Tigers Bold Pitching Signing Has Silently Dominated Spring Training So Far
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The Detroit Tigers went into the offseason needing to upgrade their pitching staff, and they had a huge February leading up to the start of spring training to make that happen.
Deals for Framber Valdez and then Justin Verlander collectively got the fanbase more juiced for the season than they have been in some time, and Detroit may have a chance to be one of the better rotations in all of baseball.
The two splashes being made to the staff caused fans perhaps to forget about the first major domino the Tigers acquired in terms of an arm in former KBO standout Drew Anderson for his second stint with the team.
Despite the fact that Anderson has never been an effective starter in the big leagues, Detroit committed $7 million to him for the season with even a 2027 club option for $10 million. After the team was highly criticized -- largely due to it being at the time their only perceived "big move" -- Anderson has come into camp and looked absolutely dominant so far.
Anderson Looks Like Star for Tigers During Spring Training
So far this spring, Anderson has made three appearances for the team and looked sensational in each of them. The right-hander has yet to allow a run in 8.1 innings, racking up 10 strikeouts with just one walk to post a 0.72 WHIP to go along with a 0.00 ERA.
His fastball velocity has been up to 97 mph and sitting around 95 mph after the last time he was seen it was in the low 90s, and he is cutting opposing hitters up with his changeup. Though Anderson has not been seen in Major League Baseball since 2021, he has looked extremely impressive and ready to make a grand return.
While barring injury he likely does not crack the rotation out of the gate, Anderson clearly is going to start games for this Detroit team in 2026.
Anderson May Be Critical Depth Piece for Tigers
Detroit showed exactly how they feel about Anderson when they optioned Keider Montero back to Triple-A last week, putting the veteran in line to be the sixth starter on the staff. He is likely to be working out of the bullpen to start the year, but if 2025 showed anything, more than five starters are needed.
The 31-year-old will be waiting in the wings for his opportunity to work as a swingman and potentially even more than that if he is as effective as he looks during camp. It's not out of the realm of possibility that Anderson could earn a rotation spot and simply not give it back.
He will have to keep on proving it throughout the rest of camp, but Anderson's contract already made him an Opening Day roster lock, and every day that goes by it looks like the Tigers got a great deal by locking him down.
Count on him pitching in some big moments for this Detroit team this upcoming season.
Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.