A year after the Tigers took a step back in their lengthy rebuild, Detroit won 78 games and actually finished the 2023 campaign in second place. That second-place finish was thanks to a number of breakout hitters and stout pitching from both the Tigers’ rotation and bullpen. Here’s our recap of the Detroit Tigers’ 2023 season.
Related: 2023 MLB Season Recap: Cleveland Guardians
The Offensive Numbers
| Stat | Figure | MLB Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Runs Scored | 661 | 28th |
| Home Runs | 165 | t-24th |
| OPS | .687 | 28th |
| Whiff% | 26.3% | 18th |
| Hard Hit% | 40.6% | 12th |
The Pitching
| Stat | Figure | MLB Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Starters’ ERA | 4.31 | 16th |
| Relievers’ ERA | 4.16 | 17th |
| Strikeouts | 1,374 | 20th |
| Whiff% | 25.1% | 22nd |
| Chase% | 29.5% | 11th |
The Good
Back in January, we listed 1B Spencer Torkelson as a player who needed a bounce-back season. The 24-year-old crushed NCAA and MiLB pitching prior to 2022 but hit just .203/.285/.319 over 110 games last year.
The 2023 campaign, though, was much kinder for Torkelson. The former ASU star hit .233/.313/.446 with 31 home runs — 19 of which came in the second half — and 66 extra-base hits this year. The Tigers needed Torkelson to step in and be the much-anticipated replacement for Miguel Cabrera and that happened this season.
OF Riley Greene, meanwhile, hit .288/.349/.447 with 11 home runs and 34 extra-base hits over 99 games in what was a very nice sophomore campaign. Then, there’s INF/OF Kerry Carpenter.
Carpenter, a 19th-round pick back in 2019, caught fire in the Minors last year and hit 30 home runs before he forced his way to Detroit. In 2022, the 26-year-old hit 20 home runs and 39 extra-base hits over 118 games, a sign that he’s a building block for the future.
Another plus for the Tigers was that staff ace Tarik Skubal came back for the summer — and there may not have been a better starter in the AL from July onward.
Skubal finished in the top 15 in ERA (2.80) over the final three months of the regular season and his 11.4 K/9 ranked in the top ten. Much of Skubal’s success can be attributed to his devastating changeup that he used more frequently upon his return. In fact, his changeup owned the third-best Whiff% (50.6%) in MLB last year, behind only Jovani Moran and Rays ace Shane McClanahan (min. 200 changeups thrown).
There were other positives from the Tigers’ pitching staff, as Alex Lange cemented his status as closer with 26 saves, and Tyler Holton and Jason Foley both pitched masterfully in setup roles.
In the rotation, Eduardo Rodriguez bounced back to have a strong 2023, and rookie righty Reese Olson owned a sub-4.00 ERA after 103.2 IP.
The Bad
Aside from Torkelson, Greene, and Carpenter, there weren’t many positives from the Tigers — who finished near the bottom in a number of offensive categories — at the dish.
While young outfielders Parker Meadows and Matt Vierling both took steps forward, Akil Baddoo hit .218/.310/.372 over 112 games and has yet to replicate his decent numbers from two years earlier.
However, arguably the biggest problem for the Tigers last season was Javier Baez. Baez hit just .222/.267/.325 with nine home runs and 31 extra-base hits over 136 games. The 2023 campaign marked Baez’s lowest ISO (.104) of his career and it wasn’t particularly close. His second-lowest in a full season came in 2016 at .150.
On the pitching side of things, left-hander Joey Wentz was statistically one of the worst starters in the game. His 11.5% Barrel and 41.5% Hard Hit% were both well below league average and his 6.90 ERA was the highest in MLB among pitchers with at least 105 innings thrown.
What to Look For in 2024
A lot of the Tigers’ future depends on the development of Torkelson, Greene, and Detroit’s young starters. While there were growing pains, the good news for Tigers fans is that it seems things have gotten back on track.
However, Detroit at this point still seems a year or two away from contending. While the AL Central is weaker as compared to other divisions, the reality is that the Tigers offense just isn’t there yet. However, young bats like Jace Jung and Colt Keith are close to the Majors.
On the pitching side, Casey Mize did not pitch all of this year, and he too is also a big piece of the Tigers’ future. His rehab hasn’t been easy, though.