Thursday, September 17

Tigers teammates and good friends Spencer Torkelson, Riley Greene and Parker Meadows were watching highlights of some of their greatest moments one night as Spring Training neared its end. Inevitably, Meadows’ go-ahead grand slam in San Diego from September 2024 came up.

For some Tigers players and fans, Meadows’ slam was the moment the Tigers’ late-season run two seasons ago took on a life of its own, and the Tigers’ charge to a playoff spot felt real. It was 18 months ago, and yet it still feels like yesterday to some.

”It’s not that long ago, but it feels like a while,” Torkelson said. “That was awesome.”

It’s fitting that the Tigers return to San Diego to open this season. No longer the Cinderella story or plucky underdog, Detroit heads into this season looking not just for a third consecutive postseason berth, but to take the next step and go on a deep October run. They’re arguably favored in the AL Central to capture their first division title since 2014. But to do that, they need to play a full season, literally and figuratively.

Just as the Tigers’ Spring Training home in Lakeland, Fla., boasts a multitude of trails and paths for runs and hikes, the Tigers have taken two vastly different paths to October. Their 2024 run didn’t really begin until mid-August, after Detroit became sellers at the Trade Deadline and embarked on a late-season youth movement.

Last year, by contrast, saw the Tigers enter the All-Star break with baseball’s best record before faltering down the stretch, squandering a 10-game division lead over the final 21 games but barely holding onto the American League’s final Wild Card spot.

Somewhere, there’s a smoother, more consistent path than the rocky trails the Tigers have traveled the last two years. After bolstering their rotation and bullpen while opening opportunities for young hitters to enhance their lineup, they feel like they have a chance to find their level footing.

“Definitely gained a little bit of confidence seeing the pieces we have,” Torkelson said. “When it all comes together, it’s going to be a force to be reckoned with.”

What needs to go right?

A talented rotation needs to carry the load. No, the days of Pitching Chaos aren’t necessarily over, but late-offseason investments in Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander reflect the value they’ve placed on leveraging a strong rotation and taking some of the workload off a bullpen that has logged heavy innings the last two seasons and had some relievers show the toll down the stretch last year.

Tarik Skubal and Valdez lead the way, but the Tigers also need Jack Flaherty to be good from the start, Casey Mize to figure out his fastball after a rough Spring Training and Verlander to pick up where he left off down the stretch last year in San Francisco.

Great unknown

What happens in center field? Meadows was one of the driving forces of Detroit’s late-season charge in 2024, but never seemed to find that momentum last year after missing two months with a nerve issue in his right arm. So far this year, he overcame a slow start at the plate in Spring Training with the help of some swing adjustments to salvage a respectable finish.

But the Tigers’ wealth of positional versatility gives manager A.J. Hinch options on how often to play him. Meadows’ defense alone makes him a great asset, but hitting for impact could be the difference in him holding the full-time role or Matt Vierling or Javier Báez mixing in against lefties.

Team MVP will be:

Skubal has filled the role of team MVP and best pitcher for the last two years. But since there’s a pitcher category to follow, let’s just throw in Greene here for the sake of argument. He was a 2.2 bWAR player last year despite a 36-homer, 111-RBI season, setting a franchise record for strikeouts and suffering a decline in defensive metrics.

He took those issues to heart in the offseason, worked on his plate discipline and put in work in the outfield. If he can maintain his power and production while having more consistent quality at-bats, he has a chance to be an all-around force.

Team Cy Young will be:

Skubal has put the offseason trade rumors and contract drama behind him and seems intent on keeping his focus on the mound now that the season is here. That will be easier said than done if the Tigers struggle out of the gates and speculation grows over whether Detroit should take what they can get in a Trade Deadline deal, but as long as Skubal is healthy, he’s every bit the pitcher he has been over the last two years, and has a solid chance for a third consecutive AL Cy Young award.

Bold prediction:

The Tigers finally break the division drought and win their first AL Central title since 2014, earning a bye out of the Wild Card round in the process.

Missed out on the Opening Day special? You can still subscribe to Detroit SportsNet for $19.99 per month or $189.99 annually and watch the Tigers in market for the season, along with Red Wings games next season.

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