DETROIT – The regular season is off to a fun start for the Detroit Tigers, as they went into Chicago and swept a three-game series against the division-rival White Sox.
With 159 games remaining, it’s obviously too early to draw many conclusions. But there are a few things we learned over the weekend that we couldn’t have known for sure until the season began.
Parker Meadows has it all
We got a taste of it late in the 2023 season, and it continued into spring training, but this weekend was just the latest reminder that the Tigers really do have a special player in center.
Meadows showcased his entire skill set during the opening series, from a leadoff triple and home run robbery on Saturday to his solid eye at the plate.
Meadows didn’t leave Chicago with great offensive numbers, going just 1-for-10. But he worked several long at-bats and showed extra-base potential with a triple and a near homer that hooked just foul.
On Saturday, Meadows also demonstrated his arm strength on a fly out to center field, getting the ball in quickly and accurately to keep the tying run at second base.
A.J. Hinch is still tinkering with his lineup construction, but Meadows looks at home in the leadoff spot against right-handed starters.
Everybody will play
It’s been a theme ever since Hinch took over three full seasons ago, and it’s even more prevalent now that there are 13 MLB-caliber bats on the roster.
The Tigers don’t really have nine “starters” this season. Sure, guys like Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene are always going to play, but Andy Ibanez and Zach McKinstry don’t really feel like “backups.”
Ibanez was a critical part of this weekend’s sweep, driving in the only run of the game with a sac fly on Thursday and then delivering a pinch hit single to bring home the winning run on Sunday.
McKinstry got on base twice over the weekend and made the most important defense play of the series: A 5-3 double play to get the Tigers out of a bases loaded, one out jam late in a tie game.
Even Carson Kelly -- the “backup” catcher -- made a major contribution, driving in the game-winning run as his third hit Saturday.
It’s worth paying attention to Detroit’s midafternoon lineup reveals this year, because the starting nine will look very different day-to-day.
Third base competition continues
After the Tigers signed Gio Urshela early in spring training, the battle for the starting third base job raged throughout the rest of camp.
Well, it seems Hinch isn’t ready to trot someone out there for 140+ games. He gave three different players a shot to start this weekend: Ibanez on Thursday, McKinstry on Saturday, and Urshela on Sunday.
Matt Vierling’s only start came Thursday in right field.
We already talked about the contributions by Ibanez and McKinstry, but Urshela also chipped in a pair of hits on Sunday, and he’s probably the best defender of the three.
It’s possible somebody will eventually take the reins based on performance, but we could also see a rotation for much longer than expected.
Colt Keith deserves patience
Prospects like Juan Soto and Yordan Alvarez, who came up to the majors and immediately thrived, are becoming less and less common. More often than not, young hitters need a grace period to adjust to MLB pitching.
That will likely be the case for Keith, too. And we saw a glimpse of it this weekend.
Keith didn’t look overmatched in his first series, but he didn’t make much of an impact, either. He finished the weekend 1-for-11 with an infield single.
He did draw a couple of walks to go with two strikeouts, so Keith’s weekend wasn’t all bad. But even though he’s an elite prospect, it’s reasonable to expect he’ll need some time to find his footing.
Consequences for Javier Baez
We all know Javier Baez has struggled since coming to Detroit, and he was bad again at the plate this weekend, going 2-for-13 with two singles and four strikeouts.
But luckily, his offense hurts the Tigers a lot less when he’s batting near the bottom of the order.
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It seems the Tigers are finally ready to admit they’ve got a problem with Baez. While he spent the majority of last season (76 of 136 games) batting in the 2-4 slots of the lineup, he’s been down at No. 8 for each of the first three games.
Al Avila isn’t here anymore, and Chris Ilitch has probably realized by now that signing Baez was a mistake. His position in the lineup is the first sign that the organization is willing to cut its losses, and that there are consequences for a lack of production.
Tarik Skubal is that guy
We’ve talked about Skubal as a Cy Young candidate since the start of spring training, and he did not disappoint on Opening Day.
Skubal fired six shutout innings against the White Sox, striking out six and allowing just three hits. He got 20 whiffs on 83 pitches -- a ridiculous 24% swinging strike rate.
Skubal mixed in five pitches, getting multiple whiffs with four of them. He primarily dominated with his four-seam fastball, averaging 96.6 mph and getting whiffs on 45% of swings (10 of 22).
The White Sox lineup isn’t very good, but Thursday was just another example of why Skubal is considered one of the best pitchers in the game.
Alex Lange lost closer role
It wasn’t exactly clear what the Tigers would do with the closer role coming out of spring training, and I still wouldn’t say we have an exact answer. So far, Jason Foley has gotten a pair of two-out saves after Andrew Chafin and Tyler Holton got lefties out to start the ninth innings on Thursday and Sunday.
But one change is clear: Lange is no longer the frontrunner for saves. He didn’t even warm up in a 1-0 game Thursday, and then, the Tigers had him prepping to come in when they were losing in the middle innings Sunday.
Lange ultimately entered with the score tied in the seventh inning and proceeded to walk three of the four batters he faced. Control was the one weakness for Lange last season, and early indications don’t suggest he’s changed.
Scott Harris and the Tigers prioritize throwing strikes, and Lange’s 6.1 walks per nine last season doesn’t exactly fit the mold.
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