Tigers Have Myles Jaye A Call Away

LAKELAND, Fla.—A year ago at this time, many Tigers fans were hearing about righthander Myles Jaye for the first time.

This season, they might just see him pitch at Comerica Park.

Barring something unforeseen, Jaye will start the season in the Triple-A Toledo rotation and will be just a phone call away from the Detroit.

The 25-year-old Jaye will have to rely on solid command and mixing his pitches to make the big leap to the big leagues. He throws a fastball, a curveball and a slider, but he lacks a true dominant pitch.

“He’s not going to overwhelm you with stuff,” farm director Dave Owen said. “His fastball is 89-94 (mph), but he’ll pitch 90-92.

“His slider, in my opinion, is his best pitch. I have seen him throw some plus sliders. But he’s around the zone with all of his pitches. He’s kind of that guy who looks like he knows how to pitch a little bit.”

The Tigers obtained Jaye and catcher Bobby Wilson just before the start of the 2016 season for catcher Bryan Holaday, who was out of options. Jaye, a 17th-round pick of the Blue Jays in 2010 out of high school in Georgia, split 2016 between Double-A Erie and Toledo.

He went 5-12, 3.95 in 28 starts in 2016, but his numbers improved once he was promoted to Toledo. He recorded a 3.69 ERA in his first stint at Triple-A. Batters hit just .210 against him while he was there.

The Tigers added Jaye to the 40-man roster last November to shield him from the Rule 5 draft.

The Tigers will have options at Toledo should they need someone to fill a spot in the rotation. Jaye will be one of them.

“He’s still got to command his stuff,” Owen said. “That’s probably going to be his key. He won’t overpower you, but he’s got enough weapons and if he uses them in the right way, he can compete.”

TIGER TALES

• Early in spring training, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus had high praise for the defensive ability of first baseman Efren Navarro, who signed a minor league deal in the offseason.

• Righthander Ruben Alaniz, who struck out 74 in 73.2 innings at Erie and Toledo last season, also made a good impression on Ausmus early in spring workouts.

— Chris Iott is a writer based in Michigan