In retrospect, it all looks so predictable.
After back-to-back disappointments (of varying degrees) in the ALDS, THIS was the year the Detroit Tigers would march back to the top of the American League Central and then the World Series, with a young offense beating up on a mediocre division while supporting the best rotation in the AL, if not all of the majors.
Meep meep!
Yes, the Tigers ran off the cliff of heightened expectations like Wile E. Coyote chasing the Roadrunner – only to smash into the desert canyon floor right around May, once they looked down and saw Tarik Skubal injured, Framber Valdez melting down, Jack Flaherty ineffective again and Justin Verlander being 43 years old. At least Casey Mize was good, mostly. The hitting platoons
whiffed, and the kids took a while to get up to speed.
June and July brought more gadgets from the ACME Co. to try and reel in the rest of the Central, each time getting so close – an August stop in the final wild-card berth, just 2½ games back of the Sox! – before something (the trade deadline, Kenley Jansen’s control, Riley Greene’s hamstring) blew up in their faces, and the White Sox and Guardians went speeding down the playoff highway.
Meep meep!
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Now that the season is done (and it’s another AL Central showdown in the ALDS), we can put on our McGoni-Goggles and examine what went right, what went wrong and why the Tigers just can’t catch that dang bird … er, win a Central title.
Catchers: B
Just one MLB team (the Arizona Diamondbacks, at 4.9 bWAR) got more out of its catchers than the Tigers did (3.8 bWAR), per Baseball Reference – thanks mainly to a heavy, heavy reliance on a first-time All-Star ...
Dillon Dingler: A
Was one of the best defensive catchers in baseball while being one of the team’s most dangerous hitters – until a sharp late-season slump stymied his offensive production.
Jake Rogers: D
Hit the road, Jake: The Tigers traded their longest-tenured player at midseason to the Baltimore Orioles, who then shipped him to Boston. The Red Sox then cut Rogers, allowing him to join the playoff-bound White Sox.
Eduardo Valencia: A
The rookie provided an immediate impact with his bat, posting an OPS north of 1.000 in his limited first crack at the majors.
Infielders: C+
After 162 games in the 2026 season, we’re still not sure where everyone will play in 2027, other than, well,Kevin McGonigle will be out there somewhere, with the infielders. Y’know, “Kevin McGonigle and the Infielders” is a pretty good band name …
UTIL Javier Báez: C
His glove – at multiple positions – got him into the lineup at times this season, but even that wasn’t as sharp as it was in past seasons for “El Mago.”
3B Colt Keith: C-
Can somebody hide his calendar? Keith posted an .823 OPS in 63 games from July 1 on, after a .665 OPS from March-June. (He was awful vs. lefties all year long, though, with three hits in 24 at-bats)
2B/3B Hao-Yu Lee: B+
Delivered some nice pop in stints at second and third base (including 10 extra-base hits in 100 September plate appearances), but a still-developing glove (and a lack of power at home – he slugged .352 at Comerica Park) could leave him the odd man out in a still-crowded Tigers infield.
SS/3B Kevin McGonigle: A+
Just missed out on walking more (95) than he struck out (100), but the presumptive American League Rookie of the Year still posted 7.1 bWAR, the most ever by a Tigers rookie hitter, and ninth best among MLB rookie hitters al-time.
SS John Peck: D
Great glove, but brutal bat from the rookie; we didn’t much care for this movie when it was called “Zack Short,” “Ryan Kreidler,” or “Zack Short 2: Electric Whiff-aloo.”
1B Spencer Torkelson: C-
The 2020 No. 1 overall pick topped 25 homers for the third time in four seasons (and hit one triple for the fifth time in five) but otherwise provided an average bat (and a worse glove) at a position where most of his peers hit a lot.
2B Gleyber Torres: C-
Torres’ bet on a one-year “prove it” contract (via the qualifying offer) didn’t quite pay off, as he got a little worse, a little older (though he’ll still only be 30 next season) and a lot more injured.
SS Zack Short: F
Did you read the “Electric Whiff-aloo” joke? Short had more walks (seven) than hits (six) in his second stint as a Tiger, but also 12 strikeouts in 36 at-bats.
UTIL Gage Workman: D
The man with the middle name of “Tater” went deep in his Tigers debut in mid-May, did it again four days later … and was a San Diego Padre by the end of the month.
UTIL Jace Jung: Inc.
The 2022 first-rounder appeared in just six games this season.
Outfielders: C-
The good news: The Tigers appear set, at least for the next two seasons or so, at two spots on the Fifth Third Field grass, with Riley Greene in left and Max Clark in center. The bad news: baseball teams also patrol right field, where just three teams – the Athletics, the Cincinnati Reds and the Colorado Rockies – delivered less WAR than the Tigers.
LF Brett Callahan: C
The Tigers aren’t exactly short on left-handed hitters, and his 27 strikeouts in 71 at-bats suggest the 2023 13th-round pick needs a bit more Triple-A seasoning.
RF Kerry Carpenter: D
A heel injury (caused by a new shoe, oddly enough) that became plantar fasciitis cost him the final two months, but his mediocre .724 OPS against right-handers was arguably the bigger problem (and declined for the second straight season).
CF Max Clark: B+
The 2023 first-round pick's defense was MLB-worthy the entire time, but the growth at the plate Clark showed from August (when he slogged to a .213/.267/.362 slash line) to September (.317/.412/.439)(.317/.412/.439) is a big reason why the Tigers will pencil him in at center for the next five years, at least.
LF Riley Greene: A-
Greene’s third straight All-Star season saw him cut his strikeouts (from 201 to 157), boost his walks (from 46 to 71) and keep the ball in the park a bit more, with a .280 batting average. It also saw another injured list stint; he has topped 140 games just once in five seasons.
DH/PH Jahmai Jones: F
We won’t call it a glowup, per se, but watching the specialist go from a .506 OPS vs. lefties in Detroit to a .742 OPS with the Boston Red Sox after his release probably had Scott Harris feeling some sort of way.
LF/RF Ben Malgeri: B
A little too old to be a true prospect, the rookie still showed enough at the plate and with the glove to earn a spot as the Tigers’ fourth (or fifth) outfielder next season.
CF Parker Meadows: D
A bummer of a season, mostly because the speedster had his stint as the Tigers’ “center fielder of the future” cut short by a horrific outfield collision with Riley Greene back in early April.
UTIL Zach McKinstry: D
McKinstry’s OPS dropped nearly 200 points from last year (from .771 to .582), both because he wasn’t getting “lucky” (his BaBIP dropped from .314 to .233, while the league average was .290) and he wasn’t making good contact (with a barrel rate in the bottom 2% of MLB).
CF James Outman: D-
The man delivered what he promised: Outs. In the field, as a solid fill-in in center, and at the plate, where he hit just .183 while striking out in 45.2% of his at-bats.
RF Wenceel Pérez: D
Before a freak eye injury ended his season, Perez was OPS’ing just .388 vs. righties, the second straight year of decline for the nominal switch-hitter.
CF Matt Vierling: D
Look, there’s injury-riddled, and then there’s Vierling: Over the past two seasons, the now-30-year-old has nearly as many trips to the 10-day IL (five) as home runs (six).
OF Corey Julks, OF Trei Cruz: Inc.
Julks appeared in four games with the Tigers; Cruz, two.
Rotation: C
Atop the rotation to open the season? A mega-star out to prove he was worth a record contract in free agency, followed by a former ace out to prove he was worth his record deal, followed by a former No. 1 overall pick out to prove his worth before free agency, followed by a righty out to prove he was still worth a big-ticket deal in free agency, followed by a former ace making one last run in a bound-to-be triumphant final tour around the majors. Meep meep!
RHP Drew Anderson: C+
Struggled as a reliever early but found his footing as a starter following the trade deadline. Has a team option for 2027 after joining the team on a free-agent deal from Korea.
RHP Jack Flaherty: D+
Spent a large chunk of the summer on the injured list and struggled to execute when healthy, especially in a tough May for the team. Enters the offseason as a free agent.
RHP Jackson Jobe: C+
Missed most of the season while recovering from a 2025 Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. Returned in August and had up-and-down results while flashing plus velocity and movement.
RHP Troy Melton: B+
One of the Tigers’ most productive starting pitchers who shot to the top of the rotation after the trade deadline. Started the year and ended the season on the injured list because of issues with his throwing arm.
RHP Casey Mize: A-
Detroit’s most consistent and effective starter in the first half of the season. Tigers shipped him out at the trade deadline, too, though. Struggled mightily with his new team, the San Diego Padres, after being traded.
RHP Keider Montero: B
One of the most consistent pitching options all summer who moved between the starting rotation and bullpen. Not a big strikeout guy, but improved at inducing soft contact and limiting runs.
RHP River Ryan: C
Joined the Tigers organization as one of three players who returned in the Tarik Skubal trade. Battled through injuries to make two abbreviated appearances at the MLB level in the final week of the season.
LHP Tarik Skubal: A-
The Tigers ace entering 2026 needed surgery on his pitching elbow in May. His absence played into the May stretch that torpedoed Detroit’s season, which is why he is now the ace of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Pitched well when healthy and was a member of the Tigers.
LHP Framber Valdez: C
The Tigers’ big-money free-agent addition struggled to string consistent starts together while leading the team in innings pitched, games started and strikeouts. Projected as the Tigers’ top returning arm entering 2027.
RHP Justin Verlander: C
Only made two starts with the Tigers after signing a $13 million contract for his final MLB season. Battled through nagging hamstring injuries to make an emotionally charged final start at Comerica Park in the season’s final week.
LHP Andrew Sears: Inc.
Brought a fiery intensity to his brief appearances with the Tigers over the final month of the regular season as a starter or long reliever.
Bullpen: C-
The Tigers bullpen this season had more solid performances than were immediately apparent, though the bullpen as a whole was skewed heavily by bad seasons from some of its most important relievers. If the Tigers are going to bounce back next season, finding quality out of their high-leverage relievers will need to be a priority.
RHP Beau Brieske: C-
The righty pitched well in September, but not well-enough to overcome some early-season struggles and a midseason demotion. C-minus.
LHP Enmanuel De Jesus: B-
Provided some much-needed multi-inning outings with stats inflated by some early blow-up appearances. B-minus.
RHP Kyle Finnegan: F
The veteran revealed he had been pitching hurt for the last couple of months, which might offer some explanation for why he was the least-productive reliever in Detroit’s bullpen by FanGraphs WAR (-0.8). Still, it’s on the Tigers to figure out why the team’s second-highest-paid reliever was also its worst.
RHP Brenan Hanifee: D
A revelation down the stretch in 2024, Hanifee had his worst season yet, albeit with limited big-league playing time.
LHP Tyler Holton: B
For the fourth straight year, Holton led the club in relief innings pitched (72) and had a sub-3 ERA, though he significantly outperformed his expected stats.
LHP Brant Hurter: B-
Injuries ate up much of Hurter’s season, which still graded out well in short bursts.
RHP Kenley Jansen: C-
Asking a 38-year-old to be the full-time closer is more on the Tigers than Jansen, but the active career saves leader didn’t impress much in his short time here. Though, he did provide far more value than Finnegan or Will Vest, so that’s something.
RHP Tyler Kinley: B+
The veteran was a late-season addition and only gave up three runs in 15 games. Job well done, even if his advanced metrics were sub-par.
RHP Ty Madden: B
May have deserved more of a starting opportunity this season, and was solid in long relief, even if mostly in mop-up duty.
RHP Connor Seabold: B-
The journeyman righty pitched well for Detroit before a midseason trade and didn’t see much action after.
RHP Burch Smith: C+
The righty pitched well in low-leverage situations early on, but missed most of the season to a shoulder injury.
LHP Drew Sommers: A-
Ignore the ERA – the rookie lefty was Detroit’s most impressive reliever this season, flourishing in high-leverage situations.
RHP Will Vest: D
You can blame Vest’s poor season on health, but as the team’s most electric reliever, the Tigers suffered greatly from not having him around.
RHP Jacob Waguespack: B
Regardless of his expected stats, the mid-season acquisition kept runs off the board.
RHP Yilber Díaz, RHP Tanner Rainey and RHP Ricky Vanasco: Inc.
All pitched fewer than 10 innings for the Tigers this season.
Manager
MGR: A.J. Hinch: C
It’s tempting to blame a lot of this season’s failures on injuries exposing a lack of MLB-ready depth early in the year, and that horrible, very bad, no-good May (did you know they went 6-22?) … but some of that was probably exacerbated by Hinch’s sticking with the preseason plan far too long, especially as Jahmai Jones and Kerry Carpenter, among others, struggled in their platoon roles.
Likewise, there was also some, er, suspect bullpen management, with veterans Kenley Jansen and Kyle Finnegan rarely delivering outings that lived up to the team’s seeming confidence in their high-leverage roles. But by the end of the year, Hinch and Co. had figured out a (mostly) workable relief plan.
The Tigers were also one of the league’s top teams in exploiting the new ABS system, finishing in the top seven in success rate for batters, pitchers/catchers and overall. That starts with Hinch and his coaching staff.
Detroit Tigers' final grade: C-
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers grades for 2026 season: Rotation fell off a cliff early
