LAKELAND, Fla. -- Yes, it's only spring training and the Detroit Tigers are facing a college team and he'll probably throw no more than two innings, but Detroit Tigers right-hander Alex Wilson is officially a starter.
Wilson, who is making a bid for the rotation after spending most of the last six seasons as a reliever, will start on Thursday against Florida Southern College when the Tigers open their exhibition season at Joker Marchant Stadium.
The annual exhibition game against the local university starts at 1:05 p.m. and will not be available on radio or television.
Wilson said games against younger players can be unpredictable because they're typically free-swingers.