Bradenton, FL –If there is one thing certain about the Tigers' future, it's that their tree of infielders will be bearing fruit for a long time. In one of the more exciting games of the spring, the Tigers 8-7 loss. Despite a combined five errors by both squads, Pittsburgh showed plenty of arm strength on the mound, while Detroit demonstrated patience and solid contact at the plate. Let’s take a gander at what else the Tigers have in their pipeline. 

Izaac Pacheco went 2-for-4 with two ground ball singles to right field. His first hit came in the first inning at 97 mph with a 3-degree launch angle. He added an RBI single in the fifth at 98.6 mph, scoring Eduardo Valencia. Jordan Yost recorded a hit in his second pro at-bat and teamed with Jack Penney to turn a double play in the third inning. Jude Warwick added a hit as well, recording a single and contributing defensively at shortstop in the sixth.  Pacheco, who was making his spring debut is more than likely starting the season in Erie, became the all time leader in home runs for West Michigan last season. 

Joe Miller entered in the fourth inning and worked 2.1 innings, allowing just one hit while striking out five consecutive batters. Miller sat 95-96 mph throughout his outing, a notable jump from the 91-93 mph he showed last season. He is the type of pitcher who has to locate to be successful and not only was he doing that but was pounding the strikezone. Last season he split time between West Michigan and making a pair of starts in Toledo, , going 8-4 with a 2.95 ERA across 26 starts and 116 innings, striking out 101 batters.

Marco Jimenez started the game for the Tigers, registered a pair of strikeouts, was throwing 97-98 with a good sweeper. He continues to have a good spring for the Tigers. 

Other than the third inning in which the Pirates scored all eight of their runs, off Joe Minton and Carlos Lequeria, the bullpen kept Pittsburgh off the board. 

Even without frontline starters taking the mound, there was plenty to watch. Michael Oliveto entered as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning and put two hard-hit balls in play, posting exit velocities of 104 mph and 102.3 mph respectively, showing a clean, direct stroke for a young hitter. Cris Rodriguez, the Tigers big international signing, had an infield single and made base on an error. Despite the one bad throw, he showed a solid arm in right field. 

There was also the moment fans came to see, as Max Clark and Konnor Griffin exchanged jerseys before the game. While neither factored heavily in the box score on the day, the Tigers made clear they have star power beyond the stat line.

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