Detroit Tigers Executive Sets Expectations For Young Lineup, Veteran Pitchers Entering 2024
Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris spoke to the media at Spring Training on Wednesday, breaking down how the offseason went and setting the record straight on his team's potential makeup.
Harris, as recounted by The Detroit Free Press' Evan Petzold, made it clear that the Tigers would be committing to developing their young hitters, rather than trying to bring in a veteran at the last second.
"We have a young hitter in the big leagues, or pretty close to the big leagues, at almost every position – we got to commit to those guys," Harris said, per Petzold. "There aren't a ton of at-bats available for another everyday-type bat."
Of course, Detroit opened the offseason by acquiring outfielder Mark Canha in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers on Nov. 4. Harris noted how important it was to get a steady veteran presence in the building, once again with the more inexperienced players in mind.
"There were two main priorities for us: We wanted to add a veteran bat to strengthen the middle of our order but also mentor our young hitters," Harris said. "Those guys are really hard to find, but we found one in Mark Canha, and we're thrilled to add him to this group."
Beyond Canha and shortstop Javier Báez, though, the Tigers' lineup is full of former top prospects and young players still trying to establish themselves in the big leagues.
Outfielder Riley Greene and first baseman Spencer Torkelson were Detroit's first round picks in 2018 and 2019, and they both figure to be at the center of the franchise's path forward. Kerry Carpenter and Parker Meadows are homegrown products who became lineup regulars down the stretch in 2023, while infielders Ryan Kreidler and Jace Jung could compete for time moving forward as well.
Second baseman Colt Keith may be just 22 years old, but he signed a massive six-year contract extension back in January.
With so much raw, young talent baked into the lineup, Harris recognized how volatile that mix could be.
"We wanted to be self-aware about the team that we're going to run out there for 2024," Harris said. "It's going to be a lineup that's going to be filled with young hitters. As we know from watching baseball over the last decade or so, sometimes an offense filled with young hitters is a little bit unpredictable."
By putting his faith in Torkelson, Greene, Keith, Carpenter and the others to both develop and contribute in 2024, Harris was able to commit most of Detroit's resources to rounding out their pitching staff.
Eduardo Rodriguez left via free agency, but the Tigers signed Jack Flaherty and Kenta Maeda to replace him in the starting rotation. Andrew Chafin and Shelby Miler were also key bullpen additions Detroit made in December, and Harris highlighted their importance to the team's overall makeup on Wednesday.
"You guys are going to see, when we start getting on the mound, there's a lot of stuff in this pitching staff," Harris said. "That should help us keep games close and take some pressure off the young hitters and allow them to have a bigger influence on the outcome if it's a closer game."
Between the veteran arms and up-and-coming bats, maybe the Tigers can take the next step and notch their first winning season since 2016. Before this recent downturn, Detroit had gone .500 or better in nine of 11 seasons.
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