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Tigers Baseball Report

Tigers Kerry Carpenter Concerns Continue To Rise With Key Stat Lagging

Detroit is in need of some offense, andt the top of the order is not giving it to them, and that includes Kerry Carpenter.
Maddy Dickens|
Kerry Carpenter (30) singles during the first inning against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
Kerry Carpenter (30) singles during the first inning against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

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Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers had a quiet offseason regarding offensive additions, making one thing perfectly clear: they are counting on players that are already on the roster to step up and lead this team as they start their redemption tour to take back the AL Central.

While that has worked in their favor in terms of top prospect Kevin McGonigle, third baseman Colt Keith, as well as catcher Dillon Dingler, it does not appear to be panning out for the top of the order at this point.

That includes outfielder Kerry Carpenter who is currently hitting .063 as he has only made contact once in 16 at-bats as the primary leadoff man, which pairs horribly with 10 strikeouts.

While those stats are hard to look at, it gets worse. Carpenter has greatly struggled with runners in scoring position in the past, especially last season. That is continuing on this season as he has struck out the pair of chances he had to bring a runner home.

Training didn't necessarily go well for Carpenter either as he struck out 13 times in 18 games while hitting .169 to go with his OPS that was well under .500.

It is is obviously early on into the season, so that is the only reason that there isn't a huge concern regarding Carpenter, but if the 2025 tale continues as the Tigers are trying to make a deep run in October, there might be some difficult decisions that need to be made by the front office.

Carpenter's RISP in 2025

Kerry Carpenter hits a baseball in an orange Tigers uniform
Detroit Tigers right fielder Kerry Carpenter (30) bats during the third inning against the Minnesota Twins at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Last season, there were nearly 70 games in which Carpenter made a plate appearance with a teammate ready to score, 96 total appearances. He struck out 29 times and only made contact on 14 of those occasions.

By the end of 2025, with runners in scoring position, he hit .163 with an on-base percentage of .229. If he is going to be a part of a World Series contender roster, then that cannot continue on into this season.

The Tigers took their season opener and the first series of the year. However, they handed the Arizona Diamondbacks the win in the initial game of that series.

The ballclub is now looking to bounce back the next pair of games before their home opener at Comerica Park. Nobody wants to see Carpenter struggle as much as he is, but the front office is ready to win now, and if he doesn't step it up, his role could change entirely.

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Maddy Dickens
MADDY DICKENS

Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.

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