All he did in 2022’s regular season was pitch in 29 games, 21 of them as a starter for Double-A Erie. He threw a hefty 127 innings. He had a 2.63 ERA and an 0.94 WHIP.
He had a terrific year.
And yet his name, Chance Kirby, remains, well, more in the farm system’s back-40 as serious prospects go.
But why?
It’s not as if the Tigers disrespect a right-handed pitcher, 27 years old, who they snagged in the 25th round of the 2018 MLB Draft, as Kirby was wrapping up his senior year at University of Texas-San Antonio.