CHICAGO -- For all of the video that Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire has seen on pitching prospects Matt Manning and Beau Burrows, he knows nothing is like seeing the future up close.
That chance came on Wednesday when Manning and Burrows threw bullpen sessions for pitching coach Rick Anderson at Guaranteed Rate Field after finishing the Minor League season at Double-A Erie.
Manning, the No. 3 prospect in the organization according to MLB Pipeline and Burrows, who is ranked No. 5, got a glimpse of life with the big league club while giving the Tigers a chance to work with them before the season ends.
"It's two guys [the organization] thinks has some promise, so we get a chance to take a look at them," Gardenhire said before Wednesday's game against the White Sox.
Manning struck out 154 hitters over 117 2/3 innings in the Minors this season and compiled a 7-8 record with a 3.29 ERA. The 20-year-old went 0-1 in two starts with Erie and struck out 13 over 10 2/3 innings. Burrows finished 10-9 at Erie with a 4.10 ERA and struck out 127 over 134 innings.
With the Tigers in the midst of a rebuild, Gardenhire said the offseason will be key, not only for players like Manning and Burrows, but for many players who could be looking for work come Spring Training. Gardenhire added that September can also be valuable for young players and veterans alike as the front office considers what the team will look like in 2019.
"Guys have done better and played hard, but over the winter, this team is going to change," he said. "These guys all know that."
Among those to spend time with Manning and Burrows on Wednesday was left-hander Matthew Boyd, who was impressed with what he saw. But he was quick to point out the kind of adjustments both youngsters face when the time comes for them to be called up to the Major Leagues.
"I was just trying explain to them what the constants are through the highs and lows, the valleys and the peaks, success and struggles in the big leagues," Boyd said. "It's inevitable there's going to be a time when you get your teeth kicked in, but it's how you respond to it, how fast you respond to it, [and] how you grow from it is going to determine how you come out of it."