4 Major Overreactions To Detroit Tigers' Surprisingly Sluggish Start

There are a few overreactions for the Detroit Tigers in the early going of the season.

Apr 2, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) smiles while walking of the at the end of first inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers had the unpleasant honor of being the visitors for the Los Angeles Dodgers during their opening series of the 2025 MLB regular season.

There isn’t a tougher opponent to begin the campaign against than the defending World Series champions who might be even better this year.

The Tigers were swept, but they bounced back by winning two of three against the Seattle Mariners on the road before returning home.

They had another good showing in their home opener against the Chicago White Sox on Friday afternoon, pushing their record to 3-4 out of the gate.

Of course, as the case is every year, there are a few things that have garnered a lot of attention in the early going.

Here are four of the biggest overreactions involving Detroit through the first week of the campaign.

The Bullpen is No Longer a Strength

Last year, a major reason that the Tigers found so much success down the stretch was the performance of their bullpen. Manager A.J. Hinch pressed all of the right buttons and relievers responded regardless of the role.

This year, however, that has not been the case. The bullpen has been hit hard, resulting in a -0.8 WAR, which is being held down by the brutal start of Beau Brieske. He is one of four pitchers out of the bullpen with an ERA over 6.00.

A far-from-ideal start, but there is still a lot of talent to rely on as the pecking order will likely change before moves are made to add and remove players from the roster.

Spencer Torkelson Is Back

This is an overreaction that seems plausible that it could come to fruition.

After losing his starting spot in the lineup when Gleyber Torres signed in free agency, he hit all spring training to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster. He was in the lineup on Opening Day and with Torres on the injured list, he has assumed the job at first base again with Colt Keith moving back to second.

Torkelson looks to have figured things out over the offseason, carrying over his production from the exhibition season into the regular season. A team desperate for pop is benefiting greatly from his .320/.469/.520 slash line in 25 at-bats.

Tarik Skubal Isn’t The Best Starting Pitcher in Baseball

After winning the AL Pitching Triple Crown and AL Cy Young award last year, a lot of people tossed Skubal’s name out as the best pitcher in baseball, at least from the left side.

He hasn’t looked like that out of the gate, however, going 0-2 with a 5.91 ERA. Home runs have been his kryptonite, as he's allowed three in 10.2 innings.

This is almost certainly just a blip on the radar as he gets his bearings early in the season after a stellar spring training. Despite his ugly statistics, he's been throwing the ball well and should bounce back soon.

Colt Keith Will Not Be A Starter For Much Longer

Detroit has a lot of confidence in Keith as a long-term part of the puzzle, signing him to a six-year, $28.6 million deal that could grow into a nine-year, $82 million contract.

However, he needs to start hitting more if he wants to remain an everyday player.

While he leads the AL in walks (nine), his slash line of .190/.433/.286 leaves a lot to be desired from someone batting fifth, which is supposed to be a run-producing spot.

It will be interesting to see if he moves positions again in the future when Torres is healthy enough to return. He could be destined for third base, as the Tigers need help at the hot corner.