Tigers Making Push For October

Riley GreenePhoto byJeffrey Hyde

By Joe Underhill

I don’t remember which announcer said it first, but Detroit is a baseball town. The city and much of the state love the Tigers, and when the Tigers start playing compelling and competitive baseball, the fans show up. Since July 1, the Tigers are 40-27, good for a .597 winning percentage, and have put themselves into the American League Wild Card conversation. Fans are starting to take notice, and the crowds and interest in the team has heated up just like the team.

Before the season started, I wrote, “All told, the 2024 version of the Detroit Tigers should be a lot more fun to watch for Tigers fans. The Tigers should be playing meaningful baseball into the end of September, and depending how the injury and development front plays out (for both the Tigers and their AL Central counterparts), Detroit may very well break into the playoffs for the first time in a decade.” Well holy smokes, here we are in the middle of September and the Tigers are playing very meaningful baseball. Whether they break the playoff drought or not, this is a team that feels like it is on the rise.

The question of course is, how have they gotten here and is this sustainable?

Manager A.J. Hinch has been masterful and should get serious consideration for Manager of the Year. Remember, the Tigers were sellers at the Trade Deadline, they traded Jack Flaherty (he’s been pretty good for the Dodgers so far), Mark Canha, Andrew Chafin, Carson Kelly and released Gio Urshela. With the trade of Flaherty, the Tigers were down to two starting pitchers. So what did Hinch do? Say hello to the “opener” plus bulk reliever, plus leveraging matchups to put his pitchers in the best position to leverage their strengths.

The strategy has allowed the Tigers to ease young pitchers into games where their early matchups would be easier than facing the top of the order in a traditional start. It has also allowed a struggling Kenta Meada to regain some feel for his pitches. Tigers pitching ranks top five in the Majors in ERA, WHIP, earned runs, home runs, and walks.

Is the Tigers’ pitching success sustainable? It looks like the building blocks are there for continued success. Tarik Skubal is putting together a Cy Young-caliber season, and reliever Tyler Holton is one of the most versatile and skilled pitchers in baseball. Skubal is a leading candidate for the AL pitching triple crown, while Holton has pitched in 62 games spanning 89 innings, started seven games and finished 14 others. The Tigers have gotten significant contributions from other pitchers as well, such as Will Vest, Jason Foley and recent callups Brenan Hanifee and Sean Guenther. It is unlikely the Tigers would be able to last a season using openers and bulk relievers, and Hinch has said he wouldn’t want to do this long term, but it has created a nice “runway” for young pitchers to get acclimated to the Major Leagues.

The Tigers have played 15 rookies this year, the majority of whom are getting regular playing time and are leading the playoff push. Since he returned from an early season demotion and an injury stint, Parker Meadows has been one of the best center fielders in baseball. His second-half OPS+ is 141 and he plays elite defense. The Tigers are also playing Colt Keith at second base who, after a slow start, has begun to round into an above-average bat and at least league average defender. Since the Trade Deadline, the Tigers are also playing Jace Jung regularly at third, Trey Sweeney at shortstop and Dillon Dingler getting consistent reps behind the plate. Rookie outfielder Wenceel Pérez, who was an early-season sparkplug, has just returned from the IL as well.

Brant Hurter has pitched in eight games, mostly as a bulk reliever, where he has recorded a 2.56 ERA in 38 2/3 innings. Ty Madden and Bryan Sammons have both made multiple bulk outings as well and have placed themselves in position to be part of the Tigers’ plans for next season. The last rookie pitcher who has had a major impact is Keider Montero. His overall numbers don’t jump out immediately, but he is steadily improving and even pitched a “Maddux” against Colorado.

Youth is a double-edged sword – there are games where it all comes together, and there are days where baseball looks sloppy. The solid pitching depth, steadily improving young players and a manager who can think outside of the box and is uniquely able to put players in a position where they can leverage what they do best is a recipe for success.

As the talent level in Detroit increases, so will the expectations. Meaningful baseball in September is a welcome sight, but continued success will require the team to build on this season’s successes and add pieces. The Tigers’ offense has not been good enough. Improvement can partially come from internal improvements, but it also needs to be supplemented. Ultimately, future meaningful Septembers will come down to how well the front office does in evaluating their own talent and supplementing it from the outside.

Joe Underhill is a high school administrator and diehard baseball fan and fan of the city of Detroit. Joe currently writes for the HTP Newsletter. You can follow Joe on Twitter @TransplantedDet and @transplanteddet.bsky.social