0–5? The Tigers Aren’t Worried And Neither Should You

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There are other Tigers prospects making noise in camp

The Tigers are 0-5 but in the kindest way possible, who cares. The elusive Grapefruit League title may have slipped through Detroit’s grasp, but in a 6–5 loss to Baltimore in Sarasota, there were still clear signs of progress, particularly from players outside the organization’s “big three” prospect spotlight of Kevin McGonigle, Max Clark, and Josue Briceño.

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Before diving into that, Matt Vierling, after spending most of 2025 on the IL, went 2-for-3 out of the leadoff spot and answered any questions about his shoulder by gunning down Baltimore’s Jeremiah Jackson at the plate. A healthy Vierling gives the Tigers another utility player to work with. 

 

The scoring started early in Sarasota, with Baltimore striking first in the opening frame when Tyler O’Neill launched a solo homer to left field to give the Orioles a 1–0 lead. Detroit answered quickly in the second inning, as Trei Cruz delivered a run-scoring single to center, bringing home Thayron Liranzo to even things at 1–1.

The Orioles regained the advantage in the bottom half of the inning on Coby Mayo’s sacrifice fly, but the Tigers responded again in the third when Colt Keith lined a double to left, scoring Hao-Yu Lee to tie the game at two.

Baltimore created separation in the middle innings. Mayo continued his productive day with an RBI single in the fourth, followed by Jeremiah Jackson’s run-scoring hit to push the lead to 4–2. The Orioles added another run in the fifth on a double-play ball that still allowed Jhonkensy Noel to cross the plate, stretching the margin to three.

Detroit chipped away in the sixth when Eduardo Valencia drove a two-run homer to left-center, cutting the deficit to one.

An inning later, Carson Rucker added a solo shot to left, pulling the Tigers even at 5–5 and setting up a late-inning finish. The game ultimately ended in the bottom of the ninth, when Jordan Sanchez delivered a walk-off single that scored Aron Estrada, handing the Tigers a 6–5 loss despite their late comeback effort.

Beyond the Box Score Spotlight: The Minor Leaguers Who Are Making Noise 

The Tigers have an interesting situation the first week in camp and that is the abundance of infielders that are getting playing time early with Trei Cruz, Max Anderson, Jace Jung and Hao-Yu Lee.  But there are two catchers on the 40-man roster who are showing power. 

With Dillon Dingler recovering from an elbow procedure, it makes sense that we’re seeing plenty of Thayron Liranzo this spring. Liranzo didn’t catch during the final two months of last season while recovering from a shoulder injury, but he has looked healthy and comfortable again, highlighted by his first home run of the spring yesterday.

Liranzo has looked like a different player, literally, between the noticeable weight loss and the way he’s moving behind the plate. More importantly, he’s showing flashes of why the Tigers remain patient with the switch-hitting, power-hitting catcher. The bat speed and raw strength is evident, and the overall energy has stood out early in camp, giving Detroit another encouraging development as they continue evaluating depth behind the plate.

Then there's Valencia. And if you’ve followed what I’ve said about him before, this is exactly why the Tigers remain intrigued — the ability to simply hit. Valencia doesn’t always need to sell out for power; the swing is compact, the approach is controlled, and he consistently finds the barrel. The home run was the loud moment, but the bigger takeaway is the quality of his at-bats and his feel for contact, traits that continue to show up regardless of the situation. Look at how he fights off this changeup and takes it to right. 

There are a lot of people in the organization who like his ability at the plate and the work he did last season to be considered for a 40-man spot was a great story that I don't think is talked about enough. 

For a player still working to carve out his place in a crowded system, Valencia keeps doing the one thing that gets you noticed: producing competitive, professional swings every time he steps in the box. He has looked good at first, which may end up being his position but regardless of where he ends up playing, you should see him in Detroit sooner than later. With these early developments, by the time the regular season rolls around, you are not going to even remember the Tigers started the spring 0-5.

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