Lakeland, Fla. — Before Alex Faedo. Before Matt Manning. Before Casey Mize and Tariq Skubal, there was Kyle Funkhouser.
A former first-round pick of the Dodgers who the Tigers drafted in the fourth round in 2016, Funkhouser carried the same oppressive weight of high expectations that this current batch of top prospects is carrying this spring.
He and Beau Burrows, first-round pick in 2015, were supposed to be anchoring the Tigers starting rotation by now. While Burrows is throwing bullpens on the back fields trying to fix some mechanical flaws in his delivery, Funkhouser, who turns 26 on March 24, has been converted to reliever.