Although he hasn’t exactly provided an ace-like impact, veteran Mike Fiers has been doing rather respectable work in the Detroit Tigers’ rotation in 2018.
Over the offseason, Detroit Tigers GM AL Avila made it clear that the team would be looking for “bargains” on the free agent market. One player who fits that criteria is Mike Fiers, who agreed to a one-year, $6 million deal with Detroit last December.
At the time of the signing, Fiers was coming off of a couple of down years. From 2016-17, he posted a 4.84 ERA over 60 games (58 starts) with the Houston Astros. However, it made sense for the rebuilding Tigers to take a chance on him and see if he could get back to the form he displayed earlier on in his career. In coming to Detroit, Fiers was also reunited with pitching coach Chris Bosio, who he once worked with as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers organization.
This spring, it was looking like the Detroit Tigers might have made a mistake in signing Fiers. While spring training numbers are usually taken with a grain of salt, Fiers’ performance in the Grapefruit League was quite unsettling. Through four starts, he posted a 9.53 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP. He began the 2018 season on the DL with a back issue.
Decent so far in 2018
Since coming off of the DL, Fiers has been doing a pretty nice job in the Tigers’ starting rotation. Admittedly, however, his numbers aren’t great. He is currently 3-2 with a 4.73 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP through his first six starts.
However, his ERA is inflated by a couple of bad starts. He has had two outings in which he has surrendered five earned runs this season. In his other four starts, he has an ERA of 2.78. He has had very good control and currently has a BB/9 of just 1.39.
One part of Fiers’ game that might be a bit of a concern right now is his low strikeout numbers. He currently has a K/9 of only 5.85. Although he isn’t exactly a flame-thrower, he was averaging over a strikeout per inning when he was at his best from 2014-15. The Tigers will undoubtedly take outs any way that Fiers can get them, but he should probably be racking up a few more Ks.
Stepping up at the right time
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Recently, the Tigers have been dealt quite a few injuries. In the starting rotation, Daniel Norris underwent groin surgery and has now been moved to the 60-day DL.
This week, Jordan Zimmermann was placed on the 10-day DL with a right shoulder impingement. Although Zimmermann has struggled throughout much of his time in Detroit, he had been pitching well as of late.
The Tigers are currently getting strong performances by ace Michael Fulmer, Francisco Liriano, and Matthew Boyd, but Fiers is showing that he can help pick up some of the slack as well.
Going into the 2018 season, little was expected of the Tigers. With the recent string of injuries to key players, it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see them lose a bit more ground in the standings. Although it is still only early May, speculation has already begun that the Tigers could continue their trend of being sellers this summer. Fulmer’s name is already popping up in trade scenarios once again.
Next: Phillies: Expected improvements
However, although the Detroit Tigers are still five games under the .500 mark, they are still only two games out of first place. It would even take a miracle or two for the Detroit Tigers to make a serious run, but it will be interesting to see if guys like Fiers can keep them hanging around in the race — at least for a while.