Baseball season is upon us as opening day for 28 teams is this week. The 2024 season brings loftier expectations for a Tigers team that has a nice blend of young guns and veterans. Detroit’s front office bolstered the starting rotation early and often during the off-season with key additions Kenta Maeda and Jack Flaherty. When it came to improving the offense, they were pretty quiet. The first move Detroit made in the off-season was an attempt to improve offensively as they acquired veteran right-handed outfielder Mark Canha in a trade with the Brewers. After that, bettering the lineup wasn’t the priority, and another noteworthy addition to the batting order wasn’t made until we were already into spring training when they signed free-agent third baseman Gio Urshela.
A third baseman was a huge need for the Tigers, and they filled that hole with Urshela. They addressed another need with Canha, who can be a right-handed bat at DH (while also spending plenty of time in the outfield). Getting Jake Rogers a different backup at Catcher felt like a need throughout the off-season, but the team is sticking with Carson Kelly, who joined the team mid-season in 2023. The catcher Kelly replaced last season has found a new home, and his spring training campaign has been insanely impressive for the Milwaukee Brewers. The question is, will he make the Tigers feel regret this off-season?
Eric Haase Has Been Dominant This Spring
Not many players in baseball have had a better spring training campaign than former Tigers catcher, Michigan native Eric Haase. As big of a relief it must be for Haase, he still hasn’t been guaranteed a roster spot. However, I’m not sure there’s much more he could have done to earn it. Haase has a .395 batting average with five home runs, 14 RBIs, and a very impressive 1.333 OPS in 38 at-bats.
Haase was the hometown hero in 2021 and 2022 for the Tigers and was very productive in those two seasons for Detroit. Haase was caught in a landslide in 2023 as far as his production goes. He slashed 231/.286/.459 in the 2021 season and hit 22 home runs, which was tied with Jonathan Schoop for second among team leaders in home runs that season just behind Robbie Grossman, who hit 23. Along the way, Haase collected 35 total extra-base hits with 61 RBIs. He walked 26 times and struck out 119. In the 2022 season, Haase’s power numbers weren’t quite as good as they were in the 2021 season, but he was a little bit more consistent at the plate and we saw improvement in his batting average. Haase slashed .254/.305/.443 in 2022 and hit 14 home runs, and although that was eight fewer long balls than he had hit in 2021, it was still second best on the team in 2022 only behind Javy Baez who hit 17 homers in his first season as a Tiger. Haase collected 32 extra-base hits with 44 RBIs in ’22 as well. He walked 26 times and struck out 97.
Last season was a disaster for Haase as he played 86 games for Detroit last year prior to the Tigers parting ways with him. He was hitting .201 with a .246 on-base percent, a slugging percentage that sat at .200, and a. .473 OPS. Haase had only 13 extra-base hits, with just four of them being home runs. He drove home just 26 runs and struck out 78 times while walking 16 times during the 2023 season for the Tigers. After being designated for assignment, he was picked up by his former team, the Cleveland Guardians. He played just three games for Cleveland towards the end of last season and recorded three hits in 11 at-bats. In only 37 at-bats this spring, Haase has already hit more home runs in spring training than he did in 89 games a year ago. Hopefully, the Michigan native has returned to being the player he once was in Detroit. The competition for a roster spot is tough with William Contreras and Gary Sanchez, two solid catchers already playing for the Brewers, but Haase’s ability to play in the outfield as well gives him a good shot to make the roster after a phenomenal showcase this spring.
The way the Tigers would end up regretting letting Haase go would be if he continues to do what he’s been doing and avoids the spring training fluke, but most importantly it’ll come down to whether or not taking a chance on Carson Kelly pays off or not. Kelly himself has had a strong spring. He’s slashing .289/.372/.553 with three home runs, four extra-base hits, seven RBIs, a .925 OPS, and four walks while only striking out six times. While the Tigers won’t ask too much from Kelly as he’s just the backup to Jake Rodgers, if Rodgers struggles or gets injured, depth at the position becomes a big issue. The issue for me is that Kelly hasn’t been strong in the past during the regular season. His most productive season came in 2019 with the Diamondbacks when he slashed .245/.348/.478 with 18 home runs, 37 extra-base hits, and 47 RBIs. Maybe I’m looking at it deeper than I should because Kelly isn’t even the starting catcher for Detroit, but not adding another catcher to compete with Kelly could backfire this season.
Update on other former Tigers this spring:
Nick Maton, acquired in the trade that brought him and Matt Vierling to Detroit and sent Gregory Soto and Kody Clemens to Philadelphia, has had a spring campaign that has been the complete opposite of Haase’s. In 17 games, Maton is slashing .000/.207/.000… yes, that is correct. He has reached base six times with six walks, but Maton has ZERO hits this spring. Maton is now a member of the Baltimore Orioles, and he wasn’t the only Tigers infielder who joined the Orioles this off-season. Tyler Nevin was traded there in exchange for cash considerations. Nevin is having a very good spring campaign. He’s slashing .333/.367/.474 with two home runs and seven RBIs. However, Nevin is notorious for performing great at every level below the big leagues. Time will tell if Nevin’s second stint in Baltimore is successful.
Jose Cisnero was a regular in the Tigers’ bullpen last season and moved on in free agency as he opted for the West Coast. Cisnero joined the Los Angeles Angels and has had a good spring. He’s appeared in seven games, pitched 6.2 innings, has struck out six batters, and has not allowed a walk. He has a 1.35 ERA and has allowed only one run on three hits.
Eduardo Rodriguez was probably Detroit’s most noteworthy departure as he opted for free agency this off-season after successfully sabotaging the Tigers at last year’s trade deadline. Many Tigers fans may look at it as karma, but Rodriguez had a terrible showcase for the Diamondbacks this spring. In just four games and nine innings pitched, Rodriguez allowed eight earned runs on 14 hits (three of which were home runs) while striking out 11 and walking four. Rodriguez’s spring ended with him having an 8.00 ERA and 2.000 WHIP. He will also begin the season injured.
Tyler Alexander was a big part of the bullpen for the Tigers over the last couple of years, and his absence could be felt immediately with the lack of left-handed pitchers on Detroit’s pitching staff. If Tyler Holton regresses and Joey Wentz struggles per usual, not bringing back Alexander could become something they regret. Alexander’s new home is Tampa Bay, Florida, with the Rays. He only appeared in three games this spring and didn’t have a ton of success. In nine innings pitched, Alexander allowed 12 hits but kept the damage minimal, allowing only two runs. He struck out five batters and walked one. Alexander didn’t have the best spring training showcase but could still be a solid addition to the Rays’ pitching staff.
Spencer Turnbull will always be part of Tigers history with his no-hitter against the Mariners a couple of seasons ago. A once-promising right-hander in the Tigers’ rotation just couldn’t bounce back from a significant elbow injury, and it led to him looking for a new place to call home. This off-season, Philly came calling. Turnbull has appeared in four games for the Phillies and has allowed two runs on seven hits (one being a home run) and has struck out 12 batters & walked two in eight innings pitched. Turnbull has a 2.25 ERA and a 1.125 WHIP this spring.
