Kyle Lobstein

Lobstein started the 2014 campaign as part of the rotation at Triple-A Toledo, but with the Tigers’ rotation short-handed late in the season due to injuries, he received a promotion. The 25-year-old lefty was mediocre throughout his minor league career, but he impressed the Tigers by elevating his game at the big-league level. He relies heavily on a fastball that hovers around 90 mph while mixing in a changeup, curveball and cutter that are all considered fairly average in the majors. Since his stuff isn’t overpowering, Lobstein relies on keeping hitters off-balance by mixing his pitches well and hiding the ball during delivery, but he still needs to work on his control to reach his full potential. Lobstein’s short- and long-term potential is to fill a role in the back-end of a rotation. Assuming Max Scherzer departs and the Tigers don’t bring in any outside help, Lobstein will likely compete for the final spot in the Tigers’ rotation.

Acquired by the Tigers in the 2012 Rule 5 Draft, Lobstein was protected from the same fate this winter with the Tigers, who added him to their 40-man roster. The young lefty split the 2013 campaign between Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo and didn't seem to be affected by his midseason promotion to the latter, going 6-3 with a steady 3.48 ERA and 65:25 K:BB over 13 starts. He'll likely begin the year at Triple-A Toledo as one of the first starters up if the Tigers lose a member of their rotation to injury at some point in 2014.