Did Detroit Tigers Receive Correct Grade After Fantastic Month?

The Detroit Tigers are off to an excellent start with one of the best records in baseball and a strong grip over the American League Central.

Coming into the season, expectations for the Tigers were at levels not seen for quite some time.

So far, Detroit has been living up to those expectations with their great start to the year.

Even though they might not have the best lineup in baseball, the offense has been good enough paired with one of the best-starting rotations and bullpens in the game.

The balance of the Tigers could arguably be their greatest strength and they had an impressive first month of the campaign.

David Schoenfield of ESPN (subscription required) recently wrote about team grades for April. For the Tigers, he gave them the excellent grade of an ‘A’ for their efforts so far.

“They're certainly not going to overpower you, but the Tigers have as much pitching depth as any team in baseball, with more rotation depth than last year's surprise playoff team and the same impressive bullpen that manager A.J. Hinch does such a good job of mixing and matching.”

When looking at the roster for Detroit, this is a team that is built on pitching, both in the starting rotation and the bullpen.

The improvements in the rotation specifically have been what has taken the team to the next level.

In the postseason last year, the Tigers’ rotation was pretty much just Tarik Skubal. At the trade deadline, the team appeared to be out of contention and traded away their No.2 starter Jack Flaherty.

The right-hander would have certainly come in handy in the American League Division Series, but hindsight is always 20/20.

Furthermore, while the reunion with Flaherty was great to see, the franchise also has seen some of their young talent take a big step forward.

Rookie Jackson Jobe is off to a great start this campaign, totaling a 2-0 record and a 3.38 ERA. Furthermore, one of the biggest surprises has been the performance of Casey Mize.

The former first-overall pick has totaled a 2.70 ERA and 5-1 record through six starts.

With high-end talent and depth for the unit, the rotation has been arguably the greatest strength for the team so far.

In addition to the production coming from the starters, the lineup has also seen some improvement despite their outfield being ravaged by injuries.

Spencer Torkelson has followed up a great spring with a hot start to the year and has been the power-hitter in the middle of the order that the team needed.

While the lineup could likely afford another bat or two, the unit has been good.

Overall, it was a great month of April and the Tigers should be really excited about what the rest of the season might hold.