Five Things We Liked From Last Week, May 23rd

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

1. Parker Meadows and Matt Vierling

It’s hard to overestimate just how important Matt Vierling and Parker Meadows were to the success of the Detroit Tigers last season.

They ranked 2^nd and 5^th on the team in fWAR, but that only tells part of the story.

Not only was Vierling known as a leader in the clubhouse, but his fiery play electrified the team and the city during the Tigers epic postseason push. And Detroit was 54-28 with Meadows in the lineup last season, where he provided strong offense at the top of the order (and havoc on the bases), and gave pitchers more confidence knowing that he’d catch almost anything hit out to center field.

When both Vierling and Meadows went down with injuries in spring training, alarm bells went off for the Tigers 2025 season. But against the odds, the team has thrived in their absence, quieting those alarms with excellent performances up and down the roster, not only offensively, but defensively, on the mound and on the bases as well.

That doesn’t mean Detroit doesn’t desperately want them back, though.

After a long road to recovery, Matty V began his rehab assignment back on May 4^th with the Toledo MudHens. And while it took a little longer for Parker, he returned to action as well on Wednesday, suiting up with Vierling in a game for the Low A Lakeland Flying Tigers, where the Tigers can keep a close eye on their rehabs, and avoid the wet weather in Toledo happening right now.

While several players have stepped up in their absences, especially Zach McKinstry, Andy Ibáñez and the resurgent Javy Báez, the Tigers undoubtedly look forward to the returns of Vierling and Meadows. Vierling will give the Tigers another option at third base, as well as the outfield; while Meadows should return as the starting center fielder, after being the proverbial straw that stirred the drink last season. It never hurts to give A.J. Hinch more options, especially when those options are as good as Matt Vierling and Parker Meadows.

2. Bullpen Game

Without ever having met the man, I’m not sure there are many phrases in the English language that A.J. Hinch likes more than “bullpen game”.

The Tigers skipper is a mastermind when it comes to using relievers, and although bullpen games can put a strain on the pitching staff, I don’t think there’s any question that A.J. relishes being able to mix and match his way to a potential victory, putting relievers in the best spots to be successful.

Wednesday was one such game for the Detroit Tigers. Hinch tabbed former starter Brant Hurter to open the game for Detroit, and The Big Hurt answered the call, tossing three scoreless innings. A.J. then went to the side-arming right hander Chase Lee for the 4^th, to face the right handed leaning middle of the order for St. Louis. Lee hit the first batter he faced, but escaped the inning unscathed, getting a ground ball double play to end the inning. He came back out for the 5^th, and retired the Cardinals in order; in two innings of work, 4 of the 6 batters he faced were right handed.

In the top of the 6^th, Hinch called upon lefty Sean Gunther to face lefty Victor Scott II, righty Masyn Wynn and lefty Brendan Donovan. Scott II singled to lead off the inning, but Guenther struck out Wynn and got Donovan to fly out to right. With two right handed hitters looming, A.J. went back to the ‘pen, summoning righty Brenan Hanifee. Hanifee got a grounder as expected from Willson Contreras, but it unfortunately found a hole, scoring Scott. Brenan was able to recover, getting Iván Herrera to ground out to end the inning.

Hanifee stayed on to begin the 7^th with the right handed Nolan Arenado due up second in the inning. Leadoff man Alec Burleson reached on a bloop single, but Brenan struck out Arenado for the first out of the inning. With two of the next three Cardinal batters being lefties, Hinch went back to the bullpen, this time for fellow lefty Tyler Holton. Like Brenan Hanifee before him, Holton got a grounder from the first batter he saw, but the ball again found a hole in the infield for a single. Holton was able to strike out the right handed Jordan Walker next, and with lefty Victor Scott II due up, St. Louis opted for right handed pinch hitter Yohel Pozo. Hinch stuck with Holton, which was a good decision, as Tyler got Pozo to pop out to center.

With two righties due up in the top of the 8^th, A.J. brought in right hander Beau Brieske to face the Cardinals, who mowed down the Redbirds in order. With Brieske hot and ready, Little Caeser’s style, and with two more righties due up in the top of the 9^th, Hinch stuck with the righty reliever. Brieske rewarded that decision with another 1-2-3 inning, closing out the 5-1 dub for the Tigers.

Put it all together, and Tigers pitchers had the platoon advantage in 19 of the 33 plate appearances the Cardinals made. Players win games, but in this case, manager A.J. Hinch consistently put them in the best position to succeed. Just a masterclass from the skipper.

3. Tomás Nido

Backup catchers are possibly the least glamorous pieces of an MLB roster. They generally play just a few times a week, and for the most part, are only expected to provide solid defense behind the plate. Any offense is a bonus.

But backup catchers are integral to the success of any team. Catcher is the most important position on the field, as they not only need to hit, but also handle the pitching staff through game planning and pitch calling. They touch everything on the field. And despite not being in the starting lineup very often, backup catchers also help with preparation, are important in the clubhouse, and need to be ready to hop into action at a moment’s notice, due to the rigors catchers face behind the plate.

Just take a look around baseball at current managers, and you’ll find many former backup catchers (like one A.J. Hinch) that are currently leading their respective teams in the dugout; a testament to how much respect the league has for the catching position in general, and how much knowledge catchers have about the game.

When the Tigers re-signed catcher Tomás Nido to a minor league contract this offseason, the acquisition wasn’t met with much fanfare. Detroit already had two catchers in Jake Rogers and Dillon Dingler, so something would have to go wrong for Nido to suit up in Detroit.

Well, something did go wrong. Rogers hit the injured list with an oblique injury back on April 8^th, and there was some concern that the Tigers pitching staff would be impacted, based on Rogers’ importance behind the plate. But just as Dillon Dingler stepped up in his absence, Nido stepped right in as well, providing excellent defense, game calling and timely hitting. The pitching staff didn’t miss a beat.

In 11 games for Detroit, Nido was worth 0.2 fWAR, mostly thanks to his work behind the plate. But he also hit .343/.361/.343, for a 106 wRC+, and kept the line moving for the Detroit offense.

Nido was recently designated for assignment when The Sheriff returned from the injured list, but the Tigers certainly hope he stays in the organization. If not, Tigers fans will always have a warm place in their heart for Nido, who not only gave Detroit exactly what they needed out of a backup catcher, but also saved the bullpen with 1.2 innings (of scoreless baseball) off the mound in his last game, a blowout loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

4. Gage Workman

Twister was one of my favorite movies as a kid. I recall sitting on the edge of my seat in awe at the sight of the tornadoes, and when the F5 hit, my jaw hit the floor.

I checked out the long awaited sequel Twisters recently, and while it didn’t quite hit like the original did, I found myself wondering what it would like to be caught in the whirlwind of a tornado.

While Gage Workman has hopefully never been in a tornado, he does understand what it’s like to be caught in a whirlwind.

Workman had an excellent collegiate career at Arizona State University from 2018-2020, but like everyone else in 2020, he was left wondering what the next steps would be after the pandemic hit. The MLB Draft was shortened to 5 rounds, which meant that a large group of potential amateur draftees would be left on the cutting room floor.

Gage was ultimately selected by the Tigers in the 3^rd round as a tooled up switch-hitting infielder. Like all minor leaguers, he saw no action in 2020, but in 2021, he got 513 plate appearances between Low A and High A, hitting a combined .246/.326/.434. A 30.6% strikeout rate held down the production somewhat, but it was an all-around solid season for the youngster, all things considered.

In 2022 Workman was promoted to Double A, but as the competition level increased, so did the strikeouts, to the tune of a 40% strikeout rate in 515 plate appearances. Gage was back at AA to start the 2023 season, but after slashing .191/.318/.382 with a 38.8% strikeout rate, he was sent back down to High A in July. There, he cut his strikeout rate by 10%, and finished the year on a high note, hitting .288/.355/.435 for West Michigan.

Workman decided to give up switch hitting prior to the 2024 season, and focus solely on hitting from the left side. The decision appeared to pay off, as back at Double A, the now lefty-only swinger hit .280/.366/.476, cutting his strikeout rate to 27.5%, and having the best year of his minor league career. But after the season, the Tigers had their own decision to make, on whether or not to add Gage to the 40 man roster and protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. They declined, but in a stroke of good fortune (and a result of hard work) for Workman, he was selected by the Chicago Cubs.

Workman ultimately broke camp with Chicago after a big spring, and joined the team on their Opening Day trip to Tokyo, officially making him a big leaguer for the first time. But on April 23^rd, after just 15 plate appearances, the Cubs decided to cut Gage loose, designating him for assignment. The big league dream was kept alive, however, when just three days later, the crosstown Chicago White Sox traded for Workman, adding him to their own Major League roster.

Unfortunately for Gage, he went on the injured list on May 1^st after just two plate appearances for the White Sox; and the whirlwind continued on May 12^th, when instead of activating him to the big league roster upon his return from the injured list, the White Sox again designated him for assignment.

Workman went unclaimed and ultimately returned to the Tigers on May 14^th, marking his third organization in three weeks. It would have been understandable for Gage’s head to be spinning, but after joining the Toledo MudHens on May 16^th, he hit the ground running, not only going 3 for 5 with a home run, but doing so while also playing center field for the first time.

The 25 year old has continued to produce since then in his short time with the Dirty Birds, hitting another home run on Wednesday. And while it’s been quite a journey since his days at Arizona State, especially in the past month, the book on Gage Workman is still being written, as he has all the tools to be a big league contributor.

5. Carlos Pena

Way back in March of 2019, the Tigers signed left handed pitcher Carlos Pena out of the Dominican Republic as an international free agent. Not to be confused with former Tiger first baseman Carlos Peña, Pena (no tilde) began his professional career later that year, tossing just over 49 innings in the Dominican Summer League, and posting a 2.74 ERA / 2.44 FIP with a 35% strikeout rate and 8.4% walk rate.

Due to the pandemic, Pena didn’t pitch in 2020, but in 2021, he arrived stateside, starting in the Complex League before getting a promotion to Low A Lakeland. He was again solid; in just over 59 combined innings, he put up a 3.34 ERA / 3.88 FIP, with a 23.9% strikeout rate and 5.3% walk rate.

Pena stayed in Low A for the majority of the 2022 season, and was again productive, posting a 3.87 ERA / 3.64 FIP with a 27.7% strikeout rate and 9% walk rate. The Tigers promoted him to High A West Michigan for the 2023 season, where true to form, he pitched well, tossing 110 innings with a 3.11 ERA / 3.76 FIP, 23.5% strikeout rate and 8.4% walk rate. Finally in 2024, Pena got promoted to Double A, and while the strikeouts decreased over 113.1 innings pitched, the run prevention didn’t (3.49 ERA / 3.59 FIP).

The lefty was promoted to Triple A Toledo to begin the 2025 season, pitching out of the bullpen for the first time.  While he struggled in his first game, he allowed zero runs over his next two appearances (covering three innings); but despite the upward trajectory, was sent back down to Erie on April 12^th. It would be natural for any player to be discouraged, but in his first three games out of the ‘pen for Erie, he allowed no runs on just three hits and two walks covering 8 innings (with 9 strikeouts).

The (for now) SeaWolves put Pena back into the rotation on May 2^nd, and in his first game back as a starter, the 26 year old allowed just one run in four innings. His next two outings were more decent than great, but this past Tuesday, he had his best start of the season: 5 IP, 0 runs, 3 hits, one walk, 5 strikeouts.

Pena has done nothing but produce in his 6 year minor league career, with a 3.39 ERA in just over 467 innings, along with a 9.6 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9. He’s also been incredibly healthy, having made zero appearances on the injured list in his career.

Carlos generally sits in the 90-91 MPH range with the heater, and pitchers like that don’t often get a lot of love in prospect circles. But whether or not he ever gets the call to Detroit, he has to feel good knowing that he’s doing everything he can, every season, to force his way into the Tigers plans. As TMLR’s Chris Brown says, all you can do is produce, and that’s exactly what Pena has done his entire career.

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