Surprising Development Has Been Reason for Tigers' Dominant Start to Season

The improvements the Detroit Tigers have made on offense have been spectacular this season.

May 18, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Detroit Tigers left fielder Akil Baddoo (60) and second baseman Gleyber Torres (25) celebrate the win against the Toronto Blue Jays at the end of the ninth inning at Rogers Centre. | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers went on an unprecedented run during the 2024 season over the final two months to snag a Wild Card spot in the American League.

Even after achieving some playoff success by defeating the Houston Astros in the ALWC, they knew the brand of baseball they played to get to that point wasn’t sustainable over the course of an entire campaign.

If the Tigers were going to become a perennial playoff team and eventually emerge as contenders in the AL, improvements had to be made in several areas.

The most glaring need was offensively, where the team lacked pop.

In 2024, Detroit hit 162 home runs in 162 games, which was the seventh-fewest in the MLB and well below the league average of 182. They struggled to get on base consistently to even create run-scoring opportunities with a .300 OBP, which was 29th in the league.

Their slugging percentage of .385 and their OPS+ of 94 were both below average, as well, despite them scoring 4.21 runs per game, which was good enough for 19th.

Timely hitting and some elite pitching is what carried the Tigers through their incredible 2024 run.

This year, the pitching remains excellent, but it is backed by one of the most dynamic offenses in baseball.

The improvements of Detroit at the plate have been staggering, and they are a major reason why they currently own the best record in baseball at 33-17 and are a virtual lock for the postseason.

They are on pace for 205 home runs this year, hitting 62 through their first 49 games. First baseman Spencer Torkelson -- one of the true breakout performers of 2025 thus far -- and left fielder Riley Greene are tied for the team lead with 12. Kerry Carpenter has reached double-digits with 10 long balls of his own.

The Tigers are already halfway to the number of players who hit 10-plus homers in 2024, and the calendar is still in May.

Their on-base percentage has jumped to .333, which is seventh-best in baseball.

A team OPS+ of 114 is the fifth-best mark in the sport, the same spot their slugging percentage of .423 holds in the rankings when it comes to that statistic.

Those improvements have led to the team averaging a robust 5.35 runs per game, which is fourth-best in the league.

With offense like this, it is no surprise that Detroit is considered legitimate buyers ahead of the deadline, as a few upgrades could have them in the driver’s seat in the AL.