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Tigers takeaways: Tarik Skubal’s Opening Day nod signifies his development
Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal throws during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla
Back in 2020, before spring training shut down, former Detroit Tigers pitching coach Rick Anderson pulled Tarik Skubal outside the clubhouse shortly after a workout
Anderson informed Skubal he was going to start Detroit’s spring training opener
That felt like big news at the time. That spring was when Skubal emerged as much more than a ninth-round novelty who tore up Double A
More and more reviews from evaluators started trickling in, proclaiming Skubal as perhaps the best pitching prospect in Detroit’s rebuild
A few years later, not everything has been linear. Skubal’s debut in that shortened 2020 season featured some big valleys and a 5.63 ERA. In 2021, Skubal had moments of brilliance and also moments when he struggled to get into leverage counts. In 2022, just as Skubal was hitting his stride, a flexor tendon injury cost him the remainder of the season and nearly half of 2023
But what we saw from Skubal in 15 starts last year was ace-like stuff. His 3.3 fWAR after his July 4 return was the best among all MLB pitchers. His 32.9 percent strikeout rate was fourth in the league
His ERA ranked sixth, and his 2.00 FIP was the league’s best in that time frame
So it was no surprise when Tigers manager A.J. Hinch announced Skubal as the Opening Day starter in the team’s Friday morning meeting. The room erupted in cheers
TarikSkubal is your Tigers OpeningDay starter. pic.twitter.com/AKKE5MFEm5
“He’s earned this,” Hinch told reporters in Florida. “One, he’s really talented. Two, his preparation is incredible. I’ve seen it grow from good to great
It’ll be his first of hopefully many. You can’t take them for granted. But everything about his last 12 months leading up to today has earned him the opportunity to be the first one out of the gate
Skubal is 27, and the Tigers hope this can be the year when he emerges to the rest of the league
If he performs anything like he did last season, that will not be a problem
“I don’t really care about labels, to be honest,” Skubal said
“I’m more focused on winning ballgames. Being the starter (for) Game 1 of the playoffs is a little bit more special
Business as usual for Greene
In the final days of the 2023 season, Riley Greene was bored
“I actually went on a walk,” Greene said at the time. “A mile walk by myself because I was so bored
That was life in the aftermath of Tommy John surgery, when Greene was done for the season
The prognosis at the time was optimistic despite the fact Greene had just undergone a major procedure on his non-throwing arm in late September
He was supposed to be good to go for the 2024 season.
By the beginning of spring training, it was business as usual
Greene’s arm has been an afterthought. He recovered perhaps even slightly ahead of schedule
“(It’s been normal) for a while now,” Greene said, “but there’s still the boxes you got to check and the progression and everything
I’m going to do everything by the book so I know that nothing is going to come up in the future
Greene spent much of his offseason commuting from his hometown of Oviedo, Fla., to Lakeland and working with Tigers staff in his rehab
When his teammates arrived for spring training, Greene was itching to get in a game
By Feb. 26, the day of his spring debut, Greene was bouncing around on the field before the game, upbeat and ready to go
Greene went 0-for-2 that day, his timing at the plate slightly off. The next day, he went
If it feels like there’s been minimal talk about Greene this spring despite his importance to the team, this is why: Everything is progressing as it should.
Riley Greene hit .288 before his season ended due to injury last year
Checking in on Manning, Mize
The Tigers have six starting pitchers theoretically competing for five spots
Perhaps the conundrum could be solved via an injury, or perhaps the Tigers will simply decide to take all six starters north and employ tandem starts to begin the season
Nonetheless, this situation has put a heightened sense of intrigue around the pitchers most likely competing
Matt Manning, Casey Mize and Reese Olson.
Manning pitched three innings Sunday against the New York Yankees, and it was arguably the most impressive his stuff has been in a long time
A couple of things stood out. When facing Juan Soto, Manning got ahead 1-2, but Soto then fouled off three pitches. After the Yankees slugger fouled back a 96 mph elevated fastball, Manning’s body language noticeably slumped
Here was the crux that has hurt him for much of his big-league career: an inability to put away hitters with two strikes
Manning averaged only 5.8 strikeouts per nine innings last season
His next pitch to Soto was a hanging slider, and Soto hit it 405 feet
Otherwise, though, Manning was stellar. The talented right-hander who has battled inconsistent velocity was pumping his heater, sitting at 96-97 mph
His secondary stuff was also on point in his second and third innings
He generated five whiffs on the day: three with his slider, one with his fastball and one with a new splitter that could be the sort of weapon Manning’s arsenal needs
His outing Sunday gives credence to the idea Manning came into this spring with a more focused mindset
“I think competition is a good thing, and maybe that contributes a little bit,” Hinch said in Februar
I think if there’s something to prove, it’s a good thing for players.”
Mize followed Manning and went two innings
Mize did not allow a run but walked two batters over his 38-pitch, 19-strike outing. He’s still working to find consistent command
It is too early in spring to make any definitive conclusions about the Tigers’ pitchers; that will come later when their innings get extended and they are challenged to go twice through opposing orders
But for Manning in particular, this spring is off to a nice start
More observations
• Eddys Leonard has lived up to the billing as a player to watch this spring
The Detroit infielder has five hits in his first 13 spring at-bats, punctuated by his Friday home run against the Philadelphia Phillies
Leonard might become one of the darlings of spring, just as Andre Lipcius, Parker Meadows and Nick Maton were last season
Lipcius and Maton are strong reminders that spring matters little
And the reality is Leonard likely doesn’t have a path to making the Opening Day roster unless there is an injury
Still, he’s looking like the sort of infielder who could be great to have on call in Triple
• Another player who has generated rave reviews is right-hander Drew Anderson, a former big leaguer who spent the past two seasons pitching in Japan
Anderson’s sheer stuff has impressed through his first two spring outings
His command Sunday was less consistent than his first spring showing, but his fastball topped out at 97 mph, up significantly from 92.5 mph in his 2021 MLB season
Anderson fits in the swingman role, a pitcher who can start or serve as a bulk reliever
Although he also has an uphill battle to make the roster, he is in camp on a minor-league deal and is suddenly looking like another pitcher who could be valuable depth
• Any chance we see a different Javier Báez this year? At the risk of putting too much stake in early-spring results, the returns suggest the answer is no
Báez is 0-for-9 with four strikeouts. Although there is less coil in his swing and a slightly simplified setup, his bat path — harmed by twitching the cap of the bat toward the pitcher in his load — is still elongated, and he has been late on fastballs
Cody Stavenhagen is a staff writer covering the Detroit Tigers for The Athletic
Previously, he covered Michigan football at The Athletic and Oklahoma football and basketball for the Tulsa World, where he was named APSE Beat Writer of the Year for his circulation group in 2016. He is a native of Amarillo, Texas. Follow Cody on Twitter
