The final piece of the Detroit Tigers’ long-desired, rarely seen “Big Three” is finally making his big-league debut: Matt Manning, taken ninth overall in 2016 by the Tigers is set to start Thursday night in Anaheim, California, against the Los Angeles Angels.
Manning was part of a dominant group of starters for Double-A Erie in 2019, along with 2018 No. 1 overall pick Casey Mize and 2018 ninth-rounder Tarik Skubal. It wasn’t hard then to squint and see the top three spots in the 2021 Tigers rotation filled by the trio. But then the coronavirus pandemic hit, and the 2020 minor-league season was canceled, slowing their development.