Taking strides toward contention
Detroit Free Press
Five issues facing the Tigers:
Prospects:
The Tigers have two elite prospects – first baseman Spencer Torkelson and center fielder Riley Greene – ready for their MLB debuts in 2022. Both players reached Triple-A Toledo last season. Greene appears ahead of Torkelson in his development, but the Tigers won’t hesitate to put the former first-round draft picks on the opening-day roster if they’re ready for the task coming out of spring training.
Playoff ready?
If MLB expands the playoffs to 14 teams under the new collective bargaining agreement, the Tigers should have a chance to make the postseason for the first time since 2014. If it stays at 10 teams, the Tigers will need to win 90-plus games, which still seems like a stretch despite adding shortstop Javier Baez, left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez and catcher Tucker Barnhart to the roster. (Remember, the Seattle Mariners won 90 games last year and missed the postseason.)
Mize’s future:
There’s a good chance Casey Mize, the 2018 draft’s No. 1 overall pick, evolves into a true ace in 2022, after his 3.71 ERA in 30 starts last season set the groundwork for his future success. To become one of the best, Mize would greatly benefit from rediscovering his splitter and learning how to generate more swings and misses.
He had a 19.3% strikeout rate and 7.1 strikeouts per nine innings in 2021. If Mize racks up more strikeouts, he has the rest of the necessary tools, including top-tier preparation that has been compared to that New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, to become a Cy Young-caliber pitcher.
Cabrera’s lineup spot:
Miguel Cabrera, armed with a Hall of Fame résumé, turns 39 in April and is entering his 20th MLB season. He hit .256 with 15 home runs and 75 RBI last year, as well as crushing his 500th career home run in August. He is 13 hits from No. 3,000, another historic milestone. As the Tigers increase payroll, the biggest question is whether manager AJ Hinch will demote Cabrera from the third and fourth spots in the batting order.
Once Cabrera is gone after the season, opt-out after the 2023 season, to help the Tigers in numerous categories. Baez is expected to provide his power swing, excellent defense at shortstop and magical base running. In 2018, he finished second in the National League MVP voting.
But the 29-year-old lacks plate discipline, as exemplified by last season’s results: His 184 strikeouts ranked fifth most in MLB, and he had a terrible 33.6% strikeout rate. He walked just 28 times for a 5.1% walk rate. To get better, Baez will turn to Cabrera for advice.
“I want to have that confidence to have an approach like Miggy,” Baez said. “Something that takes me to the next level.”