Detroit Tigers: Jason Foley has truly established himself in 2023

Detroit Tigers pitcher Jason Foley has carved out a role.

For the Detroit Tigers, the 2023 season has been all over the map. One moment it feels like the team might lose 120 games; other times, it feels like they might actually contend in a horrible American League Central Division.

But one of the things the Detroit Tigers should be happy with is the emergence of a few of the bullpen arms that have stood out in 2023. One of those players is none other than Jason Foley, who arguably, has been the best arm in the Tigers' bullpen this season.

The 27-year-old right-handed reliever has done an exceptional job in 2023, getting it done for the Tigers when they need him and just finding ways to settle into a big-league bullpen and carve out a spot with the team.

Not only has Foley carved out a spot, but he's become one of the best relief arms the team has, arguably being the best. He's been steady and consistent, being the go-to guy when AJ Hinch needs him to come on and be efficient.

For Foley, the 2023 season has been great, pitching in 43 games for the Tigers, where he has accumulated 43.1 innings pitched. The right-hander has pitched to a 2.08 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP and has limited opponents to just nine walks, with 37 punchouts.

While the name of the game for Foley is not bat-missing, Foley misses barrels. He's not going to get a ton of whiffs, but that's okay because he will avoid the hard-hit contact and hold opposing hitters to weaker contact to roll up his outs and find success on the mound.

As of late, things are not looking so great for closer Alex Lange, who has been thrust into that role in 2023. While Foley has four saves, Lange has been the most consistent closer option in terms of situations. But, with Foley's success and Lange maybe needing a reset, it might be time to consider a change. Plus, at one point it seemed like Lange was destined to be traded.

Even if it's only for a short time, it would be nice to see how Foley can take his role as a high-leverage reliever and try his hand at closing. He's not the team's closer option for the long term, but it would be nice to see him try his hand at it for the Tigers.

Ultimately, the Tigers have seen Foley find his way in 2023, settling into the organization's bullpen and doing a bang-up job out of the 'pen whenever Hinch needs. Having a building block to work with as the team constructs its bullpen of the future only makes having Foley even more valuable.

Hopefully, he can continue to finish strong and stake out his claim as the high-leverage option for the Tigers moving forward, being more of a setup man for this team's bullpen.