3 prospects likely to debut with the Detroit Tigers in 2023

SP Reese Olson

There are other position players that could be called up this season, but I wanted to include a pitcher this time around. We'll go with Reese Olson, who may end up being Al Avila's best trade acquistion.

He has fantastic stuff. His slider and changeup are lights out. He as a solid fastball as well. The main thing with him is his command. He struggles to command his fastball, which has really hurt him at times.

He was on the verge of a promotion to Triple-A when June came around, and the fastball command started leaving him a bit. As a result, the walks went up, and the outings became shorter.

Because of this, some people, myself included, have specuated that a move to the bullpen may be in his future. The fastball command wouldn't be as big of an issue, and it could potentially play up out of the 'pen.

He struck out 12.64 batters per nine last year, so again, the stuff is going to play no matter what role he ends up playing. The Tigers are going to give him every opportunity to stick as a starter, and they should. A starter is more valuable than a releiver at the end of the day. But if they decided to move him to the bullpen, he could be a lights out reliever.

In fact, if he does indeed make his big league debut this year, it will probably be as a reliever. If the Tigers need an extra arm out of the bullpen, whether it be for a doubleheader or for an injury, he'll probably be one of the first names they call. He'll still be a starter in the minors, and that's likely still be the long term plan for him, but debuting as an extra arm seems like the most likely possibility.