Detroit Tigers: Drew VerHagen Will Be a Starting Pitcher in Spring Training

Detroit Tigers pitchers and catchers have reported for Spring Training. With the regular season on the horizon, news is already starting to come out of Tigers camp.

Detroit Tigers fans saw a much-improved rotation in 2016.

Despite 48 starts from Anibal Sanchez and Mike Pelfrey, the unit took a significant step forward.

Justin Verlander turned in a Cy Young-worthy season, while Michael Fulmer established himself as an ace with a Rookie of the Year-winning campaign.

Elsewhere, both Matt Boyd and Daniel Norris showed extreme promise in 31 combined starts.

There’s definite promise heading into next season with a rotation headlined by Verlander and Fulmer.

With Boyd, Norris and a healthy Jordan Zimmermann, Detroit’s rotation could be one of the league’s best in 2017.

However, injuries and ineffectiveness always tend to occur in a baseball season.

What’s more, the Tigers could conceivably limit the pitch and innings counts of Fulmer, Boyd and Norris.

Because of these factors, depth is necessary.

Sanchez and Pelfrey represent the two most obvious depth pieces, while prospects Myles Jaye and Chad Bell could also start a game or two if needed.

Now, it seems as though there will be another name in the mix.

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MLB.com’s Jason Beck tweeted on Tuesday morning, “Drew VerHagen will work as a starter in Tigers camp, Brad Ausmus said. Was reliever last year, but said he feels more comfortable starting.”

VerHagen was limited to 19 games last season. In those 19 appearances, the former fourth-round pick pitched 19 innings while posting a 7.11 ERA.

Overall, his FIP finished at 5.41 as the pitcher totaled 10 strikeouts and seven walks.

For his Major League career, VerHagen owns a 4.29 ERA in 50.1 frames of work since the start of the 2014 campaign.

The 2015 season remains the right-hander’s best, as he logged a 2.05 ERA in 26.1 innings out of the bullpen.

While VerHagen has just one Major League start under his belt, he has previously started 48 games in the minors.

His last season as a full-time starter came with Triple-A Toledo in 2014.

During that campaign, the 26-year-old pitched to a 3.68 ERA in 19 starts spanning 110 frames.

VerHagen also notched a 2.90 ERA as a starter in 2013, spending the campaign with Advanced-A Lakeland and Double-A Erie.

Added Depth

With so many bullpen options this season, Detroit has the flexibility to try VerHagen out as a starting pitcher.

Next: Why the Tigers Will Make a Deep Playoff Run in 2017

If he can post numbers similar to the ones he turned in with Toledo, the Tigers could be looking at a quality depth piece.