The Detroit Tigers are five games over.500 for the first time since 2014, and they are presently in third place, just two games behind the American League Central-leading Cleveland Guardians. It’s difficult to complain when your club is only a couple of games behind the division leader, but there are several flaws worth noting.
This season’s pitching has been outstanding, thanks to Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize, and a dominant bullpen. In contrast, the offense has been far from great. Some names are unsurprising at this stage, but others are really frightening.
Given his inexperience, I’ll be patient with Colt Keith. There is a significant learning curve between Triple-A and the MLB, so allow the kid some time to adjust to the big leagues, despite his.165 slugging percentage. As for Javier Baez, all I can say is that I wake up every day wishing he will retire from baseball. He still has the worst contract in Detroit Tigers history, with a.198 average and a.524 OPS despite being benched after two errors.
Gio Urshela has a.298 batting average, but he only has two extra-base hits out of 17 total hits before going on the injured list, raising concerns about his ability to drive in runs. Jake Rogers and Carson Kelly continue to strike below the Mendoza line. Parker Meadows has gotten hot recently, but he is still batting just.100 this season with two home runs.
The Detroit Tigers lineup is tearing apart at the seams, and everyone must stand up if the team is to make an impact this season.
The most surprising development has been Spencer Torkelson’s decline. Tork has failed this season after leading the squad with 31 home runs the previous year. He has yet to hit his first home run of the season and is hitting just.219. Torkelson’s aggravating aspect is that he constantly hits the ball hard but manages to foul everything down the line or hit it directly at a fielder. I almost feel bad criticizing because he hits the ball powerfully, but his outcomes need to improve.
The fact that I just mentioned every infielder and primary center fielder yet the team still has a winning record appears to be voodoo sorcery. Wins are wins, but if this trend of awful hitting continues, this team will not be able to make the playoffs.
