While it appears the Detroit Tigers rebuild is nearing the end, one thing remains, the team needs seasoning. This season the Tigers must show more in the win column than the loss. That means a season of young pitchers grasping the strike zone and hitters grasping the strike zone. Which means good days and bad days.
For the young Tiger hitters like Spencer Torkelson, Kerry Carpenter, and Riley Greene, they can look good on a bat and lost the next. Pitchers adapt, shoot baseball is a game of adaption. For Torkelson who hit 31 home runs and drove in94 RBIs last season, he should expect pitchers will approach him differently this season The same for Carpenter and Greene.
This is part of the next steps in becoming a competitive team. Situational hitting and understanding belt-high fastballs are not coming your way as often this season. Once the young hitters adjust the offense will become more balanced.
The Tigers young trio has struggled in the early part of this season. But they have shown better at-bats in the past few games. The good news is it is early and there is time to improve.
Detroit Tiger pitchers have been pretty consistent led by Cy Young Award hopeful Tarik Skubal. The Tigers bullpen has shown up in most games and is a dependable group.
This is the next step for the young Tigers. Start winning games. It is not the expectation but the natural progression in the rebuilding process. The Tigers currently own the #5 ranked farm system in MLB so there is more talent coming. But the parent team has enough talent to be competitive in the division.
This season is worth tuning into even when the team hits a losing streak. To see if they can figure it out.