Detroit Tigers: 3 under-the-radar players who will help most in 2024

Jason Foley

Technically, Jason Foley had his breakout season in 2023. He had a 2.61 ERA, a 2.73 FIP and a 1.96 walk rate in 69 IP. His 57.1 groundball rate was 14th in the league, and his 1.5 fWAR was tied for 13th among relief pitchers.

But the one thing that he struggled with was getting left-handed hitters out. Lefties have hit .306 with an .813 OPS against him in his career. Thanks to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, we know he has a plan to fix that. He mentioned on the "Days of Roar" podcast last week that he's added a four-seam fastball to his pitch mix. Last season, he added a changeup, and it had mixed results. Now he's re-adding the four-seamer to his repetoire.

He already has that 98 mph bowling ball sinker. He's going to consistently get groundballs. If he gets lefties out at a more consistent rate, we're talking about one of the best relievers in baseball — maybe even the Tigers' new closer.

Foley could very well have an ever better year than he had in 2023, and cement himself as one of the best relievers in baseball in the process.