Detroit Tigers Newsletter: Schwar-bombs, Hoosiers and NCAA brackets the B1G baseball way

Once every three years or so — disrupted only by a labor dispute, a pandemic or MLB just kinda deciding to skip a year — we get one of the best crossovers in sports.

As our nominally Detroit Tigers-obsessed brains start to switch into “Bracket Mode,” in which all our decisions are organized around a cluster of 68 competing variables as we try to answer the most important question in sports — WHO WILL WIN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT? — we look everywhere for answers.

Yes, even to the scrolling ticker seemingly present on whatever sports channel — ESPN, FS1, CBS Sports Network or even Bally Sports Detroit — with every few seconds bringing a new event and a new abbreviation.

“PUR: J. Báez, 2-for-4, 1 RBI.” Followed soon after by, “PUR: Z.Edey, 12-for-17, 13 REB.”

Wait, wait? There’s a team that employs both Javier Báez and Zach Edey? (And why is it guaranteed to disappoint us in early April?)

Hello, and welcome to the Tigers Region Newsletter.

Actually, the answer is a little simpler. It’s Double Tournament Time. The World Baseball Classic began on Wednesday (though teams in Arizona and Florida didn’t start playing till Saturday), giving us the matchups we never knew we needed, such as NCA/PUR (that’s either a Wu-Tang Clan knockoff, or  Nicaragua vs. Puerto Rico) and NED/TPE (that’s Ned Flanders vs. toilet paper … no, wait, it’s the Netherlands vs. Chinese Taipei).

And of course, the Big Ten tournament wrapped up Sunday night, segueing nearly seamlessly (depending on your tolerance for CBS’ studio crew) into the men’s NCAA basketball tournament bracket reveal. Which reminded us: WHO WILL WIN THE TOURNAMENT?

Alas, we are but a humble Tigers newsletter and so do not have all the answers. But what if we looked at the best active player from every school in the tourney to help us pick our bracket? (What, it’s just as valid as picking the fiercer mascot in every matchup, especially when the options are a Spartan or a Trojan. Or a Bobcat vs. a Wildcat. Or a Paladin vs. a Cavalier. But we digress.)

But, for brevity’s sake, if not sanity’s sake, we’ll limit ourselves to the Big Ten here — did you know Michigan State’s first-round opponent, USC, is responsible for Team Japan leadoff man extraordinaire (and St. Louis Cardinals outfielder) Lars Nootbaar? — rather than all 68 teams (and just the eight current Big Ten schools that made the tournament, while we’re at it):

Schools listed in reverse order of seed:

10. Penn State: LHP Dante Biase (sorta) — Uh, this is awkward. See, it turns out that the Nittany Lions haven’t had a big leaguer since David Aardsma retired in 2015. But they could be close to getting another: Biasi, the Kansas City Royals’ sixth-round pick in 2019, made it to Double-A last season, striking out 86 in 83 2/3 innings. (He also walked 54, but it’s the Royals — they’ll need someone to eat innings this summer.)

9. Illinois: 2B Michael Massey — The 2019 fourth-rounder posted a .683 OPS in 52 games last season, which isn’t necessarily good, but our other options are righty Cory Sedlock, who had more earned runs allowed (five) than innings pitched (three) for the Baltimore Orioles in 2022, or righty Tanner Roark, who hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2021. Congrats, Royals. Tough luck, folks who wanted to pick the Illini to go deep.

8. Maryland: 2B Brandon Lowe — Speaking of going deep, 2021 was a good year for Terps, as Lowe powered his way to 39 homers for the Tampa Bay Rays and a top-10 AL MVP finish, and LaMonte Wade Jr. had an .808 OPS and drew a few NL MVP votes with the San Francisco Giants. In 2022, however, injuries limited Lowe to 65 games, and Wade was just plain bad while hitting .207.

8. Iowa: LHP Matt Dermody — Literally the only Hawkeye in the majors last season, he gave up two earned runs in an inning of work for the Chicago Cubs. This spring, he has 10 strikeouts and no runs allowed over 8 1/3 innings. In other words, much like the Hawkeyes of hoops … results may vary.

7. Northwestern: RHP Luke Farrell — Another solo rep of his school, the 31-year-old may not make an appearance this season after allowing nine earned runs over 15 innings with the Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds, much like the Wildcats oh-so-rarely make an NCAA appearance.

7. Michigan State: LHP Anthony Misiewicz — The 28-year-old, who will always have a place in our hearts for his nickname “Tony Sandwiches” (based on a butchered pronunciation of his last name), is throwing in Cardinals camp after putting up a 4.34 ERA over 29 innings with the Seattle Mariners and the, ahem, Royals. Also, he was 2 the last time the Spartans missed an NCAA tournament.

4. Indiana: OF Kyle Schwarber — This 29-year-old Hoosier made a fast impression in his first season with the Philadelphia Phillies, leading the NL with 46 home runs (and with 200 strikeouts). He also brought that power to Team USA, homering in the WBC opener against Great Britain, which is like the Kent State of international baseball, right?

1. Purdue: C Kevin Plawecki — Just like the Boilermakers, he’s taller than you think (6 feet 2) and tends to disappear when you need him most (a career .202 hitter in “late and close” situations). Still, just as Purdue seems like a good backup choice to win it all if you can’t find a better team, Plawecki is still getting backup-catcher jobs; he’s in camp with the Pittsburgh Pirates after 63 games with the Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers last season.

OK, on second thought, perhaps using active MLB alumni to make your NCAA tournament pick isn’t the brightest move. Unless Indiana or Maryland get hot, in which case, we’ll see you back here next March, eh?

World serious x 3

Of course, while we’re getting ready for the NCAA tournament, several Tigers are warming up in the WBC (as we mentioned). The big one, of course, is Javier Báez, who’s taking reps at second base for his native Puerto Rico. (His buddy, Francisco Lindor, is the starting shortstop.) Both the Tigers and his Puerto Rico teammates are hoping Báez is able to channel the excitement of the international competition into a bounce-back season in the majors, according to the Freep’s Evan Petzold.

Meanwhile, one Tigers farmhand has been able to experience winning on the biggest stage: Left-hander Jack O’Loughlin started for Team Australia in its eye-opening (or eye-closing, depending on when you got up to watch the game live from the Tokyo Dome) upset of Korea. Our Man Petzold caught up with O’Loughlin, who had a 5.05 ERA in 27 appearances for High-A West Michigan last summer, after the win. Head here to find out how he dealt with the “roller coaster of emotions.” (O’Loughlin also started Monday’s win over Czechia, which sent the Aussies to the quarterfinals for the first time.)

And in the Taiwan pool, Tigers third-base contender Andy Ibáñez got some good news; his Cuban teammates advanced to the quarterfinals as well after finishing as the second-place team via tiebreakers with all five squads going 2-2 in pool play. Ibáñez didn’t get the chance to dress for Cuba in pool play, kept out by an injured finger. Still, he and the Tigers are encouraged by his time with Team Cuba. Head here to find out why from, yep, Our Man Petzold.

Jace-ing a dream

Don’t worry, though, the Tigers still have some prospects playing ball in TigerTown: 2022 first-round pick Jace Jung got some surprise time with the big-league squad last week. And after a pro debut that wasn’t exactly sharp — Jung hit .232 with one home run in 30 games with West Michigan — he’s hungry for more. The Freep’s Jeff Seidel says that’s a distinct possibility this week, thanks to a busy schedule. Head here to find out what has manager A.J. Hinch encouraged this spring.

Coach Miggy

But back to the WBC for one more stop; this one’s in Miami, where Miguel Cabrera is suiting up for Venezuela one final time. He’s the only player to be active in all five iterations of the event, dating back to 2006. So far, so good for Cabrera, who sat out Saturday’s opener, but went 1-for-5 on Sunday. Evan as he’s playing, however, he’s also learning — learning what being a coach might be like after he’s done playing. His national team manager says Cabrera is a natural: “If he wants it, he’s going to do it.” Head here to find out from Our Man Petzold what Cabrera means to his nation.

Nevin & Nevin

Going from starring in the majors to coaching isn’t easy. And it’s even less so when your teenage son is trying to follow your path. But that’s what former Tiger Phil Nevin has learned to deal with as he started his second career — he’s entering his second season as the Los Angeles Angels’ manager — while son Tyler Nevin worked his way through the Colorado Rockies, Baltimore Orioles and, now, the Tigers’ organization. The Freep’s Carlos Monarrez caught up with the proud papa on a cross-country phone call — from Arizona to TigerTown — to find out how his fellow Cal State Fullerton (no, they did not make the NCAAs) alum has learned from his son.

Tork the tinkerer

Going from starring in college to trying to make the majors isn’t easy, either. We mentioned Jace Jung earlier, but his first-round predecessor, Spencer Torkelson (maybe you’ve heard of him?) is also looking for his first taste of extended success. Our Man Petzold caught up with Tork in TigerTown to find out what he changed this offseason to rediscover his confidence.

Climbing out of the darkness

Not every mental adjustment is about finding success on the diamond, however. Some players face serious depression wholly unrelated to their baseball careers. That includes Tigers left-hander Mason Englert, whose spot on the roster is mostly guaranteed by his status as an offseason Rule 5 draft pick. He opened up to Our Man Seidel about his struggles with panic attacks and how he’s dealing with the pressure on and off the field.

Mark your calendars!

We’re just 2½ weeks away from Opening Day (the road one, on March 30). So are the Tigers actually going to be good? Uh … well, if you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while, or the Freep at all, you probably have an answer to that. But Our Man Monarrez says they might not be all that bad, either. What’s his reasoning? It involves bears and sweepers and Javier Báez, and a brand-new clubhouse and … well, head here to check it out. You can also get another look at the Tigers for yourself today as they visit the Rays and Bally Sports Detroit picks up the telecast from its sibling station in Florida. Get the scoop on that here.

Happy birthday, Fulm Piece!

Former Tigers right-hander Michael Fulmer — aka “Fulm Piece,” according to his “Players Weekend” jersey selection in 2017 — turns 30 on Wednesday. The 2016 AL Rookie of the Year and the Tigers’ All-Star rep in 2017, Fulmer didn’t exactly thrive after his August trade to Minnesota, posting a 3.70 ERA with 22 strikeouts and eight walks in 24 1/3 innings for the Twins. Still, he landed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Cubs last month, so he’ll have a chance to showcase his killer slider as the Cubs go through their own nebulous rebuild. Already this spring, he had five strikeouts and two walks over five innings, without a run allowed.

Other Tigers birthdays this week: Blaine Hardy (36 on Tuesday), Robert Fick (49 on Wednesday), Kyle Funkhouser (29 on Thursday), Curtis Granderson (42 on Thursday) and Fernando Rodney (46 on Saturday).

TL;DR

We mentioned USC — Nootbaar For Life! — but we’d be remiss in not mentioning the other institution joining the Big Ten in summer 2024: UCLA, whose hoops team is a 2-seed — had 11 players active in the majors last season (including the Tigers’ own Ryan Kreidler) — best among them was right-hander Gerrit Cole, who merely led the AL with 257 strikeouts last season.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers Newsletter: WBC and NCAA tourneys reveal an odd overlap