***The buzz:*** *In early April, the Tigers assigned Melton to Double-A Erie out of minor-league spring training. By late July, he made his MLB debut – and never looked back. His 2.76 ERA ranked 15th among 89 rookie pitchers with at least 40 innings (and his 3.72 expected ERA ranked 35th). His fastball makes him special, sitting at 97 mph and generating an above-average 29.7% whiff rate. The Tigers will utilize Melton as a* [*full-time starter in 2026*](https://www.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2025/10/17/detroit-tigers-troy-melton-starting-pitcher-rotation/86709227007/)*.*
lol only Finny, Vest, and Skubal got A’s.
And where is Jake Rogers?
Harris really messed up the bullpen this year. There was no depth before september and they had to shuffle performing relievers like Hanifee around in september, when we had a short window to see who was in good shape.
It’s pretty interesting if you look at the WPA related stats for the Tigers bullpen this year. Their leverage adjusted win probability added was pretty bad. Overall this was not a good bullpen. Close to the worst in the league. But… Their WPA was 12th. Not bad at all. All driven by the 2nd best “clutch” stat in baseball. Clutch for hitters is maybe just luck. Clutch for relievers, as a team, is mostly a manager stat. It’s trusting the right guys to use in the most important moments and hiding your worst arms. Hinch did a great job of managing a bad bullpen this year. I hope they make his job easier in 2026 by bringing in a couple of elite arms.
![[Evan Petzold]Evaluating every Detroit Tigers pitcher entering 2025-26 MLB offseason. Who are keepers?](https://www.rawchili.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/YSdn7ogIGmcbAY8YEFOjMSJT1IBfKRQvrIx0F6YO6-8-1920x1024.jpeg)
7 comments
Stop putting up paywall stuff.
They’d better get some hitters.
Man, it is dire
Tough crowd, this is Troy Melton.
***Grade:*** *B-.*
***The buzz:*** *In early April, the Tigers assigned Melton to Double-A Erie out of minor-league spring training. By late July, he made his MLB debut – and never looked back. His 2.76 ERA ranked 15th among 89 rookie pitchers with at least 40 innings (and his 3.72 expected ERA ranked 35th). His fastball makes him special, sitting at 97 mph and generating an above-average 29.7% whiff rate. The Tigers will utilize Melton as a* [*full-time starter in 2026*](https://www.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2025/10/17/detroit-tigers-troy-melton-starting-pitcher-rotation/86709227007/)*.*
lol only Finny, Vest, and Skubal got A’s.
And where is Jake Rogers?
Harris really messed up the bullpen this year. There was no depth before september and they had to shuffle performing relievers like Hanifee around in september, when we had a short window to see who was in good shape.
It’s pretty interesting if you look at the WPA related stats for the Tigers bullpen this year. Their leverage adjusted win probability added was pretty bad. Overall this was not a good bullpen. Close to the worst in the league. But… Their WPA was 12th. Not bad at all. All driven by the 2nd best “clutch” stat in baseball. Clutch for hitters is maybe just luck. Clutch for relievers, as a team, is mostly a manager stat. It’s trusting the right guys to use in the most important moments and hiding your worst arms. Hinch did a great job of managing a bad bullpen this year. I hope they make his job easier in 2026 by bringing in a couple of elite arms.