2024 record: 86-76 ( 3rd place in AL Central)

2025 record: 87-75 ( 2nd place in AL Central)

2026 record: 76-86 ( 4th place in AL Central)

After making the playoffs the previous two years, the Tigers missed out this year. But at least they moved Tarik Skubal at the deadline, got some future pieces out of it, and didn’t let that talent go to waste as the Angels did with Shohei Ohtani.

The Tigers’ philosophy this year was, “let’s get runs by trying to hit it out.” I say that because the Tigers were 29th in stolen bases, and there was a gap between them and the Dodgers, who were 28th. In fact, 14 teams stole more than double what the Tigers did, and five teams stole 100 bases more than the Tigers. Is there a correlation between stolen bases and a team’s success? Maybe. Five of the 12 playoff teams are in the top 10 in stolen bases. In today’s game, though, the longball is king. They seemed geared up for that, with the second-highest launch angle in the majors. It just didn’t translate much into hitting the ball over the fence, though. The Tigers finished 18th overall in home runs. Launch angle is key, but so is hitting the ball hard, and they didn’t do that. Their 90th percentile EV was the third lowest, and they also had the lowest max EV.

Looking at their pitching, it wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t great either. They had Skubal, who did deal with an injury for a bit before they traded him away. They also traded away Casey Mize, who was pitching really well with Detroit.

Not everyone was leaving Detroit, though. Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark punched their ticket to the big leagues and are here to stay. They also saw a breakout season from their 27-year-old catcher, Dillon Dingler. Their offense appears to be on the rise and may be the strong part of their team while they rework their pitching. The Tigers are lucky to play in a division where no one is really being aggressive and spending money. Making the playoffs twice over the last three years has felt almost accidental; they traded away Jack Flaherty at the deadline and still made the playoffs.

On paper, their 2029 lineup is built around offense. They have a combination of power, speed, and contact. This versatility was missing in previous years, and they could have more success as they find different ways to win games. Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark are great table setters, and with Clark’s speed, he can put pressure on the pitcher when he reaches base. Zyhir Hope, Josue Briceno, and Dillion Dingler can provide big thump in the middle of the order while still having good OBP and keeping the line rolling. The bottom of the lineup, albeit not full of sexy names, can still do damage and turn the lineup over quickly.

Two major weaknesses the Tigers could have are that their lineup is very left-hand-heavy. They could struggle against good southpaws. Secondly, their pitching is a major question mark. They’ll need Framber Valdez to get back to his sub-4 ERA, River Ryan to stay healthy, and Jackson Jobe to be the top of the rotation starter everyone thought he was going to be. Troy Melton has proved he’s a solid rotation piece. The strikeout rate has been just 20% over his first two seasons, which might limit his upside, but he limits damage, especially against righties. Their bullpen is full of question marks, too.

The Tigers will be a fun team led by a young, exciting offense, but unless they spend big on some arms, I don’t see them keeping up with the Guardians or White Sox. I give them credit for trading Skubal because their competition window would have been farther away than it is now.

2029 Lineups – Prospects Live

Offense

11th – .241/.320/.400, 723 R, 181 HR, 58 SB, 585 BB, 1411 K

Kevin McGonigle (Photo Credit: mlb.com)

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Tom Gates

Tom Gates

Drew Wheeler’s favorite men’s softball outfielder.