Detroit Tigers Unheralded Relief Pitcher Is Best Kept Secret on Staff

One of the reasons that the Detroit Tigers were so successful during their unprecedented run to the postseason in 2024 was the performance of their bullpen.

Regardless of the role that manager A.J. Hinch had for his guys, they would respond with stellar outings.

One day, a reliever could be called upon to be the opener in front of a starting pitcher, providing bulk innings. The next time, they would be in middle relief or coming in for a high-leverage late in the game.

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No matter the task, they would respond with elite results. It helped Hinch eat innings with a starting rotation that included American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal and sometimes Kieder Montero, that was about it.

This year, the Tigers have a lot more depth in the rotation behind Skubal with Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize, Jackson Jobe, Reese Olson and Montero.

Despite not having to carry as much of the onus for the pitching staff, the bullpen is still producing at an incredibly high level.

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One of the pitchers leading the way for the relief staff is the unheralded Will Vest.

A 12th-round pick in the 2017 MLB Draft out of Stephen F. Austin, he was actually selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft, but struggled in his stint with the team and was returned to Detroit in July 2021.

He returned to the Major Leagues in 2022, recording a 4.00 ERA across 63 innings, earning a full-time role in the team’s bullpen.

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Vest has only improved since that point, recording ERAs of 2.98 and 2.82 in 2023 and 2024.

In 2025, he has taken his performance to totally new level, being called upon as the team’s closer alongside Tommy Kahnle and shutting the door on opponents.

Highlighted as the Tigers’ best-kept secret on the roster by Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report, it won’t be long until the baseball world knows who he is, if that hasn’t occurred already.

“Will Vest was a very effective reliever for A.J. Hinch and the Tigers the last two seasons, but he has managed to be even better in 2025…The 29-year-old has two remaining arbitration years, so the Tigers currently have one of the better bullpen bargains in baseball with Vest making only $1.4 million,” Kelly wrote.

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That is a steal of a contract with him making 28 appearances, throwing 31.1 innings and recording a stellar 1.72 ERA with 10 saves and 32 strikeouts.

Already with 1.3 bWAR this season, this would be the third consecutive campaign he has broken the 1.0 mark, as he is trending toward a career year.

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