Detroit Tigers Sign Pitcher off of Nicaraguan World Baseball Classic (WBC) Roster to Minor League Deal

 In a highly unusual move, the Detroit Tigers have signed pitcher Duque Hebbert to a minor league contract.  Despite Nicaragua’s 6-1 loss on Monday, Hebbert struck out MLB stars Juan Soto, Raphael Devers, and Julio Devers.  After the outstanding performance, Tigers scout Luis Molina sought him out to become a part of their organization.  Will he be able to translate his brief success into a productive professional career?  The Tigers took a gamble and hope the answer is yes.

Generally, a player is a few years into a professional career by the age of 21.  In Hebbert case, his journey is just beginning.  As a result of striking out three of the best players in MLB, Duque’s baseball career may have taken a startling turn in a positive direction.  Though his pitches do not light up the radar gun, as he only features velocity in the mid 80’s to low 90’s, his ability to locate pitches that also have plenty of movement must have been enough for the Tigers to open up their pocket books for him.  Will they get enough bang for their buck? Only time will tell.

It is well known throughout baseball circles that unless a pitcher can throw 95-100 MPH, their chances of cracking the Majors are slim and none, with few exceptions.  If a pitcher can master the art of locating pitches that also feature plenty of movement, they may be able to buck that trend.  For Hebbert, his sinker, slider, and changeup may be just what he needs to accomplish his dream of becoming a Major Leaguer.  All of these pitches, if perfected, can be very difficult to hit, even for the best of hitters.  If Hebbert can extrapolate his success experienced in the WBC into long term positive outcomes, he will be destined to make major contributions in the Major Leagues.

A pitcher of Duque Hebbert’s skill set, as a rule, do not get a second look by Major League personnel.  Generally, there are a baseline set of data points that must be met to get noticed by the right people.  On paper, Dugue met none of those criteria.  However, he was able to blow away some of the best hitters in the game.  For that reason alone, Tigers brass felt he deserved a chance to prove he could make it as a pitcher at the highest level in professional baseball.  Can he master his skills enough to get Major Leaguers out for years to come?  The Tigers think he might.