2025 Detroit Tigers General Discussion Thread

[Edman85]

Starting to think this team could run away with the division.

[papalawrence]

21 minutes ago, Edman85 said:

Starting to think this team could run away with the division.

I think Cleveland will be close. Their system is what I think Harris wants Detroit's to become. And KC is good too. 

[papalawrence]

I think I like the composition of this team better than I did the '06-'14 run. The current team is more balanced overall. And the last half of that older run, I always felt there would come a time when the contracts (vmart, miggy, etc) would become albatross-esque and there would need to be a rebuild. Harris really does seem to have the franchise on a more sustainable positive path

[Tenacious D]

 

[monkeytargets39]

3 hours ago, papalawrence said:

I think I like the composition of this team better than I did the '06-'14 run. The current team is more balanced overall. And the last half of that older run, I always felt there would come a time when the contracts (vmart, miggy, etc) would become albatross-esque and there would need to be a rebuild. Harris really does seem to have the franchise on a more sustainable positive path

It’d be really nice to see this team at full strength for a while.  How much better would they be with a healthy Meadows and Vierling along with Gleyber being back.  With Tork and Dingler stepping up, there wouldn’t really be a glaring weak spot aside from Maeda

[chasfh]

4 hours ago, Edman85 said:

Starting to think this team could run away with the division.

Especially considering three key position pieces are still out.

[monkeytargets39]

Just now, chasfh said:

Especially considering three key position pieces are still out.

We gotta give a lot of the credit to our start so far to McKinstry, Dingler and Tork.  A month ago we all had them as below average bench pieces.

[chasfh]

42 minutes ago, Tenacious D said:

 

I think it might be 35 in the last 50 now, since we are 2-1 since the tweet posted.

[chasfh]

1 minute ago, monkeytargets39 said:

We gotta give a lot of the credit to our start so far to McKinstry, Dingler and Tork.  A month ago we all had them as below average bench pieces.

Early returns indicate that position player coaching is starting to work, especially the baserunning.

[Tiger337]

5 hours ago, Edman85 said:

Starting to think this team could run away with the division.

They have the starting pitching to do so.  Their hitting is not likely to maintain the current pace, but it looks much improved over last year.  

[Tenacious D]

Tied for the best record and run differential in the AL.

[RandyMarsh]

The promising thing is that atleast on the hitting side they're not doing this by having everybody hitting over their heads to the point you just know total regression will come.

Guys like Dingler and Mckinstry are almost certainly going to regress and even if Tork is for real he's likely not going to continue this pace but otoh Greene has room to improve as does Carp and Keith to offset that if and when it does come. Not to mention Vierling and Torres return and hopefully(not counting on it though) Meadows at some point. 

I worry about the starting pitching depth when the inevitable happens but if Cobb can get healthy and Montero can get back to what he was last year that could help there. Not to mention every team lacks in that regard so as long as Skubal, Flaherty and atleast one of Mize/Jobe/Olson all continue to excel you can survive with a patchwork number 4 and 5 if it does indeed come to that. 

One more potential bonus is that if we do choose to be buyers or need to upgrade somewhere we have the ammunition in our farm system to get it done as well. 

Edited 17 hours ago by RandyMarsh

[casimir]

Baseball is funny sometimes.  The OF has been very patchwork, which was known.  Then Torres goes to the IL.  But those issues are offset by unexpected boosts from McKinstry, Torkelson, and Dingler, the Tiger position players with the higher bbrf WARs on the club.

By the way, remember a week or two ago when people were fretting about the 2025 Dodgers surpassing the 35-5 of the 1984 Tigers?  Yes you do, stop lying.

[casimir]

Wins are losses are what drives the standings.  But I like to look at series during the regular season and how a team maneuvers through that chapter.  Taking the first two games of a series is just absolutely empowering to me.  It means that series is likely won considering most series three games.  Or it could mean its been at least tied in terms of a four game series, or even lesser so, swept for the rare two game series.  Teams don't want to give up a game going into it, and at the same time, they have to pick and choose spots to play the rest vs rust game with the roster.

The Tigers have played five series so far, counting this one in Minnesota.  We know they were swept in Dodger Stadium, but I still contend that the 0-3 wasn't as bad as it would seem on the surface.  They held their own in the series and could have just as easily left with a 1-2 or 2-1 record if a couple of close plays go the other way.  That asterisk aside, the Tigers have started each of the next four series by winning the first two games in each.

It probably isn't measurable, and I don't know how to prove it as a theory.  But I think there's something to taking command early on in a series that can sometimes just crush the souls in the other dugout.