LAKELAND, Fla. — Action at the spring training backfields is but an appetizer for all that is to come. Do this a while, and you quickly learn all that unfolds while country music plays and pullover-clad staffers roam around rarely relates to all the ups and downs of a long season ahead.
Still, we can’t resist. Josue Briceno, the strong-framed prospect from the same hometown as Miguel Cabrera, homered on a center-cut Tarik Skubal slider Tuesday. “Waaay back,” Skubal said. It was encouraging — at least from a hitting perspective — to see Riley Greene go deep off Kyle Finnegan and watch Spencer Torkelson connect for a bomb against Kenley Jansen. Max Clark even ripped a couple of line-drives against non-roster invite Scott Effross.
These are the small moments that make us all wonder what could be ahead. This is February, and the possibilities are endless.
Here’s what I’m seeing through the first week of Tigers camp:
Justin Verlander, back in action
Nothing this spring captivates attention quite like Justin Verlander. The living legend is back, starting his days by again putting on gear featuring the Olde English D.
Verlander is a presence unto himself, but any fears about how he might mesh with his younger teammates might have been quelled Monday, when Verlander sat at a circular table, playing chess against 25-year-old Troy Melton.
With a gaggle of teammates gathered around, the two pitchers moved their pieces and traded comments. While waiting for Verlander to make a move, Melton filled in an answer on his USA Today crossword.
“Getting cocky,” someone said.
When Melton made a quick move, Verlander’s eyes grew wide. “It’s speeding up on me.”
The match was tight. Verlander won.
And about that presence? Rarely do you see a spring bullpen like the one Verlander threw Tuesday. With Dillon Dingler catching, Verlander was meticulous. He hollered to Dingler from 60 feet and 6 inches away. The new battery talked about Dingler’s target and Verlander’s sequencing. Verlander sought feedback, either from Dingler or the iPad a staffer held behind him, after nearly every pitch.
“It’s understanding what he wants and from his point of view,” Dingler said. “He does things a certain way. They’re not crazy things at all. Just little things here and there that help him with visuals, help him with shapes.”
Three times Verlander’s session stopped and he conferred with Dingler, pitching coach Chris Fetter and others, replicating the up-downs of a game. In all, Verlander said he threw the ball 70 times, including those he categorized as warmups. When he first stepped on the mound, at least 16 players and staffers gathered around to watch. Manager A.J. Hinch crouched, leaning back on a fence, far to the left of home plate.
By the time Verlander’s lengthy session finally ended, the crowd had dwindled as players got to their work. Even Hinch had other matters to attend to.
But the attention to detail that has helped make Verlander great shined through.
After the session, he walked into the team facility. It seems like every few steps another memory is hitting him this spring. This time it was seeing a picture of a retired Al Kaline celebrating with champagne after a Tigers clincher. Verlander was there when the picture was taken.
“It’s a lot of little things that are really nostalgic,” Verlander said.
Kevin McGonigle’s case
Is Kevin McGonigle going to get a real shot to make the Opening Day roster?
That might be the biggest question brewing so far in camp. Neither Hinch nor Scott Harris have done anything to shut the idea down, which might be telling in itself.
But team leadership is also cautious not to put any added pressure on McGonigle or any of the other prospects in camp this spring.
McGonigle has taken reps mostly at shortstop. On some days, he has worked with the major-league infield group, standing behind Javier Báez at shortstop. On at least one occasion, though, he was grouped with minor-leaguers for infield drills on another field.
“We want to get him comfortable,” Hinch said. “How do we get him comfortable? Rip the Band-Aid off and get him working with the players that he’s aspiring to be and the group that he’s aspiring to play with. He’ll go back and forth.”
Right now, everyone is searching for hints about what the Tigers really think about McGonigle’s chances of breaking camp. His actions at shortstop look smoother than they did a year ago at this time. Although he’s still finding his timing against live pitching, his short levers and lighting-quick hands stand out in batting practice.
So is McGonigle’s case legit?
Stay tuned.
“I’m gonna do whatever I can to maybe force their hand and put me out there,” McGonigle said, “but if that’s not the case this year, I’ll be right where my feet are.”
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Detroit Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle, right, practices next to shortstop Javier Báez during spring training at TigerTown. (Junfu Han / USA Today Network)
Spring swings
It’s a rite of passage this time of year. Players show up to camp with their swings altered. Some are looking to rebound from down years. Some are hoping to save their careers. Others are merely fine-tuning something small in search of perfection.
Several Tigers have checked those sort of boxes so far.
Parker Meadows, the talented outfielder who hit only .215 in 58 games last year, is holding his hands lower and closer to his body. The hand position is actually a cue to force him to raise his hands and get his bat on an ideal plane. But the swing overall looks shorter and tighter, perhaps a response to Meadows’ tendency to whiff on elevated fastballs.
Jace Jung, the first-round pick who has struggled in his brief tastes of the big leagues, is continuing adjustments he made in Triple A a year ago. He no longer holds his bat at an extreme, flat angle. His hand placement is closer to his body, trying to prevent his elbow from wrapping around his back. His stride is smaller and smoother, resembling what he did in college. Jung hit only .080 against fastballs in the majors and had a 32.6 percent whiff rate against pitches thrown at 93 mph or greater in Triple A.
Trey Sweeney, the shortstop who appeared in 118 MLB games last season but appears on the outside looking in this spring, has a similar, simpler setup. Even Zach McKinstry, coming off an All-Star season, has adopted a low toe-tap to help smooth out his load.
A player to remember: Matt Vierling
It’s easy to forget how good Matt Vierling was for the Tigers in 2024. He hit 16 home runs. He was worth 2.3 fWAR. Around this time a year ago, a shoulder strain derailed his season. He played only 31 big-league games. This spring, Vierling is back in the fold, focusing on the outfield but also likely to play third and first base before camp is over.
After missing so much time, he’s looking forward to the grind.
“I couldn’t be happier to feel the aches and pains of spring training,” Vierling said. “I’m laying in bed, my legs are aching. I’m like, ‘That’s awesome.’”
A player to watch: Trei Cruz
A third-round pick in 2020, Cruz had a slow ascent through the system. But last season, he hit .279 with a .411 on-base percentage across Double A and Triple A. Now, the 27-year-old enters camp knocking on the door and seeking to become a third-generation MLB player.
Once at risk of being passed over, he’s a switch-hitter who can play center field and shortstop. His skills might just prove useful.
“He literally could be the answer for anything if he’s the right guy,” Hinch said, “because the fact he can fill in anywhere.”
A funny story
Not long after 24-year-old left-hander Jake Miller got settled in the clubhouse, he learned his locker was getting moved. The Tigers had signed Austin Slater and needed to give him a locker. There was an open spot between Casey Mize and Jack Flaherty. The Tigers moved Miller over by his fellow pitchers.
Miller now shares a wall with the members of the Tigers’ major-league rotation. There is Mize and Flaherty. There is also Framber Valdez, Verlander and Skubal over to the left.
“I thought I was getting pranked at first,” Miller said.
He was added to the 40-man roster this winter despite recovering from a labral repair surgery on both hips. He’s a talented arm who could one day throw in the big leagues. For now, though, he’s keeping his head down, looking for spots to seek guidance from his more experienced lockermates but also not overdoing it. Miller called his father to tell him who he is lockering by. He’s enjoying what could be an intimidating experience.
Skubal said it’s on the veterans to make Miller feel welcome. The Tigers’ ace brought Miller a water one morning, only to see Miller already had a water.
Miller also made a joke.
“I wish my (bank) account looked like theirs,” he said.