Detroit Tigers: Can Matt Manning settle into the back of the rotation?

Detroit Tigers hoping for growth from Matt Manning in 2023.

While the Detroit Tigers did not have the off-season that some were hoping for, they can expect that the rotation can stay healthy in 2023. After 2022, it's not hard to show improvement, with the Tigers nearly being able to field a 26-man roster of players who were used as starting pitchers due to the injuries that mounted by the end of the season.

The Detroit Tigers gave Matt Manning his second crack at being in the rotation in 2022, and he started to show that he's a big leaguer; the thing is, he may not be the frontline arm he was advertised as back in the day.

He may not have been the top arm like Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal, but he thought he would be a top-tier starter; the reality is he can anchor the back end of the rotation and be a consistent starter churning out outings. That is the hope, at least.

Speaking on projectability, after seeing two seasons of Manning starts, it seems like he is starting to figure things out. Keeping him as a no.4 starter and letting him acclimate to the big leagues could work out well in the long run. Being a back-end starter and solidifying his role in the rotation would be a huge step forward in 2023.

The Tigers have to hope that Manning can find his way in 2023. He's coming off the 2022 season, where he made 12 starts. Manning logged 63.0 innings pitched, where he managed a 3.43 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP while punching out 48 opposing hitters.

Manning missed time with bicep tendinitis but recovered in August and finished the rest of the 2022 season. He had some solid starts, too, going out and getting the job done. On top of that, he was making improvements that showed throughout his 2022 outings.

If he's able to build off that in 20223, he could be a consistent arm in the rotation. Even in his third season with the Tigers, Manning should be hoping to stay healthy and get a better opportunity.

He's only thrown a career-high 85.1 innings pitched in a season, so he's still got to prove he can hold up over a whole season. The 2023 season is his chance to do so; hopefully, he can come out strong and help in the back end of the team's rotation.