Detroit Tigers: Tyler Holton has been effective since joining bullpen
Detroit Tigers have seen Tyler Holton be effective.
The Detroit Tigers have had some rough spots in their bullpen throughout the 2023 season. However, Tyler Holton has been one of the new faces who has been able to pitch effectively when he was called upon.
Holton was added to the Detroit Tigers after being designated for assignment (DFA) by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was added to the Tigers bullpen and has done an excellent job settling in and eventually joining the big league bullpen.
The left-handed pitcher is a former Florida State Seminoles pitcher with a well-decorated collegiate career. After that, he has been working toward pitching in the big leagues before finally making his debut in 2022.
However, Holton has jumped into the Tigers bullpen and been able to be an option that Hinch can call upon, a left-handed option at that. He's thrown just 16.1 innings across his big league career, but in 2023, he's been one of the more serviceable arms when the Tigers do call upon him.
Over his 7.1 innings pitched in 2023, Holton has punched out six opposing hitters, allowing just two hits, also avoiding any walks. Frankly, Holton has been one of the best arms in the bullpen, statistically, even with it being a smaller sample size.
The Tigers' bullpen is much different in 2023, and they continue to try and squeeze value out of the unlikely arms. It's been interesting to see players who have stepped up and others who have not quite been able to get things going on the mound.
As the season continues, Holton is going to try and continue earn his spot and maintain a role in the Tigers bullpen. Holton has a simple operation and pitch mix on the mound, dosing right-handers with a fastball and changeup mix.
He's a good pronator being able to kill spin down into the 1500s on the changeup where his fastball is up above the 2,000 RPM mark. He's been effective with his pitch mix, only really allowing a home run off a changeup and a single off of a fastball, according to Baseball Savant.
The Tigers have to be happy with what Holton has done for them. A simple operation, a physical lefty build with the pitchability to get through outings smoothly. The Tigers need players like Holton to step up to keep the bullpen afloat, and Holton's performance is only helping that.