DETROIT – We’re just one week away from the start of the regular season, and my opinion has changed on whether these three Detroit Tigers players should make the Opening Day roster.
About five weeks ago, before the start of spring training, I took a stab at predicting the 26 players who would ultimately end up in the Old English D on March 28. My opinion on 23 of those players remains the same, but there are a few minor changes.
📄 SPRING WOES: Worry level for these 13 Tigers based on spring training stats
Joey Wentz
- Spring stats: 2.77 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 16 strikeouts, 4 walks in 13 innings.
I left Wentz out of my first roster prediction because, well, he was one of the worst qualified pitchers in MLB last year. Wentz finished his first full taste of the big leagues with a 6.90 ERA and a 1.69 WHIP. His walk and home run rates were too high, and his strikeout rate was uninspiring.
But there was always one factor working in Wentz’s favor: He can’t be sent to the minor leagues.
Wentz is out of options, so if the Tigers don’t take him north, they have to expose him to waivers. So Wentz had the luxury of controlling his own destiny this spring.
Well, he’s taken full advantage, allowing just four earned runs while striking out 16 batters across 13 innings. Wentz is 26 years old and left handed, so the Tigers have plenty of incentive to try to keep him in the organization.
Reese Olson
- Spring stats: 3.68 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 14 strikeouts, 4 walks in 14.2 innings.
If the Tigers keep Wentz in the bullpen, that means he has to take someone’s place. That someone is probably going to be Olson.
Olson didn’t do anything to lose his roster spot this spring, but it looks like he’s going to be a victim of circumstance -- at least for the first few weeks.
When I included Olson in my first roster prediction, I figured he would be the perfect piggyback partner with Casey Mize, who is returning from nearly two full years without game action due to injury.
But Mize doesn’t look like someone who’s going to need a piggyback reliever. In fact, he leads the Tigers in innings pitched this spring. His 70th and final pitch clocked in at 97 mph Wednesday, so Mize seems to be holding up deeper into starts than I expected coming off Tommy John surgery.
Mize owns a 2.35 ERA across 15.1 innings, and he’ll only make one more spring appearance, at most. It sure feels like that final spot in the rotation is all but secured.
That might be better for Olson in the long run. Instead of making shorter appearances for the Tigers out of the bullpen, he can go to Triple-A Toledo and stay stretched out as a starter. When the injury bug bites the Tigers, they’ll have yet another MLB caliber replacement to call upon.
Akil Baddoo
- Spring stats: 3-for-25 (.120) with 0 extra-base hits, 2 walks, and 13 strikeouts.
At the start of spring training, I was reluctant to count out Baddoo because he can do so many things well. He’s fast, he’s a strong base runner, he’s an improving defender, and he can draw walks. That’s a valuable skill set to have on an MLB bench for pinch running, pinch hitting, or defensive replacement purposes.
But even I knew it was going to take a really strong spring for Baddoo to crack a roster with three left-handed outfielders ahead of him on the depth chart: Riley Greene, Parker Meadows, and Kerry Carpenter. It doesn’t help that left-handed hitting Zach McKinstry can also play some outfield.
Unfortunately, this has not been a strong spring for Baddoo. Quite the opposite, actually.
He’s 3-for-25 with no extra-base hits, two walks, and 13 strikeouts. You can’t strike out in more than half of your at-bats and expect to make the team.
There’s still a really good chance that Baddoo will be asked to help this team at some point in 2024, but the writing is on the wall: He’ll start the season with the Mud Hens.
Who will take Baddoo’s place? Gio Urshela, who the Tigers signed nine days after my first roster prediction. Urshela isn’t showing any power this spring, but he does have 12 hits in 13 games played.
Other players I considered
Alex Faedo
If anyone who wasn’t on my pre-spring roster prediction has earned their spot, it’s Faedo. He’s been a stud this spring, allowing just two runs and seven base runners while striking out 14 batters in 11 innings.
Faedo looks much better as a reliever, but the Tigers might want to give him one last chance as a starter in Toledo to see if this newfound dominance can translate to longer outings.
The Tigers have Wentz, Beau Brieske, and Tyler Holton as potential multi-inning relievers, so they don’t necessarily need Faedo right off the bat. But whenever he gets the call, he’ll be a huge asset to the bullpen.
Will Vest
If Faedo would have made this list, it would have been in favor of Vest, who has allowed 12 base runners and four earned runs in 5.2 innings this spring.
The Tigers have five relievers who have always been completely locked into their Opening Day roster spot: Alex Lange, Jason Foley, Holton, Andrew Chafin, and Shelby Miller.
Vest isn’t part of that group, and he hasn’t pitched well this spring. So if Faedo was to make the bullpen, I believe Vest would be pushed out.
Ryan Kreidler
Nobody in the Old English D has been more impressive than Kreidler this spring. He’s playing his typical elite defense at shortstop, but on top of that, he’s sporting a 1.048 OPS at the plate with two homers, two steals, and nearly as many walks (eight) as strikeouts (10).
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It would be nice to have Kreidler because he could spell Javier Baez at shortstop when Baez goes into one of his prolonged offensive funks. But with McKinstry, Andy Ibanez, and Matt Vierling clearly occupying the three non-catcher bench spots, there doesn’t seem to be a spot for Kreidler.
That’s all!
I don’t believe anyone else will receive serious consideration to be on the Opening Day roster. The Tigers are in a very good spot with a week of spring games remaining.
