A Promising Start For The Tigers???
Are the Tigers back? Are they going to be competitive in their division? Will they make the playoffs? These are questions I am sure every Tigers fans are asking themselves and if they aren’t they should! This team is filled with young studs but are they on the verge of being really good…but are they there yet?
As I write this the Tigers are 12-10 and third in the division. They were also the last unbeaten team left in the majors. In my opinion this team is being driven by their pitching, which they should considering the draft picks they have used here lately. We are also seeing some of the injured arms from last season making their 2024 debuts and they have fared very well. The bullpen has been the strength of the team for the last few years and they have not disappointed thus far in the 2024 season. The bats still scare me. They are better than last year but as compared to the rest of the league they are still below average. The Tigers remained rather quiet in the offseason so the front office sent a message that they don’t believe that this team is primed for a run just yet but I think this team has potential to overachieve this season.
I know 12-10 isn’t coming out of the gate as gangbusters. The Royals are a game better than the Tigers and the Guardians are 4 games better right now. I honestly think that the Guards have reached their peak already this season but the Royals are a scary team. Their young core is absolutely amazing. If you haven’t watched Bobby Witt Jr. play yet you need to. He is a rising star and the Royals have him locked in for the foreseen future. They also were one of the more active teams in free agency and they have hit so far on every one of their signings. So I do believe in this Royals team. I like them a lot. The Twins and White Sox bring up the tail end of this division and I see them remaining there all season. All that being said I think this division is going to come down to the Royals and Tigers.
I think the difference maker in the whole division is AJ Hinch. He is the perfect manager for this young team. He was in a similar situation in Houston and cheating aside, he took an extremely young squad all the way to a World Series championship. He knows how to connect with younger players and get the most out of them as quickly as possible. As the players that were hurt last season come back and get back into form this team will hit its stride. My only worry with the Tigers is that they will most likely have to win the division to make the playoffs. I don’t think a wild card team will come out of the Central in either league so it’s division or bust this season. I do believe the Tigers do have a chance to win the division and I can’t wait to see how this team progresses throughout the season!