Jack Flaherty Is Being Overlooked in the Tigers’ Rotation

The past two post seasons have involved the Detroit Tigers relying on what they called “pitching chaos.” It’s a catchy term that gave strategic elegance to the reality of simply not having enough starting pitchers — a priority that sat atop of their offseason priorities.

The first move was signing Drew Anderson from overseas. A fine move, but one that signaled to many fans that the Tigers would not be serious about contending.

Well, it took a few months, but the Tigers front office and ownership made a statement to silence the doubters by inking Framber Valdez and brining back a Tigers legend in Justin Verlander. Two bona fide starters who bolster the rotation and take some pressure off Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.

These are moves that were praised, and needed, ahead of the 2026 season. While most of the chatter is surrounding Skubal, Valdez, and Verlander, let’s not forget about Jack Flaherty and his importance to this team.

The quasi-No. 2 starter in 2025, Flaherty finished second in the rotation only to Skubal with a 3.85 FIP. He struck out more than 10 hitters per nine innings in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2019 and 2020, and his back-to-back sub-4.00 FIPs is the first time he’s done so since 2018 and 2019.

While not always pretty, Flaherty was more valuable than Tigers fans might think.

A Complicated 2025 Season

When Flaherty first joined the Tigers ahead of the 2024 season, he was known for walking too many batters and being often injured. He quickly corrected those stereotypes and looked fantastic before being dealt to the Dodgers at the deadline.

He returned ahead of the 2025 season with high expectations, and by most eyes he did not meet them. Most will remember his back-to-back outings where he allowed seven and eight runs in June. Yet, they probably forget the three quality outings — each going six innings and allowing one, zero, and three runs — bookending his explosion.

August was another month where Flaherty had forgettable starts. There were three outings where he allowed five or more runs. He also had three August starts where he allowed a total of two runs, including a three-hit, nine-strikeout start across seven innings.

Rough patches, up-and-down velocity, and struggling to find the zone held him back at times. However, that did not make up the entirety of his season. His velocity was down 0.4 mph on his four-seamer, but it was the same, even a slight tick higher, on the rest of his offerings.

His movement profile was close enough to 2024 with some pitches performing better and his slider performing worse. Perhaps the biggest difference in data came with his swing-and-miss numbers. Each of his three primary offerings recorded a lower whiff rate than in 2024 with his fastball dropping by seven percent.

In my opinion, the biggest different that caused Flaherty’s issues was command. He didn’t start to walk the world, but command is more than just throwing strikes.

Flaherty did not have the same level of command on his breaking pitches, which caught more of the plate and resulted in more balls in play. This also impacted his fastball, as the two pitches were not playing off each other as well. This is what usually resulted in his blowup outings.

Sure, Flaherty’s 4.64 ERA is not what we had all expected, but his 3.97 xERA and 3.69 xFIP tell a different story.

Why Flaherty Can Bounce Back in 2026

Expectations minus reality equals disappointment. When the Tigers brought Flaherty back, the expectation was something resembling his first stint in a Tigers uniform: outings of dominance and high strikeouts flirting with an ERA in the low-to-mid 3.00s, all while making 25-plus starts.

A reminder that this level of production is a one Flaherty has only reach once since 2019.

Now, with the additions of Valdez and Verlander, the pressure to be a driver of team success is less than it was last spring. He’s no longer the guy who will get them over the top, but instead he is a piece to keep them steady.

Less pressure and lower expectations can help the mental side of things, but how about the physical?