Despite a decent start, the chances of the Detroit Tigers contending for anything in 2019 is pretty slim as their current roster just does not match up to the talent around the league.
Rather than basing success off of wins and losses, it is important to look at the individual growth of some of the individual players on the team.
One of those players is starting pitcher, Matthew Boyd.
Matthew Boyd. Detroit Tigers v Miami Marlins. Joker Marchant Stadium.Lakeland, Fla. March 2, 2018. (Photo by Tom Hagerty.)
Boyd, who is 28, is off to a great start so far in 2019 as he is 1-1 with a 2.96 ERA. What is really impressive is that he has the No. 2 strikeout rate (13.32 per 9) in all of Major League Baseball, trailing only Jacob DeGrom of the New York Mets.
In addition, for those of you into advanced stats, Boyd leads all Major League Baseball pitchers with a 1.2 WAR (Wins above replacement) threw his first four starts of the season.
The chances of Boyd keeping up this pace are not very good, but if he can continue to pitch well, you can bet teams in contention will be calling the Tigers as the trade deadline approaches.
