Detroit Tigers pitcher Tyler Holton. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
For the first time since 2006, the Detroit Tigers (33-17) have the best record in baseball through the first 50 games of the season.
The Tigers pitching staff has emerged as one of the best units in the major leagues, and with a bullpen-game win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday, the relievers showed their strength as well. Part of that group’s success is fourth-year pitcher Tyler Holton, a former ninth-round draft pick whom Tigers beat writer Jason Beck referred to as “one of the most versatile relievers in the game today.”
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Tigers manager A.J. Hinch has also had high praise for the 29-year-old lefty, who owns a 2.32 earned run average over three seasons in Detroit.
“I think the bar for him is pretty high,” Hinch recently told MLB.com, “given how dominant he’s been. When he gives up a run or he gives up a couple hits, our reaction in general is probably exaggerated.”
There was a time when Holton wasn’t sure he’d have much of a career, much less one with this type of success. His college career at Florida State hit a speed bump when he missed a season due to elbow surgery, but the Arizona Diamondbacks drafted him in 2018. He made his MLB debut in 2022.
But the Diamondbacks released him after just nine innings across 10 appearances out of the bullpen. It was the first time in his career he’d ever been cut from a team. Like when he missed time in college, this was another instance where his identity could’ve felt like it was being taken from him.
In a devotional for the Winter 2024 edition of Sports Spectrum Magazine, Holton shared about this time in his life. He said he began a personal relationship with Christ at age 10, but the injury in college gave him time to dive deeper into his faith and gain a better understanding of what it really meant to live for Him. It was during that season of life — away from baseball — that he fully understood his identity came from God, not baseball.
“Even though I didn’t know what my future held, I knew God had a plan for me and everything would be OK,” he wrote in the devotional. “One of the Bible verses I leaned on was Jeremiah 29:11, which says, ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’
“Anyone who’s a believer in Christ has received this hope. Jesus’ death and resurrection give us an eternal hope, and holding onto this helps us endure the struggles or trials we face. For me, hope helps me keep a level head and not allow life’s valleys to get too low or the mountains to get too high.”
While he’s remained primarily a reliever throughout his career, he’s also been used as a starter on occasion. He’s made 11 total starts, including nine last season, and has a career ERA of 2.35 and averages 7.6 strikeouts per nine innings. The bad outings have been few and far between for Holton, but playing professional sports as a whole can bring plenty of ups and downs.
While speaking in early May at Home Plate Detroit — an annual Christian outreach event held at Comerica Park — Holton shared that his favorite book of the Bible is James because it offers a playbook for how Christians should live, as well as how to find joy amidst life’s hardships.
“I think as people — as Christians, especially — our true colors show when we handle ourselves in those situations, in the hardship,” he told the crowd. “Do we continue to express love? Do we show patience? Do we hold on to hope?”
Specifically, a verse he clings to is James 4:10: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
“We’re not supposed to face battles alone,” Holton said. “And whenever we are in Christ, we’re able to do things that are greater than ourselves.”
In his devotional, he added that “knowing Christ gives me a sense of hope that I can rely on the One who is in control. That helps me tremendously in baseball. Before I go out to play, I ask Him to clear my mind of all anxiety and worry so I can focus on what I’m trying to do.
“We all put our hope in something, whether we realize it or not. Many people put their hope in earthly things like jobs, success, money or relationships, but all of that will eventually end. The hope we have in Christ won’t. And when you live with the hope that comes from walking with Jesus and having the Holy Spirit in you, you can impact whoever you’re around and be that hope for someone else.”
Holton and the Tigers return to action Thursday at home against Cleveland, with first pitch set for 6:40 p.m. ET.
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