With Michael Fulmer on the disabled list and Mike Fiers now in Oakland, is it fair to say that Matthew Boyd is the ace of the Detroit Tigers staff right now?
With roughly a month and a half to go in the 2018 MLB season, the Detroit Tigers find themselves sitting in third place in the AL Central. While it hasn’t been a great season, the Tigers have played fairly respectable for a rebuilding club. There have also been a few positive signs for the future, such as the emergence of Matthew Boyd.
The now 27-year-old Boyd, who the Tigers acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays in the David Price trade back in the summer of 2015, posted rather pedestrian numbers in his first couple years with the Tigers. However, the lights seemed to come on for Boyd last September, when he posted a 2.95 ERA over his final six starts of the season.
Early on this season, Boyd seemed to pick up right where he left off, going 4-4 with a 3.23 ERA through his first 13 starts of the season. At one point, he was also mentioned as a potential trade candidate, with Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports mentioning his hometown Seattle Mariners as a potential suitor.
Boyd later went through a bit of a rough stretch, posting a 9.78 ERA in his last five starts prior to the All-Star break. He seems to be back on the track in the second half, however, going 3-3 with a total of 2.95 ERA over six starts.
On the season, he is now 7-11 with a 4.27 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. While his overall numbers aren’t great, per se, it is fair to wonder if Boyd is the Tigers’ most reliable starter at this point.
To be fair, the Tigers’ have other starters who have delivered performances worth noting as well. Earlier in the season, there was a time when Mike Fiers was quite arguably the most dependable arm in Detroit’s rotation. Fiers went 7-6 with a 3.48 ERA through 21 starts with the Tigers, but was traded to the Oakland Athletics in early August.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
Jordan Zimmermann has also been pitching a bit better than he did his first season in Detroit. Blaine Hardy, who has also spent time in the bullpen, has done a very nice job in 13 starts with the Tigers this season. Francisco Liriano also had a nice start to the year, but has struggled since returning from an injury.
Going into the season, many expected Michael Fulmer to assume the role of ace of the staff. However, Fulmer, who had elbow surgery over the offseason, struggled to the tune of a 3-9 record with a 4.50 ERA prior to being placed on the disabled list with an oblique strain in July. He is currently rehabbing in the minor leagues.
One could certainly make the case that Boyd has been the Tigers’ most consistent starter, dating back to the beginning of the season. If he can continue pitching the way he has thus far in the second half, that would only bolster his case.
Of course, if Fulmer returns to form next season, he will likely be the Detroit Tigers No. 1, assuming he isn’t traded. But it certainly appears that the Tigers’ have a very solid middle-of-the-rotation arm in Boyd, perhaps even a No. 2.