3 awful spring training performances Tigers fans are overreacting to in 2025

The Tigers have just a few days of spring training left before they head to Los Angeles to open their season against the Dodgers. While a lot is still up in the air — they're without a clear-cut third baseman and lost three center fielders in quick succession — a couple of questions have also clarified themselves. Casey Mize, who hasn't allowed a run through 11 1/3 innings, looks like a lock to make the rotation again, and even Spencer Torkelson seems to be shaping up nicely.

There are a few slumping Tigers whose performances have left something to be desired, but even though they may not have been easy to watch, fans may be overreacting a little bit about how they'll impact the team in 2025.

3 awful spring training performances Tigers fans are overreacting to before start of 2025

Jackson Jobe

Jobe has given up four home runs in spring training through four appearances, which is definitely a few too many for comfort. His ERA in 12 1/3 innings isn't terrible (3.65), but it isn't exactly what the Tigers or fans want to see from the No. 1 pitching prospect in baseball (if you don't count Roki Sasaki) and the likeliest candidate to make the Opening Day roster as the Tigers' No. 4 or 5 starter.

Still, Jobe barely spent any time in Triple-A before being called up to the majors last year and is still working out the kinks. He's looked dialed in during live batting practices, with his fastball sitting at 98 MPH while impressing coaches with "pinpoint command." Again, the long balls haven't been fun to watch, but Jobe's given every reason to believe he'll figure it out.

Josue Briceño

The Tigers' No. 6 prospect and the Arizona Fall League's first ever Triple Crown winner, there were big expectations for Briceño in spring training. Although he wasn't technically a non-roster invitee, he has appeared in six spring training games so far alongside fellow top prospects Max Clark and Kevin McGonigle; they were all brought to major league camp on March 7.

Briceño's been hitless through six appearances with just one walk, yielding a rough line of .000/.125/.000. However, he's still at least two years away from the majors, having played just 40 games in Single-A last year, so it's a little too soon to overreact to just seven spring training games, no matter how tough the at-bats have been to watch.

Jake Rogers

Rogers has struggled through 11 spring training games so far, collecting just three hits, one walk, and zero RBI in the month of March and bringing his spring average down to .148 with a .438 OPS. The Tigers confirmed that he would be co-catching with Dillon Dingler pretty early into spring training, but Dingler's been far more productive at the plate in camp.

It'd be ideal for the Tigers to get offensive production from both of their catchers and to see Rogers get back to that 20+ homer kind of power he flashed a few years ago, but his value mostly comes from his performance behind the plate, and he'll be a valuable asset to getting Dingler more settled in for 2025.