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Detroit Tigers' Keider Montero sets 'easy' goal for 2025, even if he starts in Triple-A
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- Detroit Tigers' Keider Montero sets 'easy' goal for 2025, even if he starts in Triple-A
LAKELAND, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers will consider moving starting pitchers Kenta Maeda , Casey Mize , Brant Hurter , Ty Madden and Matt Manning to roles in the bullpen, if the Opening Day roster plans call for one of those pitchers to make the switch.
But not Keider Montero .
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Montero, a right-hander who made his MLB debut in late May and threw a complete-game shutout in late September, is competing for the final spot in the Tigers' starting rotation. If he doesn't win the job, the Tigers would rather employ him as a starter at the Triple-A level than transition him into a full-time reliever at the MLB level.
The reason for that?
Montero, 24, has the upside to develop into a frontline starting pitcher, but he isn't there yet.
"He has every weapon that a pitcher needs to be successful," manager A.J. Hinch said. "Challenging the strike zone and being very confident to beat guys in the strike zone will help open up some of the chase that he's going to get because of the pure stuff."
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Detroit Tigers pitcher Keider Montero poses for a photo during picture day of spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025.
In the 2024 season, Montero posted a 4.76 ERA with 31 walks and 77 strikeouts across 98⅓ innings in 19 games (16 starts). He showed flashes of success because of his individual pitches, but he wasn't consistent enough.
His underlying metrics were underwhelming, as he ranked in the sixth percentile in expected ERA (5.24), 16th percentile in whiff rate (21.5%), 17th percentile in strikeout rate (18.7%) and 57th percentile in walk rate (7.5%).
"My goal for this season is easy," Montero said in Spanish, interpreted by Carlos Guillén. "I want to help this team to win, go as deep as I can into the games and help this team go beyond what we did last season."
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As for the 2025 Opening Day roster, Montero is competing with Maeda and Mize for the final spot in the starting rotation, assuming top pitching prospect Jackson Jobe has already secured his place as the fourth starter.
Of the three, Montero is the least polished right now.
But he probably has the most upside.
"More so repeating his delivery," Hinch said. "It's a little bit of tempo, it's a little bit of direction. He's a young pitcher who has a ton of energy in his delivery, and when he's locked in, his stuff beats any lineup, and when he sprays it, he finds himself in bad counts, and that just mitigates a little bit of his arsenal."
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Here are a few numbers that stand out from 2024: Left-handed hitters had a .277 batting average and an .848 OPS with an 18.4% strikeout rate against Montero across the MLB and Triple-A levels, whereas right-handed hitters had a .257 average, .760 OPS and 22.8% strikeout rate.
So, Montero spent the offseason working on his changeup against left-handed hitters.
He plans to throw it more often.
"I was missing the location last year," Montero said of his changeup, which he has increased in velocity from 86 mph last season to 88.5 mph this spring. "I worked to be more precise and more accurate to put it in the zone. You can tell the difference."
In spring training, Montero has thrown three scoreless innings with one walk and four strikeouts in two relief appearances, but his next game will be as a starter.
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He is scheduled to start Friday night against the Baltimore Orioles in Lakeland, Florida.
"In my offseason, I worked hard to have my body ready and stay in shape," Montero said, "just to be ready to show up in camp and fight for a spot on the roster. It's going to be a tight fight."
The battle is seemingly down to Maeda, Mize and Montero .
MORE ABOUT HIM: Keider Montero arrives for MLB debut nearly 8 years after Tigers signed him as teen
The Tigers can't afford a pitcher with a 5.00 ERA in their rotation — not when their goal is to win the American League Central . Underlying metrics suggest Montero should have had a 5.24 ERA last season, compared to 4.74 for Mize and 4.43 for Maeda.
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Montero could start the season in Triple-A Toledo to put the finishing touches on his development, leaving Maeda and Mize in the hunt for the final rotation spot.
Still, Montero could end up being the most important of the three pitchers by the end of the 2025 season.
"I feel very comfortable with my stuff and my pitches," Montero said. "I know I have to focus on the tiny details to make it even better to use my repertoire as much as I want and go as deep as I want. It's just the small details that I have to shape and fix to make it even better than what I have right now."
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers stick with Keider Montero as starter, even in Triple-A
