“He has a fastball that touches the mid-90s,” Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said last week. “He has a slider that is very effective at limiting damage. And he’s been really tough on left-handed hitters throughout his career. You can never have too much pitching, and he’s a guy that I think can help us in the bullpen, especially against left-handed hitters.”
That stuff could be getting a boost. Higginbotham said on a Zoom call with reporters Tuesday that he’s working on adding velocity in his offseason workouts.
“My fastball was anywhere from 93 to 99 this year,” he said. “I’m actually at my [workout] facility for the offseason right now. We’re trying to work on eliminating those 93s and 94s and being in the mid to upper 90s all year. So I’m trying to tweak how I move a little bit and hone that in.”
The only lefties currently in the Tigers bullpen are closer Gregory Soto and swingman Tyler Alexander. Andrew Chafin is a free agent after opting out of his contract.
Here are three other things to know about the Tigers’ newest pitching prospect:
1. He hasn’t pitched much as a pro
Higginbotham has just 155 1/3 innings over 103 appearances since the Braves drafted him in 2018. Like most Minor League pitchers, he lost innings during the cancelled 2020 season. Then injuries limited him to just 11 1/3 innings and nine appearances in 2021 before a stint in the Arizona Fall League.
“I pulled my teres major [muscle] off the bone in my left shoulder, and then I tore my lat,” he said. “It happened on one pitch, and it was the last pitch of my first outing in Double-A. There was no surgery involved. I rehabbed for about three, three and a half months and was back full speed.”
Higginbotham also tore his teres major while at Clemson, costing him the 2017 season. He missed much of 2016 with a stress fracture in his elbow.
Higginbotham’s 2022 season was his first full, healthy campaign since 2019. He allowed 59 hits over 51 1/3 innings for Double-A Mississippi but posted 48 strikeouts against 18 walks with a 4.73 ERA.
“My first four months of the season were really strong,” he said, “and [then I] not necessarily hit a wall, but it was more kind of that mental fatigue, the day-to-day grind, showing up and staying in a routine. So it was definitely an adjustment, and one that I think I’m more prepared for in 2023. It was a good opportunity to spend all year in Double-A and face some really good hitters, and I think I learned a lot just as far as how to train physically, how to prepare myself mentally every day and be ready to go to work.”
2. He was an engineering major at Clemson
Higginbotham majored in biomaterials engineering, which combines engineering and biology in the study and design of health systems, medical devices and products. The studies have helped in the science of pitching.
“I actually went into Clemson as a chemical engineer,” he explained, “and unfortunately, all those classes were offered in the evening during our practice block. So I had to find something similar in engineering, and biomaterials was the closest thing to it. You’re kind of on the science side of engineering, and I kind of fell in love with it.
“It was a really cool experience. I learned a lot about how the body moves and how it works internally. It has definitely helped as far as that goes.”
3. He’s a Red Wings fan, and a car guy
How does a baseball player who was born and raised in Georgia, and who attended Clemson, become a Detroit hockey fan?
“My athletic trainer [Daniel Leja] this year in Double-A was born and raised in Detroit,” Higginbotham said. “He actually called me when I got traded. He was super psyched. I’ve been keeping up with the Red Wings all season because he got me into [them].
“I also drive a Ford Mustang, so I have an infatuation with Ford. I know that it’s the Motor City and that’s where Mustangs are built, so I think that would be pretty cool to get to see that and experience that.”