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Detroit Tigers observations: Tarik Skubal faces Spencer Torkelson, Colt Keith, Javier Báez
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- Detroit Tigers observations: Tarik Skubal faces Spencer Torkelson, Colt Keith, Javier Báez
LAKELAND, Fla. — Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal threw a 100 mph fastball on the final pitch of his live batting practice session against Spencer Torkelson , Javier Báez and Colt Keith on the backfields in Tuesday's spring training workout.
Keith was the victim of Skubal's fastest fastball.
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He swung and missed.
"Tough matchup for the kid," manager A.J. Hinch said.
"Well, he throws 100," Keith said. "It's pretty freakin' good."
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Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal throws during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024.
You won't see these Tiger-on-Tiger matchups at any other time in the calendar year. They're rare matchups only seen during a five-day window in spring training.
That's what makes live batting practice so fun.
Skubal, who threw about 25 pitches, dominated by mixing all five of his pitches: fastball, changeup, slider, sinker and curveball. Torkelson was the only member of the three-man group to get a hit against Skubal, shooting a ball to the gap in right-center field. For the most part, though, the trio of Báez, Keith and Torkelson produced weak contact and foul balls.
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Catcher Jake Rogers was on the other end of Skubal's sorcery.
"Being unpredictable and using all of his pitches," Rogers said. "One thing in spring he's really going to work on is hammering the zone with all of his pitches and being able to keep the hitter guessing."
Hinch watched the three hitters face Skubal from the dugout, standing next to owner Christopher Ilitch and president of baseball operations Scott Harris .
Torkelson was aggressive.
He swung at the first pitch of Skubal's live batting practice.
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His teammates went crazy.
"Whoo," someone howled.
"Right outta the chute," another person yelled.
Torkelson explained.
"Just to see where I'm at and get the timing," he said. "Dial it back or dial it forward, wherever you need it to go. I think getting your hack off is key early on."
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When asked about Skubal's triple-digit fastball, the final pitch of his session, Rogers pushed back in a playful way to tease the ace of the pitching staff.
"I don't know," Rogers said, arguing the pitch was a mere 99.5 mph. "We don't round up in this league.
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"I don't know if that's 100, but whatever he wants. But that was literally right on the corner at 99, 100. It's hard to hit, really hard to hit."
Keith, the 22-year-old prospect who whiffed at the heater, just described it as "pretty freakin' good."
"And he's got a nasty slider," Keith added. "He's a good pitcher. I think, if he stays healthy, he's going to be as good as you can get."
Comedy on the backfields
Watching left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin throw a live bullpen on Tuesday came with its own comedy routine.
The dude was hilarious, trash-talking and dropping one-liners.
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OK, so his stuff was impressive, too.
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Detroit Tigers pitcher Andrew Chafin throws during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024.
But his one-liners were unforgettable.
After Kerry Carpenter crushed a ball, Chafin turned and watched it sail towards the fence with home-run distance, but it hooked foul.
"That's a strike!" Chafin proclaimed.
OK, so he wasn't exactly rattled.
Chafin threw a couple of nasty pitches to Parker Meadows , making him whiff twice; then, he faced Mark Canha .
On a 1-1 count, Canha took a pitch at his knees, just barely below the strike zone.
"How the (expletive) did you take that?" Chafin blurted.
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While facing Canha again, he accused Canha of looking down at the signs from the catcher.
"Did you just look down?" Chafin asked.
"No!"
"I thought I was making good pitches last at-bat, (expletive)," Chafin said.
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Don't get the wrong impression. Chafin was having fun talking, but he was serious on the mound.
"He's a funny dude," said Dillon Dingler , who caught the bullpen. "He's also a super competitor who brings a lot to the table."
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Dingler mixed in some changeups.
"He was just mixing them in," Dingler said, "just trying to get a feel for it."
Colt Keith 's helmet
Keith is expected to be the Opening Day second baseman , but he struggled in his first live batting practice session because he couldn't keep his helmet on his head.
It kept falling off during his swings.
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Detroit Tigers infielder Colt Keith bats against pitcher Mason Englert during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024.
"I have a fat head," said Keith, who signed a long-term contract extension in the offseason. "I got size 7½, and I cut these things (on the sides inside the front to create more room), but now there's so much room in the front that it was falling forward."
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After practice, the Tigers taped an insert into the back of the helmet.
"It ain't falling off now," Keith said.
First time in a long time
Outfielder Riley Greene stepped into the batter's box in Tuesday's live batting practice session to face a pitcher for the first time since Sept. 1, when he hit a single off right-handed reliever Touki Toussaint in the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox .
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Later in the Sept. 1 game, Greene suffered a right elbow injury on a diving play in left-center field. He ended up needing Tommy John surgery on his non-throwing elbow .
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"I wanted to face Skubal," Greene said. "I was like, 'Give me Skubal.' But they were like, 'No, you need to relax and just face a righty.' We'll face Skubal another day."
Greene matched up with right-hander Mason Englert in live batting practice.
"I wasn't nervous," Greene said. "I wasn't breathing hard. I was just ready to get in the box."
Hitting homers
Best hits of the morning: Carpenter and Parker Meadows both hit home runs off right-hander Keider Montero , a 23-year-old who climbed from High-A West Michigan to Triple-A Toledo in 2023.
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Carpenter's blast flew over the 340-foot fence in right field and bounced over a wall used by the pitchers. Immediately after yanking a long foul ball, Meadows launched a homer to right-center field.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold . Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com . Follow him @seideljeff .
Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple , Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Riley Greene returns to batter's box for first time
