It had been a fairly passive offseason for the Detroit Tigers until recently, when the organization blockbustered for starting pitcher Framber Valdez. There is no doubt that Valdez adds a positive edge to their starting rotation, but in terms of position players, the Tigers look identical to 2025.
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Now, that isn’t necessarily a negative, although a veteran bat would have been ideal; it just means that the ballclub will be counting on the hitting lineup to look like the first-half Detroit squad, and not the second-half, unless your name is Dillon Dingler.
While the rest of the team was in a rapid decline at the plate, their demise was in full swing after the All-Star break. Dingler was batting nearly .300, which is one reason he will have a breakthrough in his second season as their primary catcher.
DIllon Dingler hitting a single against the Mariners during Game 5 of the ALDS | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
The other aspect to Dingler’s game from 2025 that suggests he could be one of their main offensive weapons is how he was performing on the road last season. More often than not, players do better on their home turf. This was not the case for him.
A player who is able to perform better in hostile environments in his first year of truly taking on reps at the plate has already conquered the hard part. Now, it is time for Dingler to show up in Comercia Park, and when he does, he could easily be in contention for a Silver Slugger.
Second-Half Dingler
Dillon Dingler hits a single at Comercia Park during the ALDS against the Mariners | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
It wasn’t just his batting average that improved when the Tigers needed him. The whole team was struggling, and the organization was watching the division title and possibly their postseason bid slip through their fingers.
In the final 54 games of the season, he was hitting a .297 (up from .265) while his on-base percentage increased from .306 to .335. Again, not the only pieces that increased as his slugging percentage went from .414 to .441, which improved his OPS from .719 to nearly .800.
The fact that he continually kept improving as the year went on means he will keep getting better and better as he rides the momentum that he found as their season came to a close.
DET C Dillon Dingler broke out last year slashing .278/.327/.425 with 13 HRs while being one of the best defensive catchers in baseball. However he has room to grow with a 5% BB% and 30% Chase%. If he make some plate discipline changes he could be a top 3 catcher in baseball pic.twitter.com/OwWquSVjPA
— Jackson Scudder (@jscud23) January 5, 2026Away Performances
While his bat was impressive towards the end of the year, it isn’t even comparable to how he did on the road. In the 63 games that he played in away from Comerica Park, he slashed .318/.380/.483 bringing his OPS to .864.
On top of those elite numbers, 8 of his 13 homers came on the road as well as 35 of the 57 RBI and 19 of the 23 drawn walks.
Don’t sleep on Dingler this year. It is already clear that he is one of the best defenders in the game, as he won a Gold Glove Award in his first heavy workload of a season, and it is now time he contributes more offensively. Clearly, he is ready for it.
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