Detroit Tigers: Kyle Funkhouser is showing strides in 2021 season

As the Detroit Tigers continue on with their 2021 season, it’s hard not to look at some of the players’ performances and be excited about the future. Kyle Funkhouser is an arm for this team who just never really figured it out, but in 2021 he has looked good out of the bullpen.

It’s not to say he’s bound for a starting gig, or he’s the next man up for a closer role, but the Detroit Tigers have gotten a good showing from him. It’s not even to say he’s going to be given the eighth inning or something like that, but seeing the growth in 2021 is a good thing.

He’s been able to work at things and look like a much more complete arm in the 2021 season than in prior years. A tip of the cap for Tigers pitching coach Chris Fetter is in order, as he’s been able to get the guys on this staff moving in the right direction since being hired.

The former University of Michigan pitching coach has been great for this staff, and seeing Funkhouser’s success when called upon, speaks to this. He’s been one of the guys that Hinch calls upon out of the bullpen earlier in games, and he has been able to come in and do a job, all that a manager can ask for out of a reliever.

Detroit Tigers reliever Kyle Funkhouser has made strides in 2021.

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So far in 2021, Funkhouser has appeared in 40 games for the Tigers, where he has accumulated 50.1 innings pitched. He’s pitched to a 3.04 ERA, a 1.31 WHIP, and has punched out 45 opposing hitters in the process.

His stats are not earth-shattering, but they are more than serviceable and have shown that he is improving.

I mean, his stats are far better than they were in 2020, where he pitched in just 13 games, logging 17.1 innings pitched in which he had a 7.27 ERA and a 1.90 WHIP.

It’s a vast improvement from the shortened 2020 season for Funkhouser, but the fact that he has been able to settle in and become a valuable member of the Tigers bullpen is a great sign.

It means that the Tigers arms are in good hands with Fetter, and it means that some of the unlikely prospects may turn things around.

If the Tigers are able to breed relievers like Funkhouser and get reliable innings out of their pen arms, then it’s going to be a bright future. As the Tigers continue on in 2021, it’s a great scene for players like Funkhouser, who are figuring things out.

The Tigers did well in hiring Chris Fetter, and it is clear.