Detroit Tigers 2021 season grades for the team’s bullpen

Detroit Tigers 2021 season grades for the team’s middle relievers.

Jose Cisnero: B+

The Detroit Tigers got a lot of Jose Cisnero in 2021. He was even a candidate to be moved at the trade deadline this season as well. Cisnero proved he was a reliable bullpen arm and could be used in high-leverage situations. He’s deserving of a B+ for his quality performance this season.

Kyle Funkhouser: B+

It has been known that Kyle Funkhouser can be a reliable reliever for the Tigers. In 2021 Funkhouser was moving in the right direction and overall was not horrible. He showed improvements and was quality in more than just mop-up roles. Funkhouser did have a few rough outings but was able to salvage a 3.42 ERA on the season over 68.1 innings pitched.

Joe Jiménez: D

Something about Joe Jiménez is just not the same. A few years ago, it seemed like the Tigers had their next closer; now it looks like he’s destined for a DFA announcement. With an ERA just under 6.00, Jiménez struggled. A WHIP above 1.50 showed that he was unable to throw strikes, and when he was, he was getting hit.

Alex Lange: B-

Alex Lange‘s 2021 season was not perfect. The beginning of the year was a lot of early exits from appearances and an ERA north of 6.00. But by the end of the year, he was moving in the right direction and looked like a solid reliever. For that reason, I gave him a B- since even though the beginning of the year was horrible, he salvaged it and worked things out for a strong finish.