Detroit Tigers: Bounce-back 2018 from Matthew Boyd would go long ways in helping rebuild

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Matthew Boyd nearly threw a no-hitter on Sunday afternoon against the White Sox. If he can rebound in 2018, it will go a long ways to helping Detroit’s rebuild.

Detroit Tigers fans almost saw the team’s first no-hitter from a left-handed pitcher on Sunday as Matthew Boyd fired off perhaps the best start of his career.

The southpaw entered the ninth inning with just one walk allowed.

He retired the first two batters before White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson smacked a double to right-center field.

Boyd recovered to get the last out and preserve the complete-game shutout.

From a pitching standpoint, it hasn’t been the smoothest year for the ex-Toronto farmhand.

After pitching to a 4.38 SIERA and 7.58 strike outs per nine innings in 97.1 frames last season, Boyd has turned in a 4.99 SIERA to go along with 5.75 ERA, a 5.02 xFIP and a 4.62 FIP over the course of 114.1 innings entering Sunday.

He’s also failed to reach the five-inning mark in eight of his previous 22 starts.

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That being said, Sunday gave everyone a glimpse of how effective Boyd can be.

Working inside a good deal, the Washington-native kept Chicago’s lineup off balance all game long. A lineup, it should be noted, that had racked up 42 hits and 27 runs combined in White Sox wins.

A more consistently effective Boyd in 2018 will go a long ways towards helping the Tigers’ rebuilding efforts.

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Current rotation

Much of the team’s struggles as of late have been due to a rotation that has cumulatively turned in a 2.00 WHIP and a 0.7 WAR in September.

The WHIP ranks last in the Majors during that time period, while the WAR stat checks in at 24^th among rotations this month.

This has largely been due to the losses of Justin Verlander (trade) and Michael Fulmer (injury).

With the duo no longer starting, the likes of Buck Farmer, Chad Bell, Myles Jaye and Artie Lewicki have been forced into rotation work.

While giving the younger starters an extended look down the stretch isn’t the worst thing in terms of the future, it’s going to set the Tigers’ rebuild back significantly if the team’s rotation spends 2018 leading the league in WHIP and hemorrhaging runs in the process.

If Boyd can pitch at a higher level in 2018, it will help Detroit significantly.

Being able to slot the left-hander in next to Fulmer at the top of the rotation would be a step in the right direction.

Add in a mid-rotation starter signed on a one-year deal (Marco Estrada and Jaime Garcia both make sense) and all of a sudden, the Tigers have a base to build some rotation stability from.

Tack on rebound campaigns from Daniel Norris and Jordan Zimmermann—not to mention the Major League debuts from Franklin Perez and Grayson Long at some point— and Detroit’s rotation looks a whole lot more promising moving forward.

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That’s all easier said than done obviously, but a resurgent Matthew Boyd in 2018 will go a long ways in advancing the Detroit Tigers’ rebuild.