COMSTOCK PARK - First-round pick Matt Manning hasn't burst onto the scene and that doesn't seem to surprise anyone within the Detroit Tigers' organization.
Manning, the ninth overall pick in the 2016 Major League draft, just arrived at Class-A West Michigan after pitching nine games with Connecticut in short-season New York-Penn League. That followed two months of extended spring training in Lakeland, Florida, that focused on mechanics and how to go about getting professional hitters out.
The 19-year-old is unlike other first-year picks, whom the Tigers have usually sent to West Michigan after spring training for their first dose of a full pro season.