Detroit Tigers wise to take a chance on Mike Fiers
By Brad Faber
The Detroit Tigers have solved one of their offseason needs in signing starting pitcher Mike Fiers. Despite having posted rather mediocre numbers over the past two seasons, he is a solid choice for the starting rotation.
On Friday, the Detroit Tigers announced that they had signed free agent pitcher Mike Fiers. According to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com, it is a one-year, $6 million deal.
Fiers gives the Tigers a fifth starter, which was one of their significant needs heading into the offseason. Fiers is, of course, coming off of a down year with the World Champion Houston Astros. Through 29 games (28 starts) last season, Fiers went 8-10 with a 5.22 ERA (76 ERA+) and a 1.43 WHIP. He was left off of the Astros’ postseason roster in all three rounds.
Despite not being a particularly hard-thrower, Fiers did manage to get his strikeouts last season. He averaged nearly a strikeout per inning with an 8.57 K/9 for the Astros in 2017. He has struck out batters at a rate of 8.53 K/9 throughout his career.
Fiers’ numbers during the 2016 campaign were not exactly off the charts, but they were a bit better than the ones he posted last season. Through 31 games (30 starts) for the Astros in 2016, Fiers went 11-8 with a 4.48 ERA (88 ERA+) and a 1.36 WHIP and was worth 1.8 fWAR.
To rewind the tape a bit further, however, he posted excellent numbers from 2014-15. Over this two-year period, he posted a 3.25 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP and was worth 4.1 fWAR over 45 games (40 starts) for the Milwaukee Brewers and Astros. He also threw a no-hitter for the Astros back in 2015 as well.
Fits the Tigers’ needs
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Admittedly, Fiers may not necessarily be what one would call an “innings eater.” His aforementioned no-hitter is the only complete game of his career, and he has never thrown more than 180.1 innings in a single season.
He has, however, shown the ability to hit the 30-start mark. He should be a guy that Detroit can count on every fifth day.
Considering the current needs of the rebuilding Tigers, Fiers should be a solid fit.
Fiers has indeed been hurt by the home run ball in recent years. Over the past two seasons, he has the third-worst HR/9 in baseball with a mark of 1.62. Moving to spacious Comerica Park, however, could help in this department.
Granted the sample size is small, he has posted a 1.50 ERA over two starts in his career at the Tigers’ home field. Given that the Detroit Tigers are not expected to contend next season, they might also have a pretty nice trade chip if Fiers is pitching well by the middle of next summer.
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Presumably, Fiers will fill out the last remaining spot of a starting rotation that should also consist of Michael Fulmer, Jordan Zimmermann, Daniel Norris and Matt Boyd. It will be interesting to see if he can get back to pitching the way he was only a few short years ago.