Detroit Tigers reliever Tyler Holton has been a pleasant surprise

Detroit Tigers made a good choice bringing in Tyler Holton.

The Detroit Tigers made some last-minute moves ahead of the 2023 season, bringing in a couple of players. One of those players was left-handed reliever Tyler Holton, who has since settled in quite nicely in Detroit's bullpen.

Holton has been one of those arms that the Detroit Tigers have been able to call upon and use as needed, wherever. He's been a great piece of the puzzle, coming in and getting his job done while wearing a Tigers uniform.

Holton, the former Florida State Seminoles standout, has bounced around a bit trying to find a home in the big leagues, but he has settled into the Tigers bullpen in 2023. He's been called on a good bit and made the most of his opportunities.

In 2023, Holton has been called upon 32 times, including a start and six games finished, totaling 50.2 innings pitched. He's allowed 34 hits, walked 15, and struck out 44 opposing hitters. Holton has pitched to a 1.78 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP for the Tigers this season.

He's refined his pitch mix a bit and added a slider, which seemingly plays really well off his cutter, which has been a part of his repertoire during his big league tenures. He's gotten away from the curveball a bit but relies on a larger repertoire that he's made tweaks to this season.

The slider has seemingly been a welcome addition, blending well between his four-seam fastball and cutter, allowing him to tunnel well and fool hitters out of the hand, forcing even more limited time to make swing decisions.

The Tigers have done an excellent job with Holton; the results speak for themselves. As he's been one of the better relievers in the bullpen, even if he's not the high-leverage situation guy. He's been reliable when the Tigers have called on him, which is the important part.

If Holton can continue to find success navigating the opposition, he could very well find himself a home here in Detroit as a serviceable relief arm that is costly. Holton has really done well improving his repertoire and using his fastball to attack hitters, improving things overall.

For the Tigers moving forward, being able to rely on arms like Holton is only going to help them build a solid bullpen top to bottom. While some folks are skeptical of some of Scott Harris's moves, this one might be an underrated victory for the Tigers if Holton can continue to get the job done on the mound to close out the remainder of the 2023 season.