The future of MLB wears 30 in black and yellow
The MLB season unofficially began last week as the Dodgers and Cubs played a two-game series in Tokyo, but the year begins in earnest as Opening Day is Thursday and XX Tigers made teams’ rosters.
It’s a nice mix of established veterans, young future stars, and hopefully a few more Tigers will get the call up to The Show at some point this summer. Let’s go across the league and talk about who all’s playing where.
American League
If you missed it, Alex Bregman is going to be seeing a lot more of Kevin Gausman this season. Bregman signed a three-year $120 million deal with the Boston Red Sox in February, while Gausman is, once again, part of the Toronto Blue Jays starting rotation; and while Bregman never played with former Tiger DJ LeMahieu, the two will cross paths a lot as LeMahieu is entering his 15th (!!!) season in the Big Leagues and seventh with the New York Yankees.
Speaking of the Yankees, we’re going to keep an eye out on former Tiger Eric Reyzelman getting called up to New York sooner rather than later. Injuries slowed Reyzelman before coming to LSU and since leaving Baton Rouge, but he now that he’s healthy he made the most of this past season in the minors and his opportunity with the club in Spring Training.
Now that Bregman is in Boston, Josh Smith is the only former Tiger in the state of Texas as Smith enters year four with the Rangers. Texas didn’t have the most gracious defense of their 2023 World Series championship, but Smith won his first ever Silver Slugger Award at the utility position.
Alex Lange is going to open 2025 on the IL because of a back issue that ended his 2024 season. Lange tore a lat muscle and had surgery last June. The earliest he could pitch for the Detroit Tigers is the end of May, and if he’s good to go he’ll try to reclaim his closer role that he had in 2023.
Other Minor Leaguers to watch for: Tre’ Morgan (Tampa Bay), Paul Gervase (Tampa Bay), Grant Taylor (Chicago), Riley Cooper (Balitmore), and Tommy White (A’s)
National League
Paul Skenes has been crushing life lately. In 2023 he was the ace of the staff on a national championship winning team; he was the College World Series most outstanding player and was picked 1.1 not long after that. In 2024 soared through Minor League baseball, made his MLB debut in May, and was not only an All-Star, but started the Midsummer Classic, and all of that culminated in a Rookie of the Year award, and being a finalist for the NL Cy Young. Now heading into 2025 will be making the Opening Day start for the Pittsburgh Pirates and is one of the favorites to win this year’s Cy Young. If you don’t have MLB.TV, get it so you can watch him dominate MLB hitters.
Skenes’ former teammate, Dylan Crews, also rose up the MiLB ranks rather quickly and the former No. 2 overall pick earned his way onto Washington’s starting lineup. Crews hit .218 in 31 games after getting the call up late last season and looks to be a core piece of the Nationals’ future.
Time really does fly by as former LSU ace Aaron Nola enters his 11th season with the Philadelphia Phillies. Nola won 14 games last season, the most he’s had since 2017 when he went 17-6 and made his first All-Star team, and will be either third or fourth in Philly’s starting rotation this season.
Jake Fraley had maybe the best season of his professional career. Last year with the Reds, Fraley set career-highs in games played (116), runs (44), hits (97), doubles (19), and batting average (.277).
Minor Leaguers to watch for: Jacob Berry (Miami), Jaden Hill (Colorado), Cole Henry (Washington)