Detroit Tigers Utility Man Is Best in Baseball in This Offensive Category

This Detroit Tigers player leads Major League Baseball in a key offensive category.

Apr 26, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers outfielder Zach McKinstry (39) doubles to left field and drives in two runs in the seventh inning during game two of a double header against the Baltimore Orioles at Comerica Park. | David Reginek-Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers are in the midst an impressive start to the 2025 season.

Given the injuries they have endured early this year, they have still managed to put together an extremely impressive 18-12 record entering play on Wednesday, putting them first in the American League Central division.

They have had a good mix of batting and pitching production, which has allowed them to get out to this strong start.

It also puts them in a good spot when some of their injured players are ready to return.

One of the most surprising things about the team has been the impressive play they have received from some key veterans, who have really stepped up in lieu of the outfield problems.

Zach McKinstry specifically, who, after two years of middle-range offensive yield, has really started to kick things up a notch.

Through the first 27 games, he is slashing .326/.425/.483 with 15 runs, 13 RBI, three stolen bases, 26 strikeouts to 16 walks and an American League- leading three triples.

This is a stark contrast from the previous two seasons -- especially in 2024 where he slashed .215/.277/.337 with 32 runs, 23 RBI, 16 stolen bases, 69 strikeouts to 24 walks and five triples in 118 games.

McKinstry's production has been impressive given that he is already close to surpassing multiple stat totals in a fifth of the games played while his defensive production has been just as good.

Having played five different positions so far across 220.1 innings, he has 44 putouts, 19 assists and no errors, good for a perfect 1.000 fielding rate.

When it comes to his offensive production, though, there is one key advanced metric that stands out above all the rest; his launch angle sweet-spot percentage.

This measures hits that come off the bat in the "sweet-spot" of degrees, which is between eight and 32 degrees since hits in this range typically lead to the best outcomes.

McKinstry ranks No. 1 across the entire MLB in this, with 52.3% of his hits coming in this range, according to Baseball Savant.

While many of his other metrics are right around league average aside from walk rate (90th percentile) and range (89th percentile), this one is by far the most notable.

Being the player in the 100th percentile among everyone in the MLB is truly outstanding.

His production at the plate can be tied back to this statistic since hitting the ball off his bat at the right time and angle allows for a much higher rate of effective hits.

McKinstry has done that the best out of anyone so far this season.