Jalen Evans is embracing the opportunity to pitch for his hometown team
While growing up in Detroit, Jalen Evans spent the baseball season rooting for the Tigers. Now he is part of the organization, he spent hours in front of the TV watching after signing a minor league deal with his hometown team last month. Following a couple of seasons in the Independent League, it is not something he is taking for granted.
“ It’s crazy,” Evans said. “ It’s still surreal, and I’m getting more used to it each day. Every morning, I go in and get to see guys like Justin Verlander and other guys I grew up watching. I am very thankful and blessed for that.”
Over the last few years, Evans has traveled around the country while working towards an opportunity with an MLB team. That began in college, where he posted a 4.05 ERA in 22 games for Texas Wesleyan. He also struck out 86 batters in that span while working out of the rotation and bullpen.
Once his college career was in the books Evans turned his focus to the Independent League where he has been for the past four years. While he struggled at times the Detroit native made positive steps last season, posting a 4.43 ERA in 21 games for Windy City. Although his time in the Independent League was full of ups and downs it was an experience that Evans found to be very beneficial.
“ It was an eye-opening experience because it’s not as easy as you would think; it’s a grind,” Evans said. “ To go the route I went is not the easiest, but I think it’s helping me a lot for this next journey of my career.”
Although Evans’ Independent League stats may not jump off the page, he did enough to catch the attention of the Tigers front office. In 55 games, he posted a 6.08 ERA but struck out 141 batters. His ability to produce swing-and-misses, combined with the work he put in at Tread Athletics, has led Evans to live out a lifelong dream.
‘“ They reached out to me while I was at Tread and doing my training,” Evans said. “ They were very analytical and in tune with the plan and what they wanted me to do. I felt like it was the best fit and they were the first team that showed that much interest in me.”
As Evans continues to improve his game, his focus will be on showing why he should be part of the Tigers’ future. In the talented righty, Detroit is getting a player who can top out in the high 90’s. If he can continue to improve his control, he could be a valuable bullpen piece in the future.
Regardless of how the final roster plays out, Evans is hoping to contribute to an organization that has become a perennial playoff contender.
“ I have really good impressions so far”, Evans said. “ They are first class, and you can see why things are going the right way right now. The goal is to win, and we have a good young team with a lot of homegrown talent. I’m blessed to be part of that.