Tigers Surprising Young Slugger is Making Run For AL Rookie of the Year
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The Detroit Tigers are in the midst of a season that has so far been one of the most special in recent memory.
With the best record in the American League and tied for the best in all of baseball, the Tigers continued their magic on Tuesday night against the Boston Red Sox with an incredible 11th inning walk-off home run by the resurgent Javier Baez.
In order to even get to Baez having a chance in the 11th however, Detroit needed to tie the game with a run in the 10th while trailing 7-6.
Down to their final out, Trey Sweeney smoked one into right field to bring Zach McKinstry home and got things all evened up in the penultimate inning ahead of the wild finish:
Trey Sweeney and the @Tigers are SCRAPPY!
— MLB (@MLB) May 14, 2025
Tie game in the 10th! pic.twitter.com/wesEvKX537
The clutch hit was far from the only moment Sweeney has had lately, though.
Right now, the rookie is seeing the ball as well as he has throughout his career after playing in 36 games down the stretch last year.
Trey Sweeney Has Been Incredible in 2025
On the season as a whole, Sweeney is slashing .265/.333/.390 with four home runs and 19 RBI, numbers that have been a pleasant surprise and especially seen an uptick since he took over the every day shortstop role.
It's the last couple of weeks however, he has really turned things up a notch.
The Tuesday night clutch hit was just the latest development after he absolutely mashed a three-run home run during the first game of the series against Boston.
In the last two weeks which have encompassed 13 games for the youngster, Sweeney has slashed .358/.370/.547 with three home runs and 11 RBI.
If he can show that this is more than just a hot streak and actually reminiscent of the kind of player he's becoming, Sweeney is not just going to help the Tigers win a lot of games.
He's going to have a real chance to unseat some heavy hitters -- including his own teammate Jackson Jobe -- for the American League Rookie of the Year award.
Still just 25 years old, Sweeney looks this season like he has taken the next step as a player.
Last year, he was playing out of sheer need of someone to fill in. This season however, he's on the field every day because he has established himself as a legitimate Major Leaguer.
If Sweeney keeps getting better, it's going to be a scary sight for the rest of the league.
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Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.