Increased Velocity of Detroit Tigers Starting Pitcher Hints at Major Breakout
One area of their roster the Detroit Tigers were looking to improve the most this winter was their starting pitching rotation.
They had the hard part done with an ace in Tarik Skubal anchoring the staff. He dominated every time he took the ball and won the American League Cy Young Award.
His presence made the “pitching chaos” strategy that manager A.J. Hinch deployed possible.
Relying heavily on the bullpen, Skubal presented that group a chance to get a rest each time he took the mound by pitching deep into the game.
Part of the reason the Tigers were in such a predicament with their rotation was a multitude of injuries.
One of the players who missed an extended stretch of time was Reese Olson, who came out of the gate on fire in 2024.
Through his first 10 starts last year, he recorded a 1.92 ERA and 1.05 WHIP, showcasing legitimate front end of the rotation stuff.
As Tristan H. Cockcraft of ESPN shared, he possesses two legitimate strike out pitches with his slider and changeup generating at least a 43% whiff rate; the MLB average is 34% and 31%, respectively.
Health will be imperative to get him back on track to replicate the kind of production he began last season with before a shoulder injury shut him down for two months.
Another leap could be on the horizon given the improvements he has shown with his fastball this spring.
“The fastball in particular needs improvement, as it generated the sixth-worst whiff rate (13%) among pitchers who threw at least as many as he did the past two seasons, which is why it's encouraging to see him throwing it a full mph faster (95.4) in his two Statcast-measured spring starts thus far,” wrote Cockcraft.
That velocity improvement could do wonders for Reese.
Not only will it help his fastball play better, but his complementary pitches could become even more devastating than they already are.
His command was shaky after returning from injury, and he never quite found the form he showed over those first 10 starts.
Becoming consistent is what will help Reese take his game to the next level, as he has shown flashes of being able to get the job done effectively.
In his career, he has a 3.75 ERA across 216 innings with a 3.57 FIP.
If his fastball improves to give him a legitimate third swing-and-miss pitch, he will give Detroit one of the best long-term trios along with Skubal and top prospect Jackson Jobe.
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Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.