The biggest question for every Detroit Tigers player in 2024
Mar 7, 2024; Lakeland, Florida, USA; Detroit Tigers center fielder Riley Greene (31) watches a batted ball during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports
By Cody Stavenhagen
2h ago
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CHICAGO — So it begins. The Detroit Tigers embark on a new season and a new journey Thursday against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. The roster is set and the real games will soon be underway.
Here’s a closer look at the 2024 Tigers, including one big question for each player on the squad.
Catchers
Jake Rogers: Can he replicate his offensive success?
Offense was the knock on Rogers for the bulk of his pro career. But he proved more than capable at the plate last season, hitting 21 home runs. He is a three-true-outcomes type of hitter, however, and his 32.3 percent strikeout rate is reason for caution.
Carson Kelly: Can he reclaim his circa 2019 form?
It wasn’t all that long ago Kelly hit 18 home runs and had a .348 on-base percentage with the Arizona Diamondbacks. That was 2019, and injuries have hampered Kelly’s career in the years since. The Tigers, though, are optimistic about the work Kelly has done on both sides of the ball to the point Hinch has described Kelly’s role as a “true tandem” with Rogers.
Infield
Spencer Torkelson: Can he become a more well-rounded player?
Torkelson’s 31 home runs last season reminded everyone why he was a No. 1 overall pick. Torkelson, though, needs to get his on-base percentage higher than .313, and his minus-11 defensive runs saved has to improve, too.
Colt Keith: Will he avoid the freshman slump?
We talk about sophomore slumps, but both Torkelson and Riley Greene are reminders that talented young players do not always thrive in the major leagues right away. Keith hit .241 in spring training and seems to have a swing and approach built for consistency. But will that translate when facing the world’s best pitchers every single day?
Javier Báez: Is there any hope?
The final numbers on Báez’s spring training: 7-for-49 (.143) with 15 strikeouts. Despite talks of a healthy lower back and tweaks to his swing, not much looked different.
Gio Urshela: How much will he play against right-handed pitching?
Matt Vierling, Zach McKinstry and Andy Ibáñez will all challenge Urshela for playing time at third base. Urshela is a career .290 hitter against lefties, so he will likely be in the lineup most days against left-handers. But will he be more than a platoon player? Urshela had only a .652 OPS against right-handers last year.
Outfield
Mark Canha: Will he become the team’s veteran leader?
Canha has a career 117 wRC+, so he’s an underrated offensive upgrade for the Tigers. He is also one of few players on this team with meaningful MLB experience. Canha is closer to reserved than he is rah-rah, but the Tigers’ young hitters may need someone to look to throughout the season.
Parker Meadows: Will the bat play at the highest level?
Meadows at his best is thrilling to watch, but questions persist about how well his bat will play long-term in the majors. Is he a platoon player or a 4 WAR outfielder? In spring training, Meadows hit .358 in 53 spring at-bats.
Is 2024 the year Riley Greene’s body allows him to stay on the field? (Mark Cunningham / MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Riley Greene: Can he stay healthy?
We saw Greene make the adjustment to the major leagues last season, when he hit .305 with an .835 OPS in 54 first-half games. Injuries, though, have kept Greene from emerging as one of the game’s bright young stars. Now that he’s playing primarily in the outfield corners, the Tigers hope his body can hold up.
Kerry Carpenter: How improved is his outfield defense, really?
Carpenter has a 121 OPS+ through his first 149 career games, so there’s not much doubt he can hit. Carpenter, though, can earn more at-bats by hitting left-handers (he went 16-for-68 last season) and playing well in the outfield. Coaches have talked highly of his improvements, but he was worth minus-3 outs above average last season.
Utility
Matt Vierling: Can he hit for more power?
Vierling hits the ball hard, but too often he hits it on the ground. He had a 49.1 percent ground-ball rate last season and has continued working to pull the ball in the air more often.
Zach McKinstry: Will adjustments help him become more consistent?
McKinstry has worked to incorporate elements of Kerry Carpenter’s swing. McKinstry had an .865 OPS last May but only had a .578 OPS from June 1 on.
Andy Ibáñez: Can he maintain his production if his playing time increases?
Ibáñez performed well this spring, but he’s in the camp of guys looking to prove they can be more than just platoon options. Ibáñez had an .819 OPS last season against lefties and only a .710 OPS against right-handers.
Rotation
Tarik Skubal: Are we really looking at a Cy Young Award contender?
After Skubal’s return from the injured list last summer, he ranked first in fWAR (3.3), fifth in K/9 (11.43) and sixth in ERA (2.83). We’ve seen top-level stuff from Skubal before. But can he sustain that type of performance for a whole season?
Kenta Maeda: How many innings can he provide?
Proven as Maeda is, he has not thrown more than 150 innings in a season since 2019. The Tigers feel good about their pitching depth, but they would benefit if their most veteran starter could stay healthy and post all season long. Can Maeda make 30 starts?
Jack Flaherty: Are the Tigers right to bet on him?
Flaherty’s signing this winter seemed to embody Scott Harris’ “calculated risk” approach, and in spring, Flaherty showed signs of rewarding that risk. Flaherty struck out 26 batters in 18 1/3 spring innings. Is he for real?
Reese Olson: Was last September an anomaly?
Olson’s 1.44 ERA last September made him a huge contributor down the stretch. Nasty as he was, Olson still ranked in the bottom eighth percentile for average opponents’ exit velocity throughout the season and had an xERA of 4.73. Can he replicate his September surge?
Casey Mize: How big of a difference will the improved fastball make?
Mize is now getting around 18 inches of induced vertical break on his four-seam fastball, pummeling the top of the strike zone and using it to miss bats. The fastball could be a game-changer if Mize can command the ball and remain healthy.
Bullpen
Alex Lange: Can he stay in the strike zone?
Getting opponents to chase the curveball is a huge component of Lange’s game. But he can generate more chase when he is ahead in counts. Lange threw only 37.2 percent of his pitches in the strike zone last season and threw only 53.7 percent first-pitch strikes. Those numbers must increase for Lange to remain this team’s top ninth-inning option.
Jason Foley: How will he handle left-handed hitters?
Foley has one of the best sinkers in baseball, but he’s still working to expand his repertoire against left-handed hitters. Righties had only a .506 OPS against Foley, but lefties had an .844 OPS. Foley will have to be more viable against lefties to earn late-game innings.
Will Vest: Can he overcome another bad spring?
Vest had a 2.98 ERA and 10.4 K/9 last season, but for the second year in a row, his spring training was an adventure. His stuff never looked synced up, and he posted a 5.87 ERA. Can he lock in come the regular season like he did last year?
Shelby Miller: How good can the splitter be?
Miller’s splitter helped him resurrect his career last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. If he can continue to harness the pitch, he could challenge Lange for ninth-inning chances. Opponents hit only .110 against Miller’s fastball and .136 against his splitter last season.
Tyler Holton: Is he more than a lefty specialist?
Last season, Holton did it all. He made 59 relief appearances in a variety of roles, and though he threw in far more low-leverage situations, he held opponents to a .143 batting average in high-leverage settings. He was dominant against lefties (.363 OPS) and held his own against righties (.642 OPS). Was it an anomaly?
Andrew Chafin: Were last year’s struggles a fluke?
Chafin had a 4.73 ERA and one of the worst years of his career last season with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Milwaukee Brewers. He’ll look to recapture his 2022 form. To do so, he’ll need to lower his walk rate (4.91 BB/9) and get his ground-ball percentage (38.5) closer to his career average of 49.5 percent.
Alex Faedo: Can he become a strikeout artist?
Faedo had averaged only 7.8 K/9 in his big-league career, but this spring he used his slider to strike out 17 batters in 13 1/3 innings. If he can use the slider more often out of the bullpen, he could miss bats at a higher rate than ever.
Joey Wentz: Can he improve his fastball?
Wentz’s fastball had a run value of minus-23, which ranked as the worst pitch in all of MLB last season. Wentz made tweaks this offseason to generate more induced vertical break, and Wentz will also have to locate better if he wants to remain on the roster.
