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The Tigers lost to the Guardians in the ALDS, marking the end of a run that won’t soon be forgotten.
The Detroit Tigers had a short winning streak in July. They were starting to get hot, and catcher Jake Rogers knew it. He told a reporter “Don’t let the Tigers get hot!”
Once they clinched a Wild Card berth, AJ Hinch told his team that “Someone let the Tigers get hot!” in the post game celebration in the clubhouse.
These quotes were what best represented the team that had a 0.2% chance to make the postseason in mid-August. While at the trade deadline, they made moves that were more beneficial to the future rather than quick wins.
As time went on, the Tigers kept winning, turning a hole of 9 games below .500 into a playoff push. A team that sold at the deadline and looked dead in the water turned into the hottest team in baseball for the second half of the season. As well, they went and won a playoff series, breaking all expectations they had from the start of the season.
This miracle run was unexpected by many. I predicted Detroit to win the division, but this was more out of optimism and hope than any serious predicting someone could do. As well, few actually saw the Tigers doing anything this season- but now, it’s not out of the question to call this team a young contender.
How did this team even sniff the playoffs?
Detroit wasn’t one of the worst teams in baseball for much of the first half of the season. In fact, their divisional rival in the White Sox ended up being one of the worst teams in baseball history. But they were an underwhelming team doing underwhelming things.
The off-season’s headline move was signing prospect Colt Keith to a large deal. Scott Harris continued to prioritize the youth movement and hope the team would develop as they moved forward. This team had playoff potential heading into the season, though they didn’t play like it at the start.
It’s worth noting that Detroit was really putting faith in the young guns to get things going. Riley Greene was one player than took a massive leap towards becoming a star.
Detroit had to put faith in young guys eager to win. Their only big name veteran entering the season was Javier Baez- a player who had become a shell of his former self. His expectations were set as low as possible. His expectations were about the same as the team, fans were just expected to wait and see what the season would bring.
The season started slowly. The Tigers fought to stay around .500 for much of the first half of the season. However, one pitcher began to dominate and stand out among the rest. Tarik Skubal, the anchor of the pitching staff, proved to be a legitimate ace and a Cy Young candidate.
Another standout on the staff was Jack Flaherty. Flaherty wasn’t nearly as good as Skubal, but the 1-2 punch of Skubal and Flaherty would be a nightmare in a series against Detroit.
Unfortunately, the rest of the team was inconsistent. Offense would come in spurts, and the defense behind the pitching wasn’t all that solid game in and game out. The bullpen especially proved to be a point of weakness early on as well, showing a lack of depth in the pitching department in Detroit.
Yet, that didn’t stop the Tigers from being one of the better teams in the league around the second half of the season. Something awoke in the team that stopped them from being streaky and mediocre- they turned into an elite team to be reckoned with.
The playoff chances for the Tigers sunk to less than 1% in August, 0.2% to be exact, but something magical happened. Detroit clawed their way all the way back into the playoff picture, putting on a miracle run that will not soon be forgotten.
Led mostly by the youth movement, Detroit turned into a different team. With a little help from the Mariners, Twins and Royals collapsing, they had a playoff spot wrapped up by the last series of the year against the hapless White Sox. Comerica Park was home to a bunch of partying fans excited to finally see their squad in the postseason in many years.
The atmosphere in Comerica Park was nothing short of electric when the Tigers were making their playoff push.
The playoff run started with a series against the Houston Astros. This best-of-3 series went by quick, with Detroit getting the best of Houston in each game they played. It marked the first playoff success this team had experienced in almost a decade, and the first playoff success with the new core assembled in the Motor City.
The next round set up a math with their divisional rivals, the Cleveland Guardians. Cleveland struck first with an early win, but Detroit struck back with 2 consecutive victories. Game 2 featured one of the most electrifying home runs when Kerry Carpenter hit the go ahead bomb off the best closer in baseball.
But the magic came to a close when Cleveland took the final 2 games of the series to advance in the playoffs. The Tigers were sent home, now to figure out how to take their next step.
There are a lot of things for this team to shore up in the offseason. For example, the bullpen needs a lot of work. Pitching outside of Tarik Skubal is a weakness in general. This team needs to bolster the pitching staff if they want to be a stronger team, since Skubal can’t start every game.
What about in the field? It’s pretty clear they need a new shortstop. Javier Baez is terrible at baseball. An occasional highlight reel play on defense often undone by many errors and being an atrocious batter. The Tigers also played a lot better when Baez went down with a long-term injury. Trey Sweeney played decently well in place of Baez, but I do wonder if he can be a long-term answer.
Spencer Torkelson has proven he is a bust. Being sent down to the minor leagues helped develop him, but for one of the guys who is supposed to be a core piece, he has not panned out during his time with the organization.
So what is the next step with Tork? It’s hard to say. Will the organization try and continue to develop him? Or is his time in the Motor City up? He could be an enticing trade piece to a team looking to upgrade, and Detroit could very easily find a way to package him while he’s cheap.
The Tigers have a lot of work to do to compete with the likes of high spending teams such as the Dodgers, Yankees and Mets. It will be very hard for any team to remain competitive with these big market squads, but if Detroit can recapture some of its magic from 2024, they will be a fun team to watch.
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