Detroit Tigers: Who takes over as sixth starter?

The Detroit Tigers need to replace Daniel Norris in the versatile ‘swing-man’ role. For now, Chad Bell will fill that spot. But is he the long-term solution?

Many Detroit Tigers fans are relieved to see Daniel Norris getting treated for his lingering groin injury. He has not looked like himself this year, and hopefully some time on the shelf can help him find that 95 mile per hour fastball he previously sported.

But for now, it leaves a hole in the Tigers bullpen. Specifically, a hole for a player who is capable of throwing multiple innings out of the bullpen, and even spot-starting when necessary.

The role is often called the swing-man or long reliever, and Norris has held that job all season. The Tigers recalled left-hander Chad Bell to replace Norris on the roster. Bell has made two starts at Triple-A Toledo, as well as two appearances out of the bullpen for the Tigers earlier in the season.

However, the Tigers have plenty of options outside of Bell who could fill this role. The options include calling up a prospect and giving them a chance to strut their stuff in the show, bringing up a veteran who has big league experience, or pick from a handful of AAAA guys who have made many trips between Triple-A Toledo and the Motor City.

We polled our twitter followers and asked who they would like to see in this role while Norris is out. Here were the results:

Here is a look at the internal options the Tigers have to replace Norris, starting with the guy getting the first crack at the job, Chad Bell.

Ryan Carpenter

The Tigers signed Ryan Carpenter to a minor league deal this offseason and gave him a chance to compete for a spot in the starting rotation. He had an excellent spring, but was relegated to Triple-A Toledo after the Tigers added veteran’s Francisco Liriano and Mike Fiers to round out the rotation.

The Tigers recalled Carpenter just three days into the season, when a rain out forced a doubleheader. Carpenter lasted just three innings, giving up three runs, including two home runs, while striking out three.

Carpenter has fared better at Toledo even though his results haven’t been great. He has a 5.40 ERA, although his 3.94 FIP and 4.32 xFIP indicate he’s suffered from some bad luck. He has a 7.31 K/9 and a 2.54 BB/9, good but not great numbers.

The main issue with having Carpenter in this role is his lack of experience coming out of the bullpen. Carpenter would make an adequate spot-starter, likely better than Bell, but the primary role of the long man is to come into the game when the starter has to come out early.

There’s no indication that Carpenter would excel in that role. That’s not to say he couldn’t do it, but the Tigers will likely want to find someone who has experience coming out of the pen.

Factoring in Carpenter’s sub par start to the year, and he’s not likely to see the big leagues over Detroit’s other options.

Artie Lewicki

Lewicki checks all the boxes Detroit is looking for in a swing-man: big league experience, experience as a starter and out of the bullpen.

Lewicki was an eighth round pick by the Tigers back in 2014. He ascended quickly through the minor leagues and made his big league debut in 2017 after five excellent starts at Triple-A. In 10.1 innings with the Tigers, Lewicki struck out six and walked four. He gave up 19 hits and seven earned runs however, good for a 6.10 ERA. That earned him a spot in Triple-A to begin 2018, where he hasn’t looked good.

However, like Carpenter, Lewicki has faced some bad luck down in Toledo. He’s made four starts so far this season and sports an ugly 6.86 ERA despite a 3.64 FIP.

He did throw one disastrous big league inning earlier in the year, giving up two runs on four hits and one walk.

Overall, Lewicki is probably not sitting atop Detroit’s wish list when looking for a spot-starter. His stuff hasn’t played well at the big league level, and he has really struggled to locate his pitches. Until he regains some of that magic that made him so good at Triple-A in 2017, don’t expect to see him up in the Motor City anytime soon.

Other Options

The Tigers have plenty of guys sitting at Triple-A Toledo. While Bell, Carpenter and Lewicki all seem likely to get chances at the big league level, any of these guys could take the swing-man role and run with it as well.

Victor Alcantara

Alcantara has some big league experience, having tossed 7.1 not-so-great innings for the Tigers last year. He’s not on the 40-man roster and has no starting experience, so I wouldn’t expect him to take over this role in particular.

Louis Coleman

Coleman is a veteran with a ton of experience, having tossed 225.1 big league innings. Like Alcantara, he has no starting experience and isn’t on the 40-man roster. Don’t be too surprised to see Coleman at some point this season, but not as a swing-man.

Blaine Hardy

Hardy has never started a game in the big leagues, but he has been starting down at Triple-A. He has a 0.74 ERA in Toledo this year, so his name may be next on the docket if Bell doesn’t succeed and gets sent back down. Hardy had an ugly 5.94 ERA with the Tigers last year however, so his leash will be pretty short.

Mark Montgomery

Montgomery has a 11.5 K/9 across 357.1 minor league innings, so he’s definitely earned an extended look. He also has a 1.93 ERA at Toledo this year, so no doubt he’s on the Tigers mind. However, his lack of experience as a starter will keep him out of a long reliever role.

Zac Reininger

Reininger is in the same position as Alcantara: a tiny bit of big league experience, no experience as a starter, and not on the 40-man. He is unlikely to see the 25-man roster this year, barring a handful of injuries.

Drew VerHagen

Hello old friend. Obviously VerHagen would need to added back to the 40-man roster, but he does have starting and bullpen experience. It’s possible the Tigers bring him back up in a less pressure role and see if he can excel.

Next: Blaine Hardy Deserves Another Chance

The Tigers have plenty of options to fill their swing-man role. For now, Bell will get a shot at it. Don’t be surprised to see a variety of different relievers get their shot in the Motor City this season.