Between 2018 and 2019, Jack Flaherty was one of the best right-handers in baseball.
He played for the St. Louis Cardinals back then, and posted a 3.34 ERA in 2018 and a 2.75 mark in the middle of an extremely favorable offensive environment in 2019.
Then, however, he started having shoulder issues and his career took a hit.
A free agent at the conclusion of last season, Flaherty now finds himself on the Detroit Tigers.
Baseball is giving him a second chance, and he intends to take it.
As part of a young, high-upside rotation, he is one of the “veterans” of the group alongside Kenta Maeda.
But Flaherty wants to leave his mark and do more than just be a mentor for Casey Mize, Matt Manning, Joey Wentz, Alex Faedo, Tarik Skubal, and others.
If his spring debut is any indication, we would say he is ready for a positive season.
As MLB insider Jon Morosi notes, he had a perfect frame in his Monday start against the Houston Astros.
Jack Flaherty’s first inning as a Tiger: 3 up, 3 down, 10 pitches.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) February 26, 2024
In that inning of work, he struck out two Astros: Chas McCormick (a projected starter) went down swinging, and Jake Meyers watched the third strike go by.
All Flaherty needs to have a decent season in Detroit is health.
If he can avoid any shoulder scares, he has the talent to succeed for a young, hungry Tigers squad.
His four-seam fastball averaged 93.1 mph in 2023.
On Monday, he threw four: they were 93, 95.6, 95, and 94.6 mph.
It’s an early spring training game, but watching him throw harder than he did last year is very, very encouraging.
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