Five Things We Liked From Last Week, May 16th

Welcome to “Five Things We Liked From Last Week”, a weekly list of… five things we liked from last week:

1. Tuesday Night

The MLB regular season is quite the marathon. With 162 games on the schedule, individual days, weeks and months can often feel like they blend together. But occasionally, there are specific games and moments that really stand out. Tuesday night had one of those moments.

Nine years ago, the Detroit Tigers were in the middle of a 2016 season that felt like the last hurrah for an aging but talented core of players. The team had won four straight division titles from 2011 through 2014, but in 2015, they stumbled to a 74-87 record, finishing last in the AL Central. They bounced back for one final postseason push in 2016, and on August 3^rd, they were ten games over .500, and slugger J.D. Martinez had just returned from a right elbow fracture for a game against the Chicago White Sox.

Despite coming off the injured list that day, Martinez wasn’t in the starting lineup, as manager Brad Ausmus wanted to ease him into action after a six week layoff. The game was ultimately a low scoring affair, with the score tied up 1-1 heading into the bottom of the 8^th. Former Tiger catcher James McCann was due up for Detroit to start the bottom of the inning, but manager Brad Ausmus decided now was the time to call on Martinez to pinch hit. And on the first pitch he saw, Martinez sent a Chris Sale fastball over the center field wall, and sent Tigers fans into an absolute frenzy.

That swing lives on in the minds of Tigers fans to this day, just like Carlos Guillén’s 2011 home run (and epic bat flip) off Jared Weaver, and Parker Meadows’ grand slam off San Diego Padres closer Robert Suarez last season.

On Tuesday night, Javier Báez added his name to that short list.

Tuesday’s matchup with the Boston Red Sox started off normal enough, feeling like just another game in a long season. The two teams traded blows through the first nine innings, and the score was tied 6-6 after nine. In the top of the 10^th, Boston scored a go-ahead run to go up 7-6 heading into the bottom of the 10^th. Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson both popped out to start the Tigers’ half of the inning, but with Detroit down to their final out, a clutch Trey Sweeney single evened the score at 7. In the top of the 11^th, the Red Sox scored two more runs, and things were looking dire for the Tigers. But with a runner on 2^nd in the bottom of the 11^th, Jace Jung singled, leaving two men on for the resurgent Javy Báez. And just like J.D. Martinez nine years ago, on the first pitch Javy saw, he sent a missile over the left field wall, and again sent Tigers fans into a tizzy.

We are only about a quarter of the way through the regular season, but it’s been a magical year already for the Tigers, and fittingly, for El Mago himself. And while the story of the Detroit Tigers 2025 season is still being written, Javy’s walk off homer was the most thrilling chapter so far.

2. Jackson Jobe

When I was 15 years old, my uncle made the decision to let me drive his stick shift truck. That decision was a mistake.

Although I was successfully able to drive around the block, when I got back to my parents’ driveway, I drove right into the wall between the garage doors, knocking it off it’s foundation. I thought of that afternoon while watching Jackson Jobe pitch this past Monday.

Automobiles are some of the most powerful machines on the planet, but for whatever reason, we let 15 and 16 year olds operate them. Whether or not that’s smart for society, I suppose people have to learn to drive some time, and most teens eventually learn to be able to control their vehicle.

This brings us to Jackson Jobe. At just 22 years old, Jobe possesses some of the most powerful “stuff” of any pitcher in Major League Baseball. But like a kid with a car, he’s still learning how to harness it, and that’s ok.

On Monday, Jackson unleashed his powerful arsenal on the Boston Red Sox, and had one of the best starts of his young career. He struck out 7 Soxes, got 15 whiffs, and allowed just one run in 5.2 innings pitched. He also walked 5 batters, a sign that he’s still learning to control his devastating pitch mix.

On the season, Jobe has a solid 4.32 ERA in just over 33 innings pitched, and has allowed three earned runs or less in 4 of his 7 starts. He also has an elevated 13.5% walk rate, and has allowed 1.62 home runs per 9 innings pitched.

All of this is to say that most definitely, Jackson has room for improvement. But as he gains more experience, just like a kid with a car, he’s going to get better and better as he learns to control his arsenal. He may knock a wall off it’s foundation every once in a while, but this learning experience will be worth it in the long run.

3. Kevin McGonigle

Guess who’s back? Back again? K-Mac’s back. Tell a friend.

Heading into the 2025 season, there was no Tiger prospect with more helium than infielder Kevin McGonigle.

McGonigle was the Tigers Competitive Balance Round A selection in the 2023 MLB Draft, and shot up prospect lists this past offseason after a very productive 2024 season: .309/.401/.452, 145 wRC+, 14% walk rate and just an 8.5% strikeout rate.

The Hit Doctor currently slots in at #2 on TMLR’s top prospect list, and is considered a top 10 overall prospect according to some respected evaluators.

Needless to say, hopes were high for McGonigle heading into this season. Not only is his hitting ability considered top-notch, but he’s a solid infielder up the middle as well.

Those hopes were put on hold just one game into the 2025 season, when McGonigle sprained his ankle and went on to miss the next five weeks. However, this past Saturday, finally, the Mac HAS COME BACK to action.

Kevin didn’t miss a beat in his return to the ring diamond, going 1 for 2 with a double and a walk in his first rehab appearance for Low A Lakeland. Since then, he’s gone 1 for 5 with a walk and no strikeouts, as the organization gets him back up to speed.

McGonigle should heat up soon, and return to High A West Michigan shortly. Another promotion to Double A Erie within a few months isn’t out of the question, and it would be no surprise for the youngster to be knocking on the door to the big leagues as soon as opening day 2026.

4. Wilkel Hernandez

December 13, 2017.

While world leaders gathered in Paris, France to make changes to the international climate agreement, the Detroit Tigers made some changes of their own; namely trading the heart and soul of their team, Ian Kinsler, to the Los Angeles Angels.

While the results of both appear to have left something to be desired, at least the Tigers still have a shot at redemption from that day. That shot is named Wilkel Hernandez.

Hernandez entered the Tigers organization an unbelievable 2,346 days ago, when he was just 18 years old. He was the Angels 24^th ranked prospect at the time of the trade according to MLB Pipeline.

There have been many twists and turns in Wilkel’s development since he arrived. In 2018, Hernandez began his Tigers minor league career with the short season ball Connecticut Tigers, an organization and league that no longer exists, before an eventual promotion to Low A West Michigan, which is now High A West Michigan; and had a combined 5.10 ERA between the two stops in just under 48 innings.

In 2019, he pitched all year with the Whitecaps, putting up decent numbers but ending the year on the injured list. He didn’t pitch in 2020 due to Covid-19 wiping out the entire minor league season. Then in 2021, Hernandez again didn’t pitch for an entire season, this time due to Tommy John surgery.

After two full years off, in 2022 Wilkel was back on the mound for the Low A Lakeland Flying Tigers, which were the High A Lakeland Flying Tigers when Hernandez began his Tigers career, and posted respectable numbers considering the long layoff. Wilkel got bumped to High A West Michigan (which was previously Low A… you get the point) to begin the 2023 season, and had the best year of his career: 106 IP, 3.65 ERA, 22% strikeout rate, 7% walk rate, and 0.93 home runs allowed per nine.

Hernandez finally appeared to have some developmental momentum heading into the 2024 season, where he began the year at Double A Erie. And his numbers on the season were solid (120.1 IP, 4.34 ERA, 20.6% strikeout rate, 10.5% walk rate, 1.20 HR/9), but the Tigers opted against adding him to the 40 man roster after the season, leaving Wilkel as a minor league free agent.

But then in one final M. Night Shyamalan twist, Detroit re-signed Hernandez to a minor league contract a little over a month after he became a free agent. And that brings us to today.

Wilkel finally reached Triple A Toledo to start the 2025 season, 7 years after he arrived in the Tigers organization. And folks, I’m happy to report that the now 26 year old is dealing. In just shy of 37 innings, Hernandez has a sparkling 2.45 ERA, with 35 strikeouts compared to 14 walks. He’s also allowed just one home run on the year.

After all these years, Wilkel still has a mid 90s fastball that he pairs with a nasty slider and solid changeup. If the right hander continues putting up strong numbers with the MudHens, he may just yet earn a call to Detroit, which would be the ultimate feel good story. The climate on the other hand…

5. Complex League Action

While the vast majority of the Tigers minor league affiliates have been underway for over a month, the rookie-level Complex League started just two Saturdays ago.

Complex League rosters are primarily made up of younger recent draftees, and international players getting their first taste of pro baseball here in the States. Due to the inexperience of the players, the games can be a little rough around the edges.

However, that’s no real fault of the players, as they are just getting their proverbial feet wet in professional baseball, and are infinitely more talented at baseball than any of us could ever likely dream of.

The Tigers Complex League roster is seemingly more loaded than usual, which speaks to the job that Detroit’s front office and player development staff have done recently. While we are only a few games in to Complex League action, we wanted to take a quick gander at how some notable players have performed so far:

Ethan Schiefelbein: 6 IP, 6.00 ERA, 8K, 4BB, 6H, .286 BAA

Jatnk Diaz: 7.2 IP, 2.35 ERA, 10K, 5BB, 4H, .138 BAA

Eddy Felix: 8 IP, 2.25 ERA, 12K, 0BB, 6H, .214 BAA

Johnathan Rogers: 5.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 8K, 4BB, 3H, .150 BAA

Wuilberth Mendez: 7 IP, 2.57 ERA, 3K, 2BB, 5H, .208 BAA

Kelvis Salcedo: 7 IP, 0.00 ERA, 7K, 5BB, 2H, .095 BAA

Enrique Jimenez: 30 PA, .308/.367/.654, 10% BB, 16.7% K, .346 ISO

Jose Dickson: 21 PA, .333/.429/.667, 14.3% BB, 28.6% K, .334 ISO

Javier Osorio: 23 PA, .333/.391/.667, 8.7% BB, 30.4% K, .334 ISO

Jude Warwick: 29 PA, .261/.414/.348, 13.8% BB, 17.2% K, .087 ISO

All of these youngsters have a long way to go before even really thinking about making a big league roster. But several of the Tigers rookie league players are worth keeping tabs on as their careers progress.