What to Expect From Andrew Sears

Andrew Sears has been promoted to the Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers are promoting left-handed pitching prospect Andrew Sears to the big leagues. As with many player promotions this year, the news was first broken by anonymous Twitter user Doctor Degenerate, before being confirmed by our friend Emily Waldon. As of publication neither the Sears call-up nor any corresponding 40-man roster moves have been officially announced by the Tigers.

Here’s every called strike and whiff from Andrew Sears’ 5 no-hit innings tonight: pic.twitter.com/74hsdeKceo

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) August 19, 2026

Sears, our 10th ranked Detroit Tigers prospect, becomes the 8th player to make his MLB debut with the Tigers this year, and the fifth member of Detroit’s 2023 class to reach the bigs. He also becomes the 11th player drafted and signed by the Detroit Tigers in the 10th round to reach the majors, joining Curt Casali, Leon Roberts, Frank Catalanotto, and the great Mark Fidrych.

We don’t expect Sears to become a national phenomenon like The Bird did. But he IS a native New Englander with an interesting on-field demeanor. So, let’s learn a little about Andrew Sears before he makes his MLB debut.

Andrew Sears’ Background

A native of Rhode Island, Andrew Sears was born in the Ocean State, attended West Warwick High School there, and spent his first two years of college baseball at Division III Rhode Island College. He compiled an 11-3 record and a 2.83 ERA in 20 games and 111.1 innings with Anchormen, and then transferred to UConn for his junior season.

Sears didn’t fare quite as well in Division I, putting up a 6.24 ERA over 14 starts and 64 innings with the Huskies, though he racked up 74 strikeouts against just 23 walks. The Tigers liked what they saw and signed him to the full slot value for the 290th pick. Sears threw exactly one professional inning after the draft, walking two and striking out one in his lone inning for the FCL Tigers.

The Tigers assigned Sears to Low-A Lakeland for the 2024 season. He shook off a rough April (5.56 ERA) to have an excellent overall year. He was named Florida State League Pitcher of the Week in May and finished the year with a 2.51 ERA over 89.2 innings, with 101 strikeouts. The only real blemish was his 50 walks, though that problem was resolved the next season.

Moved up to High-A West Michigan to begin 2025, Sears once again had a bumpy April, posting a 7.07 ERA over five games. But Sears moved where he stood on the mound in May, going from the middle of the rubber to the far third-base side. And he immediately had two stellar months, allowing just seven earned runs over the next 40+ innings.

The Tigers promoted Sears to Double-A Erie in August, and he made eight starts for the SeaWolves. Two of those starts were in the playoffs, including a must-win Game 2 against Altoona, and a potential clincher in Game 2 against Binghamton.

We figured Sears was on the fast track, with a return to Erie likely to start 2026, but a chance to help the Tigers out of the bullpen by midseason. Unfortunately, a broken bone spur in his elbow meant Sears wouldn’t make his season debut until mid-May. He didn’t get back to Erie until a month later, but then he pretty much pick up where he left off last year. He produced a 2.57 ERA over nine games and 35 innings, and Sears was off to Toledo.

It’s hard to make a better first impression than Sears did with the Mud Hens. He tossed 4.2 scoreless innings with two hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts in his Triple-A debut. And then his second start even better, with no hits over five scoreless frames. So, as was the case with Jackson Jobe two years ago, the Tigers apparently determined two games in Triple-A was enough.

Andrew Sears Scouting Report

Andrew Sears is listed at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, but he looks much closer to 6-foot-5 and 250. It can be tempting to compare him to Brant Hurter, because they’re both large lefties with lower arm slots and a strong sinker/slider mix. But that’s kind of where the comparison stops. Sears sits in the 93-95 MPH range with both his sinker and four-seamer, and he will touch 97 at times. The sinker is his main offering, with a few elevated four-seamers mixed into his outings to keep hitters honest.

Sears also throws a sweeping slider in the 82-84 MPH range, and a changeup in the 87-90 MPH range. He’s adept at locating the slider away from lefties for swings and misses. It’s not a big whiff generator for him against right-handed batters, but he does a good job of getting called strikes by sneaking it in the back door. Sears’s changeup has improved, and he seems more comfortable throwing it, but at its best it is probably just an average offering.

Sears’ stuff plays up a bit because of his frantic pace on the mound. Pitch clocks are completely unnecessary when Sears pitches, because he only takes about five seconds between throws. His nickname is “Psycho Sears” because he looks…intense on the mound. His sport glasses lend him a sort of “Napoleon Dynamite as a defensive end” aura. But he does a spectacular job of harnessing his emotions and channeling them for good. He doesn’t jaw at the opponent, or throw at hitters, or meltdown in any way. When he gets in a jam he just seems to focus more and throw better pitches.

The Trouble With Andrew Sears

There aren’t any huge red flags with Andrew Sears, but he doesn’t have a particularly high ceiling. His stuff is solid, but not spectacular by MLB standards. His changeup still needs work, and his fastball-heavy approach may be an issue if/when big leaguers square it up better than hitters in the minors.

The Verdict

With Andrew Sears, his MLB success will likely come down to the role the Tigers choose to give him. For 2026, that likely means something of a swingman profile. He may be used as a starter a time or two, but will likely settle into something of a bridge reliever, who can give the Tigers 1-3 innings of work in any given outing.

He has the pitch mix, strike-throwing ability, and stamina to serve as a number 5 starter. We imagine the Tigers will give him a chance to win that job next spring. At the same time, his arm angle and demeanor would seem to make him an ideal candidate for the bullpen. It’s not closer stuff, but he could be used in just about any other relief role.