Tyler John Alexander (born July 14, 1994) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

for the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2019.

Amateur career

Alexander attended

Carroll Senior High School Carroll Senior High School (commonly known as Southlake Carroll) is a Public school (government funded), public secondary school in Southlake, Texas, serving students in grades 11 and 12. The school is part of the Carroll Independent School Dist ...

Southlake, Texas Southlake is a city located predominantly in Tarrant County with minor areas extending into Denton County in the U.S. state of Texas. Southlake is a suburb of Dallas/Fort Worth. As of th2019 census estimateit had a population of 32,376. Histo ...

. In 2013, as a senior, he went 12–1 with a 0.66 ERA, striking out 177 batters in 94.2 innings. He was drafted by the

in the 23rd round of the

2013 MLB draft The 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in ...

, but did not sign with the Tigers and instead chose to attend

Texas Christian University Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private research university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark as the Add-Ran Male & Female College. It is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples ...

(TCU), where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

. As a freshman in 2014, he went 10–3 with a 2.36 ERA in twenty games (16 starts), and in 2015, as a sophomore, he went 6–3 with a 3.07 ERA in 17 games (15 starts). After his sophomore season, Alexander was again drafted by the Tigers, this time in the second round of the

2015 MLB draft Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak album ...

Professional career

Alexander signed with the Tigers and spent the 2015 season with the

Connecticut Tigers The Norwich Sea Unicorns are a baseball team located in Norwich, Connecticut. From 2010 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL) as the Class A Short Season affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They play th ...

, posting an 0–2 record and 0.97 ERA in 37 innings pitched. He started 2016 with the

Lakeland Flying Tigers The Lakeland Flying Tigers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Lakeland, Florida, and play their home games at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. ...

and was promoted to the

Erie SeaWolves The Erie SeaWolves are an United States, American professional baseball team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. They compete in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) as a member of the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League's Southwest Division, serving ...

during the season. In 25 total games (24 starts) between the two teams, he pitched to an 8–8 record and 2.44 ERA with a 1.05 WHIP. He returned to Erie in 2017, posting an 8–9 record, a 5.07 ERA, and 120 strikeouts in 27 games (26 starts), and in 2018, he played for both Erie and the

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...

, going 6–8 with a 4.44 ERA in 26 games (24 starts).

2019

Alexander returned to Toledo to begin the 2019 season. On July 3, 2019, the Tigers selected Alexander's contract and promoted him to the major leagues as the 26th man of a doubleheader against the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

. In his major league debut, he pitched five innings, allowing two runs and recording four strikeouts (including the very first batter he faced). On September 16, Alexander pitched six innings of one-run baseball against the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

, earning his first major league win.

2020

On August 2, 2020, against the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

, Alexander set an MLB record for a reliever by striking out nine consecutive batters. He also tied the American League and Tigers' franchise record of nine consecutive strikeouts set by

Doug Fister Douglas Wildes Fister (born February 4, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox, and Tex ...

on September 27, 2012. He became the first pitcher with 10 or more strikeouts in a relief outing since

Randy Johnson Randall David Johnson (born September 10, 1963), nicknamed "The Big Unit", is an American photographer and former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (1988–2009) for six teams, primarily the Seattle M ...

set the strikeout record for a relief pitcher with 16 on July 18, 2001. (Johnson's record was accomplished on the second day of a suspended game; while he was the first pitcher to appear that day, he was officially listed as a reliever.) With the 2020 Detroit Tigers, Alexander appeared in 14 games, compiling a 2–3 record with a 3.96 ERA and 34 strikeouts in innings pitched.

2021

Alexander made the Tigers opening day roster out of 2021 spring training. He began the season as a long reliever and occasional "opener" (pitching the first two to three innings of a game), before being moved to an official starting role in July. On August 20, Alexander pitched a career-high seven innings and allowed only one run against the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

to record his first

quality start In baseball, a quality start is a statistic for a starting pitcher defined as a game in which the pitcher completes at least six innings and permits no more than three earned runs. The quality start has effectively replaced the 'complete game' a ...

of the season. Overall in 2021, Alexander appeared in 41 games (15 starts), posting a 2–4 record and 3.81 ERA, while striking out 87 batters in innings.

2022

Alexander made the Tigers opening day roster out of 2022 spring training. He suffered a left elbow sprain and was placed on Detroit's 15-day IL on May 2, retroactive to April 30. He was recalled to the Tigers on June 14. On September 19, Alexander took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the

before surrendering a leadoff single to

Ryan Mountcastle Ryan Lee Mountcastle (born February 18, 1997) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2020. Amateur career Mountcastle attended Hagerty High School in ...

. Alexander ended up throwing seven shutout innings as he and the Tigers won 11–0. On November 18, Alexander signed a one-year, $1.875 million contract with the Tigers, avoiding arbitration.

Pitch selection

Alexander throws a combination of four-seam and two-seam

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. "Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thro ...

s. The four-seam fastball averages 91 MPH (topping out at 94 MPH). He initially threw his two-seam fastball as a sinker at 90 to 91 MPH, but opponents were hitting it for an average over .360. In 2021, Alexander began throwing his two-seamer as a cutter at an average of 87 MPH (topping out at 90 MPH). This pitch has been much more effective, with opponents hitting it at only a .222 clip that season. Alexander's main offspeed pitches are a

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

at about 84 MPH and a

slider Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...

averaging 85 MPH.

References

External links

TCU Horned Frogs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Tyler Living people 1994 births Baseball players from Chicago Major League Baseball pitchers Detroit Tigers players TCU Horned Frogs baseball players Connecticut Tigers players Lakeland Flying Tigers players Erie SeaWolves players Toledo Mud Hens players