MLB Insider Reveals Detroit Tigers' Unique Advantage Over Top Rivals

This ESPN analyst reveals what the Detroit Tigers do better than any other team in baseball going into the season.

Mar 24, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Detroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson (20) gets a high five after hitting a solo home run against the San Francisco Giants. | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

After producing three playoff teams last year, the AL Central is shaping up to be one of the most competitive divisions in baseball again this year. The Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Guardians, Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins all finished over .500 last season and have legitimate chances to finish first this year.

There's not much separating these four teams, so it will be interesting to see which one rises to the top. FanGraphs has them all finishing between 78 and 83 wins, while PECOTA has them between 78 and 87 wins.

Both models project the Twins to win the division despite finishing fourth and missing the playoffs last year. The Guardians took the flag last year, but the Royals and Tigers both made the postseason as well and could be ready to dethrone them.

ESPN's Jeff Passan was originally going to pick Kansas City to finish first, but changed his mind after visiting Detroit's spring training site in Lakeland, Fla., and becoming enamored with the club's impressive stable of arms.

"They deploy their pitchers maybe better than any other organization out there."@JeffPassan thought the Royals would be his AL Central pick until he went to Tigers camp earlier this week. pic.twitter.com/fUUgEGyDRp

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) March 25, 2025

"Just seeing the amount of pitching that the Detroit Tigers have, it's overwhelming. It is exceptional," Passan said during a recent appearance on Foul Territory. "They deploy their pitchers maybe better than any other organization out there."

As Passan noted, the Tigers' pitching depth is outstanding and perhaps the best in baseball. It starts at the top with reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal — arguably MLB's top pitcher right now — and flows down from there.

Detroit has surrounded him with a bevy of quality hurlers, from veterans like Jack Flaherty and Alex Cobb to youngsters like Casey Mize and Jackson Jobe.

The organization has so much pitching talent that Keider Montero, who showed real promise as a rookie last year (6-6, 4.76 ERA), is starting the season at Triple-A Toledo because there isn't enough room for him on the Major League roster.

The Tigers already had one of the best pitching staffs in the sport last year, ranking fourth in ERA (3.63) and second in FIP (3.70). If Jobe steps up and gives the rotation a boost, Detroit's staff could be even better this year.

If that happens and the Tigers get more run support from their improved lineup (19th in scoring last year), they could very well end up on top of the division for the first time since 2014. If not, they should be in the mix for a Wild Card spot again and have a good chance to return to the playoffs.