AJ Hinch’s praise for Tyler Holton suggests Tigers won't fully abandon pitching chaos

The Detroit Tigers beefed up their bullpen with the addition of Kenley Jansen this offseason, but their first full-squad meeting on Sunday didn’t center on a closer. It centered on chaos.

Specifically, the controlled, weaponized version of chaos that manager A.J. Hinch has quietly perfected in Detroit — and the left-handed Swiss Army knife named Tyler Holton who makes it possible.

Hinch spotlighted Holton as the embodiment of buy-in. He thanked him publicly and reminded the room that he pitched Holton in the first, second, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th innings last year. He even joked about finding him a third inning.

Granted, Holton's varied usage was born out of desperate times over the past two seasons. But while the Tigers have since added stability to their pitching staff, they still haven't abandoned flexibility.

On paper, the Tigers' pitching staff has a much more clearly-defined structure this year than it did in the past. Detroit has a fortified rotation with Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez, a defined closer in Jansen and multiple 20-plus save arms in the bullpen.

That’s the kind of build that suggests predictability: starters go six, setup arms bridge the gap, closer shuts the door. But Hinch’s words about Holton reveal something else entirely. The Tigers aren't abandoning "pitching chaos." They're refining it — and Holton is the hinge.

Even after the Kenley Jansen signing, Tyler Holton remains the most dangerous piece of Detroit's bullpen

Managers crave optionality, and Hinch said Holton is the reason he can “do virtually anything in-game.” The lefty can be deployed as an early-inning fireman, a left-on-left specialist, a righty neutralizer, a multi-inning bridge, an emergency closer or an extra-inning stabilizer — all while occupying just one roster spot.

When Tigers fans hear “pitching chaos,” they might think bullpen games and instability. But what Hinch built the past two seasons was controlled unpredictability. Openers, reverse splits matchups., early hooks, leveraging pockets of the lineup instead of inning labels — Holton was the connective tissue that made it possible.

Adding veteran rotation anchors like Verlander and Valdez gives Detroit margin for error. It lowers the stress on the bullpen. It creates more traditional flow. But the Tigers are already eyeing October, and October doesn’t run on traditional flow. Holton closed out a playoff game, after all, and Hinch made sure everyone remembered that.

Hinch’s praise of Holton wasn’t sentimental. It was strategic messaging to a clubhouse now full of defined roles and veteran hierarchy: structure is great, but adaptability wins. As long as Holton is in that bullpen, the Tigers won’t fully leave pitching chaos behind. They won’t need to.