Detroit Tigers: 5 underdog players coming through in 2021

Gone are the days of Wilson Ramos, Austin Romine, and Bobby Wilson. The Detroit Tigers seem to have found their backstops for the future; both of whom were once losing hope from their respective organizations.

Jake Rogers

Rogers continually got overlooked in roster decisions by the Detroit Tigers; often opting for Grayson Greiner or other journeyman backups like the aforementioned Wilson or John Hicks. He got his shot in 2019, but some uncharacteristic defense in his 35 games caused another start in Toledo to begin 2021.

Fans were continually puzzled by the organization’s handling of Rogers, but a story by Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic ($) gave some clues as to why when AJ Hinch had a frank, honest discussion about Rogers’ strengths and weaknesses as a catcher this spring–mainly his glovework and moving target for pitchers behind the plate.

Fast forward to 2021 and Rogers gets the call to replace the then-injured Grayson Greiner in May. Despite his current forearm injury that landed him on the injured list, Rogers was able to amass a 1.4 bWAR for the Detroit Tigers in just 38 games; slashing .239/.306/.496 while continuing to post one of the best pop times in the league.

Eric Haase

Consider this my scouting apology: I missed on Eric Haase. The good news is that the Cleveland Indians/Guardians did, too, which allowed the Detroit Tigers to acquire him for cash considerations in January of 2020. To an extent, the Detroit Tigers also did by starting him in Toledo; nevertheless, he is proving his worth at the big-league level.

I got a handful of looks at Haase at the alternate site in Toledo, where his upright approach produced consistent hard contact against Cubs and Pirates pitching. I knew Haase had thump, so I didn’t think much of it and figured his contact issues throughout the minors may catch up to him.

Not as big of an issue as I thought; with a  .247/.299/.543 line and 18 home runs and 2.1 bWAR across 62 games between catcher and left field. This type of power has not been present in a Detroit Tigers lineup in some time; and with his legitimate versatility, it becomes much easier to get him and Rogers both in the same lineup (assuming health).

Speed kills, as they say, but it has helped the Detroit Tigers immensely in developing this aggressive, athletic brand of baseball they have been playing lately; and it comes thanks to a couple of outfielders who were once on the outside of MLB looking in.

Derek Hill

“He’ll never hit enough.”

“He’s always injured.”

“He strikes out way too much.”

All were mumbles from Detroit Tigers fans about Derek Hill, who has finally reached the major leagues after being selected as a first-round pick in the 2014 MLB Draft. But Hill has been a small-ball extraordinaire in 2021; taking extra bases, bunting for hits, stealing bases all among them.

He’s been slightly above replacement-level over his 25 games this year, but six steals and a rock-solid .377 OBP are ripe for the type of baseball the Detroit Tigers have been playing lately. It’s a continuation of what he was doing in Toledo, where he hit .320/.373/.508 for the Mud Hens over 33 games with 4 steals.

Site expert Rogelio Castillo also detailed Derek Hill’s surprising start here.

Swing-and-miss has been reduced significantly in Detroit, though, and remains something to watch as he tries to establish himself and vouch for a 2022 roster spot. Hill likely isn’t a starting centerfielder on a playoff contender, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be a regular contributor on one, either.

Akil Baddoo

We’ve been extensive and exhaustive about Akil Baddoo over at the site, but I cannot have an underdog/cast-off article and not mention Baddoo, who was left off the Minnesota Twins’ 40-man roster, which exposed him to the Rule 5 Draft, where the Detroit Tigers selected him first overall.

It’s a power/speed combo that scouts salivate about, with an eye at the plate that’s underrated for a 22-year-old. It’s a .264/.334/.468 line with 14 steals and a 1.7 bWAR. Not bad, considering many Detroit Tigers fans wanted the club to trade for him so he could begin the year in the minor leagues. Baddoo isn’t on a playoff team so he likely won’t get the same ROY consideration as a team like Houston (explain that logic), but he’s become another solid contributor from an unexpected avenue.

Kyle Funkhouser

The pitching for the Detroit Tigers has been something to marvel, especially considering the many injuries they have dealt with in the starting rotation. They have lost their two best starters and their next two, Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal, are on respective innings limits. That makes their bullpen all the more important to keep them into games. Enter Kyle Funkhouser, who is one of the latest products of the Fetter Effect.

I watched Kyle Funkhouser at the alternate training site get continually barreled up in Toledo; struggling to locate and showing inconsistent secondaries. Suddenly, Funkhouser finds himself in a leverage role with the club; a fastball in the upper-90’s and a wipeout slider that has played well across his 42.1 innings in 2021.

3.19 ERA, 3.85 FIP, and 132 ERA+ all suggest Funkhouser’s fortune thus far has not been a product of luck, either. His walk numbers are a smidge high at 4.0 per nine innings, but it’s actually greatly improved from his minor league days.

In 2019 across three levels, Funkhouser averaged 5.7 walks per nine innings and then posted the same walk rate in 2020 across his 13-game, 17-inning season last year too. Funkhouser, though, has been the bridge to the late innings; and with Michael Fulmer now back, this Funkhouser/Fulmer/Cisnero/Soto combination is becoming formidable in the second half of ballgames.