Detroit Tigers: Joe Jimenez showed promise in 2018

In an otherwise pretty rough season for the Detroit Tigers, reliever Joe Jimenez, despite a shaky second half, offered hope for the future.

In 2017, reliever Joe Jimenez made his major league debut for the Detroit Tigers. Jimenez had dominated in the minor leagues and many were excited for his arrival.

However, Jimenez’s first year in the majors was a struggle. Through 19 innings pitched in 2017, Jimenez posted a 12.32 ERA and a 2.11 WHIP.

This past season, Jimenez returned with a vengeance. He made the team after a strong spring training, posting a solid 3.00 ERA over nine Grapefruit League games. He carried that success into the regular season as well.

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In the first half, Jimenez posted a 2.72 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP over 43 frames. He was the Tigers’ lone representative in the 2018 All-Star game.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, Jimenez was unable to continue his success in the second half. Through 19.2 innings pitched, Jimenez posted a 7.78 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. He seemed to lose a bit of his command in the second half as well. His BB/9 ballooned to 4.58, compared to 2.51 in the first half.

Despite his post All-Star break struggles, Jimenez’s 2018 campaign was certainly a step in the right direction. At the end of the year, his ERA was a bit high at 4.31, but he had a very healthy 2.91 FIP.

Jimenez posted a 1.4 fWAR, which was by far and away the best mark by a Tigers reliever and the second-best mark on the entire pitching staff, trailing only starter Matthew Boyd (2.0). The hard-throwing Jimenez also established himself as a legitimate strikeout pitcher. His 11.20 K/9 ranked 16th out of 67 qualified relievers in the American League.

Going forward, Jimenez will obviously be a key part of the Tigers’ bullpen. He could still very easily be the closer of the future, perhaps even as soon as next season. Shane Greene struggled in the closer’s role in 2018, so it will be interesting to see whether or not he will be able to hold onto the job. Greene was also mentioned in trade rumors over the summer.

Perhaps Greene’s name could reappear on the trade block again this winter, even though the Tigers would be selling low on him at this point. The best course of action for the Tigers may be to retain Greene and give him a chance to recapture the impressive form he displayed in 2017, when he posted a 2.66 ERA and a 9.71 K/9 over 67.2 innings. If he can rebuild his value, the Tigers might have a better trade chip on their hands next summer.

With a resurgent Greene, Jimenez and others such as Alex Wilson, Blaine Hardy and Daniel Stumpf, the Tigers might finally have the makings of a pretty decent bullpen, though it almost certainly won’t be enough to turn them into contenders just yet. At the end of the day, Jimenez’s overall performance in 2018 was certainly a bright spot for the Detroit Tigers, even if it might have been watered down by a subpar second half.