When it comes to pitching, the Detroit Tigers have not had much of a starting rotation for quite some time now. Heck, they have not had much of a staff at all if we are going to be completely honest about it.
But 2021 has been different.
Through their first 48 games, the Tigers starters have posted a combined 3.96 ERA (5th in the AL), a 1.13 WHIP (5th in the AL), and a .231 batting average against (6th in the AL).
One person who is very impressed with the starting rotation so far is GM Al Avila, who says the Tigers have one of the top rotations in all of baseball.
From 97.1 The Ticket:
“From the very beginning, and A.J. (Hinch) had mentioned it several times early on, we wanted to get the pitching right,” Avila said Wednesday during a virtual meeting with members of the Detroit Economic Club. “We wanted to make sure that development continued in a positive manner. And we’ve seen it now develop.”
“As far as starting pitching, we’ve done a marvelous job,” Avila said. “The players have really done well. We’ve got one of the best starting rotations in Major League Baseball, so we’ve gotta feel very good about that.”
There is no question about it that the Tigers starting rotation has been solid but if we are being honest with ourselves, saying they have one of the best rotations in baseball is a bit of a stretch.
At least for now.