The temperature was in the mid-80s when the Detroit Tigers officially began summer training camp Friday afternoon at Comerica Park.
Then Matt Manning climbed on the mound and it got significantly hotter.
Manning, the right-hander ranked as the team’s top prospect, stood out simply by stretching. He is 6-foot-6, 215 pounds, and has looked the part of a big leaguer for more than a year.
He had pitched off the Comerica Park mound before — prior to the MLB draft in 2016 when the Tigers selected him with the No. 9 overall pick out of high school as a raw, high-upside pitcher with elite athleticism.