Star Tigers Outfielder Has Found His Stride Early on During the 2025 Season
The Detroit Tigers have been outstanding during the 2025 season and became the first team in the MLB to hit 30 wins on the year.
With a 30-16 record to their name, they stand atop the MLB as they look to wrap up their series with the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.
Both the pitching and hitting have been equally impressive for the Tigers this season, and while the bullpen could still use a little bit of help, they have filled out their roster well at this point.
There have been plenty of players who have contributed to this success, and each player involved has had some sort of role in getting the team to this point. The outfield being as depleted as it was during the early portion of the campaign made things concerning for a bit, but the players who filled i have not only been solid, but in many cases, outstanding.
One such player is Kerry Carpenter, the right fielder and designated hitter for the team, who has put together an outstanding start to the year both at the plate and in the field.
While he has somewhat been overlooked at times, his level of success has been outstanding.
What Metrics Have Led to This Success From Kerry Carpenter?
Carpenter is slashing .294/.323/.523 with 26 runs, 21 RBI, nine home runs, a stolen base and 29 strikeouts to five walks. Additionally, his fielding has been strong, as in 237.2 outfield innings, he has 47 putouts to only one error, good for a .979 fielding rate in that span.
The intriguing part about his success is that the advanced metrics actually suggest he could be doing better than he is since he's well above average in many categories across the board.
According to Baseball Savant, he is 93rd percentile in expected slugging percentage (.575), 84th percentile in barrel rate (14.4%), 82nd percentile in average exit velocity (91.7 mph), 79th percentile in hard-hit rate (48.8%) and 77th percentile in squared-up percentage (29.5%).
The only metrics where he has struggled compared to MLB average is chase percentage (5th percentile - 38.3%) and walk rate (4th percentile - 3.1%).
Other than that, he has been right around average or above it.
His defensive metrics are nothing particularly special, but considering the small sample size given his role as the primary designated hitter, that it is not a major concern.
Overall, it's been an outstanding start to the season for Carpenter, and hopefully one that will be sustained through the summer and the remainder of the year.
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Jeremy Trottier started his writing journey with WBLZ Media, and has worked through multiple publications with 247Sports, USA Today, Fansided, SBNation and others. He is an avid fan of motorsports and most sports in general, and has completed a degree in sports management to further understand the sports industry. During his time with sports media, he has been credentialed for coverage of Boston College sports, and can often be found attending their football and basketball games as well as expected coverage of their men’s soccer team in the near future. Sports are a large part of his life and career, as he looks to pursue a full time role within the industry someday.