Detroit Tigers Veteran Pitcher Looks Reinvigorated by New Offseason Program
Heading into the offseason, the No. 1 priority for the Detroit Tigers was to fix their starting pitching depth.
The team went through the final two months of the 2024 campaign without reliable starters outside of American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal and rookie Keider Montero.
Manager A.J. Hinch was forced to make major changes to the staff because of injuries and ineffectiveness by some of their veterans.
One of the players who struggled mightily was veteran Kenta Maeda.
He signed a two-year, $24 million deal in November 2023 to help stabilize the team’s rotation. But, his first season with the franchise was a disaster.
He was a starter through his first 16 appearances and his numbers were not good with a 7.26 ERA. July 9 was the last time he took the mound as a starter before being moved into the bullpen.
He performed at a much higher level as a reliever, producing a solid 3.86 ERA across 42 innings with a 1.071 WHIP.
His last appearance of the regular season was as a starter and he was shelled again, this time by the Chicago White Sox, to the tune of five earned runs over 4.2 innings.
Based off of that underwhelming performance, it was anyone’s guess how the team would use him heading into Year 2 of that deal.
He has been a factor in the race for a starting rotation spot, performing at a high level throughout the spring and making a great impression of people within the organization.
“Kenta dedicated himself to a new offseason program focused on improving his arm strength, movement quality and execution. That work has paid dividends early this spring. His power and stuff is up and he has an opportunity to be an important contributor for us,” said general manager Jeff Greenberg, via Jim Bowden of The Athletic (paid subscription required).
The veteran’s performance in Grapefruit League games has been encouraging, drawing positive reviews from everyone at camp for the hard work he put in over the winter.
“He spent the offseason working mostly on arm strength as he’s committed to continuing his career and trying to help the Tigers in any role they see fit,” wrote Bowden, a former MLB executive.
Maeda has struggled with the long ball again this spring, giving up four in only 12.2 innings of work. But what has been truly encouraging is that the work he put in on his arm strength this offseason has paid off handsomely.
He has struck out 19 out of the 52 batters he has faced and has issued only one walk, showcasing his normal pinpoint control and accuracy.
Whatever role Detroit has for Maeda, he looks poised to excel at it and make up for a disastrous first year with the franchise.
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Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.