What the Tigers Can Learn From Watching the Blue Jays 'Play Fearless'

With a young core and plenty of hope, the Tigers are learning a thing or two from how the Blue Jays approach every game.

DETROIT — Things aren’t going well for the Tigers at the moment.

On pace for their seventh losing season in the last eight years, Detroit’s been hammered by a rash of injuries that have nerfed the club’s ability to play at its highest level. With a 24-34 record, the Tigers’ 2022 season isn’t lost yet. Even if it were, though, there wouldn’t be much panic.

The Tigers are at a point in their competitive trajectory that is similar to where the Blue Jays were a few years ago. Detroit has a highly regarded, up-and-coming core of position players in Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene, the same way Toronto had Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. coming up in 2019.

Detroit has even more pitching promise in Tarik Skubal, Alex Faedo, Matt Manning, and Cazey Mize, who’s now unfortunately set to undergo Tommy John surgery.

The Blue Jays were high on hope and low on execution during a challenging stretch from 2017 to 2019. Now, Toronto is one of the best teams in the AL and should contend for a World Series title come playoff time. And seeing the way Toronto has turned its culture around gives the Tigers a bit of hope.

“It’s such an exciting team,” Tigers catcher Tucker Barnhart said of the Blue Jays. “Every night when you pop on MLB Network or whatever, you see Bo out there doing some crazy stuff or Vladdy doing some crazy stuff or [George] Springer doing some electric things. The list goes on, Matt Chapman's the best third baseman defender in the American League.

“Admiration is a strong word, but just watching the way that those guys play the game, it's really cool and really fun to watch.”

The Blue Jays have a reputation for toting a strong “fun factor” in the way they play the game. A high clubhouse morale is an intangible but critical element for a club’s success. So, when a group is having fun playing pro baseball, what does that do for each player on an individual level?

“I think it frees you up; it gives you that freeing feeling,” Barnhart said. “I think when you're in a situation that is approached like playing ball growing up and the fun that that brought, I think it allows you to get the best out of yourself.”

It’s not always easy to get to that point, and the Tigers have felt the growing pains.

“I struggled to start the year last year as well, and it sucks while you're going through it,” said Spencer Torkelson, the first overall pick by Detroit in the 2020 Draft. “But you do learn a lot about yourself. You learn what works.”

Torkelson, a former top prospect, credited Tigers veterans such as Javier Báez and Miguel Cabrera for helping him learn to manage failure. 

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Torkelson is batting just .189 with a .596 OPS through his first 53 MLB games. Initially, that lack of success bogged him down.

“I got caught up kind of just being miserable … not being happy outside the field,” Torkelson said. “I was like, ‘That's not a way to live life,’ because I’m not just a baseball player; I can't bring my 0-for-4 with three strikeouts back home because that's not enjoyable, it's not sustainable."

Torkelson credited the Tigers’ veterans for keeping things light and helping him understand the ebbs and flows of the game. That was part of Detroit’s thinking when the front office spent boatloads of money on veterans this offseason, inking Eduardo Rodriguez to a five-year, $77-million deal and Javier Báez to a six-year, $140-million pact. 

In a sense, those two signings mimic the scope and timing of Toronto’s additions of Hyun Jin Ryu in 2019 and Springer in early 2021. Springer has been an important voice in the Jays' clubhouse, as has Chapman, and together they’ve fostered an on-field product that other teams appreciate.

“They play fearless,” Torkelson said of the Blue Jays. “They're not afraid to mess up. Everyone's gonna mess up in this game, but it's how you mess up. And then they're a really fun team to watch, fun team to play. All the guys have been great over at first base.”

The Blue Jays are an inherently special club. Their on-field product is captivating, and their in-house ethos is about perspective, overcoming adversity, and having fun. Toronto’s blueprint for success is one that other teams should try to follow. By all accounts, the Tigers are taking note. Perhaps they’ll find prosperity in doing so.