Tigers option Matt Manning to Triple-A Toledo

Well this is a slightly surprising turn of events. On Friday at noon, the Detroit Tigers announced that they’d optioned right-handed starter Matt Manning to Triple-A Toledo. The result is that both Casey Mize and Reese Olson will start the year in the rotation. Veteran reliever Drew Anderson, who has had a pretty impressive camp, was also reassigned to Toledo. The competition for the final bullpen spots is almost complete.

All spring, things seemed to be pointing toward Olson being the odd man out. However, Manning’s work to adjust his mechanics and his pitches hit a few bumps along the way, despite the improved velocity and movement on his stuff. Manning allowed two home runs in his outing against the Mets on Thursday, the fifth and sixth home runs he allowed this spring, and that may have proved the difference for him.

There are plenty of encouraging signs for Manning, however. His strikeout and pure whiff rates have been far beyond his career marks this spring. There has just been a tradeoff in command as Manning re-shapes his delivery and his pitches, and he hasn’t had his typically excellent control. If he can get things dialed in a little more he may still be in line for a real breakout even if this feels like a major setback. The Tigers simply have that rarest of things; a true surplus of good starting pitching options.

Casey Mize always seemed like a lock to start on Opening Day, and he’s looked very good this spring. Meanwhile, Olson has limited the home runs this spring, always an issue for him, and otherwise looked as good as he did in his rookie year. He was always projected to have the best season of the three before spring camp began, but with both Manning and Mize pitching pretty well there was a sense that the Tigers might slow play Olson this year to try and keep him from Super Two status. Frankly, that should never be an issue for a pitcher who isn’t either very young, or a borderline Cy Young contender. So, instead Olson will get first crack at the rotation over Manning.

You really couldn’t go wrong with any two of the three, and there is a lot to like in Manning’s work this spring. He’ll be back.

As for Anderson, he’s impressed with velocity up to 98 mph after never being known for even mid-90’s heat prior to his work with Chris Fetter and Robin Lund to improve his mechanics. With good riding action on the fastball and a solid slider to back it up, Anderson was the most impressive of the offseason waiver claims and minor league signings. He may have an opt-out in May, but considering how much the Tigers have improved him in his return to the States after two seasons pitching in Japan, one would think Anderson wants to stick in Detroit as long as he gets a major league opportunity at some point.

Like Manning, a bad outing on Thursday didn’t help Anderson’s case, while Beau Brieske, Alex Faedo, Miguel Diaz, and Joey Wentz will be fighting it out for the seventh and eighth spots in the pen over the final few games of Grapefruit League play.