Joe Underhill's Spring 2025 Tigers Preview
PLUS: DODGERS TRY TO DEFEND THEIR WORLD SERIES CROWN WITH HUGE OUTLAY
IBWAA members love to write about baseball. So much so, we've decided to create our own newsletter about it! Subscribe to Here's the Pitch to expand your love of baseball, discover new voices, and support independent writing. Original content six days a week, straight to your inbox and straight from the hearts of baseball fans.
LIMITED OFFER FOR HtP READERS:
GET HERE’S THE PITCH 2025
Selected and edited by Dan Schlossberg
(215 pp., $24.95)
This first annual collection of 35 great baseball stories, analysis, memories, and trivia for the baseball fanatics on your gift list (including you) is available now for $24.95 at
http://www.actasports.com
But subscribers to this newsletter get 10% off on one copy or 20% off on two or more copies by calling 800-397-2282, talking to a real live person (not an AI robot), and ordering directly from the publisher. Offer good only through February 1, 2025!
Reader Reacts
“You're right about Wagner having to learn to pitch left-handed after breaking his right arm. Tris Speaker also has to learn to throw lefty for the same reason. Rickey choose to bat right-handed but threw left-handed (one of the very few great players to do that.) Not sure about Dale Murphy or Brooks, who both bat batted and threw righty in the majors. I have to read their bios!”
— Andrew Sharp
The writer is one of our regular columnists.
Pregame Pepper
Did you know…
Graybeard relievers Rich Hill, 45, and Jesse Chavez, 41, want to pitch this year if anybody wants them . . .
Hill has been signed by the Boston Red Sox a ridiculous eight times, while Chavez keeps bouncing back to the Atlanta Braves . . .
Chavez is a decent middle reliever but also ranks as the most-traded man in baseball history . . .
Before signing Jurickson Profar two days ago, the Braves’ only major moves this winter were losses: the free-agent departures of Max Fried, Charlie Morton, and Travis d’Arnaud . . .
Atlanta could still fortify its bench by signing inexpensive free-agent outfielders Jason Heyward and Adam Duvall, both former Braves heroes whose defensive skills haven’t waned.
Leading Off
Detroit Tigers: Spring Preview
By Joe Underhill
We are about three weeks away from what should be a national holiday.
Spring training is almost here, with pitchers and catchers reporting between the 11th and 13th of February and position players reporting shortly thereafter.
The Detroit Tigers are looking to build on an impressive run to end the 2024 season. While team president Scott Harris has said the Tigers will continue to look for ways to improve their roster, the Tigers are mostly (baring an Alex Bregman signing) done adding major additions to the team.
So as teams begin to prepare to open camp here is how the Tigers roster is shaping up and where the major camp battles will take place.
Outfield: The Tigers will have stiff competition for the utility (fourth/fifth outfielder) positions. The Tigers are set in center and left with Parker Meadows and Riley Greene. Right field will be rotated primarily between Kerry Carpenter and Matt Vierling. Zach McKinstry and Andy Ibanez will also likely see some reps in the outfield. In the mix for playing time as well will be Wenceel Perez, Justyn-Henry Malloy, Jahmai Jones, and Akil Baddoo.
Infield: Currently the Tigers only clear position battle will be third base. Jace Jung and Matt Vierling are the leading candidates to take the majority of at-bats along with McKinstry. The Tigers appear to be planning on giving Trey Sweeney every opportunity to be the everyday shortstop. Newly signed second baseman Gleyber Torres will get the majority games at the keystone, while former second baseman Colt Keith is transitioning, at least for this year, to first. The question will be what role former first baseman Spencer Torkelson will play this season. Torkelson and Carpenter will likely split DH duties, but there is also the possibility that the Tigers will look to give Torkelson a change of scenery. McKinstry and Ibanez will be the primary backups. The real question will be whether Javier Baez will be able to be healthy and productive enough to warrant a spot on the roster.
Starters: Tarik Skubal, Reese Olson, Alex Cobb, Keider Montero, Casey Mize, Jackson Jobe, Kenta Maeda, Matt Manning, Ty Madden, and Brant Hurter. Skubal, looking to continue his dominance from 2024, will lead the Tigers rotation in 2025. Olson and Cobb pretty much have spots guaranteed. The last two will be a full-on completion. The Tigers are hoping to see Mize regain the form that made him a number one overall pick and while he is likely ticketed to start the year in Toledo, Jobe will have an opportunity to make his case to start in the majors out of spring training. As always, injuries will impact the rotation, but the Tigers look to have a strong group.
Bullpen: The mainstays will be familiar to Tigers fans, Tyler Holton, Beau Brieske, Jason Foley, and Will Vest will begin the year as the primary leverage arms, at least one if not two of the starters who don’t make the rotation will end up in the ‘pen to start the year and players like Sean Guenther and Brenan Hanifee will look to build on their solid 2024 season. Keep an eye on Alex Lange and Alex Faedo as they return from injury as well as one-time top prospect Wilmer Flores who is making the transition to the bullpen.
Hope springs eternal for every club and this spring the Tigers are hoping their young players continue to take steps forward in their development. Soon the story of the 2025 season will begin to be written.
Joe Underhill is a high school administrator and diehard baseball fan and fan of the city of Detroit. Joe currently writes for the HTP Newsletter. Write joe.underhill@auburn.org or follow him on Twitter@TransplantedDet and @transplanteddet.bsky.social.
Cleaning Up
Dodgers Corner The Market On Best Free Agents
By Dan Schlossberg
The Los Angeles Dodgers belong in ‘A League Of Their Own.’
They not only have the fattest payroll in big-league history but nine starting pitchers, five MVPs condensed into the top three hitters in their batting order, and a near monopoly on freshly-signed free agents.
Say it ain’t so, Joe.
When Dave Roberts picks the pitchers and reserves for the National League All-Star team he takes to Atlanta in July, he need look no further than his bench.
Why not just make it the Los Angeles Dodgers against the American League?
With no salary cap, no signing deadline, and no limit on how many free agents one team can sign or how much they earn, the 2025 Dodgers have vaulted far beyond the bounds of fair competition, let alone decency.
It’s long past time for Commissioner Rob Manfred to exercise his veto power, as Bowie Kuhn did to Charlie Finley decades ago.
Remember the phrase “the best interests of baseball?”
The Dodgers now have THREE Japanese starters in their rotation, a two-time Cy Young Award winner who wasn’t there last year, one All-Star left-hander in their bullpen, and a slugging corner outfielder they kept despite considerable interest from other clubs.
There was never an ounce of doubt that Roki Sasaki would bypass the chance to team with Shohei Ohtani and fellow Japanese import Yoshinobu Yamamoto at Chavez Ravine. In fact, there are so many Japanese players in Dodger blue that the team might have to reinstate Ohtani’s disgraced translator.
No team has won consecutive World Series since the Yankees won three straight from 1998-2000 but these Dodgers certainly look like preemptive favorites. Hell, they might even set a team record for wins in a season. All they need is 117.
Even Clayton Kershaw, three Cy Youngs and all, must be wondering where or if he’ll fit in. No wonder he’s still unsigned.
It must be tough to root for the Giants, Padres, Diamondbacks, or Rockies these days.
San Francisco and Arizona haven’t given up — Willy Adames and Corbin Burnes are living proof — but the Padres, with their ownership turmoil tearing the team apart, and the moribund Rockies, who never do much of anything, might as well run up their white flag before spring training starts.
Salaries are beyond the realm of common sense and Marvin Miller is snickering under his tombstone.
It’s just not a fair fight anymore.
Here’s the Pitch weekend editor Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ grew up when there were two eight-team leagues, winners went straight to the World Series, and there were no divisions, designated hitters, inter-league games, or free agents. In short, The Good Old Days. Disagree? Write ballauthor@gmail.com.
Extra Innings: On Jurickson Profar’s Signing
After ignoring the free-agent market for months, Atlanta made a late-winter splash by diving into action with Jurickson Profar Thursday . . .
The switch-hitting outfielder, who succeeds the disappointing Jarred Kelenic in left field for the Braves, is a disciplined hitter who delivers power (24 HR in 2024) but is also willing to wait for walks . . .
He’s not a good left-fielder but is still better than Jorge Soler, whom the Braves traded, or Marcell Ozuna, another outfielder-turned-DH whose defensive skills are lacking . . .
Because of his high walk rate, Profar will bat second, supplanting fellow Curaçao native Ozzie Albies, in the Atlanta lineup . . .
His salary jumps from $1 million in San Diego last season to $12 million in Atlanta this year and another $30 million over the following two seasons combined . . .
He was an NL All-Star last year, when he also won a Silver Slugger . . .
Profar, who broke into the bigs at age 19, has played every position but catcher and pitcher . . .
The Braves have a roller-coaster history with free agents, hitting home runs with Greg Maddux, Gary Matthews, and Terry Pendleton but striking out with Nick Esasky, Andy Messersmith, Al Hrabosky, and Bruce Sutter, among others.
Know Your Editors
HERE’S THE PITCH is published daily except Sundays and holidays. Benjamin Chase [gopherben@gmail.com] handles the Monday issue with Dan Freedman [dfreedman@lionsgate.com] editing Tuesday and Jeff Kallman [easyace1955@outlook.com] at the helm Wednesday and Thursday. Original editor Dan Schlossberg [ballauthor@gmail.com], does the weekend editions on Friday and Saturday. Former editor Elizabeth Muratore [nymfan97@gmail.com] is now co-director [with Benjamin Chase and Jonathan Becker] of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America, which publishes this newsletter and the annual ACTA book of the same name. Readers are encouraged to contribute comments, articles, and letters to the editor. HtP reserves the right to edit for brevity, clarity, and good taste.