logging 9 2/3 innings out of the Reds’ bullpen. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been
In the 2021 amateur draft, the Detroit Tigers made a decided push to bolster their pitching pipeline. Five of their first six selections were starting pitchers, power arms all, with Jackson Jobe and Ty Madden leading the way. The system had gotten a little thin in pitching with the graduation of Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal,
The great frustration of the Detroit Tigers’ farm system over the last decade, has been a dire lack of good hitters. Top prospects Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson have finally changed the equation, but a system that can’t produce major league contributors without top draft picks is going to have a hard time sustaining a
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. — 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
One of the most enjoyable aspects in going to the minor league games last season between all four Detroit Tigers affiliates was watching prospects quickly make a name for themselves, especially players in the lower rounds of the draft like Garrett Hill and Beau Brieske, just to name a few.
The lockout continues to eat into Major League Baseball’s 2022 timeline as news came out that spring training games would be canceled until March 5. The labor discussions between the MLBPA and the owners will resume on Monday with the goal of hopefully starting the season on time. For Detroit Tigers fans and baseball fans…
Some random thoughts while we wait for position players to arrive for minor league minicamp on Monday. Lakeland, Fla. – The first thing you noticed on Wednesday, when pitchers and catchers came out for their first official day of workouts, was that they were wearing Tigers’ classic home white uniforms. You can’t even imagine what a
Former Tiger Cecil Fielder, Marvel’s Defenders of the Diamond, and the return of Star Wars Night among highlights for 2022 season Comstock Park, MI –Tuesday, February 15th, 2022 – **With a successful 2021 season in the rear-view mirror, the 2022 West Michigan Whitecaps have a new summer of baseball, Former Tiger Cecil Fielder, Marvel’s Defenders
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