The Tigers and right-hander Garrett Hill have reunited, as Hill’s MLB.com profile page indicates that he signed a new minor league deal earlier this week. It’s a quick reunion for the two sides, as the Tigers just non-tendered Hill last week to open up some space on their 40-man roster.
A 26th-round pick for Detroit in the 2018 draft, Hill made his MLB debut in 2022 on the fourth of July and started his first eight Major League games before moving into the bullpen. The result was a respectable 4.03 ERA over 60 1/3 innings, even if a .247 BABIP helped cover up for some uninspiring secondary numbers. Hill’s fortune turned last season, as he was tagged for a 9.19 ERA over 15 2/3 relief innings in the majors and even a 6.02 ERA in 46 1/3 frames for Triple-A Toledo. While Hill’s control had only been decent earlier in his career, walks became an increasingly big problem in 2023, with a 14.3% walk rate over his time in Toledo.
Hill also spent little over a month on the Triple-A injured list, so it was a tough year all around for the righty. He’ll look for a fresh start in his age-28 season, and it makes sense why the Tigers would want to keep Hill in the fold. Beyond his swingman potential, Hill has consistently missed a lot of bats over his minor league career — even amidst his struggles, Hill still posted a 28.7% strikeout rate at Triple-A in 2023. That strikeout potential has yet to translate at the big league level, but there’s no risk for Detroit in bringing him back for another look on a minors contract.
I would hope the tigers go to the winter meetings and get a couple pitchers and a hitter. No one says they sign a big money guy , but come on how about some major league guys. This cheap cheap stuff don’t get it.
Hill was just depth. Mark Canha and Kenta Maeda were good first steps but they need more like you say. I’m excited to see what comes next!
Second base.
And Kenta Maeda…
This is fine. The Tigers have two young starters that had, like Hill in’22, better than expected seasons; Gipson-Long and Olson. Beau Breiske is another guy who had a good rookie year then not so much sophomore year. You never know how a youngster who jumps from the starting gate well after he gets around that 1st turn.
I won’t be surprised if some of their young arms don’t struggle the second time around.
Brieske actually improved quite a bit in 2023 (lower ERA and FIP). He just missed a lot of playing time. Hopefully, he’ll have a healthy 2024.
Hill needs a rebound to become a depth option, but I am sure he had other offers for a minor-league contract after his good performance last year. I see it as a good sign that he chose to sign with the Tigers, who actually do need pitching at the AAA level – and will hopefully add another high-profile veteran starter besides Maeda.
Gruß,
BSHH