Through two months of the season, the Tigers are playing roughly .500 baseball. Fans have grown frustrated with the team's lack of success and are tired of hearing about patience. In some cases, they may be correct, but not completely.
Let's take a glance at the numbers:
ERA: 3.75
League: 3.93
Team Batting Average: .235
League: .240
Team Slugging Average: .381
League: .387
Runs Batted In: 230
League: .231
The blame has been placed all over the board. Some blame Manager A.J. Hinch. To that, I say he can't make the Tigers hit.
Some blame Scott Harris. I disagree. Overall, the team is heading in the right direction. The Al Avila mess will take some time to clean up, and the organization cannot afford to make the same mistakes (bad free agent signings, trading star players for nothing, and emptying the prospect pool) to attempt to expedite the rebuild.
The early season success elevated expectations from what is an average team on pace for a reasonable rebuild. They are still trending in the right direction.
Fans and media have clamored for the Tigers to add big bats to help make a pennant push this season. With the solid starting pitching and early success of the bullpen, it stands to reason that some big bats may have helped the team win a few more games.
For example, Tarik Skubal (7-1/2.01) and Reese Olson (1-5/1.92) have performed among the best in MLB. Olson only has one win to show for it.
There are a few issues with the "add the bats" theory.
First, is this team only a few bats away from competing for a World Series title?
No. Emphatic no. I don't want to minimize fans' frustration, but we all need to be realistic. I'd agree if we were close, say, one or two holes in the lineup from being a legitimate contender. However, the lineup has many holes.
The second issue is that adding a bat this offseason may have resulted in fewer at-bats for players who needed them to become contributors when the team is likely to compete in the postseason. Look at Matt Vierling and Colt Keith. Both players have started to come into their own. Vierling is having a breakout year, hitting .288 with seven home runs and 28 RBIs.
Keith is developing into the hitter the Tigers gambled on this offseason when they signed him to a long-term deal. He's hitting .377 over his past 19 games, including his first home run, four doubles, and nine RBIs.
Now, I realize there is a flip side to this argument. Parker Meadows and Spencer Torkelson haven't been able to contribute the way the organization had hoped. So, I'm not all upside in this review.
Scary Possibility: This is Spencer Torkelson
Spencer Torkelson has drawn the ire of Tigers fans for his performance this season. The hitting hasn't been what anyone had hoped for, but Tork's performance has been the most disappointing. Last season, he finished his last 80 games, hitting .242 with an OPS of .822, including 17 doubles, 20 home runs, and 54 RBIs. That production to end the year created excitement and expectations going into 2024.
However, Tork struggled to start the season. His struggles, from his low batting average to his lack of power, have been well-advertised. I've maintained that we should continue to practice patience, and I've been rewarded for that belief with a couple of stretches of strong hitting. However, he seems to be going in the wrong direction. In his last nine games, he's hitting .091.
Being the number one overall pick comes with expectations. The question is what those expectations should be. We wanted to believe that he could be a middle-of-the-lineup All-Star first baseman. As we head into year three, we may have to accept a bottom-third of-the-league starting first baseman. I don't want to suggest fans panic, but Torkelson may be an additional parting gift from Al Avila (the other being Javier Baez and his massive contract).
Tork may still figure it out, but the question needs to be asked: what if he doesn't? At this point, a trip to Toledo doesn't make any sense. Parker Meadows shows good evidence of the Triple-A problem. He hit .096 in Detroit and is hitting .305 for the Mudhens. The talent disparity between Major League and Minor League pitching is massive. Tork either needs to figure it out in Detroit or the organization will need to move on. That sounds wild for a former number-one pick in his third year. So, I expect him to remain with the team for the rest of the season, barring a historic slump.
The Tigers would be farther behind in the rebuild than anticipated if Tork doesn't turn it around. I hope writing this article is a jinx that results in Tork crushing the ball for the remainder of the Tigers season. I've started to become increasingly skeptical of the upside, though.
Anything Else?
Overall, the team is improving and trending in the right direction. The team is 28-28. They aren't great, and they aren't horrible. While the progress is slower than most would hope, the progress is happening.
Some other players have gone through slumps, including Riley Greene. I don't think there is cause for concern, though. It looks like he's breaking out again.
It's early, but we could see some deadline trades featuring Mark Canha and Jack Flaherty. If all goes well, the team could add more depth to an already strong farm system. Both players have made vital contributions, and Flaherty, in particular, looks like an excellent pickup.
Javier Baez will likely be on the team for the foreseeable future, barring his average dropping well below .200. However, as Ryan Kreidler and Eddys Leonard return to Toledo shortly, the pressure will be on Zach McKinstry to perform. Otherwise, one of those players could get the chance to compete for playing time in Detroit.
While some of my call-up predictions have been correct, I let the Lions and Red Wings progress blind me to the reality of the Tigers situation in my season preview. I anticipated Torkelson would pick up where he had left off. The year is yet young. He could end up reversing course and finishing strong.
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