Mize has never been more than a serviceable back-end starter so far in his career, while Maeda has a pretty long track record of being much more than that. Before last season, Maeda had 866.1 career innings with a 3.92 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 9.9 strikeouts per nine.

Newly acquired Tigers pitcher Kenta Maeda explained how he views this season with the team as a chance to have a bounce-back campaign.

What are we to do on the first off day of Tigers spring camp but to try to assess where the roster stands? Draw conclusions at your own peril.

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Tarik Skubal, Reese Olson and Jack Flaherty have secure spots in the Tigers' rotation. Although a half-dozen or more pitchers are ostensibly in the mix, the four top competitors appear to be: Jackson Jobe, Kenta Maeda, Casey Mize and Keider Montero. All four have pitched well.