Back in July 2021, the former Detroit Tigers general manager made his best transfer in his seven years running the club. The Milwaukee Brewers are hunting and looking for left-handed relief for their bullpen. Somehow, Avila was able to convince them to trade pitching prospect Reese Olson in exchange for half a season of Daniel Norris, even though the veteran left-hander had a combined ERA/FIP of 6.89/4.19 to that point. This proved to be an absolute robbery by Avila. Olson had a pretty devastating slider-changeup combination and could also throw a quality curveball at you. His main issue is a low-power, flat fastball that clocks in at 92-94 mph and often lands on the bench as he moves up to the Double-A level in 2022. The Tigers gave him a bit of extra speed to combat his below-average extension and helped him mix in sinkers and four-seams, combining them more effectively with his high-end extra-pitch range to handle both left-handed and left-handed hitters. right hand. As the adjustments took effect and Olson’s command improved, the strikeouts really started to accumulate again for him.

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By 2023, the Tigers’ lineup forced Olson into the big leagues despite having only 10 appearances at the Triple-A level. The rookie blossomed, pitching 103 2 ⁄ 3 innings with a combined ERA/FIP of 3.99/4.01 and proving himself to be a tough competitor with an attitude that belied his youthful appearance. He still allowed too many home runs, but he posted an average strikeout rate, a better-than-average walk rate and limited the damage by accumulating frequent strikeouts on the ground and in the air. Olson also continued to prove himself durable as he progressed from 104 2 ⁄ 3 innings in 2021, to 119 2 ⁄ 3 innings in 2022, then 140 1 ⁄ 3 innings across Triple-A and the major leagues in that 2023 debut. That steady progression picked up right where he left off in 2024, and Olson was well on his way to establishing himself as a good starting pitcher when he suffered a shoulder problem in mid-July. When the Tigers traded Jack Flaherty and turned to AJ Hinch’s chaos theory at shortstop, Olson was sidelined.

He returned on September 16 but never really regained form as the Tigers limited his innings. His appearance in Game 2 of the ALDS began in real trouble, replacing opener Tyler Holton in the first inning with two runs, two on the mound and no outs after Holton’s uncharacteristically rough performance. The first ball Olson threw was a hanging slider to center field that Lane Thomas, a name that would become infamous among Tigers fans throughout the series, crushed for a three-run homer to left field. The Tigers were down 5-0, and while Olson held steady to stop the Guardians for five strong innings, the damage was done. The lineup didn’t have anything going and the Guardians easily won 7-0. Olson would make one more appearance in the series, but that pitch left a bad taste in the young right-hander’s mouth during the offseason. Now he begins his second season as a member of the Opening Day rotation with the goal of completing the transition from solid rotation player in the middle to a front-line starter. He was there for most of last season, and if he can develop further, the Tigers could have one of the best rotations in all of baseball.