Detroit, MI
Detroit Tigers stock watch: Spencer Torkelson powers up as one of AL’s top sluggers
Can Detroit Tigers continue to win games as best American League team?
Detroit Tigers radio analyst Bobby Scales joins Days of Roar to break down the team’s formula for early success, plus Spencer Torkelson’s adjustments.
Let’s type it out again: The Detroit Tigers have the best record in the American League.
The Tigers (26-15) enter May 12 trailing only the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres for the best record in baseball, but they lead the 14 other AL teams in the standings — by a full 2½ games — and boast the second-highest run differential (plus-72, behind only the New York Yankees’ plus-75) among the 30 MLB teams. The Tigers sit atop the AL Central, 2½ games of both the second-place Cleveland Guardians and third-place Kansas City Royals.
OF course, there are 121 games remaining this season.
Here’s how some players are trending with 25.3% of the season in the books:
Three up
Spencer Torkelson, the 2020 No. 1 overall pick, is already a candidate to win MLB Comeback Player of the Year, hitting .247 with 10 home runs, 21 walks and 43 strikeouts across 41 games — putting him on pace for 39 home runs and 130 RBIs. His career-best .881 OPS ranks 11th among 81 qualified AL players, while his .527 slugging percentage ranks eighth.
The biggest development from 2024 to 2025? An athletic Torkelson has put his swing in a position to be on time for fastballs and to do damage on contact — even against high velocity. The 25-year-old is hitting .361 against four-seam fastballs, .400 against four-seamers at 95 mph or above and .433 against four-seamers in the strike zone. To maintain his success, he has stayed focused on his approach of hitting the ball to left-center field rather than trying to pull it.
Here’s another positive: Torkelson has been worth plus-2 defensive runs saved in 290 innings at first base. His glove has taken a big step forward over the past two seasons.
I thought Torkelson was cooked.
I was wrong.
Celebrate 125 seasons of the Tigers!
If Torkelson isn’t Comeback Player of the Year, shortstop-turned-center fielder Javier Báez might win the award — not only because he’s one of the most popular names in baseball, but also because he’s finally producing the All-Star-caliber results we hadn’t seen at any point in the first three seasons of his Tigers tenure.
Nobody saw this coming.
The 32-year-old is hitting .300 with three home runs, four walks and 28 strikeouts across 32 games. His 1.1 fWAR puts him on pace for 4.6 fWAR over the full season, which would rank as the third-best performance of his 11-year MLB career, behind only 2018 (5.8 fWAR) and 2019 (5.6 fWAR).
The offense is the key, but Báez might be making an even bigger impact on defense, ranking as a top-10 center fielder in the majors. He has been worth plus-4 defensive runs saved across 127 innings in center field, despite not having played the position until an experiment in the final week of spring training.
If it’s not Torkelson, and if it’s not Báez, then why not starting pitcher Casey Mize for Comeback Player of the Year? The 2018 No. 1 overall pick leads MLB with six wins, all while posting a 2.53 ERA with nine walks and 35 strikeouts over 42⅔ innings in seven starts.
Everything has been earned.
Mize (who headed to the 15-day injured list on May 10, retroactive to May 9) retuned to the drawing board in the offseason, visiting Driveline Baseball to find more swings and misses. The 28-year-old implemented two new sliders, giving him a total of three. He also increased the velocity of his splitter to 89 mph to create more deception with his 94.5 mph four-seam fastball.
The underlying results? His whiff rate has improved from 22% in 2024 to 28.3% in 2025 — a rise from the 21st percentile to the 70th percentile among MLB pitchers. His strikeout rate has also improved, climbing from 17.3% last season to 21% this season. One more thing: Mize owns the second-best ERA among Tigers starters, trailing only Tarik Skubal.
Honorable mention: C Dillon Dingler, RHP Brenan Hanifee, RHP Will Vest.
Three down
The Tigers provided Jace Jung the opportunity to become their third baseman of the future.
All he had to do was hit.
But the 24-year-old is hitting just .193 with 22 walks and 42 strikeouts across 50 games in his MLB career, including what appears to be a missed opportunity in his 2025 stint: a .100 batting average with seven walks and 13 strikeouts over 16 games.
Jung — the No. 12 overall pick in 2022 — is a gritty player who draws walks at an elite rate, but he continues to struggle with too many whiffs and too many strikeouts. He needs to make more contact against fastballs if he wants to stick in the big leagues, let alone lock down third base for the Tigers.
Jackson Jobe entered the season as one of the favorites to win AL Rookie of the Year, but three others have separated from the pack: Oakland Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson, Boston Red Sox second baseman Kristian Campbell and New York Yankees left fielder Jasson Domínguez.
Meanwhile, Jobe is plummeting.
The 22-year-old has a 4.88 ERA with 15 walks and 20 strikeouts over 27⅔ innings in six starts. His 12.3% walk rate ranks in the 13th percentile, and his 16.4% strikeout rate ranks in the 16th percentile. Hitters don’t chase or whiff at his pitches enough, often putting him behind in counts. The biggest problem: His fastball has the velocity but not the effectiveness for the big leagues.
The sky is the limit for Jobe, but the 2021 No. 3 overall pick still needs to develop.
A left oblique strain has limited Jake Rogers to just six games.
In his absence, fellow catcher Dillon Dingler — who began the season as the backup — has emerged as a candidate to cut into Rogers’ playing time upon his return to full health. Rogers will likely remain ace Tarik Skubal’s personal catcher, but if Dingler keeps hitting (at least above .275 with at least a .700 OPS), the playing time could shift to a near 50-50 split — or tilt more in Dingler’s favor.
That’s nothing against Rogers.
It’s simply a testament to Dingler’s success on offense, especially as Rogers’ production has already dropped from a .730 OPS in 2023 to a .607 OPS in 2024. A strong return from the injured list — particularly at the plate — would go a long way if Rogers, a .202 hitter in his 288-game MLB career, wants to reestablish himself as the undisputed No. 1 catcher.
Honorable mention: LHP Tyler Holton, OF Manuel Margot, RHP Kenta Maeda.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
Listen to our weekly Tigers show “Days of Roar” every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.
Order your copy of “Roar of 125: The Epic History of the Detroit Tigers!” by the Free Press at Tigers125.PictorialBook.com.
After getting absolutely annihilated in his previous start on Monday in Minnesota to the tune of 11 runs in just 1.2 innings, Garrett Crochet is set to retake the mound today and convince us all that everything will be fine as far as he and his health are concerned.
Unfortunately, he won’t just be battling the Tigers. Mother Nature is once again destined to play a roll in today’s match up, and here’s how the radar looks inside of an hour from first pitch:
The good news is the initial batch of heavier precipitation has moved out and east of Boston, but more unsettled weather still lurks to the west ahead of a slow moving front. That mess will push through eastern Massachusetts over the next several hours, filling in the current dry slot. While this incoming precipitation won’t be as heavy as what fell at times earlier today, it will come attached with colder and windier conditions, so a miserable weather game lies ahead (if they even try and play through it at all — The Yankees did not and waited around for three hours before starting their game against the Royals at 4:20pm). The other option will be to just wait until after sunset when it will be dryer, but still very cold and windy.
When they do get started, today’s lineup includes Roman Anthony leading off in leftfield, Andruw Monasterio at first base, and Jarren Duran, Masataka Yoshida, and Marcelo Mayer all starting on the bench with an opposing left-handed starter on the mound in Framber Valdez for Detroit.
OTM’s own pitching guru Jacob Roy will be around later to handle the postgame wrap and tell us if we should should be freaking out or breathing a sigh a relief when it comes to Crochet.
The Pistons have made recent moves to add more shooting, but still don’t have anyone quite as lethal as former Detroit guard Luke Kennard. On Saturday night, Kennard had a brilliant start to his postseason with 27 uber-efficient points for the Lakers in a win against the Rockets. His level of 3-point accuracy is something the Pistons have desperately been seeking all season long to bolster their offense.
Luke Kennard’s shooting makes him a dangerous playoff performer
Kennard was originally drafted to Detroit with the 17th pick of the 2017 Draft. The Pistons have plenty of draft regrets from that general era of team history, but picking Kennard has never been one of them. Despite any other weaknesses he may have, his strength as a shooter has always been enough to offset them.
In terms of pure 3-point percentage, Kennard is one of the best shooters in NBA history. He averages 44% behind the arc for his career, and shot a blistering 48% this season – the best mark in the league. Given his incredible track record, it’s not exactly a shocker to see him shoot 5-of-5 from three en route to 27 points in Game 1.
Not only is Kennard obviously an excellent standstill shooter, but he’s also a master of getting himself open with his movement. On Saturday night, he was able to play off LeBron James perfectly for a few easy looks. After that, he caught enough of a rhythm to create 3-point looks for himself, even in transition.
A player like Kennard is easily capable of turning an entire playoff game when he gets hot. In a close series, that one game where Kennard hits several threes can be all the difference his team needs to advance. If the Lakers do manage to win this series, even without Luka Doncic or Austin Reaves, Kennard’s shooting will be a major reason why.
The Pistons could use someone like Kennard
Kennard would be a perfect marginal addition for the Pistons that only makes them better without taking anything away from the team. To be fair, the Pistons do have two shooters who have been hot recently in Duncan Robinson and Kevin Huerter. But having more than one respected shooter on the court at a time is often necessary to maintain a solid offense in today’s NBA.
Given the Pistons’ current lack of shooting, any additional shooters are welcome. And Kennard is understandably one of the most feared shooters in the league, capable of bending defenses just by the threat of him taking a three. Rolling him out on the Pistons would surely open up more lanes for Detroit’s stars to attack the paint and score easier points.
Follow
A Detroit woman was arrested in the aftermath of a hit-and-run collision and shooting on Interstate 94, Michigan State Police reported.
Emergency dispatchers were called shortly after midnight Saturday about the altercation. Troopers reported the caller said while they were driving eastbound on I-94, near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, a black Jeep sideswiped them and sped off.
The caller then decided to follow the Jeep.
In response, police said, the driver of the Jeep fired several gunshots in the caller’s direction.
None of the gunshots struck the vehicle.
Troopers were able to use license plate reader camera technology to locate the Jeep while it was on the Lodge Freeway, made a traffic stop. The driver and two passengers were taken into custody without incident.
The passengers were released shortly afterwards; troopers believe that the 19-year-old driver was the shooter. She has been lodged pending further review by the prosecutor’s office.
In addition, a firearm was recovered from the vehicle.
The above video originally aired on Aug. 19, 2025.
-
Texas3 minutes agoTexas A&M Forward Transfer Seemingly on Visit to See Lady Vols Basketball | Rocky Top Insider
-
Utah9 minutes agoGolden Knights vs. Mammoth Game 1 prediction: NHL odds, picks, best bets for Stanley Cup Playoffs
-
Vermont15 minutes agoVermont lawmakers reject digital lottery initiative – Valley News
-
Virginia21 minutes agoVirginia’s special election redistricting battle is next week and has national impacts
-
Washington27 minutes agoThe Church of Jesus Christ has announced its 384th temple
-
Wisconsin33 minutes agoWisconsin authorities put total arrests from clashes at beagle breeding facility at about 25
-
West Virginia39 minutes agoThis week in West Virginia history: April 19-25
-
Wyoming45 minutes agoIdaho semitruck driver involved in fatal accident at Wyoming FlyingJ – East Idaho News