When the Tigers brought Alex Lange into the organization, conversation about the deal focused on Nick Castellanos’ departure to Chicago rather than Lange and fellow pitcher Paul Richan’s arrival. To that point in his career, professional baseball hadn’t been kind to Lange. Detroit, hoping to unlock the potential that scouts had once seen in him before stalling out in the Cubs’ pipeline, took a flyer on the once well-regarded prospect.
Before turning pro, Lange was the ace of the LSU Tigers’ squad. He grabbed attention with his curveball, a pitch that ranked among the 2017 draft class’ best and could have stacked up neatly with the curves thrown by MLB pitchers before he’d played a single professional game.