Detroit Tigers: Spring Training may look different, but baseball is back

The Detroit Tigers are approaching Spring Training, and the looks and schematics of this year will be much different than usual. Major League Baseball announced a new setup for 2021 Spring Training, including some shakeups for the Tigers down in Lakeland, Florida.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that is still affecting Major League Baseball and the 2021 season, the league had to be smart with how Spring Training was set up. The Tigers have been put into a pod with four other teams that are closer to them in terms of geographical location.

The Tigers will square off with the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, and Toronto Blue Jays as a part of their pod. However, to avoid some redundancy, the league has included that the Tigers will play games against the Baltimore Orioles, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Tampa Bay Rays.

All-in-all there are 29 Spring Training games that the Tigers will play in 2021; this will allow them to start getting a feel for the improvements that have been made. This offseason may not have been anything insane. However, the team should be able to look better in 2021, even if it is a minimal improvement.

The Detroit Tigers are back on the field for 2021 Spring Training, it may look different than normal, but baseball is back!

More from Detroit Jock City

• Tigers Sign Manager A.J. Hinch to Long-Term Extension
• Lions vs. Bears Week 14 Opening Odds Disrespect Detroit
• Former Tigers Celebrate Jim Leyland Hall of Fame Call
• This Pistons Team Could be the Worst in Detroit Sports History
• 4 Free Agents Tigers Should Sign During Winter Meetings

The Tigers roster looks different than it did last year, but that is not exactly a bad thing. The hope is to see some sort of improvement from the team during the 2021 season.

With some signings like Robbie Grossman, Nomar Mazara, and Renato Nunez, the lineup should be boosted at least a little bit.

But offseason additions are not the only thing; the youth movement is likely to get moving during the 2021 season.

It started in 2020 after a few monumental call-ups and is likely to continue during the 2021 season.

Even with a Spring Training pod and a very different setup, it will be intriguing to tune into some games via the radio or even the few that are televised.

Keeping tabs and seeing who is winning positional battles, which pitchers are looking good on the bump, and who might win the closer job is something fans need to make sure they do. The Detroit Tigers on the field performance may have been absolutely terrible the last few seasons, but nothing beats Spring Training rolling around again.

The sound of pitchers throwing, the crack of the bat, and getting to see some prospects on display is always fun. At a minimum, baseball is back, whether the Tigers are going to be good or not.

So as 2021 Spring Training comes into focus and dragging the Detroit Tigers inevitably starts, take a moment to appreciate that baseball is happening again in 2021 amid the pandemic.