DETROIT – For the first time this season, fans can watch the Detroit Tigers live, as both split squad games will be on TV or online.
The Tigers have spring training games scheduled Monday against the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals. Both games will begin at 1:05 p.m.
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The Phillies game will be broadcast on MLB.TV. The Cardinals game will be broadcast on Fox Sports Detroit.
The Tigers have played three games so far this spring, beating Southeastern University and the Toronto Blue Jays last week before losing Sunday to the Phillies.
Jordan Zimmermann is scheduled to start for the Tigers against the Phillies. He's coming off a third-straight rough season in Detroit, allowing 66 earned runs in 131.1 innings with a 4.88 FIP, 1.26 WHIP and just 7.6 strikeouts per nine innings.
Zimmermann is 33 years old and entering the fourth year of a bad five-year contract that pays him $25 million annually in 2019 and 2020.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Daniel Norris is scheduled to start against the Cardinals. Norris also had a bad 2018, but he's still a young player with high upsides for an organization that's rebuilding.
Norris played in just 11 games last season due to injury, posting a 4.63 FIP, 1.47 WHIP and striking out 10.4 batters per nine innings. Every preseason, Norris is a topic of conversation for the Tigers because of his electric stuff, but injuries and inconsistencies have derailed the first five years of his career.
At just 25 years old, Norris is under team control until at least 2022, so he is a player to watch throughout the spring.
Here's how the Tigers will line up against the Phillies:
Manager Ron Gardenhire has put some of the A team behind Zimmermann, including two of the team's top hitters in Stewart and Castellanos and starters Mercer, Greiner and Jones.
Stewart is certainly a player worth tuning in to watch. He's the organization's top offensive prospect and a true left-handed power threat. He'll get his first full-time MLB opportunity for the Tigers this season.
Greiner and Jones are young players who will get an opportunity to start in Detroit. Jones was the best statistical defensive outfielder in baseball last season, while Greiner will be a first-year starter.
Here's how the Tigers will line up against the Cardinals:
The heart of the order should look familiar to Tigers fans, as Cabrera, Goodrum, Candelario and Hicks will all be regulars for the Tigers this season, with Hicks and Goodrum filling in at multiple positions.
Cameron is the top player to watch in this group, as he's the organization's No. 8 prospect and had a solid 2018 season in the minors. He hit .264 with a .343 on-base percentage and .406 slugging percentage while racking up 42 extra-base hits. He has a good walk rate but struck out 137 times in 126 games.
Peterson is the team's No. 11 prospect and hit 11 home runs and 23 doubles in 2018. He had a .323 on-base percentage and .404 slugging.
Reyes joins Cameron and Peterson in the outfield after hitting .222 with a .526 OPS in 100 games as a rookie for the Tigers last season. He drew five walks and struck out 46 times in 219 plate appearances but stole nine bases in 10 attempts.
Willie Castro is the No. 10 prospect in the organization after being acquired at the 2018 trade deadline when the Tigers sent Leonys Martin to the Cleveland Indians. He hit 29 doubles and nine homers while posting a .316 on-base percentage and .392 slugging.