Detroit Tigers 2021 season grades for starting pitchers
By Eli Paszek
For many Detroit Tigers fans, the 2021 season was a glimmer of hope. Kind of shining light at the end of the long, dark tunnel known as rebuilding. Carrying the torch to lead the Tigers out of the depths is a starting pitching core that has some serious potential.
For starters, the Detroit Tigers have drafted high-end talent at the position. From former top prospects Casey Mize, Matt Manning, and Tarik Skubal to those who have developed exceptionally well, like Spencer Turnbull or Tyler Alexander, these Tigers have a staff bursting at the seams with talent that looks ready to contribute at a high level.
One major part of the staff success this season was the brand new pitching coach, Chris Fetter. Fetter was the pitching coach for Michigan in their 2019 College World Series run and is considered one of the most brilliant coaches at the position. His approach has seemingly worked well with the Tigers’ staff, helping to develop the young arms brought up in the past few years.
On the path to their best record in years, the starters faced many ups and downs throughout the season. Injuries and underperformance meant the staff often needed to play next-man-up. However, they kept the team in games and built on the potential we have seen in previous years.
Given all of this positivity, how did the staff actually grade out? In the following slides, we will address each starting pitcher and grade them on a scale from A-F based on their performance, expectations, and general fun factor.