Detroit Tigers: Can Matthew Boyd recover from horrid 2020 season?

The Detroit Tigers need Matthew Boyd to do a full 180-degree turnaround for the 2021 season. Boyd was absolutely terrible in 2020 and has not been able to get back to the level he was at before he was traded.

The Detroit Tigers will need major improvements from Boyd if he is going to be the “ace” of the staff. In all reality, Spencer Turnbull might be better served for the ace role if he can overcome the mental struggles that come with being in the starting rotation.

Boyd was horrifyingly bad in 2020, and after being lights out to start 2019, things had taken a turn for the worse. If Boyd can iron things out, he could be a solid starter for the team, but the hopes should not be too high.

It has appeared that he has made some changes with hopes to improve, changing up his release point and looking to iron out some mechanical things. The question is, will this be the true difference-maker for Boyd in 2021?

The Detroit Tigers are hoping Matthew Boyd can recover from a terrible 2020 season.

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

It is early to look into Spring Training stats too sparingly, but Boyd was good in his first outing. Boyd has one outing where he threw two innings, walking two and striking out one opposing hitter. It’s only one outing, so do not look into this too much.

In 2020, Boyd made 12 starts with a 3-7 record for the Tigers. He would post an ugly 6.71 ERA with a 1.48 WHIP while punching out 60 opposing hitters of 60.1 innings of work for the Tigers.

Frankly, he was just not the same pitcher he was to start 2019 and has not been since right around the midpoint of 2019.

In 2019, he started things off with a bang, was garnering trade interest, and was the “ace” of a bad Tigers staff. By the end of the year, he was mediocre and took a turn for the worse statistically.

Boyd made 32 starts in 2019, where he totaled 185.1 innings pitched with a 9-12 record. He would accumulate a 4.56 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP on the season. He was just a completely different pitcher by the end of the year. This carried into 2020, as was mentioned above.

Now, as 2021 approaches, the hope is that Boyd can get back to the pitcher he was or at least make some changes to start moving in the right direction. He has not been the “ace” the Detroit  Tigers use him as, but on a pitching staff lacking any sort of depth, he is kind of forced into the position.

The hope is that in 2021, Boyd can get back to being that “ace” he was in past years.