This post is part of a series. Click here for the introduction. Click here for part 1. Click here for part 2. Click here for part 3.

Let’s talk Tigers’ roster! Baseball is a very structured game with constant individual match-ups (pitcher vs. hitter, fielder vs ball, etc., fielder vs. baserunner), so, for a team game, each player’s ability to execute each play is incredibly important. Great coaching, other than setting the mood and tone in the clubhouse, in really about getting players into favorable match-ups as much as possible; once the batter steps in the box, the player’s talent and decision making is the key. I guess what I’m saying is you can’t manage and scheme around a dearth of talent. You need good players, and not just a few of them. The best player in baseball is Mike Trout, and he has been to the playoffs exactly once. This is not his fault, his teams just haven’t had enough other good players to get there. So how about the Tigers? We’ll begin with pitching. The current starting pitchers and potential starters in the pipeline have some real upside. Matt Boyd can be very good, and has been this year again after being terrible stretch. But he did just leave last night’s game with a knee injury and is already 30. Spencer Turnbull is a little younger at 28 and has great stuff. If he can keep the walks down, he should be a very solid starter for the Tigers. Veterans Julio Teheran and José Ureña were added for short term roles this offseason. Teheran is already on the 60 day Injury List after experiencing shoulder tightness in his second start, but Ureña has been pretty good since one poor start to begin the season. Both could be brought back, but aren’t really considered key pieces right now. Michael Fulmer has been doing some starting (due to the Teheran injury) despite initially making the team as a reliever. He continues to come back from his Tommy John surgery and has shown improved velocity on his fastball this year. He’s still only 28, and was the A.L Rookie of the Year in 2016 and an All-Star in 2017, so the Tigers would love to have him bounce back to that level again. Daniel Norris has had starting experience in the past (to mediocre results), and so is currently seen as a long reliever. Ditto for Tyler Alexander.

The real hope for Detroit’s pitching staff is the three young starters: Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal, and Matt Manning. The former two are on the big league roster right now. Both have been pretty inconsistent, which is normal for young pitchers adjusting to big league hitters. You can’t get by on stuff alone anymore, so you need to learn how to keep the hitters off balance and locate your pitches well. This is what makes or breaks young pitching prospects, so we’ll have to wait a bit to see how that goes. Manning is likely to get a little time later this year to begin that same process. Because pitching (and hitting, for that matter) are so difficult at the highest level, not every highly touted prospect makes it, so it is very possible one, two, or all three never become great pitchers. Tiger fans certainly hope not, but pessimism has been ground in to Detroit sports fans over the years, so I’m not yet convinced any of them will turn the corner and become top level starters. The relief corps has been pretty bad early this year so far. On a positive note, Gregory Soto has a great sinking fastball that can go 97 on the gun and an effective slider. He’s looking like the closer of the moment, with Joe Jiménez looking to put it back together after the wheels came off for him last year. Buck Farmer is off to a terrible start, but is normally decent. Bryan Garcia and José Cisnero are both decent depth pieces, but not particularly dominant. Alex Lange is a talented new addition who’s shown some real promise now that he’s a full time reliever. Overall, not too inspiring, but bullpens are easier to supplement than starting rotations, so the Tigers will look to do that once they start winning.

On the current roster, nothing has been decided as far as position players. Veteran OF Robbie Grossman, 2B Jonathan Schoop, and C Wilson Ramos are good players still in their primes, but the Tigers need to develop more guys in a hurry or add some free agents soon if they want to contend any time soon. Niko Goodrum looks like a utility man due to his defensive skills and ability to play infield or outfield. He strikes out too much and is generally inconsistent, so probably not a lock-in starter, but valuable nonetheless. JaCoby Jones and Víctor Reyes, however, are running out of time. JaCoby has shown more impact as a defender and hitter, but is already 28 and keeps getting hit by pitches to end his seasons. Not really his fault, but he is injury prone. Reyes is only 25, but hasn’t been able to hit with any power and is a little shaky in the outfield. He needs to make a leap with the bat soon or the Tigers will look elsewhere. Jeimer Candelario is good at 3rd base and keeps improving with the bat, so he’s probably the best bet among the young veterans. Harold Castro is a singles hitter who doesn’t walk much, so there’s not too much upside. Maybe as a pinch hitter or utility player? He hits from the left and can play infield or outfield, so perhaps. Zach Short is great with the glove, but hasn’t ever really hit in the minors. Wily Castro has shown the ability to hit, at least in the short term, but the glove and long term hitting success remain an open question. Akil Baddoo has been great, but with MLB pitchers already adjusting to him, will be be able to adjust back? Miguel Cabrera is 38 and injuries have greatly diminished the skills that made him one of the best hitters ever. He still has 4 years and $124 million left on his contract AFTER this year, a result of Mike Illitch’s desire to reward him for his great play up to that point. This has obviously not aged very well, but salaries are guaranteed in MLB, so there’s nothing the Tigers can do about it. Nomar Mazara has been a good power hitter in the past and is still only 26, but we’ll see in he can regain his power stroke. Renato Núñez is 27 and in a similar boat; he’s in the minors right now after not hitting at all in his first handful of games.

Is there hope coming up from the minors? Well, Isaac Paredes has hit all the way through the minors and is only 22, so although he didn’t do much with his first chance in the majors last year, he’s still going to get some more opportunities. There’s also a couple of second generation prospects in Daz Cameron (son of Mike) and Kody Clemens (son of Roger) hanging around, but neither seem to be likely to become everyday players (son of a Bitch). With Jake Rogers and Grayson Greiner so far failing to stake a claim to the starting catcher role, the Tigers are hoping DIllon Dingler, their 2020 second round pick can be the guy in a couple of years. There’s also a ton of other players who are unlikely to but could develop into contributers. Baseball prospects are notoriously hard to predict. But the real hope is in two young players, Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson. Greene was the 5th pick in 2019 and does it all; he can hit, play great outfield defense, and is very fast. He’s currently in Erie with the Tigers Double A team, the SeaWolves, but could possibly see time later this year in Detroit. Torkelson is just down the road from us with the West Michigan Whitecaps right now, waiting for the March 4th start of minor league baseball. He was the 1st pick in the 2020 draft and could be an incredible big league hitter if he meets his potential. He hit home runs, hits for average, and doesn’t strike out much for a power hitter. He played 1B at ASU, but the Tigers will see if he can handle 3B as well.

To summarize, the Tigers have 3 top level starting pitching prospects (Mize, Skubal, Manning) and a whole bunch of maybes. In the field, there are probably 2 top level prospects (Greene, Torkelson) and another down a tier (Paredes), and then a bunch more maybes. If these 6 guys all pan out, and Baddoo continues to figure it out, free agents can fill out the rest of the team and the Tigers are potentially looking really good going forward (assuming they make smart decision when signing those free agents). It’s likely some these top prospects will flop and some lesser known prospects will rise up and make the big league team; it is, again, really, really hard to predict baseball prospects. All the Tigers can do is give them a shot and see who sinks and who swims. The current roster is mediocre, but, with one notable exception, only Robbie Grossman is signed for more than 1 year, and he’s only signed through next year. There’s a lot of flexibility, and outside of that god-awful Cabrera contract, there will be money to be spent. I am (man, I keep saying this) cautiously optimistic. I think I feel that way about all these teams because they seem to be making good decisions, but history tells me that more often than not, they’ve managed to get it wrong. I hope these Detroit teams can buck that trend and I think they will. Maybe. We’ll finish up the Tigers review and make some predictions next week.