The Tigers made a surprising run to the ALDS in 2024 and will look to do better come next season. Detroit will do so with veteran starter Alex Cobb. The Tigers have reportedly added Alex Cobb, who missed almost all of last season, on a one-year deal.
A Look at Cobb
Veteran pitcher Alex Cobb has largely been an effective starter for most of his Major League career, including in 2024.
Now, the 2023 whiff map is referenced here because Cobb didn’t pitch much last season. Cobb missed the first four months of 2024 thanks to offseason hip surgery. The 37-year-old was rehabbing when the Giants shipped him to Cleveland at the trade deadline.
At the time, the deal made a lot of sense. The Guardians’ rotation needed help, and Cobb was enlisted alongside free agent pickup Matthew Boyd to fill some hole. Cobb did that when healthy, as he struck out 10 and gave up only five earned runs over 16.1 IP. His best start last season was his best, one that saw him through six perfect innings against the Pirates on September 1.
That was his last start of 2024, as a blister shut Cobb down for the rest of the season.
Still, Cobb looked very much like the pitcher we’ve come to expect of him; a ground-ball machine who liberally works the lower half of the zone. Cobb primarily used three pitches, a sinker, splitter — which profiles as his best pitch, and a knuckle-curve. Additionally, the new Tiger will use the four-seamer and slider on rare occasions.
To keep hitters honest, Cobb will throw his two-seamer up in the zone. Cobb’s two-seamer has good movement, especially when it comes to his arm-side. That pitch is often used to set up his split-finger fastball, a deceptive pitch given it only differs in velocity by 5-7 MPH.
His tendencies to pound the zone often leads to hard-hit but not barreled up contact, thanks to Cobb’s ability to change speeds and work the lower half of the zone. Cobb had a roughly average 4.8% Barrel/PA rate in 2024 but as low as 2.5% in 2022.
Cobb excelled that season with the Giants, a team front office leader Scott Harris is familiar with to say the least. That season, Cobb struck out a career-high 151 batters and owned a 3.73 ERA.
Per reports, the Tigers signed Alex Cobb to a one-year deal.
Analysis
Last month, we highlighted the fact that Detroit needed starting pitching help badly. The Tigers get some help with Cobb.
Detroit entered the offseason with ace and reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal and several question marks. Reese Olson was effective for the first half of 2024 but wasn’t thanks to injury. Keider Montero isn’t a swing-and-miss guy but controlled the strike zone well as a rookie. Kenta Maeda, Casey Mize, and Matt Manning are among other options for their rotation, while Jackson Jobe will look to slot in as a rookie.
If Cobb can stay healthy, this move has the potential to be very good for Detroit. The veteran is adept at mixing pitches and getting ground balls. Comerica Park isn’t a hitters’ haven by any means but having a pitcher who generally limits hard, barreled-up contact is critical to having success in a 162-game season.
The Tigers were able to leverage a strong bullpen in their sprint to the playoffs in September, then used it further to their advantage in the playoffs. However, that strategy will need be modified come 2025.