It had been long awaited. The Detroit Tigers got a look at one of their top pitching prospects in Lakeland yesterday. After being shut down for 241 days, Alex Faedo finally made his Detroit Tigers debut. Of course, it is only spring training. However, for the Tigers number one draft choice in last year’s draft it was a long time coming.
This is how he recounted the experience to Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press,
“It was a long wait,” he said. “It was good, though. A lot of fun.”
“It went pretty good,” Faedo said. “I feel better than usual when I start up there in live (batting practice), compared to the last couple years in college, so I was happy about that. I feel a little ahead of where I’ve been in recent years.”
Faedo has not pitched since the NCAA Super Regionals against Texas Christian University. He pitched 7.1 scoreless innings that day, including three strikeouts. In his final season at the University of Florida which resulted in the Gators winning the National Championship. Faedo pitched 123.2 innings accumulating a 2.26 ERA and striking out 157 batters. It’s that type of production that makes Faedo the number two prospect in the organization.
In his 30 plus pitch bullpen session, Faedo faced designated hitter Victor Martinez and catcher James McCann. The people in attendance seemed in awe of his stuff — including Martinez and McCann. Even though McCann did take him yard on one of his pitches, Faedo still got a laugh out of it after McCann signed the ball for him.
“It was funny,” Faedo said. “He’s a good guy.”
Faedo was also receiving tips from new pitching coach Chris Bosio during the session. Bosio also reached out to Alex Faedo over the winter when he got the job. Overall, it seemed like a productive day for Alex Faedo. Hopefully, for Tigers fans, Faedo can start having productive days in the majors sooner rather than later.
