Detroit Tigers 2021 season grades for the team’s bullpen
By Tyler Kotila
The Detroit Tigers 2021 season has come and gone. It was a step in the right direction, and it looked like they are turning a corner on the rebuild slowly. It’s been a challenging process, but it seems like they are starting to turn things around.
When it comes to the Detroit Tigers bullpen, many fans would likely agree that this team’s bullpen has been the weakest link for some time now. There has not been much to like or to be excited about coming out of the bullpen in a few seasons.
While this may not have changed a ton, the Tigers bullpen was a lot better in 2021. They may not have had a ton of top-tier arms or a lot of really great performances, but the standards were low. The standards to improve from prior years were low, and they definitely were able to do it.
The Tigers bullpen is scary but improving, and they are starting to find out which of the pieces might actually be worth keeping around. This year they had a “next man up” mentality as fellow Detroit Jock City contributor Eli Paszek wrote about, and it worked out pretty well for the bullpen.
Between a better-managed clubhouse and a solid pitching coach in Chris Fetter, things worked out quite nicely. Fetter was able to get things rolling with the bullpen and ensured that the Tigers had a productive group out there.
Things did not go perfectly, but if the Tigers bullpen were perfect in 2021, then that would be viewed as a complete 180-degree turnaround from what the bullpen has been. The team’s bullpen was better, though, which is a step in the right direction.
(NOTE: Only players who finished the season with the team are included. i.e., Daniel Norris was omitted since he was traded. Also only included players who threw more than 20 innings for the Tigers this season)