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When the Detroit Tigers fell out of the race last season, a few young players were given a perfect chance to audition for 2016. One player who really took advantage of his opportunities was Drew VerHagen.
Although VerHagen was previously a starter in the minor leagues, and also made one spot start for the Tigers back in 2014 for that matter, it appears that his true calling may be as a reliever. Through 26.1 innings out of Detroit’s bullpen last season, VerHagen went 2-0 with a 2.05 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. The right-hander also had a 74.7 percent ground-ball rate.
VerHagen did, however, outperform his peripherals by a fairly large margin as his FIP, xFIP and SIERA checked in at 4.35, 4.25 and 4.00, respectively. His 4.78 BB/9 was also higher than one would like. Nevertheless, he still made quite an impression.
Plus, although he only struck batters out at a rate of 4.44 K/9 last season, VerHagen has good stuff and he has also shown an ability to throw quite hard out of the bullpen. According to Fangraphs’ PITCHf/x data, VerHagen’s average four-seam fastball registered at 93.2 mph and its top speed got all the way up to 96.1 mph in 2015.
Given his past experience as a starter, VerHagen could provide a tremendous long-relief option for the Tigers. Detroit has another reliever in Alex Wilson who showed an ability to go multiple innings last season, and VerHagen could be a similar-type pitcher.
Going into spring training, the Tigers now have the foundation for a great bullpen with Blaine Hardy, (Alex) Wilson, Justin Wilson, Mark Lowe and Francisco Rodriguez, but that still leaves two spots open for competition in a seven-man bullpen. VerHagen should have a terrific chance to grab one of those spots.
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