The Detroit Tigers had a bitter ending to their season after it came to a close in a 15-inning showdown in the American League Division Series against the Seattle Mariners. Usually when something comes to a close like that it is hard to focus on any of the positives.
The Tigers rode ultimate highs and lows throughout the season, mostly in the second half. However, one rookie on their pitching staff made his debut at the end of July and was arguably the best part of their summer, Troy Melton.
Melton blew any expectations the organization may have had out of the water which is why he stayed on the roster into the postseason and emerged as their rookie of the year.
Melton didn’t get a full year on the roster, but this was the first time that the 24-year-old spent time on a mound in the majors. After his time on the mound, there is a lot for the ballclub to get excited about, especially with a pitching staff that has few productive members outside of Tarik Skubal.
The debut for Melton came in the last week of July in Pittsburgh against the Pirates and while his first two outings were starts that didn’t last long. Melton did not make the start that anyone would hope for as their debut after he allowed six earned runs.
His next game was another start where he bounced back significantly after no earned runs or walks. Melton had only made two starts, but struck out 12. However, the Tigers moved him to the bullpen regardless.
Even though he was now being used as a reliever, he wasn’t spending only an inning out on the mound. There were multiple instances in which he was used in two or three innings as he was learning to keep runs off the board while he continued to throw strikes.
After only allowing six earned runs in seven games in September, the Tigers brought him into the postseason, where he really made an impression. The first time Melton was used looked a lot like his original start. He lasted less than an inning before he was pulled after four earned runs on only 14 pitches.
This was the outlier to the rest of his playoff run, though. Despite his relief use in the first game, he made his first career playoff start against the Mariners. Melton made it four full innings, where he struck out four to complement one earned run.
Management decided to use him two more times (four total innings) in the ALDS, where he didn’t allow a single run, only three hits, and had a combined four strikeouts.
Despite coming away with a loss in the ALDS there were plenty of good things that happened and that included Melton’s performance throughout. Now, he will get a chance to play a complete season with the Tigers and help bring up the average on the pitching staff.
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