Lange ready to compete for closer role

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Time will tell if Alex Lange is ready to step in as the Tigers’ closer. But the young right-hander was at least ready for the question Monday morning.

“Yeah, there’s going to be a closer for sure,” Lange said.

To twist the oft-used Spring Training phrase, Lange has reported to camp in the best humor of his career.

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With Gregory Soto now in Philadelphia’s bullpen, Joe Jiménez with Atlanta and Andrew Chafin in Arizona, the Tigers have just four pitchers on their 40-man roster who have a Major League save. One of those four, Michael Lorenzen, is now a starter. José Cisnero, Detroit’s reigning veteran reliever now, had four saves in 2021 before enduring an injury-shortened '22 campaign. Will Vest had one save last year. Then there’s Lange, who closed out the White Sox on Sept. 20, 2021.

Though Lange recorded team highs with 71 appearances -- third most in the American League -- and 21 holds last year, he didn’t get a save. When Soto wasn’t available, Jiménez or Chafin would usually step in. Yet Lange’s combination of pure pitching and adrenaline made him a natural choice for the title of Tigers’ closer of the future.

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Whether that future is now for Lange, at age 27 and coming off his first full Major League season, remains to be seen.

“We were in [tight] situations last year, so I’m expecting to be used in similar situations,” Lange said. “If it’s in the closer role, I’m going to embrace it and have a lot of fun. But I’m not assuming anything or looking past that. I’ve got outings to work on this spring, got a bullpen on Wednesday and that’s what I’m looking forward to.”

Considering how far Lange has progressed, it’s difficult to rule him out. He was a converted starter when the Tigers acquired the former first-round Draft pick from the Cubs for Nick Castellanos at the 2019 Trade Deadline. He made enough of an impression as an extra pitcher in Spring Training 2020 that the Tigers added him to their 40-man roster at the end of the year. After a turbulent opening couple of months in the Majors in 2021, he had a strong stretch run that put him firmly in the mix last year.

Lange’s 2022 season was a breakout one. His 44.1 percent whiff rate was in the 100th percentile among Major League pitchers, and his 57.8 percent whiff rate on his breaking ball made it one of the nastiest pitches in baseball. He led the league with 15 wild pitches and walked 11.4 percent of hitters he faced, but he also ranked among the top five percent of Major League pitchers in chase rate.

The few times opponents hit him, he rarely gave up hard contact. His average exit velocity of 86.1 mph ranked among the top 10 percent in MLB, and his hard-hit rate of 35.9 percent ranked in the top third.

Lange's goal this spring, he said, is less about roles and more about stuff and mentality.

“Just fine-tuning at this point, making sure the breaking ball’s in the zone a little more, making sure the heater’s in the zone a little more,” he said. “That’s something I struggled with last year. The walks were a little high for me. I just want to attack. I want to come in here and be in attack mode from Day 1 and just limit the crooked numbers this year, go in there and do my job, whatever that is.”

Most of those struggles took place from mid-July through August. After allowing just seven earned runs on 21 hits with 15 walks and 43 strikeouts over 33 innings in his first 37 appearances, he gave up 17 earned runs on 21 hits over his next 18 1/3 innings, striking out 26 but walking 10. He allowed multiple runs in five different outings in August. His breaking ball continued to draw swings and misses, but when hitters connected, they did some damage.

He saved his season in the final month, allowing just two earned runs on six hits over 12 innings with 13 strikeouts.

“I think there’s a lot to take away from struggles, a lot to take away from successes,” Lange said. “Just filling up the zone, attacking guys, going after them and just trust in your stuff. You just have to continue to believe in your stuff and attack.”