Slumping Detroit Tigers Star Hits Rock Bottom After Disastrous Performance
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It's been a rough couple of weeks for Detroit Tigers second baseman Colt Keith.
The 23-year-old is having a nightmare season thus far, both at the plate and in the field. He can't seem to do anything right.
On offense, he's slashing just .171/.383/.229 (85 OPS+) with no home runs, one RBI and 12 strikeouts through 12 games. He only has one multi-hit game this year and has shown no signs of breaking out of his early-season slump.
His defense has also been erratic, resulting in a league-high three errors — all in the last three games. He looks lost on both sides of the ball.
Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the New York Yankees was rock bottom for Keith.
He went 0-for-4 with a season-high three strikeouts at the dish, looking completely helpless against Max Fried. To make matters worse, he also committed an error on defense.
After the game, a dispirited Keith revealed that his confidence is at "an all-time low," according to 97.1 FM The Ticket host Marc Ryan.
Colt Keith said his confidence is at an all-time low after the game.
— Marc Ryan (@MarcRyanOnAir) April 9, 2025
Shocked to hear that.
All of us have felt that at one point in our lives. I’ve just never heard anybody say it. #RepDetroit pic.twitter.com/9sUF8rZzOL
Keith is obviously frustrated and demoralized, but he needs to cut himself some slack. Baseball is a game of failure and frequently humbles even the best players. The key is not to get too down on yourself and trust that you'll make the next play.
Slumps happen, and it seems like Keith's cold bat is affecting his play in the field. He appears to be pressing, which is only making things worse.
Fortunately, the Tigers' season is only two weeks old, so there's a lot of baseball left. Keith has plenty of time to snap out of it and get back on track.
Based on everything Keith has shown thus far, he's clearly better than this and will figure it out eventually. It helps that manager A.J. Hinch still believes in him and hasn't lost patience in his young star.
As a rookie last year, he batted .260/.309/.380 (95 OPS+). with 13 homers and 61 RBI. He also batted .291/.328/.364 during spring training, so he can hit.
While he's not getting the results he wants at the plate, at least he's seeing the ball well. He leads the American League with 12 walks and has been getting on base a ton, so he's still finding ways to contribute during his slump.
Defensively, he just needs to settle down and not overthink things. His .977 fielding percentage last year was only a bit below the league average for second basemen (.983), so he's a solid fielder, too.
Fortunately, Detroit had an off day on Thursday before kicking off a six-game road trip on Friday against the Minnesota Twins and Milwaukee Brewers. Hopefully that gives Keith a much-needed mental break and helps him return to form.
