Detroit — The notion of this being a critical spring training for Tigers center fielder Derek Hill, by now, must be laughable to him.
Like, has there ever been any other kind of spring training? A first-round draft pick in 2014, Hill wasn’t even put on the 40-man roster until before the 2020 season. The guy has been head-down, teeth-bared, all-out fighting for his place on this team for eight seasons.