Detroit Tigers: Alex Faedo needs a big year after undergoing Tommy John

The Detroit Tigers selected Alex Faedo in first round of the 2017 MLB Draft when he was taken with the 18th overall pick. Faedo, a product of the University of Florida, has since joined the system and is yet to pitch above Double-A.

It’s been a rough go for the right-handed pitcher who has still been looking for his chance to make the Detroit Tigers roster. He’s on the team’s 40-man roster and needs to prove he can produce sustainable numbers at the Triple-A level first but is on the right path, proving his recovery went well.

It seems like Faedo will be kept around the Tigers organization until he at least gets his shot to pitch in the big leagues. The question for Faedo is if he will be able to make it that far and if he gets there as a starter.

There is plenty of reliever risk with Faedo, and him being a starter right now does not mean he will continue to hold that role. He has not logged stats since the 2019 season, where he was with the Double-A Erie Seawolves.

After sustaining an injury and having to undergo Tommy John surgery, there has to be some speculation as to what he can produce in his return to the mound. If Faedo can be a starting pitcher or if he will be transitioned into a reliever role.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Alex Faedo’s future is still unclear.

The last time he logged statistics was in 2019 where he made 22 starts with the Erie Seawolves, where he posted a 3.90 ERA, a 1.12 WHIP, and collected 134 strikeouts over 115.1 innings pitched on the season.

It seems like he was figuring things out and was on the right path to being a starter at the Triple-A level but never quite made it that far. However, with his Tommy John Surgery and lengthy time off, the worry would be his ability to recover.

While he was a first-round pick, and the hope is that he can have a lengthy chance to be a starting pitcher, I’m sticking to my gut opinion from a while back where it seems like his reliever risk will overcome his longevity as a starter.

It seems like the Tigers are going to keep letting him go out there as a starter, but by the time he reaches the big leagues, it will be as a reliever. He’s got great abilities and has shown good stuff on the bump; I just worry about his longevity as a starter.

Time will tell, but this season coming off of Tommy John Surgery is going to be huge for him.