Detroit’s bullpen has been a real mess this year, with veteran closers falling short and injuries piling up, like Will Vest suffering one. Plenty of the usual depth arms have struggled too, leaving everyone wondering who AJ Hinch could even rely on. But out of nowhere, Drew Sommers has absolutely stepped up, emerging as Hinch’s most reliable option when the game is on the line. This big lefty has flipped the script on his entire career.
From Wild Card To Weapon
Two winters ago, the Tigers grabbed Sommers from the Tampa Bay Rays, basically for a DFA’d Mason Englert. Back then, the scouting report on Sommers was pretty straightforward: big lefty, good fastball, quality slider, but some serious command issues. That low arm angle and huge extension made his fastball tough on minor leaguers, sure, but his mediocre strike throwing and inconsistent secondary pitches seemed to scream “low leverage role.” Honestly, his brief three-inning debut in 2025 looked exactly like that, and he was practically invisible on the 2026 depth chart when the season started. Early 2026? More of the same, with command still a major struggle. He only got called up on May 28th because Kenley Jansen went down with a groin injury. From his debut through the end of June, Sommers showed flashes of brilliance with his contact-suppression skills, but also those wild streaks. His 34.3% K rate was the highest on the team, which is incredible, but his 11.4% walk rate was only behind Jansen’s 11.5%. He wasn’t perfect, but with other lefties like Brant Hurter injured and the bullpen crumbling, he was good enough to stick around.
Unleashed Since July 1st
Something clicked for Sommers on July 1st. Since then, he’s been an entirely different beast on the mound. Over the last two months, his strikeout rate has jumped from great to elite at 38.0%, which is the 5th best in the entire league for relievers with 20 innings or more. And get this: his walk rate has plummeted down to an average 9.9%. He’s also giving up fewer home runs and rocking a groundball rate almost 50% higher than he was in May and June. Those are two of the best ways to shut down a big inning, no doubt about it. So, how’s he doing it? He’s throwing harder, plain and simple. I don’t want to oversimplify, but his velocity has just trended up all year, climbing from an average 94 MPH for a lefty reliever to over 95, even touching 97 MPH. He just wasn’t doing that in May and June! That extra velocity brings confidence, and vice versa. It’s not just the added heat, though; the ability to miss more bats in the zone and get away with a few more mistakes has clearly helped him stay calm under pressure. Before July 1st, his zone percentage was 50% with a first pitch strike rate of 54.3%. Since then, he’s thrown 48.5% of pitches in the zone, but the Tigers have clearly gotten him to attack the zone early in counts.
This guy has become the real deal. With the Tigers needing reliable arms, Sommers’ emergence is huge. It means Hinch has a legitimate late-inning weapon he can trust, and that’s something the team can build on as the season progresses. We’ll be watching to see if he keeps this momentum rolling!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bless You Boys.
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