Tigers Emerging Young Star Just Misses Out on MLB All-Breakout Team
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Things are not going well for the Detroit Tigers currently, who are in the midst of arguably the biggest meltdown in MLB history.
It wasn’t even two weeks ago that they held a 9.5-game lead in the American League Central. They were already being crowned as divisional champions with an eye toward the kind of damage they could do in the postseason. But, entering play on Sept. 22, they are only one game ahead and their playoff odds have plummeted.
Getting the team back on track in the final week of the season is going to be no small task. Reeling while the Cleveland Guardians have caught fire makes for a major challenge to overcome. It will take a complete team effort for this collapse not to come to fruition.
One of the players whom the Tigers will be counting on to help carry the load down the stretch is catcher Dillon Dingler. He has come out of nowhere to be one of the team’s most consistent producers at the plate, along with stellar defensive metrics.
Dillon Dingler Recognized For Breakout Season
With that combination, it should come as no surprise that he was under consideration for a spot on the MLB All-Breakout Team put together by Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report.
The young Detroit backstop was one of three honorable mentions that Reuter highlighted. Carson Kelly of the Chicago Cubs and Tyler Heineman of the Toronto Blue Jays were the others. Taking home the starting catching spot on the breakout team is Hunter Goodman of the Colorado Rockies.
An All-Star for the National League Team, overcoming Goodman for the prominent spot on the team was virtually impossible. But Dingler certainly did a wonderful job getting his name in the running at all. Coming into the campaign, he was going to be the backup to Jake Rogers. However, when he suffered an injury, Dingler assumed a larger role and ran with the opportunity.
He found his stride at the plate this year with a .274/.322/.424 slash line. That is a major improvement upon the .167/.195/.310 that he produced in his first taste of the Big Leagues in 2024. This year, he has hit 13 home runs, 20 doubles and three triples with 57 RBI. With a 3.1 bWAR, he is going to receive some attention in the AL Rookie of the Year race as well.
In addition to his improvements at the plate, Dingler has been incredible defensively. His Fielding Run Value of +14 is in the 97th percentile. He is elite in every defensive catching metric on Baseball Savant. There is a lot to like about his batted ball profile as well, hinting that this success is sustainable, not a flash in the pan.
Dillon Dingler is another great example. #RepDetroit
— Zach Simmons ✞ (@zachsimm0ns) September 18, 2025
Dingler utilizes a knee-down setup 97% of the time, and yet he grades as the 3rd best blocker in the game.
All while being 5th in MLB in catcher framing runs with 8. pic.twitter.com/jNStxIql84
The Tigers certainly hope so. With the amount of young talent working its way through the minor leagues and how many productive players are at the Major League level on rookie contracts, the future is incredibly bright, with Dingler among them.
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Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.