Friday, February 20

LAKELAND, Fla. -- The newly unveiled Tigers alternate jerseys were the product of nearly two years of research, surveys and testing. One of the groups surveyed was Tigers players themselves.

After all, they’re going to be wearing them more than anyone.

“We’ve known for a while,” catcher Jake Rogers said. “We didn’t know if we were going to get one, two [jerseys]. They had some examples. Obviously there’s a lot of thought process that goes into it. Everybody had picked some options and we went and looked at them.”

For some players, the testing was more about performance than anything.

“I was part of the group that tried them on early and kind of gave some feedback,” outfielder Riley Greene said. “I mean, I don’t care what I wear, to be honest, as long as it’s comfortable and it doesn’t interfere with my swing or any of that. But I think they’re pretty cool.”

For others, such as Wenceel Pérez, the look matters as much as the fit. Pérez has incorporated bright colors into his look through various cleats he wore last year, and he has a pair of bright orange cleats on the way for this season. His new outfield glove is also orange.

“They asked us about it,” Pérez said, “feedback to what kind of jerseys we’d want, what kind of things we felt they could implement in another jersey, about the colors or what the jerseys would mean to the city. And they did a pretty good job. I think they look awesome. They’re going to fit us pretty good.”

Said Kerry Carpenter: “I’m in the middle. I’m kinda whatever they give us, but I like cool stuff.”

Several players noted the importance of incorporating the tradition of the Tigers’ longtime jerseys into the new alternates, from the Olde English D on the home orange alternates to the script Detroit on the road navy version.

“Obviously the colors are a little different, but they kinda kept the tradition,” Rogers said. “I mean, I’m an old-school guy, so I kinda like the original, too. I think they’re pretty iconic. But it’s cool. I think this era especially is all about different colors, what color batting gloves guys are wearing, what color jerseys, stuff like that. 

“I definitely like them. I think they’re awesome. I like the orange and I like the blue. I’m an advocate for the original, too.”

While Pérez is a fan of the orange jerseys, Greene is more for the blues.

“More of a navy guy for sure,” he said, “but the orange will look good on the field.”

Carpenter and Spencer Torkelson ended up becoming fashion models for the alternate jerseys during their visit to Detroit in January as part of the Tigers’ offseason hitting summit. The photo shoot lasted about two hours at the Fox Theatre.

”It’s clean,” Torkelson said of the look. “They did it right.”

Justin Verlander turns 43 on Friday. Who is the oldest player to pitch for the Tigers?

A. Bill Donovan

B. Charlie Morton

C. Kenny Rogers

D. Gerry Staley

• Not only is Tarik Skubal a huge fan of Verlander, he’s also an aspiring barista.

• Riley Greene reported to camp after an offseason aimed at maintaining his impact power while adjusting some of the swing decisions that led to a team record for strikeouts last year.

• Matt Vierling is healthy and ready to produce this spring after an offseason throwing progression designed by Tigers pitching coach and biometrics expert Robin Lund.

• While Jahmai Jones is honored to represent his mother’s native Korea in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, he’ll have a teammate as a rival; Tigers prospect Hao-Yu Lee is a key player for Chinese Taipei, part of the same pool play.

C. Kenny Rogers was 43 years, 309 days old when he made his final appearance for the Tigers on Sept. 14, 2008. He is the only player to pitch for the Tigers at age 43. Coincidentally, Rogers was a veteran presence on the Tigers staff during Verlander’s Rookie of the Year season in 2006.

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