Detroit Tigers bullpen will be worrisome but better in 2022

The Detroit Tigers are very early into their season, but some of the same issues from prior seasons have come back to the table. While injuries have been an issue for the team’s pitching staff, the bullpen has already shown to be worrisome at times.

Overall, the Detroit Tigers will be a much better and well-rounded team compared to their 2021 version of themselves. The team has improved regarding the bullpen’s talent, but there is still room to get better.

While Mize gave up most of the hits and the four earned runs early in his outing, the bullpen was not the smoothest either. The team opted to roll with Jason Foley, who did not command the zone well and would only be able to record two outs, allowing three hits and a run before he departed.

On Opening Day, it was closer Gregory Soto who left a hanging slider over the middle of the plate for Chicago White Sox hitter Andrew Vaughn to deposit over the left-field wall for a home run. Something that Tigers fans have been accustomed to from Soto.

The Detroit Tigers bullpen is better but not great.

While no one expected the Tigers’ bullpen to be stellar or elite, they have to be better in 2022. I do not know how every Tigers fan felt, but on Opening Day, I was chattering my teeth when Soto took the ball, and overall do not have a ton of trust in the team’s bullpen.

Earning the trust will be huge for this team’s bullpen confidence. Right now, given injuries to Andrew Chafin to start the season and the re-calling of Will Vest and Jacob Barnes, there’s something to prove.

I can say that I am high on Barnes, thinking he can be a mid-game reliever who can be called upon to get outs when needed; he has to prove this consistently, more than just one game. With a bullpen that is still worrisome in 2022, the Tigers have to prove themselves.

Getting Chafin healthy and adding him to the bullpen will be a blessing for them, but at the end of the day, there’s still gotta be some lights-out appearances from those bullpen arms, top to bottom.

The larger the sample size, the better the odds are in 2022. But there’s still got to be some accountability with the Tigers bullpen and some worrisome outings early on in this 2022 season.