Jack Flaherty Is Raring to Go for Tigers’ Starters Rotation
Jack Flaherty is eager to take his place in the Tigers’ five-day starters routine. Toward the end of the week of Feb. 24, Flaherty hopes to take the final spot in the Tigers’ spring rotation.
According to a Detroit News report, once Flaherty is on the five-day spring rotation, he’ll coast into the Tigers’ regular season, potentially getting his first start in Los Angeles against the Dodgers on March 28, 2025.
“We don’t need a lot of extra out of him, but we’re still going to find ways to get
him a little better,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said in the Detroit News report. “More effective arm-side (in on right-handed hitters), just subtle tweaks compared to last season.”
Right-handed hitters knocked out .440 with a .730 OPS against Flaherty last year. That’s an increase in his career runs of .377 and .672. In 2019, right-handers could only get in a .182 average and a .317 slug with a .536 OPS against him.
Righties slugged over .500 against his slider in 2023 and 2024. He laid into his knuckle curve while trying to incorporate new moves into his arsenal. During the last two years, he’s thrown 17 and only three in 2024.
For now, Flaherty is maximizing each day he has.
“I’m just using this time for certain things that we were working on in the offseason, trying to continue improving,” Flaherty said. “Just things that I could’ve done better last year.”
Hinch praised Flaherty’s work ethic, noting that veterans like him often fall into the trap of focusing only on building endurance. Flaherty, however, is striving for something more — getting better and better.
