How Detroit Tigers' Reese Olson plans to build on strong finish to rookie season

LAKELAND, Fla. — Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal used both of his hands to help right-hander Reese Olson. His left hand held the baseball, and his right hand was positioned overtop Olson's right hand on the ball.

It was Feb. 16 on the back fields in TigerTown.

"Nothing crazy," Olson said, "just trying to get the spin right. It definitely changes everything."

Olson, who has some of most favorable pitch metrics in the Tigers' organization, received a lesson from another of the best in search of improving the ride on his four-seam fastball. Skubal taught Olson how to change the spin of his fastball by tweaking his finger, hand and wrist placement in connection with the ball.

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Olson, 24, is looking to build on a rookie year to remember. He made his MLB debut in June 2023, and by the end of the season, he had a 3.99 ERA with 33 walks and 103 strikeouts across 103⅔ innings in 21 games (18 starts).

He dominated in his final five starts, logging a 1.44 ERA with nine walks and 25 strikeouts across 31⅓ innings throughout September. Skubal also dominated in his five starts in September, foreshadowing a potential one-two punch atop the rotation.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch was optimistic while pointing out the work still needed for Olson.

"He's got to move his fastball around a little bit," Hinch said. "He's got some usage things we're going to talk about. He created a lot of swing and miss."

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Last spring, Olson wasn't in the mix to make the Opening Day roster. This year, though, Olson has MLB experience and is competing for a spot in the Opening Day rotation.

He has been hanging out with pitching prospects such as Wilmer Flores, Brant Hurter, Jackson Jobe and Ty Madden in the clubhouse, but unlike those fellow young pitchers, he has pitched in the big leagues — with success.

"There are things to build on," Hinch said, "but I'm interested to see how he attacks the spring based on what a different position he's in this spring compared to last spring."

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The Tigers didn't want Olson to change anything about his raw pitches in the offseason. His slider, which he used more than any other pitch, generated a 41.6% swing-and-miss rate, while his changeup had a 35.9% whiff rate.

The slider-changeup combo is particularly filthy, resulting in a clear message from Hinch and president of baseball operations Scott Harris in last year's exit meeting.

"It was to keep doing the same stuff," Olson said. "Get stronger, get healthy, keep doing the same thing because it worked in September. It was getting ahead of hitters, putting them away early and not getting deep into counts."

He found the balance between chasing strikeouts and inducing weak contact throughout his experience in back-to-back outings Aug. 28 against the New York Yankees and Sept. 2 against the Chicago White Sox.

In the former, Olson struck out 10 batters with four walks across 4⅓ innings of one-run ball; he followed that by striking out one batter with zero walks across seven scoreless innings.

"You have to do both," Hinch said. "You have to be able to fill the strike zone up early in counts to get to strikeout counts. You can't chase strikeouts to get to two strikes. We need to pound the zone to get to two strikes, and if we get to two strikes, there are areas he can create miss."

Which start felt better?

"They both felt good in different ways," Olson said, "but I would rather throw seven innings."

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In the offseason, Olson focused on throwing all of his pitches — slider, four-seam fastball, sinker, changeup and curveball — inside the strike zone.

"Everything in general," Olson said. "I figured out what I need to do to land one for a strike and also have a good swing-and-miss pitch."

Olson failed to fill up the strike zone in his first spring training start, allowing two runs on one hit and three walks (plus one hit batter) with zero strikeouts in 1⅔ innings. He threw just 16 of 39 pitches for strikes, especially strugging to locate his fastball and changeup.

It was his first of many opportunities to impress his coaches in spring games.

"My metrics are going to be there," Olson said. "It's just a matter of being in the zone. Not really changing shapes or anything, just trying to get in the zone more with everything."

But Olson always needs to keep an eye on his 95 mph four-seam fastball, which is the pitch he worked on with Skubal during bullpen sessions. It's the pitch that has been hit for the most damage throughout his professional career because it has some arm-side run, and when he gets predictable with his fastball, it can be easy for opponents to crush.

Executing the plan for his fastball is paramount to his long-term success in the big leagues. After all, he already features above-average secondary pitches.

It's also the best way for Olson to establish himself as a top-of-the-rotation starter in the 2024 season amid a group that includes five more experienced pitchers: Skubal and right-handers Jack Flaherty, Kenta Maeda, Matt Manning and Casey Mize.

"It's great for the team to have a lot of guys fighting for spots," Olson said, "but for me, I'm taking it day by day and trying to pitch well. Whatever happens, happens."

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Reese Olson has a plan to improve in second season