Welcome to full-squad session Monday. I woke this morning with a thankfulness that although there are plenty of things to find frustration with when it comes to the front office of the Detroit Tigers, at least they aren’t the Seattle Mariners and the special brand of leadership they have with President Kevin Mather. There’s a
Until they come stateside and reach the full season A-ball circuit, international free agent signings are often a bit of a mystery to MLB fanbases. The top guys will generally have had a lot of eyes on them for a while, and plenty of video to boot, but the majority are known only by reputation
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
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
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. — 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
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
Willi Castro, the 22 year-old from Puerto Rico who the Detroit Tigers picked up from Cleveland for Leonys Martin, only played in 36 games in 2020 but shockingly he did enough damage to be voted fourth for the AL Rookie of the Year award. Castro posted an outstanding slash line of .349/.381/.550, an ISO of…
Righthander Bryan Garcia, 25, says that while his 2020 numbers look good, he needs more consistency in 2021. #TigersST
Righthander Zack Hess, 23, says its extremely motivating to see young arms advancing through the system and making it to the big leagues. TigersST
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
Go inside a day at Tigers spring training and hear the crack of Miguel Cabrera’s bat, the whistle in the air when the ball leaves Michael Fulmer’s hand, and the pop of Spencer Turnbull’s fastball as it hits his catcher’s glove. Watch – and listen – for the surest signs that spring is just around
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 Detroit Tigers are heading into 2021 with a brand new coaching staff but pretty much the same roster across the board however, there are several storylines to discuss heading into Spring Training when full roster workouts begin on February 22.
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
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
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