Tigers' Pitching Prospect Strategy is Going Completely According to Plan
By Parker White
The Detroit Tigers have the fourth-worst record in Major League Baseball, and a large part of their problem is the fact that they're a bottom-third team in pitching. They have some bright spots in the rotation with Matthew Boyd and Spencer Turnbull, but maintain a lackluster bullpen and a stunning lack of depth overall.
But that shouldn't be the case for very long.
Detroit has a very good minor league system, and according to MLB Pipeline, six of their top 10 prospects are pitchers. Among that group, they have some studs who could be frontline starters in the big leagues, including Casey Mize and Matt Manning, both of whom have done exactly what's been asked of them thus far in 2019.
In their last four starts combined, Casey Mize and Matt Manning have allowed a total of one run. https://t.co/QVoJaQFZwe
— Derick Hutchinson (@Derick_Hutch) May 28, 2019
Both Mize and Manning are former top 10 overall picks, including Mize, who was the No. 1 overall selection last year. Both are carving up Double-A, especially Mize, who holds a 1.40 ERA over his six starts for the SeaWolves.
Don't let Mize grab all the headlines, as Manning is having his way with the league, too, posting a 2.10 ERA with 75 strikeouts over 60 innings in 10 Double-A starts.
Casey Mize, Matt Manning, and Spencer Turnbull -- all homegrown -- represent a potentially-formidable trio at the top of Detroit's rotation in the not-too-distant future. Keeping Matthew Boyd would make for four front-line starters. Tigers fans have reasons to be optimistic.
— David Laurila (@DavidLaurilaQA) May 28, 2019
Those are two homegrown talents in the minors making their case to be called up this summer, but the Tigers already have a youngster in the big leagues who is quietly turning heads.
Right-hander Spencer Turnbull has made 11 starts at the big league level this year, and over that span, he's posted a 2.97 ERA with 62 strikeouts over 60.2 innings.
Talk about a young trio to get excited about, right?
Beyond these standouts, the Tigers also have pitching prospects with upside like Franklin Perez, Alex Faedo and Beau Burrows. You put all these young guys together and re-sign five-year veteran southpaw Matthew Boyd, and Detroit has themselves a pretty scary rotation come the 2020 season and beyond.