Detroit Tigers Newsletter: Gregory Soto ready to follow in Willie Hernández's footsteps
When one of my colleagues suggested in April that the Tigers would have two players at Dodger Stadium for next week's All-Star Game, I thought one of them would at least have to buy a ticket.
But here we are, eight days away from the 92nd MLB All-Star game, and the Tigers are sending closer Gregory Soto and designated hitter Miguel Cabrera to Los Angeles. (The rest of the squad will get a much-needed six hours of rest between the flight home from Cleveland and the flight west to Oakland for a July 21 doubleheader.) It's the first time since 2017 that the Tigers have two All-Stars. The rebuild IS over!
Sure, you could argue that there were better choices in the Tigers’ bullpen. (You could even write a few hundred words about it, ahem.) But it’s tough to object outright to Soto’s selection; with 17 saves (good for fourth in the AL), a 2.67 ERA and a strikeout rate of 9.2 per nine innings, he pretty much checks all the boxes for the All-Star representative from a team that’s 13 games under .500 with eight to go before the break.
You could also note that he’s been JUST a little bit worse in every category than he was during the leadup to last year’s All-Star nod. Then again, that’s pretty much the Tigers’ M.O. overall this year: “Just a little bit worse.*”
*Bullpen and Cabrera not included.
Cabrera, meanwhile, is floating right around the .300 mark and got his All-Star ticket punched early, as MLB announced his berth — an “All-Star Legends Selection,” according to the commish’s office and the collective bargaining agreement — on Friday. With a special title that long, we’re surprised the selection didn’t come with an limited-edition NFT, a press release extolling the virtues of the blockchain and a special introductory offer from DraftKings.
Cabrera, of course, was mostly respectful of the honor, a few days after doing his best to shush the commish: "I am an All-Star, bro," Cabrera told the Freep’s Evan Petzold on Friday. "It doesn't matter. If you go, you go. If you don't go, you don't go. ... I don't prefer anything. I live my life one day at a time."
Us too, Miggy, us too.
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Soto, meanwhile, is the first Tiger pitcher to earn back-to-back All-Star nods since Max Scherzer did it in 2013-14. He’s also just the third Tigers reliever ever with back-to-back ASG berths, following Jose Valverde (2010-11) and Guillermo (Willie) Hernández, who made three straight from 1984-86.
He sounded slightly more appreciative of the honor on Sunday, as Our Man Petzold reports: “I'm going to keep working hard," he said, "so I can keep going and going to the All-Star Game." (That’s a good plan for next year’s game, set for Seattle. 2026, however, is booked for Philadelphia; we’ll see if Soto is still as excited for cheesesteak lines in mid-July then.)
Should Soto get into next week’s game, though, he’ll be just the second Tigers reliever with back-to-back appearances, as Valverde pitched in 2010 (three strikeouts to finish off a 3-1 loss) but not in 2011.
Hernández, however, appeared in both the ’84 and ’85 games; he gave up a solo home run to Dale Murphy in the eighth inning with the AL already trailing, 2-1, in ’84, then came back in ’85 to face four batters in the ninth inning; he gave up a two-run double and sandwiched two strikeouts around an intentional walk as the AL lost to the NL, 6-1. (The AL found someone else to finish off the ’86 contest.)
Soto game up a solo homer in his inning of work in last year’s game, so he’s already prepped to follow in Hernández's footsteps.
Cabrera will be 39 years and 92 days old when he takes the field for his 12th All-Star nod; that’s up there among aged All-Stars, but not as far as you might think. There have been 70 older All-Stars. counting Cabrera’s partner in special status this year, Albert Pujols, who will be 42 years, 184 days. That includes, most recently, Nelson Cruz, who made it last season at 41 years, 12 days (and went 0-for-1 for the AL) and, most agedly, Satchel Paige, who was 47 years, 7 days when he threw an inning for the AL (giving up two runs) in the 1953 Midsummer Classic.
The list of Tigers older than Cabrera in the All-Star Game is shorter: Just designated hitter Al Kaline, who was 39 years, 216 days when he went 0-for-1 for the AL in 1974 (his final season) and left-hander Kenny Rogers, who was 41 years, 243 days when he started on the mound for the AL in 2006. (He’s only the second-oldest All-Star starting pitcher, though — Kody Clemens’ dad, Roger, was 41 years, 344 days when he opened for the NL in 2004.)
Rogers allowed three hits and an earned run over two innings in 2006, but the AL came back for the win to earn the Tigers their eventual homefield advantage in the World Series, against Pujols’ St. Louis Cardinals. We forget what happened that October.
As for the third Tiger suiting up in black and gold (we think, based on the hats that have been released), Willie Horton? We don’t have any stats for Tigers serving as honorary coaches, but we will point out that it’s a big month for the Detroit Northwestern product; his fourth book comes out Tuesday. (You can read an excerpt from it here.)
Cup of Joe
Speaking of Tigers relievers having All-Star-worthy seasons — OK, at this point, it’s almost easier to list the fellas in the ‘pen who AREN’T excelling — righty Joe Jiménez heads into the last week before the break with 42 strikeouts and just seven walks over 32⅓ innings, with no earned runs allowed over his past nine appearances. The Freep’s Tony Garcia looked into what has made Jiménez so effective this season after barely staying on the roster last year.
Windy City windup
The Tigers managed only a split against the White Sox in Chicago, but it wasn’t for lack of extra-base hits from Javier Báez; the shortstop picked up a double and two homers in his first return to the city in which he spent his first 7½ seasons, in front of a crowd that couldn’t quite decide whether to boo or cheer him. Our Man Petzold has the report here on why Baez’s return to Chicago had him feeling emotional. (Also producing emotions: Baez’s .795 OPS on the road this season, compared to .452 at Comerica Park.)
A Tork wrench
Rolling around the infield, first baseman Spencer Torkelson had an OK weekend on the South Side, with a double in each of the last two games against the ChiSox. He also had three strikeouts, but his batting average is slooooowwwly creeping toward the right side of .200; that’s thanks to a July in which he has slashed .241/.333/.414. Those numbers aren’t far from what was expected from the rookie, but his overall season still has folks pondering whether a demotion to Triple-A would do him good. Y’know, folks like the Freep’s Jeff Seidel, who broke down the pros and cons here.
BAAAAAADDDDDDOOOOOOOOOO* watch!
Speaking of demotions to Triple-A … If you’ve been getting your Akil Baddoo fix solely from “Car Shield” commercials — “Hello, Nathan” — the 23-year-old continues to rake for Toledo. This week, it was a good time in Omaha, Nebraska, as Baddoo went 8-for-25 against the Royals’ affiliate with three doubles, a homer, six walks and seven strikeouts. The Tigers, of course, are monitoring his progress, writes Our Man Petzold. You can find out here what part of Baddoo’s hot streak has caught manager A.J. Hinch’s eye.
*Your spelling may vary…
Happy birthday, T.A.!
Reliever Tyler Alexander turns 28 on Thursday. The lefty’s season got off to a bit of a rough start … well, a lot of rough starts, as he gave up 14 runs (12 earned) in 12⅓ innings over four starts in April before hitting the injured list with an elbow sprain. After missing 45 days, Alexander returned to the bullpen on June 14 and allowed one run over two innings. Since then, however? Nada. Zip. Zilch. Alexander has allowed seven hits and two walks, with seven strikeouts over 11⅔ innings in six appearances. So what has made the difference for Alexander since his return? We’re tempted to say it’s the new mustache, but Our Man Garcia suggests it might be Alexander’s new off-speed pitch, which replaces Alexander’s self-described “crap” slider. Click here to find out which Michigan alumnus inspired Alexander's new pitch. (But seriously, it’s probably the ’stache.)
3 to watch
The heat is on for this trio in the front office and on the field ...
BEAU BRIESKE: Coming off his best performance yet, the rookie gets the Royals on Tuesday night. Are we sure it's not HIS birthday this week?
RILEY GREENE: Not that we need a reason to watch him, but the rookie has at least a hit or a walk in 19 of his 21 appearances this season.
Mark your calendar
In a month that is starting to feel like the Tigers are pulling a series of cram sessions before finals, there’s one more packed week before, finally, a few days off. The Tigers have another eight-games-in-seven-days stretch; this week, it’s a four-game set from today-Wednesday in K.C., followed by four games over a leisurely four days in Cleveland. And then, finally, the All-Star break. Oh, and the MLB draft starts Sunday and rolls through July 19. (Yes, the day of the All-Star Game. MLB is big on multitasking now, apparently.) The Tigers have the No. 12 pick in the first round and, as we noted last week, will probably be looking at college bats for a quick — let’s say 2024-ish? — offensive boost. That doesn’t exactly square with the usual “best player available” approach though. Click here for Our Man Petzold’s look at how the front office will try to balance those approaches on Sunday. Then again, the Tigers could go back to the Florida prep well, which seems to have worked out this year . Our Man Seidel hung out in February at one school that could produce a future Tiger draftee. Get the names here.
Dylan goes electric
Of course, sometimes everything goes right for a draft pick, and he still ends up on the injured list. That’s what has happened to 2021 third-rounder Dylan Smith. Our Man Seidel caught up with the Alabama product recently to find out how he’s adjusting to pro ball, snowstorms and Grand Rapids.
TL;DR
As we get worked up for the All-Star Game and the MLB draft, don’t forget the event that kinda feels like the confluence of the two: The All-Star Futures Game, featuring the top prospects from the minors. This year’s iteration of the game will be Saturday at Dodger Stadium, with two Tigers suiting up for the AL squad: catcher Dillon Dingler and right-hander Wilmer Flores, both with Double-A Erie. (Our Man Petzold’s report on their season so far is here.) We’re not saying the honors mean they’re on the fast track to Detroit, but last year’s Tigers in the Futures Game? Greene and Torkelson. So they’ve got that going for them.
Contact Ryan Ford at rford@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @theford.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers Newsletter: Gregory Soto a surprise MLB All-Star
