The Tigers have agreed to a minor league pact with free agent right-hander Eli Villalobos, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. He was designated for assignment by the Marlins last month and rejected what would’ve been his second career outright assignment in favor of free agency. Villalobos hasn’t pitched in nearly a month now, so Detroit assigned him to their Rookie-level minor league affiliate to ramp back up before presumably heading to their Triple-A club in Toledo.
Villalobos, 27 next week, made his big league debut with the Fish earlier this season and tossed 4 1/3 innings. He allowed one run on three hits and a pair of walks with three strikeouts in that generally sharp first MLB effort. He’s also logged 18 innings in Triple-A Jacksonville, recording a 4.50 ERA with a strong 26.5% strikeout rate but ugly 13.3% walk rate. Statcast measured his average fastball at 93.3 mph during that brief MLB run, and he also worked off a low-80s splitter and mid-80s slider.
While Villalobos has never ranked as a high-end prospect in Miami’s system, the former 14th-rounder was selected to the 40-man roster to shield him from the Rule 5 Draft on the heels of a 2022 season in which he posted a 2.86 ERA with a 32.7% strikeout rate (101 punchouts overall) against a 9.4% walk rate in 78 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. He’s since bounced to the Pirates organization and then right back to the Marlins via a pair of DFAs and waiver claims.
Lack of prospect pedigree notwithstanding, Villalobos has sub-4.00 earned run averages and strikeout rates north of 25% in two seasons of action at the Double-A and Triple-A levels. He walked a calamitous 18% of his opponents in Triple-A last season but has dished out a free pass to a less-alarming (but still too high) 12.8% of his opponents between Triple-A and the big leagues this season. He’ll be a project for the Tigers but could be a near-term bullpen option for them if he can continue to move past last year’s career-worst command issues.
So this is what the pizza money gets us.
Ouch!
$5 Hot n’ Readys….yes.
Yawn…..
But can he hit?
Nobody on the Tigers hits consistently
Scott Harris has all the answers
May trade half the team at the deadline
Nothing wrong with a minor league contract that you can bring up a player in a jiffy and not have to worry about saving the place on the 40.
One thing that would have changed if they had hired the Superfife is the team/organizational mentality/attitude.
Today, for example, I heard the interviewer use the term, “flush it”. How DISGUSTING! How UNPROFESSIONAL! How RUDE! That interviewer would not be interviewing my manager anymore. In fact, if it were not Bally, an embedded corp – literally, they would not be interviewing my manager anymore.
Then, I heard Riley Greene use it. How DISGUSTING!
Then I remember, I think I’ve heard the manager use it before too. How VULGAR!
The Tigers are infected.
Disinfect the Tigers. Hire the Superfife!
Flea bit, peanut monkeys approved this message.
So sayeth Stuperfife, the toothless saber! What a broken brained idiot!
The problem starts with Ilitch, then Harris, then Hinch. With all the money Harris spent on the junk heaps, he could have gone out and signed one decent hitter.
Harris didn’t spend much on the “junk heaps”. You don’t pay big bucks for minor league contracts. The money he spent on these contracts likely doesn’t equal a one-year flier on a Gio Urshela type.
Junk heaps like Flaherty who has been awesome? Or maybe Urshela who has just been decent? Could have done without Maeda’s first half but he had a great second half last year.
Avila spent a bunch if money on a “decent hitter”… his name was Javier Baez. Look how that worked out.
I agree they need to spend soon to fill in the gaps (SS!!!) but they need to let some of the kids play to identify those gaps.
Time to jettison the Tork experiment.
No.
Agree with TF4E. He is still quite young and can make a major impact, especially if he can learn to hit the fastball consistently.
I’d agree with tigersfan4ever and Brassroo but I’d also say if the right deal came along then why not.
I don’t have an abundance of faith that Tork will recover. I’d like him to, and become an important part of the core. But he may not. I could see Keith moving to 1B and Jung back to 2B. where he’s better defensively than @ 3B. Unless McGonigle can’t cut it at SS & has to move to 2B. Either way, it might be an upgrade over Tork anyway.
At this point, my keeper position players are Riley, Carp, Colt, Ibanez, Vierling, Perez & Jake & likely Meadows.
I think Rogers is just a placeholder or a time share. If Kelly gets traded then Dingler should get a shot. I’m not sold on a y of the Tigers catchers right now. Brady Cernowyk in the low minors looks interesting though, and him, McGonigle and Clark are the long range players who look like keepers so far.
While I hope for more I think Meadows and Perez end up as part time players or backups. I think Malloy has more to show as well and Jung should get a shot. Sad that we have to cross our fingers on Tork.
I couldn’t even bring myself to watch the game today. Detroit is unwatchable almost right now. Carpenter is most missed now, but I think this is good for guys on the farm. Should be no hesitancy to bring Jung up as soon as they start moving guys. Let the draft and trading begin.
It was sad, to watch. Badoo, a great ballplayer, walked away from his last at bat, head up, proud man strut….
He is crushed.
Badoo is a good guy, a good ball player who should have 20hrs, 20 doubles and a .275 ba. He should bat lead off and use his speed.
He is being crushed psychologically.
I know that posture.
It’s to keep from crying. I know because I’ve lived it my entire life.
Something needs to change. Bottom line.
And its not the ballplayers.
The toothless Stuperfife can’t even spell or know the history of a ball player. Did you know that Baddoo (not Badoo) never played above class A ball until the Tigers took him in the rule 5 draft? Probably not, as you’re that stupid.
You’ve lived it your entire life because you bring your sadness upon yourself. You’re an embarrassment. You don’t have a clue. So instead of being an innocent bystander, you make these ridiculous comments. You have zero credibility, you’re not funny, but you’re a laughing stock with your useless act.
I believe your the reason most websites have comments closed, or removed altogether.
I’ve never had a website close their comments or remove them altogether. That’s probably because the administrators or moderators realize I’m telling the truth. Back down to AAA for you!
I’m following the Tigers. I’m already at AAA.
That explains a lot. Down to A ball for you. Or maybe a DFA would be more appropriate?
You always have to get the last word.
You want the last word? Earn it. Otherwise stop whining
Not whining. Just calling a toxic person, toxic.
You’re whining, toxic person!
Just a reminder to you, AAA, you started this, jerk!