Tigers prepare for upcoming season

By Gabe Goode STAFF REPORTER

Spring has arrived, which means a new baseball season is underway, starting with the spring training schedule. While these games do not count, they stand as a baseline performance for the front office to make roster decisions for the official 26-man roster.

Over the past off-season, a number of new rules were enacted to maintain the quality and speed of the game. To increase the speed, the league introduced the controversial pitch clock which gives both the pitcher and hitter strict timelines to get set and ready for the next pitch. Along with the new pace of the game, the league wants to increase speed and safety on the basepaths by increasing the size of the bases from 15 to 18 inches. Additionally, there can only be two infield players on either side of second base.

The Tigers in particular, with the new president of baseball operations Scott Harris, are looking to go into another rebuild only shortly after they finished one. New players such as Matt Vierling, Nick Maton and Donny Sands, look to jump into the jumbled and diminished roster. In addition, the Tigers signed former Tiger and Mariner, Matthew Boyd, and former Red and Angel, Michael Lorenzen, to support a battered pitching staff. Younger prospects in the minors are looking to break out in a big way, such as new minorleague addition, Justin-Henry Mallow, from the Braves, as well as homegrown players such as Colt Keith and Andre Lipcius.

The Tigers will hopefully see bounce-back seasons from Javier Báez and Eduardo Rodriguez, as well as meaningful innings from a young starting rotation. Multiple spots will be a turntable this year as many rotation arms are injured, including former top prospect Casey Mize, and Tarik Skubal, both of which got surgery on their respective throwing arms. On the bright side, the depth of players that can fit within the rotation spots is vast, and there will likely be pitchers moving in and out of the rotation, the bullpen and the AAA team. Hopefully fans can expect a strong final season from former two-time MVP Miguel Cabrera, but the Tigers will still likely rumble along at the bottom of the standings.

This season for the Tigers will be interesting not only for the fans of Detroit, but for the front office as they decide what direction to take the franchise. Shadows of former greatness are passing on, but young stars will hopefully shine a light on the organization's future.

A POLISHED DIAMOND | The new turf is a major change for both players and coaches. JV softball head coach Amy Zaranek Gaidis is looking forward to the consistency and cleanliness that the fresh turf will bring. “I loved our dirt field and that is where we played on when I was here, but I think the turf will be a nice upgrade,” Zaranek said.