Seven months ago, Kyle Funkhouser made a career-changing decision in spring training.
Once a top starting pitching prospect, Funkhouser — now a reliever — had been optioned to Triple-A Toledo on March 12, a formality that made him one of the first two players eliminated from Opening Day roster considerations.
Just like that, manager AJ Hinch turned Funkhouser into a test case for the establishment of his winning culture. Roughly 20 days before Opening Day, Hinch called Funkhouser into his office at the Detroit Tigers' spring training complex in Lakeland, Florida.