The Detroit Tigers are the best team in baseball this year. The team is undoubtedly the one to beat in the American League and, perhaps, better than the World Series-favorite Los Angeles Dodgers. Sitting at a 59-38 record midway through July, everything for the team went exceptionally well.
The Tigers’ hitting is steadily in the top 10 of the league, ranking high in batting average, on-base percentage, and home runs. Their pitching, spearheaded by Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal, ranks nearly identical in ERA, WHIP, and walks surrendered. There are some areas the team can improve, including shortstop and their bullpen, but they’re in a good spot.
When looking at the cap room they have along with their prospect farm, the Tigers are not only poised to get better this year, but improve far beyond that. Their farm system, their current young talent, and the presence of veterans will send this team to the stratosphere.
Several players on the Tigers this year have made their presence known and are spearheading a rebirth after years of disappointment. While most of their success has been on the batting side of the team, the conversation starts around their obvious ace.
Skubal has been excellent this year, and there’s no evidence to suggest otherwise. He currently leads the league in fielding-independent pitching and WHIP at 2.02 and .826, respectively. Plus, he’s seen an increase in his strikeouts and a decrease in his walk rate, both topping the charts in efficiency. His reliance on his changeup has borne fruit; the pitch has been lethal with a .155 OBA and 76 strikeouts. Every single metric, from his chase rate and whiff rate to execution spells hall-of-fame at this rate.
Offense-wise, Riley Greene is the hero of the offense, leading the team in home runs, hits, slugging, and RBIs. Having just been named to his second All-Star game, he is the clear clean-up hitter of the team. The downside is his 125 strikeouts, easily 30% of all at-bats. He has a hole in the top half of the strike zone he must address, especially the outside top corner. If he can adjust his swing, he will easily hit a .350 OBP.
Elsewhere, the entire team is picking up. Spencer Torkelson is having his breakout year, putting all of his hitting tools together, while Gleyber Torres found new life at second base. Elsewhere, Javier Baez is having a Comeback Player Of The Year-caliber season, and Zach McKinstry has been a surprise success at third base. All four players have an OPS over .750, while Colt Keith continues to develop his hitting tools in the designated hitter spot.
There are three notable areas of concern with the Tigers. First, shortstop is the lone spot in the lineup with a negative WAR. Trey Sweeney has development issues with getting on base and overall contact, holding a 25% strikeout rate. His walk rate has improved, but now he’s running into a lack of slugging.
Most of the issues can be attributed to his slower bat speed and lower attack angle. In addition, Sweeney gets fooled on breaking pitches often, striking out nearly half the time when facing the pitch on a two-strike count. There’s a huge hole in his swing that needs to be corrected, but it might be wise to sell him to a team for a prospect or two when the time comes.
While parts of the rotation have been stellar from Skubal to Casey Mize and Reese Olson, they need another pitcher to keep their success going. Jackson Jobe is out until 2027 at the worst, barring a lockout of the sport. Jack Flaherty has seen a regression in keeping home runs down, leaving runners on base, and surrendering double the walks from last year.
Keider Montero is a great fourth starter, but he needs a second effective offspeed pitch to cement himself in the rotation. His fastball also needs work, tagged for a .280 batting average, but his knuckle curve and changeup have promise.
Lastly, the bullpen needs an additional arm or two. Will Vest has stepped up to seal himself at the Tigers’ closer with a 2.30 ERA and only surrendering two home runs in 43 innings of work. Tyler Holton has also become a dependable setup man, but his 10 home runs in 49 innings are a gigantic issue.
The good news for the Tigers is that they have several prospects who can either be good at the major league level or net a decent haul in a trade. One of these prospects is not only tearing up the minor leagues, but can solve their shortstop issues within the next year or two.
2023 competitive balance pick Kevin McGonigle is having a fantastic year at High-A. After two years of an OPS over .850, he tore up the level with a .372/.462/1.110 slash line and seven home runs in 36 games this year. That’s not even mentioning his 23 walks to 19 strikeouts. Watch how he adjusts at Double-A following his promotion.
Max Clark, the team’s first-round pick in 2023, also joins McGonigle in Double-A at the same time. While not as dominant, the outfielder had a respectable .285/.430/.857 slash line over 68 games, including seven home runs and 12 stolen bases. Again, he holds more walks than strikeouts this year.
The downside is that they lack solid depth in their pitching field. The Tigers did rectify this in the 2025 MLB Draft, with more than half of their picks being used on pitchers. Their top-pitching draft pick, Malachai Witherspoon, had a down year at Oklahoma, sporting a 5.09 ERA with 32 walks over 74.1 innings. He does hold a four-pitch arsenal with a pulse curveball and slider, according to MLB Pipeline. If he can sharpen his control, he could be their fifth starter in a few years.
Gryason Grinsell, their sixth-round pick, might be their best steal of the draft. The Oregon product threw a 3.01 ERA with 101 strikeouts over 98.2 innings. His walk rate is healthy at 2.6 per nine innings, while his nine home runs aren’t too much to worry about.
Plus, their other hitting prospects could be used in trades. Bryce Rainer, Thayron Liranzo, and Hao-Yu Lee could be shipped at the deadline for bullpen arms. They have the capital.
Here’s the open secret that will allow the Tigers to be competitive for years: They have a lot of cap space to not only retain talent, but add. In the 2025 offseason, Flaherty’s contract decreases to $10 million from $25 million, and they can cut Alex Cobb’s contract, worth $15 million. Kahnle’s free agency could save almost $8 million.
That $38 million in savings can easily be used to offer contracts to Greene and Torkelson. Some of it can also be used on Skubal.
With revenue increasing, their budget will have room to spend on free agents in 2026 and 2027. Watch for the Tigers to be a name that could circle high-profile free agents if they choose.
The Tigers aren’t just really good; they have dynasty potential if everything goes their way. They have the prospects, the current talent, the budget, and the ownership to go after their first World Series title in over 40 years. Their current flaws can be addressed by moving players around, getting aggressive in free agency, and locking down their current talent for a long period of time. This team is exciting, and anyone who’s a fan of the team should be screaming for at least one World Series in the next three years.
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